Puerto de la Cruz is a city and municipality located in Spain, on the north coast ofTenerife island, in the Orotava Valley. It was formerly known by its English translation, "Crossport", although nowadays it is usually known in all languages by its Spanish name. It is located 4 km (2 mi) west of La Orotava, and 37 km (23 mi) W of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and 25 km (16 mi) from Tenerife North Airport both on the TF5 Motorway. In Spanish the inhabitants are known as Portuenses. The municipality is the smallest in area in Tenerife.
The population is 31,830 (ISTAC, 2003), its density is 3,646.05/km² and it occupies an area of 8.73 km (3 sq mi). Its elevation is 9 m (30 ft) MSL. The lowest point is the coastal Atlantic zone. The highest is Las Arenas, a volcanic cone with an elevation of 249 m (817 ft). Farmland is tucked into the valley areas and within the Atlantic coastal zone; urbanisation covers much of the area and the terrain rises rapidly to the south.
Prior to the development of hotels and buildings, much of the area consisted of agricultural land. Considerable fiscal pressure led to land development, which saw the character shift from rural/agricultural to urban/tourism-based. The population is mainly urban today
