La Ceiba << lah SAY uh bah >> is one of the largest cities in Honduras. The municipality of La Ceiba has a population of 197,267. A municipality may include rural areas as well as the urban center. The city is also one of the largest commercial ports of Honduras. It lies on the country’s northern coast, on the Caribbean Sea, 115 miles (185 kilometers) north of Tegucigalpa. Tropical forests, nature reserves, mountains, and rivers surround La Ceiba.
The municipality of La Ceiba was established on Aug. 23, 1877. La Ceiba’s prosperity has been linked closely to banana farming, which developed in the late 1800’s. By the beginning of the 1900’s, La Ceiba had become one of the nation’s most active ports, mainly shipping bananas to New Orleans.
During the early 1900’s, La Ceiba attracted many immigrants from Europe, the Middle East, the United States, and the Caribbean Islands. They contributed to La Ceiba’s economy by establishing and investing in factories and other businesses. Today, economic activities in La Ceiba include food processing, manufacturing textiles, and producing palm oil. Chief exports include bananas and pineapples.
