San Pedro Sula facts for kids

Quick facts for kids San Pedro Sula
City and municipality
Historic and modern landmarks of San Pedro Sula
Flag Seal
Nickname(s):  La Capital Industrial, Sap
San Pedro Sula Location in Honduras
Country	Honduras
Department	Cortés
Municipio (County)	San Pedro Sula
Foundation	27 June 1536; 488 years ago (1536-06-27)
Area
• City and municipality	856 km2 (331 sq mi)
Elevation	83 m (272 ft)
Population  (2023 projection)
• City and municipality	834,883
• Density	975.3/km2 (2,526.1/sq mi)
• Urban	793,835
• Metro	1,445,598
GDP (PPP, 2015 int. dollar)
• Total	$8.7 billion (2023)
• Per capita	$8,900 (2023)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central America)

San Pedro Sula is a major city in Honduras. It is the capital of the Cortés Department. You can find it in the northwest part of the country.

The city is located in the Sula Valley, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of Puerto Cortés. Puerto Cortés is a port city on the Caribbean Sea.

With a population of about 701,200 people in its main urban area (as of 2023), San Pedro Sula is a very important city. It is the main industrial center of Honduras. It is also the second-largest city in the country, after the capital city of Tegucigalpa. San Pedro Sula is the largest city in Central America that is not a capital city.

History of San Pedro Sula

Early Times and Spanish Arrival

Before the Spanish arrived, the Sula Valley was home to many native people. About 50,000 people lived there. The area where San Pedro Sula is today was a busy trading place. It was used by the Mayan and Aztec civilizations.

When the Spanish came, the native population greatly decreased. On June 27, 1536, Don Pedro de Alvarado founded a Spanish town. He built it next to an Indian settlement called Choloma. He named it Villa de Señor San Pedro de Puerto Caballos. This name later became San Pedro Sula.

The new town had 35 Spanish citizens. Alvarado used 200 of his slaves to help build the town. They also worked in the fields nearby. He sent groups to explore and secure the new town. This helped to expand Spanish control and gather supplies.

Challenges and Growth in Colonial Times

The new settlement struggled to survive during the colonial period. In 1601, the Spanish government made Santo Tomás the official port for Central America. This change meant fewer exports went through Puerto Cortés. This caused an economic slowdown for San Pedro Sula that lasted through the 1600s.

San Pedro Sula also faced attacks from pirates and soldiers from France, the Netherlands, and England. By the mid-1700s, Spain decided to build forts along the coast. One of these forts, the Fortaleza de San Fernando, was built in Omoa. This fort was less than 50 miles from San Pedro Sula. More trade followed, and the city's population grew. It went from 70 people in 1714 to 357 in 1789.

Modern Development and Banana Trade

After Honduras gained independence, San Pedro Sula was still a small, poor village. It relied on trade between Omoa and the rest of the country. By 1875, the city had about 1,200 people.

The city started to grow a lot in the 1870s and 1880s. This was thanks to the growing banana trade. San Pedro Sula worked closely with Samuel Zemurray. He was an American shipper and railroad builder. His company was called Cuyamel Fruit Company. A railroad was built between 1869 and 1874. It connected the city to the coast at Puerto Cortés. This helped the city become a major center for the banana business.

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  San Pedro Sula Cathedral

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  Panoramic view of Downtown San Pedro Sula

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  Municipal Palace

Economy: How San Pedro Sula Makes Money

San Pedro Sula is a very important economic center for Honduras. In 2000, the mayor at the time, Roberto Larios Silva, said that the city was where the country's economic growth was focused. This was because of its industries, businesses, and financial services.

The city is known for its maquila industry. This means factories that make clothing and other goods for export. This industry has helped the city grow. As of 2011, San Pedro Sula produced two-thirds of Honduras's total economic output, known as its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This shows how vital the city is to the country's economy.

Panoramic of the city.

Geography and Climate

What is the Climate Like in San Pedro Sula?

San Pedro Sula has a tropical wet and dry climate. This type of climate is also known as Aw under the Köppen climate classification system. This means it has a dry season and a wet season. The dry season lasts from January to May. The wet season covers the rest of the year.

The city is warm all year round. It also gets some rain. San Pedro Sula can experience hurricanes and tropical storms. These usually happen during hurricane season. This is when storms form in the southern Caribbean or off the coast of Western Africa.

City Layout: How San Pedro Sula is Organized

San Pedro Sula's Old Train Station.

Like many cities built by the Spanish, San Pedro Sula is divided into four main sections called quadrants. Avenues run from north to south, and streets run from east to west.

First Street and First Avenue are in the very center of the city. They divide it into four main quadrants: Northwest (NW), Northeast (NE), Southwest (SW), and Southeast (SE).

Southwest Quadrant

• Barrio El Benque is the business area, located just west and south of the center.
• Other neighborhoods here include Barrio Paz Barahona, Barrio La Guardia, and Colonia Altamira.
• Colonia El Chamelecón is also in this area.
• Further south are Colonia Dubón, Colonia Figueroa, and Colonia Trejo.

Northwest Quadrant

• Barrio Guamilito is just west and north of the city center.
• Other neighborhoods include Colonia Moderna, Colonia La Mora, and Colonia Zeron.
• The Colonia Columbia is near the Universidad de San Pedro Sula.
• Across the river, you'll find Colonia Juan Lindo and Colonia Jardines Del Valle.
• Colonia Universidad is also in this quadrant.
• West of Colonia Universidad is Colonia Country, which has the Academia Americana.
• Colonia Villas del Sol includes the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Honduras en el Valle de Sula.
• Further out, north across the Río Bermejo, are Colonia Los Alpes and Rancho El Coco.
• You can also find Residencial Los Cedros and Colonia La Tara here.
• Far to the north is Colonia Fesitranh.

Universidad Tecnológica Centroamericana UNITEC

Northeast Quadrant

• Barrio Las Acacias is just north of the city center.
• Other neighborhoods in this area include Barrio San Cristobal and Villa Florencia.
• You can also find Colonia Ideal, Barrio Morazán, and Colonia Modelo.
• Further out are Colonia Bográn, Colonia El Carmen, and Colonia Los Laureles.

Southeast Quadrant

• This area includes the road to the airport, Aeropuerto Internacional Ramon Villeda Morales. It also leads to the city of La Lima.
• Neighborhoods here include Barrio Medina and Colonia La Aurora.
• Other areas are Barrio Cabañas, Barrio La Navidad, and Barrio Las Palmas.
• You will also find Barrio San Luís, Colonia La Unión, and Barrio La Paz.
• Farther out are Colonia Rivera Hernández and San Cristobal.

Other Neighborhoods in San Pedro Sula

Media: Newspapers in San Pedro Sula

• El Anunciador de Cortés (1914—1919) was an independent weekly newspaper published in the city.

Sports: Playing in San Pedro Sula

Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano

The Villa Olímpica is a large sports complex in San Pedro Sula. It has facilities for many Olympic-style sports. These include football, boxing, swimming, baseball, and cycling. It also has multi-purpose gymnasiums.

San Pedro Sula is the only city in Honduras with two football stadiums.

• The Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano is located in the Villa Olímpica. It is the largest stadium in the country, holding 42,000 people.
• The Estadio Francisco Morazán is in the city center. It can hold 23,000 people.

These stadiums are home to San Pedro Sula's most popular professional football teams: Marathón and Real CD España. Since 2009, the Honduras national football team has also played its home matches in San Pedro Sula.

Education: Learning in San Pedro Sula

San Pedro Sula is home to several universities and technical institutes. These include:

• Universidad Catolica de Honduras
• Universidad de San Pedro Sula
• Universidad Pedagogica Nacional Francisco Morazan
• Instituto Tecnologico Sampedrano
• Universidad Tecnologica de Honduras (UTH)
• Universidad Tecnologica Centroamericana (UNITEC)
• Instituto Tecnico de Electricidad y Electronica (ITEE)

Tourism: Places to Visit in San Pedro Sula

San Pedro Sula's municipal palace.

Cathedrals

San Pedro Sula has two important cathedrals:

• A Roman Catholic Cathedral that was built in 1949.
• A Greek Orthodox cathedral, Iglesia Ortodoxa de Antioquía San Juan Bautista, which was built in 1963.

Currusté Archaeological Site

This archaeological site is about two kilometers along the road to Lake Jucutuma. In 2006, expeditions found many ancient pieces from a pre-Columbian civilization. They also found ruins of an unknown civilization.

Images for kids

• Chamelecón.jpg

  The Chamelecón district, located south of San Pedro Sula, near the Chamelecón River.

See also

In Spanish: San Pedro Sula para niños