Tocoa, Colón is a city, with a population of 59,130 (2020 calculation),Citypopulation.de
Population of cities in Honduras 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 northern Honduran department of Colón slightly inland at 38 m elevation in the valley of Aguán on the right bank of the river.

Economy

The city of Tocoa produces mostly

African oil palm ''Elaeis guineensis'' is a species of palm commonly just called oil palm but also sometimes African oil palm or macaw-fat. It is the principal source of palm oil. It is native to west and southwest Africa, specifically the area between Angola a ...

which is used to make oil, lard and

biodiesel Biodiesel is a form of diesel fuel derived from plants or animals and consisting of long-chain fatty acid esters. It is typically made by chemically reacting lipids such as animal fat ( tallow), soybean oil, or some other vegetable oil ...

. It also produces a lot of milk because it is a livestock area, which is partly sold to dairy companies and also consumed in the area. Corn, beans, rice, and vegetables are grown in small quantities as well as oranges and bananas. watermelon is cultivated in its season, also in small quantities. Being an agricultural area in the strategic location at the center of the Aguán Valley, the city is experiencing an economic takeoff for the first time this is reflected in the new shopping centers and fast food restaurants.

Terrain and climate

It is situated between Garcia and La Abiscinia hills, 61 km from Trujillo, 30 km from

Sabá Sabá is a town, with a population of 16,460 (2020 calculation),Citypopulation.de
Population of cities in Hondu ...

, 70 km from

Olanchito Olanchito is a municipality in the department of Yoro, Honduras, and a town with a population of 45,270 as of 2020. The municipality was founded in 1530 and comprises 70 villages, approximately 300 hamlets, and approximately 100,000 inhabitants ...

, 100 km from

La Ceiba La Ceiba () is a municipality, the capital of the Honduran department of 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 bo ...

, and 303 km from San Pedro Sula. Tocoa's territory is watered by the rivers Río Tocoa, Río Taujíca, Río San Pedro, and Río Salamá. The climate is hot and tropical with an average temperature of 29 °C; the

rainy season The rainy season is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. Rainy Season may also refer to: * ''Rainy Season'' (short story), a 1989 short horror story by Stephen King * "Rainy Season", a 2018 song by Monni * '' ...

lasts from June to January, with an average precipitation of 1000 mm annually.

Hydrography

Its farmlands are irrigated by the Tocoa, Aguán, Gualaco and Salamá rivers, which are found around the city.

History and government

Tocoa was founded in 1871 by settlers from inland

Olancho Olancho is the largest of all the 18 departments into which Honduras is divided. The department covers a total surface area of 24,057 km² and has an estimated 2015 population of 537,306 inhabitants. The departmental capital is Juticalpa, ...

, and declared a municipality in 1892. Juan J. Evangelista was the first mayor. The current 2014-2018 Municipal Council is headed by Adan Funez. Currently, the city of Tocoa, with more than 95,000 inhabitants, is one of the most populated cities in the northern part of Honduras and is the most populated city in the Department of Colón. In recent years, Tocoa has had an economic boom as a result of increased tourism and having one of the most diverse shopping markets in the country.

Culture

Sports

C.D. Real Sociedad plays its games in Tocoa at the municipally-owned stadium,

Estadio Francisco Martínez Durón Estadio Francisco Martínez Durón is a football stadium in Tocoa, Honduras. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of C.D. Real Sociedad. The stadium holds 3,000 people. The stadium hosted its first Hondur ...

. The team gain promotion to the first division in 2012, where they brought high profile players like Julio César de León. The team has had success in their short time in the premier division reaching the final on multiple occasions. The investment in the sport has brought full stadiums and a respectable performance in the league.

Services

There are several businesses, banks, companies, local and international organizations based out of Tocoa, namely: Fundacion San Alonso; CASM; Programa Mundial de Alimentos; Misiones del Agua Internacional (www.misionesdelaguainternacional.blogspot.com), a Christian engineering non-profit organization offering aid to needy people in areas such as safe water, sanitation, health and hygiene, etc., which has its Regional Latin America office in Tocoa and its World Headquarters in Charleston, SC. There is a Rehabilitation Center (Centro de Rehabilitacion Integral de Colon
CRICOL
which provides high - quality multidisciplinary care to the people with disability.

Toponymy

The origin of the name Tocoa, is a demonym originating from "Tocoacin" which means place of green ears and land of corn, and of "Toctlihacan" possessive particle indicative of the place. In this place archaeological remains have been found, such as jade stone and obsidian mud. The name of Tocoa is "Tocoana" which means valley of high and green mountains.

References

External links

Javier Montoya WebsiteCenso Poblacional 2013
*http://www.xplorhonduras.com/departamento-de-colon/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Tocoa, Colon Municipalities of the Colón Department (Honduras)