San Lorenzo () is a city, with a population of 33,810 (2020 calculation), and a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the Honduran department of Valle. The city was established by

Spaniards Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance ethnic group native to Spain. Within Spain, there are a number of national and regional ethnic identities that reflect the country's complex history, including a number of different languages, both in ...

as a village in 1522 but not granted city status until 1909. It is the primary Honduran

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...

on the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

coast and lies on the

Pan American Highway The Pan-American Highway (french: (Auto)route panaméricaine/transaméricaine; pt, Rodovia/Auto-estrada Pan-americana; es, Autopista/Carretera/Ruta Panamericana) is a network of roads stretching across the Americas and measuring about in to ...

Geography

San Lorenzo is located in the department of Valle. It is located at approximately 13.42 North 87.45 West. San Lorenzo is located 60 miles (2 hours) south from

Tegucigalpa Tegucigalpa (, , ), formally Tegucigalpa, Municipality of the Central District ( es, Tegucigalpa, Municipio del Distrito Central or ''Tegucigalpa, M.D.C.''), and colloquially referred to as ''Tegus'' or ''Teguz'', is the capital and largest city ...

, the capital of Honduras, 21 miles east of the border crossing to El Salvador at El Amatillo and 50 miles west from

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...

. San Lorenzo is also located about 8 miles south of Jicaro Galan, Valle (located at the crossroads of the Pan American Highway and the Southern Highway). The next closest sizeable cities are Nacaome, Valle to the north and Choluteca, Choluteca which is 19 miles to the east. According to the 2001 Honduran National Census, San Lorenzo is the 20th largest city with a population of 21,043. According to census, the population was divided between 19 colonias and barrios. It had a population of 15,294 in 1988 and 9,467 in 1974 fin.

Demographics

At the time of the 2013 Honduras census, San Lorenzo municipality had a population of 41,297. Of these, 97.38% were Mestizo, 2.10%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.42% Black or Afro-Honduran, 0.08%

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

, and 0.03% others.Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), bases de datos en línea
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Economy

It has become one of the most developed cities in southern Honduras. Its economy is based around the seafood industry ( shrimp), tourism and agriculture (

watermelon Watermelon (''Citrullus lanatus'') is a flowering plant species of the Cucurbitaceae family and the name of its edible fruit. A scrambling and trailing vine-like plant, it is a highly cultivated fruit worldwide, with more than 1,000 varie ...

, melon and other fruits). The city has one public market, six banks, one cooperative and many restaurants located in La Cabaña, the tourist area. The modern public market was built by the Spaniards c. 2005. The largest hotels include El Gran Hotel Miramar, Hotel Club Morazán and Villas Concha Mar Condominiums.

Culture

The patron saint celebration takes place in August. San Lorenzo's best secret is the " Sopa Marinera," a strong, tasty seafood soup. Many tourists visit the area, including Europeans sailing in the

Gulf of Fonseca The Gulf of Fonseca ( es, Golfo de Fonseca; ), a part of the Pacific Ocean, is a gulf in Central America, bordering El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. History Fonseca Bay was discovered for Europeans in 1522 by Gil González de Ávil ...

. A small city park has several concrete marine animals including a shrimp, shark, crab and a pelican for children to play on. A new park was built in late 2007. It is located near La Cabaña and the Miramar Hotel. It includes a monument dedicated to present and past mariners including those that once worked in pangones, transporting wood and other articles from Amapala.

Transportation

Most streets are paved. An abandoned 4,400 airstrip with an elevation of 26 feet above sea level can be found northwest of the city center. However, the closest airport with scheduled flights is Toncontin International Airport (MHTG) in Tegucigalpa. Puerto de Henecan opened in 1979, which replaced the port at Amapala.

References

External links

San Lorenzo Website
Municipalities of the Valle Department {{Honduras-geo-stub