The municipality takes its name from its administrative capital, which in turn is due to its status as a port and to the Marian calling of the patron saint of the locality, the Virgin of the Rosary.

The place was initially known as Puerto de Cabras or Puerto Cabras due to the historical presence of herds of these animals grazing along its coastline. However, on 6 March 1956, the municipal authorities asked that it be changed to Puerto del Rosario, as they considered the name Cabras to be “a permanent insult that lends itself to humiliating irony and exposes the city to the continuous mockery of those who visit the place.” The change was approved by the council of ministers on the 16th of the same month and year.

The municipality of Puerto del Rosario is located in the central-northern sector of the island of Fuerteventura. It spans a total of 289.95 km², much of which is rural natural space, with a municipal perimeter of 85.86 km, bordering the municipalities of La Oliva to the north, and Betancuria and Antigua to the south.

Its beaches include Playa de Puerto Lajas, Playa Los Pozos and Playa Blanca, all offering the right conditions for water sports such as surfing and windsurfing.

There are various thematic museums to be found within the municipality, as well as several exhibition rooms, both public and private, notably:

• Juan Ismael Arts Centre: facilities in the El Charco neighbourhood, with exhibition rooms, photographic laboratories, a conference room and an artists’ workshop spread across three floors.
• Unamuno House Museum: located right in the centre of the capital, next to the island council, in the building where Miguel de Unamuno used to live during his exile in Fuerteventura in 1924. It is now a museum that reconstructs the atmosphere in which the philosopher lived his life.
• Exhibition room of the Casa de la Cultura in Puerto del Rosario: room located next to the auditorium, where you can view exhibitions of painting and photography.
• La Alcogida Ecomuseum: small village located in Tefía, with seven restored traditional dwellings where various activities of traditional rural life are carried out live for visitors to experience.

Aside from its numerous exhibition rooms and museums, Puerto del Rosario has an outdoors sculpture park featuring a large number of works by different artists. The park consists of more than 50 sculptures, predominantly those created during the International Sculpture Symposium, which has been held annually since 2001. Over the course of the event, artists from all over the world create their sculptures in the open air as passers-by look on.