Mayagüez

Port in western Puerto Rico; population (2000 est) 98,400. Mayaguez lies on the Mona Passage, which links the Caribbean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean, has a deepwater harbour, and is the leading port of the western part of Puerto Rico. Favoured by the establishment of a Foreign Trade Zone, industries include brewing, distilling, furniture, clothing, cigars, soap, agricultural equipment, pharmaceuticals, tuna processing, and clothing manufacture. The city traces its origins to 1760; it received severe earthquake damage in 1918. The University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez was founded in 1911.

In the city are the Mayagüez campus of the University of Puerto Rico, with nuclear research capabilities, and an experimental station of the US Department of Agriculture which houses a major collection of tropical plants.