Honduras, formerly known as Spanish Honduras, is situated in Central America. The country shares its border with Guatemala to the west, El Salvador to the southwest, and Nicaragua to the southeast. Honduras is bounded by the Gulf of Fonseca of the North Pacific Ocean to the south, and by the Gulf of Honduras to the north. The capital of the country is Tegucigalpa. Honduras is one of the impoverished nations in the world.
HISTORY:- The Mayan people were the earliest inhabitants of Honduras. Christopher Columbus discovered the land in 1502 and the region was incorporated into Spanish Empire in the New World within the Kingdom of Guatemala. The Spanish ruled the nation for almost three centuries. Spain granted independence to Honduras and four other Central American nations in 1821. The states joined the Iturbide Empire. After the empire’s fall in 1823, the five nations together formed the Federal Republic of Central America. The Federal Republic of Central America split in 1938 and Honduras became independent in the same year. Honduras joined the Allies in 1941. Political unrest led the nation to welcome United States occupation. In the ‘football war’ El Salvador invaded Honduras in 1969. But the pressure on El Salvador by the Organization of American States prompted it to withdraw from Honduras. In 1982, parliamentary democracy returned after decades of military rule and Roberto Suazo Córdova became the president of Honduras.
GEOGRAPHY:- Honduras is located at 15 00 N, 86 30 W in Central America. Honduras is spanned through total 112,090 sq km area in which 111,890 sq km area is captured by land. The coastline is 820 km long along with the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Fonseca. The lowest point is Caribbean Sea (0 m) and the highest point is Cerro Las Minas (92,870 m). Honduras is mostly mountains in the interior, with narrow coastal plains. The Coco River separates the country from Nicaragua.
CLIMATE:- The climate of Honduras is subtropical in the lowlands and temperate in the mountains.
GOVERNMENT:- Honduras is a democratic constitutional republic. The constitution was adopted on 11th January 1982, was imposed on 20th January 1982 but was amended many times. The system is based on the structure of Roman and Spanish civil law with slight influence of the English common law. The three branches of the government are:
Executive branch comprises the President (chief of state, head of government), the Vice President, and the cabinet. The president is elected by popular vote on a 4-year term. The cabinet is appointed by the president.
Legislative branch comprises the unicameral National Congress (128 seats).
Judicial branch comprises the Supreme Court of Justice.
Honduras has 5 registered political parties. These political parties of Honduras are National Party, Liberal Party, Innovation and National Unity Party, Christian Democratic Party, and the Democratic Unification Party. Suffrage is universal and compulsory at the age of 18.
President Manuel Zelaya
Vice President Elvin Ernesto Santos
Vice President Elvin Ernesto Santos
ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS:- Honduras is divided into 18 departments:
Atlántida
Choluteca
Colón
Comayagua
Copán
Cortés
El Paraíso
Francisco Morazán
Gracias a Dios
Intibucá
Islas de la Bahía
La Paz
Lempira
Ocotepeque
Olancho
Santa Bárbara
Valle
Yoro
Atlántida
Choluteca
Colón
Comayagua
Copán
Cortés
El Paraíso
Francisco Morazán
Gracias a Dios
Intibucá
Islas de la Bahía
La Paz
Lempira
Ocotepeque
Olancho
Santa Bárbara
Valle
Yoro
CULTURE:- Legends and stories are two predominant features of Honduran culture. Jose Antonio Velásquez, Carlos Garay, and Roque Zelaya are the famous painters; Froylan Turcios and Ramón Amaya Amador are the famous writers of Honduras. Marco Antonio Rosa, Roberto Sosa, Lucila Gamero de Medina, Eduardo Bähr, Amanda Castro, Javier Abril Espinoza, and Roberto Quesada are some of the popular writers of the country. Rafael Coello Ramos, Lidia Handal, Victoriano Lopez, Guillermo Anderson, Victor Donaire, Francisco Carranza and Camilo Rivera Guevara are some notable musicians of Honduras. Coconut is a main ingredient in Honduran cuisine. Football (soccer) is the most famous sport in the nation.
ECONOMY:- Honduras is the second poorest country in Central America and one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere having a prominent discrimination in income equality and a high rate of unemployment.
GDP/PPP (2007 est.): $24.69 billion; per capita $3,300.
Real growth rate: 6%.
Inflation: 6.4%.
Unemployment: 28%.
Arable land: 10%.
Agriculture: Bananas, coffee, citrus; beef; timber; shrimp.
Labor force: 2.81 million; agriculture 34%, industry 21%, services 45% (2001 est.).
Industries: Sugar, coffee, textiles, clothing, wood products.
Budget:
Revenues: $2.344 billion
Expenditures: $2.631 billion; including capital expenditures of $106 million (2007 est.)
Revenues: $2.344 billion
Expenditures: $2.631 billion; including capital expenditures of $106 million (2007 est.)
Public debt: 24.1% of GDP (2007 est.)
Debt - external: $3.41 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Natural resources: Timber, gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore, antimony, coal, fish, hydropower.
Exports: $3.924 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.): coffee, shrimp, bananas, gold, palm oil, fruit, lobster, lumber.
Imports: $6.798 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.): machinery and transport equipment, industrial raw materials, chemical products, fuels, foodstuffs (2000).
Major trading partners: U.S., Costa Rico, Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala (2006).
Monetary unit: Lempira
LANGUAGE:- Spanish is the official language. Amerindian dialects are also spoken. English is widely used in business purposes.
CITIES:- The capital Tegucigalpa is the larges city of Honduras. San Pedro Sula is another large city.
POPULATION:- The estimated population of Honduras is 7,483,763 with a growth rate of 2.1%.
Density per sq mi: 173
Literacy rate: 76% (2003 est.)
Density per sq mi: 173
Literacy rate: 76% (2003 est.)
RACE:-
Mestizo 90% (mixed Amerindian and European)
Amerindian 7%
Black 2%
White 1%
Mestizo 90% (mixed Amerindian and European)
Amerindian 7%
Black 2%
White 1%
RELIGION:-
Roman Catholic 97%
Protestant 3%
Roman Catholic 97%
Protestant 3%
HEALTH:-
Birth rate: 26.93 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate: 5.36 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate: total: 24.61 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.37 years
Total fertility rate: 3.38 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 4,100 (2003 est.)
Total expenditure on health per capita (Intl $, 2005): 226
Birth rate: 26.93 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate: 5.36 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate: total: 24.61 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.37 years
Total fertility rate: 3.38 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 4,100 (2003 est.)
Total expenditure on health per capita (Intl $, 2005): 226
UNICEF:- UNICEF’s priorities in Honduras include establishing children and women rights in all aspects of society. UNICEF collaborated with other United Nations organizations, donor agencies and the non-governmental organizations in this goal to protect the women and children rights.
TRANSPORTATION:-
Railways: total: 699 km (2004).
Highways: total: 13,603 km; paved: 2,775 km; unpaved: 10,828 km (1999 est.). Waterways: 465 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2007).
Ports and harbors: Puerto Castilla, Puerto Cortes, San Lorenzo, Tela.
Airports: 112 (2007); paved runways: total: 12; unpaved runways: total: 100.
Railways: total: 699 km (2004).
Highways: total: 13,603 km; paved: 2,775 km; unpaved: 10,828 km (1999 est.). Waterways: 465 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2007).
Ports and harbors: Puerto Castilla, Puerto Cortes, San Lorenzo, Tela.
Airports: 112 (2007); paved runways: total: 12; unpaved runways: total: 100.
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