Manatí is a coastal city of 45,400 inhabitants (2000 census), located at the center of Puerto Rico's northern coast, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north. It is about forty-five minutes west of San Juan on PR Road #22, de Diego toll Expressway. It is about 45 minutes west of Bayamón on PR Road #2.
Mar Chiquita, in the photo above, is an enticing pond protected from the rough Atlantic currents by natural reefs. It is a much visited spot for swimming and snorkeling.
Manatí is a large producer of pineapples in its extensive coastal plains, irrigated by Rio Grande de Manatí, whose waters flow from high in the mountains of Barranquitas and flow into the Atlantic Ocean in neighboring Barceloneta.
The excellent roads leading to Manatí have attracted many industrial concerns to this area.
The patron saint for Manatí is "La Virgen de la Candelaria", celebrated on February 2.