town, northwestern Puerto Rico. The town is a port on a wide bay formed on the south by the hills of Punta Higüero (Jiguera) and on the north by Punta Borinquen, the northwestern corner of the island. It was established as a town in 1775 and elevated to the royal rank of villa in 1861. The town is a processing and trading centre for a prosperous agricultural hinterland; products include cigars and straw hats. The town has an airport and a regional college of the University of Puerto Rico. Pop. (2000) town, 16,776; (2000) urban agglom., 299,086.