La Ceiba

Coordinates: 15°46′45″N 86°47′35″W / 15.77917°N 86.79306°W / 15.77917; -86.79306
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the Ceiba Tree Park in Ponce, Puerto Rico, see Parque de la Ceiba.

La Ceiba
Municipality
UTC-6 (Central America)
ClimateAf
Websitemunicipalidadlaceiba.com

La Ceiba (Spanish pronunciation:

Atlántida and a port city on the northern coast of Honduras in Central America. It is located on the southern edge of the Caribbean, forming part of the south eastern boundary of the Gulf of Honduras. With an estimated population of 209,000[2] living in approximately 170 residential areas[3] (called colonias or barrios
), it is the fourth most populous and third most important city in the country.

La Ceiba was officially founded on 23 August 1877. The city was named after a giant ceiba tree that grew near the old dock. The city has been officially proclaimed the "Eco-Tourism Capital of Honduras," as well as the "Entertainment Capital of Honduras". Every year, on the third or fourth Saturday of May, the city holds its famous carnival to commemorate Isidore the Laborer (Spanish San Isidro Labrador). During this time, the city is host to approximately 500,000 tourists.

History

Olancho and Santa Barbara
), and from around the world settled in La Ceiba. Workers were attracted to jobs associated with the banana industry, which became important to the regional economy.

In the late 19th century, the banana business caught the attention of big North American banana companies, such as the

Dole
subsidiary) for transport of its commodity to ships at the port from the banana plantations. This company was largely responsible for the early growth of the city.

La Ceiba was declared a municipality on 23 August 1877. At that time Marco Aurelio Soto was President of Honduras. La Ceiba was the centre of banana and pineapple business, the basis of its economy. Other companies developed in the city, such as:

  • Cervecería Hondureña, the national brewing company and holder of the Coca-Cola licence in Honduras. Founded in 1918.
  • Fábrica de Manteca y Jabón Atlántida, known as La Blanquita, at one point, this was the largest producer of consumer goods in Honduras; it is now defunct.
  • Banco Atlántida, oldest Bank in the country, founded in 1913.
  • Mazapan School, the first bilingual school of the nation, the oldest high school and second oldest elementary school in the city.
A shop selling air conditioning. Pico Bonito Mountain in the far right background

The first municipal building or

city hall was located in the corner of 2da Calle and Avenida Atlántida, at the site of the present-day Ferretería Kawas warehouse. The building was made of wood and in 1903 it was burnt down due to vandalism
. Some people wanted to destroy private property ownership records in La Ceiba. The municipal building was set on fire again on 7 March 1914 during more social unrest.

The

Municipal Corporation moved the offices further south of the city. They were burned again during unrest in 1924. Soon after this, the office building was constructed at its current location, on land donated by Manuel Mejía
.

Geography

Climate

La Ceiba features a trade-wind

orographic rainfalls occur. The average annual rainfall is about 3,200 millimetres (130 in), making it one of the wettest cities in Central America, second only to Colón, Panama
among urbanised areas with more than 100,000 people.

Climate data for La Ceiba, Honduras (Golosón International Airport) 1970–1990, extremes 1965–present
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 32.8
(91.0) 		34.8
(94.6) 		35.4
(95.7) 		36.0
(96.8) 		38.0
(100.4) 		37.0
(98.6) 		35.7
(96.3) 		38.0
(100.4) 		36.0
(96.8) 		34.6
(94.3) 		33.6
(92.5) 		34.0
(93.2) 		38.0
(100.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 27.0
(80.6) 		27.6
(81.7) 		29.0
(84.2) 		30.1
(86.2) 		31.3
(88.3) 		31.3
(88.3) 		30.8
(87.4) 		30.9
(87.6) 		30.6
(87.1) 		29.5
(85.1) 		28.2
(82.8) 		27.3
(81.1) 		29.5
(85.1)
Daily mean °C (°F) 23.8
(74.8) 		24.0
(75.2) 		25.6
(78.1) 		26.8
(80.2) 		28.2
(82.8) 		28.0
(82.4) 		27.5
(81.5) 		27.6
(81.7) 		27.4
(81.3) 		26.2
(79.2) 		25.2
(77.4) 		24.3
(75.7) 		26.2
(79.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 18.4
(65.1) 		18.4
(65.1) 		19.5
(67.1) 		20.7
(69.3) 		22.2
(72.0) 		22.6
(72.7) 		21.8
(71.2) 		21.8
(71.2) 		22.0
(71.6) 		21.2
(70.2) 		20.2
(68.4) 		19.1
(66.4) 		20.7
(69.3)
Record low °C (°F) 13.2
(55.8) 		12.0
(53.6) 		11.5
(52.7) 		12.0
(53.6) 		14.2
(57.6) 		19.0
(66.2) 		17.5
(63.5) 		16.8
(62.2) 		18.9
(66.0) 		16.7
(62.1) 		12.1
(53.8) 		12.6
(54.7) 		11.5
(52.7)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 305.2
(12.02) 		330.0
(12.99) 		225.2
(8.87) 		120.5
(4.74) 		76.9
(3.03) 		154.6
(6.09) 		174.9
(6.89) 		197.3
(7.77) 		203.3
(8.00) 		423.8
(16.69) 		539.6
(21.24) 		478.9
(18.85) 		3,230.2
(127.17)
Average rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm) 11 8 6 6 4 10 11 13 12 14 13 12 118
Average
relative humidity
(%) 		81 83 82 80 79 80 80 80 78 79 84 80 82
Mean monthly sunshine hours 170.5 192.1 217.0 234.0 213.9 192.0 201.5 217.0 174.0 151.9 144.0 151.9 2,259.8
Mean daily sunshine hours 5.5 6.8 7.0 7.8 6.9 6.4 6.5 7.0 5.8 4.9 4.8 4.9 6.2
Source 1:
NOAA[4]
Source 2: Deutscher Wetterdienst (sun and humidity)[5] Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)[6]

Economy

Banco Atlantida on 1era Calle (1st Street)

Among Honduran cities, La Ceiba is the second most important

Dole Food Company
, which operates throughout northern Honduras and is based in La Ceiba.

Tourism also plays a large role in the city's economy (see below). Since its development in the late 20th century, the La Ceiba seaport has played an ever-increasing role in the economy of the city. This port represents a vital economic artery to La Ceiba's growing tourist industry. Additionally, the La Ceiba sea port is home to one of the finest boatyards in the north west Caribbean (According to Western Caribbean Cruising Guidebook). Known as the La Ceiba Shipyard, this company offers a complete group of marine services for all types of seagoing vessels.

Education

La Ceiba is home to many

public schools. Among the largest is Escuela Francisco Morazán
along Avenida San Isidro, which is considered the main street of the city. Instituto Manuel Bonilla is the largest public High School in the city, with over 5,000 registered students.

There are also many private schools in La Ceiba. Several private

pre-school
education.

The first university in the city was the Centro Universitario Regional del Litoral Atlántico (often called CURLA). It is a

UNAH
).

The first

Universidad Tecnológica Centroamericana
– UNITEC was begun in 2008.

Tourism

Cordillera Nombre de Dios mountains in Pico Bonito National Park taken from the western side of La Ceiba

La Ceiba has long been known as the tourism capital of Honduras, due to its proximity to the beach, active

Útila and Roatán
.

The area around La Ceiba has many parks and natural reserves. Its most recognised natural area is the

Wildlife refuges with its wild manatees
is located a few miles to the west of the city.

Semana Santa (

tourist seasons
. During this week tourists from all over the country flock to the city to enjoy its sun, beach, and very active night life during that week during Carnaval before Ash Wednesday.

The busiest tourist season by far is the week leading up to the internationally renowned "

souvenirs
.

Transportation

Old steam train from La Ceiba, now in Swinford park
Danto Bridge on the western approach to the city

There were trains running through La Ceiba to bring the bananas from the plantations but they are not active any longer although traces of the old railroad tracks can still be seen.

Buses and taxis make up most of the public transportation in the city, with numerous buses serving almost every available route in the city. Taxi-cabs are numerous in the city, costing as little as L.30.00 (just over $1.20 as of 2023) for destinations within sectors of the city limits. From one sector to the next, the cost is an additional 10 Lempira ($.40)

The pier to the east of the city offers transportation via ferry to 2 of the 3 major islands that make up Islas de la Bahia; Roatan and Utila. The Golosón International Airport to the west of town offers flights to the other major cities in the country as well as other towns in the Mosquitia Region of Honduras in the east. This airport is hub to Aerolíneas Sosa. There is also a bus station just west of the city centre though some buses also run from their own terminals.

Sport

La Ceiba is the home of two clubs of the top division of the Honduran National Professional Football League, Vida and Victoria. Both play in Nilmo Edwards Stadium. The matches between the two rival clubs are known as Clásico Ceibeño.[7]

Notable people

Twin towns – sister cities

In fiction

  • In Paul Theroux's novel The Mosquito Coast, Allie Fox, disillusioned with America's materialistic culture, abandons his native country and emigrates with his family to Honduras, initially disembarking at the city of La Ceiba before making his way inland with a vision of starting a new life.

See also

References

  1. ^ Citypopulation.de Population of departments and municipalities in Honduras
  2. ^ Citypopulation.de Population of the major cities in Honduras
  3. ^ "La Ceiba, Honduran Capital of Eco Tourism". Archived from the original on 18 March 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2007.
  4. ^ "La Ceiba Climate Normals 1961-1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  5. ^ "Klimatafel von La Ceiba, Bez. Atlántida / Honduras" (PDF). Baseline climate means (1961-1990) from stations all over the world (in German). Deutscher Wetterdienst. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  6. ^ "Station Goloson" (in French). Meteo Climat. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  7. ^ (in Spanish) Article about the Clásico Ceibeño on La Prensa

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to La Ceiba.
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