Ceiba, Puerto Rico
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| Ceiba, Puerto Rico | |||
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| — Municipality — | |||
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| Nickname(s): Los Come Sopas", "La Ciudad del Marlin", "Los Sin Sopa" | |||
| Anthem: "Ceiba" | |||
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| Coordinates: 18°14′17″N 65°37′40″W / 18.23806°N 65.62778°WCoordinates: 18°14′17″N 65°37′40″W / 18.23806°N 65.62778°W | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| Territory | Puerto Rico | ||
| Founded | April 7, 1838 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Hon. Pedro Colon (PNP) | ||
| • Senatorial dist. | 8 - Carolina | ||
| • Representative dist. | 36 | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 77.33 sq mi (200.28 km2) | ||
| • Land | 27.2 sq mi (70.5 km2) | ||
| • Water | 50.11 sq mi (129.78 km2) | ||
| Population (2010) | |||
| • Total | 13,631 | ||
| • Density | 180/sq mi (68/km2) | ||
| Demonym | ceibeños | ||
| Time zone | AST (UTC-4) | ||
| Zip code | 00735, 00742 | ||
Ceiba (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈθeiβa]) is a small town in northeast Puerto Rico. It is named after the famous Ceiba tree[citation needed]. Ceiba is located in the east coast of the island, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, north of Naguabo, south of Fajardo, and east of Río Grande. It is located about one hour's driving distance from San Juan. Ceiba is spread over 7 wards and Ceiba Pueblo (The downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the Fajardo Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Ceiba, situated near Fajardo, used to be home of an American military air-base, the Roosevelt Roads Naval Station. Most of the units there were relocated and the base was closed in 2004. Ex-governor Sila María Calderón suggested turning the property into a major international airport, to serve as a relief to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, and to increase the number of international airlines that operate into Puerto Rico. She was met with skepticism about these plans from such groups as environmentalists, economists and others, but in 2008, José Aponte de la Torre Airport was inaugurated at the base's former site.
Locals are commonly known as "Los Come Sopa" (The Soup Eaters). Even though there is no official reason as to why they are called this, a few stories have been suggested. Among the tales is the belief that since the town did not have a local meat market people had to travel long distances in order to buy some meat and therefore mostly ate soup.
Ceiba is also known as "La Ciudad del Marlin" (The town of the Marlin).
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[edit] History
Ceiba was founded on April 7, 1838 by Luis de la Cruz. Ceiba derives its name from an Indian word Seyba, which is the name for a famous tree that grows in the island, the Ceiba pentandra,(Kapok).
[edit] Flag
Ceiba's flag derives its design and colors from the municipal coat of arms. This maintains the same symbolism given to the coat of arms. It is made of two vertical lines of the same width, red in the left side and green on the right. The red side depicts a yellow cross.
[edit] Coat of arms
It depicts a shield with golden field with a Ceiba tree in the middle. In the upper part of the shield it has a red horizontal line with a golden cross in the middle and two golden flowers in each side. The cross symbolizes the Christian faith as well as a recognition to Don Luis de la Cruz who founded the town. The golden flowers represent sugar cane flowers. Above the shield there is a golden Spanish fort.
[edit] Demographics
[edit] Barrios (Districts/Wards)
- Ceiba Pueblo
- Chupacallos
- Daguao
- Guayacán
- Machos
- Quebrada Seca
- Río Abajo
- Saco
[edit] Religion
As in most towns of Puerto Rico it was founded on the Christian ideas and faith statements of the Catholic Church which prevailed in previous centuries through Spaniard tradition. The town still maintains a central Catholic church which can be found in the town square.
[edit] Geo/Topography
Ceiba is home of the Ceiba Forest (787) which extends along the coastline between Ceiba and Fajardo. 95% of the forest is classified as mangrove. Various species of birds can be seen as well as turtles and manatees. Its rivers includes; Río Daguao, Río Demajagua and Río Fajardo.
The municipality extends northwest into the seas between Fajardo and Culebra and thereby includes the reefs and islets named Arrecifes Hermanos and Arrecifes Barriles.[1] The reef are closest to the coastal barrio (ward) of Machos, but barrio boundaries are not defined in that area.[2]
[edit] Economy
[edit] Industry
Manufacturing (plywood, apparell, hardware products).
[edit] Tourism
[edit] Landmarks and places of interest
- Ceiba Historic Mural
- Los Machos Beach
- Medio Mundo Beach
- Roosevelt Roads Base (a former United States Navy installation which is now closed)
- The great cellist Pablo Casals lived in Ceiba.
[edit] Festivals and events
- Enamorado (Lovers) Marathon - February
- Air Show - April 2/3
- Marlin Festival - May - June
- Fiestas Patronales-San Antonio de Padua (Patron Saint Festivities) - June
- Fiesta Nacional de la Raza (Race) - October
- Marathon Del Pavo - November
[edit] Government
All municipalities in Puerto Rico are administered by a mayor, elected every four years. The current mayor of Ceiba is Pedro Colón, of the New Progressive Party (PNP). He was elected at the 2008 general elections.
The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district VIII, which is represented by two Senators. In 2008, Lornna Soto and Héctor Martínez Maldonado were elected as District Senators.[3]
[edit] Sports
Former IBF world Jr. Middleweight boxing champion Carlos Santos hails from Ceiba. Ceiba also has an amateur AAA baseball team Los Marlins de Ceiba.
