Honduras

Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, and to the north by the Gulf of Honduras, a large inlet of the Caribbean Sea. Its capital and largest city is Tegucigalpa.

Honduras was home to important Mesoamerican cultures, most notably the Maya, before Spanish colonization in the sixteenth century. The Spanish brought Catholicism and the Spanish language, which are still important today. Honduras became independent in 1821 and has faced social and political challenges, remaining one of the poorer countries in the Western Hemisphere.

The country's economy is mainly based on farming and is often affected by natural disasters, such as Hurricane Mitch in 1998. Honduras has a population of over 10 million and covers about 112,492 km² (43,433 sq mi). It is rich in resources like minerals, coffee, tropical fruit, and sugar cane, and has a growing textiles industry.

Etymology

The word "Honduras" comes from Spanish and means "depths." It might refer to a safe bay called Trujillo or to something Columbus said: "Thank God we have departed from those depths."

Long ago, the name "Honduras" only referred to part of the area. By the late 1500s, it was used for the whole region. People from Honduras are sometimes called catracho (for men) or catracha (for women) in Spanish.

History

Main article: History of Honduras

Pre-colonial period

Further information: Mesoamerican chronology

See also: Bajo Aguán

Long ago, before Europeans arrived, what we now call Honduras was split between two big cultural areas. In the west was Mesoamerica, and in the east was the Isthmo-Colombian area. Each had a main center inside Honduras—the Sula Valley for Mesoamerica, and La Mosquitia for the other area. The people there, like the Lenca people, had their own ways of life, sometimes linking up with others far away.

The Maya civilization was strong in the far west, especially in a place called Copán. Copán was important but it was not the only ancient city. Archaeologists have found many other old places all over Honduras.

Spanish conquest (1524–1539)

Main article: Spanish conquest of Honduras

In 1502, Christopher Columbus landed near a town we now call Trujillo on his last trip to the New World. He was the first European to see parts of Honduras. Later, in 1524, Gil González Dávila became the first Spaniard to walk into Honduras as a conqueror. Soon after, Hernán Cortés came down from Mexico with his army. The Spanish fought for many years to take over Honduras, helped by soldiers from Mexico.

Local leaders like Lempira tried to stop them, but many areas, especially in the north like the Miskito Kingdom, never fell under Spanish rule. After the conquest, Honduras became part of Spain’s big empire in the New World, inside the Kingdom of Guatemala. The Spanish built cities like Trujillo and Gracias, and later made Comayagua and Tegucigalpa the capitals.

Spanish Honduras (1524–1821)

Honduras was a province of the Kingdom of Guatemala. At first, the capital was Trujillo on the coast, then it moved to Comayagua, and finally to Tegucigalpa.

Finding and digging up silver was very important for the Spanish. They used local people at first, but later brought in slaves from other places, especially from Angola, because many locals got sick or fought back. The Spanish had more success taking over the south of Honduras than the north. Along the northern coast, they built a few towns but could not defeat all the local people. The Miskito Kingdom stayed independent with help from European sailors and the British from Jamaica.

Independence (1821)

Honduras broke free from Spain in 1821. It joined the First Mexican Empire for a short time but soon became part of the United Provinces of Central America. Since 1838, it has been its own country with regular elections. In the mid-1800s, Honduras tried to work together with other Central American countries, but these plans didn’t succeed.

New rules in the 1870s encouraged trade and investment from other countries. This brought in businesses, especially for growing bananas. The capital moved from Comayagua to Tegucigalpa in 1880. By 1888, a planned railroad from the Caribbean coast to Tegucigalpa ran out of money at San Pedro Sula, so that city became an important industrial center.

Since gaining independence, Honduras has had many internal conflicts and civil wars, with about 300 small rebellions and changes in government.

20th century and the role of American companies

See also: Banana Wars

In the late 1800s, Honduras gave land and special deals to American companies to help develop the northern part of the country. Thousands of workers came to work on banana plantations and other businesses. Big companies like the Cuyamel Fruit Company, United Fruit Company, and Standard Fruit Company built their own little worlds there, controlling things without paying taxes.

American soldiers landed in Honduras many times between 1903 and 1925.

A writer named O. Henry made up the term “banana republic” in a story about a made-up country inspired by Honduras. He used Honduras as an example of how fruit companies from the United States had too much power over the country’s politics.

Honduras joined the side of the Allied Nations during World War II after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.

Problems in the 1940s led to changes in the 1950s. Workers got the right to form unions, and a big strike in 1954 led to more reforms. In 1963, the military took over and removed the elected president, Ramón Villeda Morales. In 1960, a part of the coast was moved from Nicaragua to Honduras by an international court.

War and upheaval (1969–1999)

In 1969, Honduras and El Salvador had a short war called the Football War. It started after the president of Honduras blamed El Salvador for his country’s economic problems, especially because of Salvadoran immigrants. Things got worse when the two countries played a football match. The Organization of American States helped stop the fighting after a week.

A big storm named Hurricane Fifi hit Honduras in 1974, causing a lot of damage.

The country returned to civilian rule in 1979. A new constitution was written in 1982.

In the early 1980s, the United States kept soldiers in Honduras to support El Salvador and groups fighting in Nicaragua. Honduras had its own struggles with groups that didn’t agree with the government. Many people disappeared during this time.

In 1998, a huge storm called Hurricane Mitch hit Honduras very hard. It destroyed crops, roads, and many homes. Thousands of people died, and the country lost a lot of money.

21st century

In 2007, the president of Honduras talked with the president of the United States about getting help to fight drug groups.

In 2009, Honduras went through a political crisis when the president was removed from office. Many countries did not recognize the new government.

In 2021, Xiomara Castro became the first woman to be president of Honduras. She started many new projects to help people with better schools, hospitals, and support for families and students. Her government also worked to change how the country grows food and manages its land.

In April 2022, a former president, Juan Orlando Hernández, was sent to the United States to face charges related to illegal activities.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Honduras

Honduras is a country in Central America. To the north, it borders the Caribbean Sea, and to the south lies the Pacific Ocean through the Gulf of Fonseca. The land is mostly mountainous, with narrow flat areas along the coasts. In the northeast, there is a large, wild jungle area called La Mosquitia, and in the northwest is the busy lowland area known as the Sula valley. The Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve in La Mosquitia is a special protected area, and the Coco River separates Honduras from Nicaragua.

Off the north coast are the Islas de la Bahía and the Swan Islands. Further out are Misteriosa Bank and Rosario Bank, which belong to Honduras's special ocean zone.

The country has many natural resources such as timber, gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore, antimony, coal, fish, shrimp, and hydropower.

Main article: Geography of Honduras § Climate

Honduras has different climates. It is tropical in the low areas and more temperate in the mountains. The Pacific coast tends to be drier than the Caribbean side.

Main article: Flora and Fauna of Honduras

See also: List of birds of Honduras and List of national parks of Honduras

Honduras is rich in plants and animals, with many different species. It has over 6,000 types of plants, including many orchids, around 250 reptiles and amphibians, more than 700 bird species, and 110 types of mammals, half of which are bats. The Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve in La Mosquitia is a rainforest home to many kinds of wildlife. Honduras also has rainforests, special cool forests called cloud forests, areas with trees that grow in salty water called mangroves, open lands called savanna, and mountains with pine and oak trees. Along the coast, you can find bottlenose dolphins, manta rays, and colorful fish like parrot fish and blue tang.

Unfortunately, some areas are losing their forests due to cutting down trees and clearing land for farming, which harms the soil. Some rivers and lakes, like Lake Yojoa, the largest freshwater source, are polluted from mining activities.

Government and politics

Main article: Politics of Honduras

Honduras is a country where the leader is chosen by the people in elections. The leader, called the President, helps run the country together with a group of leaders called Congress. There are also special leaders who make sure laws are followed fairly.

Honduras has 18 parts called departments. Each department has its own leaders and cities. The biggest city is Tegucigalpa, which is also the capital.

The country works with other countries around the world. Some friends include the United States, which helps Honduras in many ways, like sharing important messages and supporting projects. Honduras also belongs to a group of smaller countries that work together to help each other.

1. Atlántida
2. Choluteca
3. Colón
4. Comayagua
5. Copán
6. Cortés
7. El Paraíso
8. Francisco Morazán
9. Gracias a Dios
10. Intibucá
11. Bay Islands
12. La Paz
13. Lempira
14. Ocotepeque
15. Olancho
16. Santa Bárbara
17. Valle
18. Yoro

Main articles: Departments of Honduras and Municipalities of Honduras

Economy

Main article: Economy of Honduras

Poverty

Honduras is considered a low middle-income country, with its people earning around US$4,000 each year. This makes it one of the least wealthy places in North America and Central America.

In 2016, over 66% of Hondurans lived below the poverty line. Even though the economy has grown quickly—averaging 7% a year since 2010—Honduras still has the least development among Central American countries.

A big event that hurt Honduras was the coup in 2009. After that, the economy slowed down, and more people became poor and jobless.

Natural disasters, like 1998 Hurricane Mitch, also make things harder. These disasters hurt poor areas the most, especially farmers, and make it tough to grow food.

Poverty reduction strategies

Groups like the World Food Program have been helping since the 1970s. They work with schools to give meals to millions of children and help after disasters.

Honduras tried a plan to cut extreme poverty in half by 2015, but it didn’t work well. Spending on helping the poor went up, but poverty only dropped a little before rising again.

Economic inequality

Honduras has more inequality than any other country in Latin America. This means some people have a lot, and many have very little. Poor people often live in simple houses, with few resources and not much access to doctors.

Trade

Honduras uses the Honduran lempira for money. The government runs the electricity and telephone services, but has opened up telephone services to private companies.

The country mines gold, silver, lead, and zinc. In 2005, Honduras joined a trade agreement with the United States, which helped its economy.

Energy

About half of Honduras’s electricity comes from private companies, and the other half from the national company, ENEE. Challenges include paying for new power plants, making sure everyone can pay their bills, and letting people in rural areas use electricity.

Transportation

Honduras has railways, roads, ports, and airports to help people and goods move around. The Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Housing takes care of these transportation systems.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Honduras

Honduras had a population of 10,278,345 in 2021. In 2010, about 37% of the population was under 15 years old, nearly 59% were between 15 and 65, and about 4% were 65 or older.

Since 1975, many people from Honduras have moved to other countries looking for better opportunities. Most of these people live in the United States. In 2012, it was estimated that between 800,000 and one million Hondurans lived in the United States, which is almost 15% of the Honduran population. Many of these people live in the United States without official permission.

Largest cities

Further information: List of cities in Honduras

Race and ethnicity

Racial groups in Honduras (2013 census)

1. Mestizos (82.9%)
2. Whites (7.87%)
3. Indigenous (7.25%)
4. Blacks (1.39%)
5. Others (0.24%)

The 2013 census showed that most Hondurans are mestizo, with smaller groups of white, indigenous, and black people. During history, many indigenous people died from diseases, so today's indigenous groups are smaller than in the past. There are nine recognized indigenous and African groups, including the Lenca, Miskito, and Garifuna.

Gender

See also: Gender inequality in Honduras

The number of males and females in Honduras is almost equal. Life expectancy for males is 71 years, and for females, it is 76 years. While there aren't huge differences in education or health between boys and girls, women often earn less money than men.

Languages

Spanish is the official language spoken by nearly everyone in Honduras. Some people also speak indigenous languages such as Garifuna, Mískito, and Mayangna, as well as smaller groups speaking Pech/Paya, Tol, and Ch'orti'. There are also speakers of Arabic, Armenian, Turkish, and Chinese.

Religion

Main article: Religion in Honduras

Religions in Honduras:

1. Protestantism (55.0%)
2. Catholicism (34.0%)

Historically, most people in Honduras were Catholic. Today, Protestantism is the largest religion. There are also smaller groups of other religions, including Muslims, Buddhists, Jews, and others.

Education

Main article: Education in Honduras

About 84% of people in Honduras can read and write. Most children attend primary school, and there are many schools and universities, including some that teach in both Spanish and English.

Health

Main article: Health in Honduras

Culture

Main article: Culture of Honduras

National symbols

The flag of Honduras has three equal horizontal stripes. The blue top and bottom stripes stand for the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The middle stripe is white and has five blue stars. These stars represent the five states of the Central American Union. The star in the middle shows Honduras, which is at the center of this group.

The coat of arms was created in 1945. It shows a triangle with a volcano between three castles, a rainbow, and the sun. The triangle rests on an area that represents being between two seas. Around this is an oval with golden words that say: "Republic of Honduras, Free, Sovereign and Independent".

The "National Anthem of Honduras" came from a contest in 1914 when Manuel Bonilla was president. The poet Augusto Coello wrote the words, and a German-born Honduran composer named Carlos Hartling wrote the music. The anthem became official on November 15, 1915, when Alberto de Jesús Membreño was president.

The national flower is a special orchid called Rhyncholaelia digbyana. It replaced the rose in 1969. The change happened when general Oswaldo López Arellano was in charge. He thought this orchid was beautiful, strong, and special to Honduras.

The national tree of Honduras was chosen in 1928 as "the Pine that appears symbolically in our Coat of Arms". Even though many types of pines grow in Honduras, the Pinus oocarpa species is often thought of as the national tree. Another pine, Pinus caribaea, is also linked to this title.

The national mammal is the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). It was chosen to help protect these animals from being hunted too much. It is one of two deer species living in Honduras. The national bird is the scarlet macaw (Ara macao). This bird was very important to the ancient people of Honduras.

Celebrations

Further information: Public holidays in Honduras

Honduras has several important holidays. One is Honduras Independence Day on September 15. Another is Children's Day or Día del Niño on September 10. On this day, children get gifts and have parties, much like Christmas or birthdays. Some neighborhoods have street parties with piñatas.

Honduran Independence Day starts with marching bands in the morning. Each band wears different colors and has cheerleaders. Fiesta Catracha happens on this day too. People enjoy traditional foods such as beans, tamales, baleadas, cassava with chicharrón, and tortillas.

On Christmas Eve, families and friends get together for dinner and exchange gifts at midnight. In some cities, fireworks light up the sky. New Year's Eve also has food, fireworks called "cohetes", and celebrations. Birthdays are big events too, often including piñatas filled with candies and surprises for children.

La Ceiba Carnival takes place in La Ceiba, a city on the north coast, during the second half of May. It honors the city's patron saint, Saint Isidore. People from all over the world come for a week of festivities. Each night has small parades called carnivalitos in different neighborhoods. On Saturday, there is a big parade with floats and people from many countries. The celebration also includes the Milk Fair, where people show their farm products and animals.

Art

Main article: Art of Honduras

One of Honduras's most famous painters is José Antonio Velásquez. Other well-known painters are Carlos Garay and Roque Zelaya. Important writers include Lucila Gamero de Medina, Froylán Turcios, Ramón Amaya Amador, and Juan Pablo Suazo Euceda, as well as Marco Antonio Rosa, Roberto Sosa, Eduardo Bähr, Amanda Castro, Javier Abril Espinoza, Teófilo Trejo, and Roberto Quesada.

The José Francisco Saybe theater in San Pedro Sula is home to the Círculo Teatral Sampedrano, or the Theatrical Circle of San Pedro Sula.

Honduras has grown a lot in making movies over the past twenty years. Since the movie "Anita la cazadora de insectos" came out in 2001, Honduran films have improved. Many work with countries like Mexico, Colombia, and the United States. Well-known Honduran films include El Xendra, Amor y Frijoles, and Cafe con aroma a mi tierra.

Folklore

Main article: Honduran folklore

Legends and fairy tales are very important in Honduran culture. One popular story is Lluvia de Peces (Rain of Fish). Other well-loved tales are about El Cadejo and La Llorona.

Music

Main article: Music of Honduras

Punta is the main type of music in Honduras. You can also hear Caribbean salsa, merengue, reggae, and reggaeton, especially in the north. In rural areas, people enjoy Mexican rancheras. Famous musicians include Guillermo Anderson and Polache. Banda Blanca is a music group known both in Honduras and around the world.

Media

Main article: Media of Honduras

About half of Honduran homes have at least one television. Public television does not play a big role compared to other countries. Honduras's main newspapers are La Prensa, El Heraldo, La Tribuna, and Diario Tiempo. The official newspaper is La Gaceta.

Cuisine

Main article: Honduran cuisine

Honduran food mixes together foods from the Lenca people, Spanish cuisine, Caribbean cuisine, and African cuisine. Foods from the Garifuna people are also part of Honduran cooking. Coconut and coconut milk are used in both sweet and savory dishes. Popular foods include fried fish, tamales, carne asada, and baleadas.

Other favorite dishes are meat cooked with chismol and carne asada, chicken with rice and corn, and fried fish with pickled onions and jalapeños. On the coast and in the Bay Islands, people often cook seafood and meats with coconut milk.

Hondurans enjoy soups like bean soup, mondongo soup (tripe soup), seafood soups, and beef soups. These soups are usually served with plantains, yuca, and cabbage, and with corn tortillas.

Other common foods are montucas or corn tamales, stuffed tortillas, and tamales wrapped in plantain leaves. Honduras also has many tropical fruits such as papaya, pineapple, plum, sapote, passion fruit, and bananas. Bananas are prepared in many ways even when they are still green.

Sports

Main article: Sport in Honduras

Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Honduras. Honduras first played international football in 1921 at the Independence Centenary Games with other Central American countries. The top football league is The Honduran National Professional Football League, started in 1964. The league is well-known in North America. C.D. Olimpia, the only Honduran club to win this competition, has also won the CONCACAF Champions League.

The Honduras national football team is one of the best in North America. The team won the CONCACAF Gold Cup and came third in other tournaments. Honduras has played in the FIFA World Cup three times but has not yet won a match there.

Baseball is the second most popular sport. Honduras first played international baseball in the Baseball World Cup. The Honduras national baseball team is working hard to become better known, especially with young players. Mauricio Dubón, the first Honduran to play in Major League Baseball, helps inspire young athletes.

Other sports are less popular. Honduras has not won Olympic medals and has not done very well in other world competitions. Still, Hondurans have competed in track & field and swimming in the Summer Olympics. Sometimes, Honduras also competes in combat sports like judo and boxing.