San Pedro Sula, city in northwestern Honduras, capital of Cortés Department, in the Sula Valley. It is near Puerto Cortés, with which it is connected by rail. The city is a commercial center of an area of banana and sugar plantations; industries include sugar refining, tanning, flour milling, brewing, meat packing, tobacco processing, and the manufacture of lumber, furniture, dairy products, and soap. It is one of the largest cities in Honduras and the site of the José Reyes Normal School. Established in 1536, to the east of its present location, the city was moved in the 17th century. Population (1995 estimate) 383,900.
