Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Santo Tomás de Castilla
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Images
Santo Tomás de Castilla: container port
Quizzes
Tower Bridge over the Thames River in London, England. Opened in 1894. Remains an Important Traffic Route with 40,000 Crossings Every Day.
Guess the City by Its River Quiz
Quick Facts
Also called:
Matías de Gálvez
See all related content
Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Santo Tomás de Castilla: container port
Santo Tomás de Castilla: container port Container port of Santo Tomás de Castilla, Guatemala.

Santo Tomás de Castilla

Guatemala
Also known as: Matías de Gálvez
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

Santo Tomás de Castilla, port, northeastern Guatemala. It lies on Amatique Bay off the Gulf of Honduras and is administratively a part of Puerto Barrios. Santo Tomás was settled originally by Belgians in the 19th century; although the name was changed officially to Matías de Gálvez in 1958, the earlier name is more commonly used. When the Guatemalan government became dissatisfied with foreign control of the older, neighbouring port at Puerto Barrios, it built a deepwater port and a planned town with modern housing and shipping offices at Santo Tomás. In 1975 a free trade and industrial zone opened.

Santo Tomás has become the busiest port of Guatemala, handling chiefly general cargo, while Puerto Barrios is limited to agricultural produce. Santo Tomás is also the headquarters of the Guatemalan navy. Guatemala City is linked to Santo Tomás by railroad, highway, and air. The population of Santo Tomás is included with the city of Puerto Barrios.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.
Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.
By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.