The town lies on a narrow strip of land between the bay and the steep mountains that surround it. From May to November the climate is hot and humid, but from December through April it is warm and pleasant. This comfortable climate, along with luxury hotels, excellent beaches, and deep-sea fishing, has earned Acapulco its nickname of Riviera of Mexico, after the famous French resort area.

More than 300,000 people visit Acapulco each year. The cliff divers who leap into the waves of a cove are a major tourist attraction. A summer school for foreigners, founded in 1955, offers courses on Mexican arts and archaeology. The Fort of San Diego houses a regional museum. Built in 1616, it was destroyed by an earthquake in 1776 and later restored.

Acapulco's harbor is a major export point for coffee and sugar as well as for other Mexican goods produced in the interior. Local industry is limited to the manufacture of woven sombreros, shellwork, confectionery, and other products for the tourist trade. No railroads connect to the city, but frequent air service and a link to the Mexico City-Cuernavaca highway make Acapulco easily accessible.

The harbor was discovered by Hernando Cortez in 1531, and a settlement was founded in 1550. Acapulco was designated a city in 1599, becoming a main depot for Spanish colonial ships traveling between Mexico and the Orient. Eventually it became a port of call for steamship lines sailing between Panama and San Francisco. Population (1990 census), 592,187.