Puerto del Rosario has been the capital of Fuerteventura since 1860. The city superseded Antigua, which it had temporarily been since 1834; before that, after the Spanish conquest by Jean de Béthencourt, it was the place Betancuria.
The island's capital is located in the 300 km² municipality of the same name, which stretches in the north of the island from the west to the east coast. At the time of its founding, in the early 19th century, the young city was just a goat drinking place. Hence the city name was also Puerto de Cabras (goat port), which was only changed to Puerto del Rosario in 1956.
Puerto del Rosario is the cultural center and the most economically important city on the island. At the same time, the capital is the administrative center of the island. The international airport of Fuerteventura is located a little to the south.
The small church Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario in the city center and the harbor promenade with the fountain Fuente de la Explanada and the historic limestone furnace, Horno de Cal, are worth seeing. The open-air museum Ecomuseo La Alcogida in Tefia is located near Puerto del Rosario. In the small village with its well-preserved courtyards, visitors are vividly brought closer to traditional country life.
