WELCOME TO CANCUN Cancun is Mexico's top tourist destination. Located on the tip of the Yucatan peninsula it's beaches are unparalleled. Cancun's beaches offer gleaming white sands and the clear blue-green waters of the Caribbean. A wide range of restaurants, exciting night life, a variety of shopping opportunities and the overall tropical atmosphere draw over two million visitors a year. It's hard to believe that 25 years ago it didn't exist at all. Cancun has 200-plus days of sun a year and the temperature averages 25C (80F). The "hotel zone," which is what most tourists think of as Cancun, is a fourteen mile long, thin island shaped like a "7." To the North is the Caribbean Sea with wide open beaches and strong waves. To the west the shore is buffeted by Isla Mujeres (Isle of Women) causing calmer waters. To the south, between the island and the mainland is the Nichupte Lagoon which is perfect for all sorts of water sports. Downtown Cancun (or El Centro) has a much different feel, mainly because it is actually lived in. Cancun has over 1,500,000 residents. It offers markets instead of malls, and street venders and outdoor cafes rather than air-conditioned restaurants. Downtown Cancun has little of the glitz of the hotel zone, but is a fast growing and interesting city to visit. Text and photos copyrighted by MexOnline.com LLC, 2004. Reprinted here by permission.