Cancún, << kan KOON, >> is one of Mexico’s most popular resorts. The area’s warm, sunny climate and white sandy beaches attract about 2 million visitors annually. Cancún lies along the Caribbean coast of the Yucatán Peninsula.
Cancún consists of a mainland city and a nearby island resort. Bridges connect the mainland and the island. Cancún City is home to resort employees. The island, often called the “hotel zone,” features hotels, a convention center, shopping malls, restaurants, and nightclubs.
The area where Cancún now stands had long been poor and thinly populated. In the late 1960’s, the Mexican government decided to build a new resort in the region in an effort to create economic growth and boost tourism. Construction of Cancún began in the early 1970’s, and the first tourists arrived in 1974.
