Coordinates | 41°52′55″N87°37′40″N |
---|
Conventional long name | Republic of Honduras |
---|
Native name | |
---|
Common name | Honduras |
---|
Image coat | Coat of arms of Honduras.svg |
---|
National motto | "Libre, Soberana y Independiente"(Spanish)"Free, Sovereign and Independent" |
---|
National anthem | Himno Nacional de Honduras''National Anthem of Honduras'' |
---|
Official languages | Spanish |
---|
Regional languages | English, Garifuna, Miskito,and other indigenous languages. |
---|
Ethnic groups | 80% Mestizo mixture of European and American Indian 10% White8% Amerindian2% Black |
---|
Demonym | Honduran, Catracho |
---|
Capital | Tegucigalpa |
---|
Latns | N |
---|
Longew | W |
---|
Largest city | capital |
---|
Government type | Constitutional republic |
---|
Leader title1 | President |
---|
Leader name1 | Porfirio Lobo Sosa |
---|
Leader title2 | Vice President |
---|
Leader name2 | María Antonieta de Bográn |
---|
Leader title3 | President of the National Congress |
---|
Leader name3 | Juan Orlando Hernández |
---|
Leader title4 | President of the Supreme Court |
---|
Leader name4 | Jorge Rivera Avilés |
---|
Sovereignty type | Independence |
---|
Sovereignty note | Spain, First Mexican Empire, and the Federal Republic of Central America |
---|
Established event1 | Declared |
---|
Established date1 | 15 September 1821
(as part of Federal Republic of Central America) |
---|
Established event2 | from the First Mexican Empire |
---|
Established date2 | July 1, 1823 |
---|
Established event3 | Declared |
---|
Established date3 | 5 November 1838 (as Honduras) |
---|
Area rank | |
---|
Area magnitude | 1 E10 |
---|
Area km2 | 112,492 |
---|
Area sq mi | 43,278 |
---|
Population estimate | 8,249,574 |
---|
Population estimate rank | |
---|
Population estimate year | 2010 |
---|
Population census | 7,529,403 |
---|
Population census year | 2007 |
---|
Population density km2 | 64 |
---|
Population density sq mi | 166 |
---|
Population density rank | |
---|
Gdp ppp | $33.631 billion |
---|
Gdp ppp year | 2010 |
---|
Gdp ppp per capita | $4,417 |
---|
Gdp nominal | $15.347 billion |
---|
Gdp nominal year | 2010 |
---|
Gdp nominal per capita | $2,015 |
---|
Hdi | 0.604 |
---|
Hdi rank | 106th |
---|
Hdi year | 2010 |
---|
Hdi category | medium |
---|
Gini | 55.3 |
---|
Gini year | 1992–2007 |
---|
Gini category | high |
---|
Currency | Lempira |
---|
Currency code | HNL |
---|
Country code | w |
---|
Time zone | CST |
---|
Utc offset | -6 |
---|
Drives on | Right |
---|
Cctld | .hn |
---|
Calling code | 504 |
---|
Footnote1 | "Libre, soberana e independiente" is the official motto, by congressional order, and was put on the coat of arms. |
---|
Footnote2 | Estimates explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected, as of July 2007.
}} |
---|
Honduras (; , ; literally Republic of Honduras) is a republic in
Central America. It was previously known as
Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from ''
British Honduras'', which became the modern-day state of
Belize. The country 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.
Honduras was home of several important indigenous cultures, most notably the Maya. Much of the country was conquered by Spain who introduced its predominant language and many of its customs in the sixteenth century. It became independent in 1821 and has been a republic since the end of Spanish rule.
Its size is just over 112,492 km² with an estimated population of almost eight million. Its capital is Tegucigalpa. Its northern portions are part of the Western Caribbean Zone.
It is notable for its production of minerals, tropical fruit, and recently for exportation of clothing for the international market.
Etymology
Higueras – a reference to the gourds that come from the Jicaro tree, many of which were found floating in the waters off the northwest coast of Honduras.
Honduras – literally "depths" in Spanish.
Columbus is traditionally quoted as having written ''"Gracias a Dios que hemos salido de esas Honduras"'' (English: "Thank God we have come out of those depths") while along the northeastern coast. However, William Davidson notes that there is no form of this quotation in the primary documents of Columbus's voyage, and that it in fact comes from accounts over a century later.
''Honduras'' from ''fondura'', a Leonese language word meaning ''anchorage'' which is one of the first words for the region to appear on a map in the second decade of the 16th century applied to the bay of Trujillo. It was not until the end of the 16th century that ''Honduras'' was used for the whole province. Prior to 1580, ''Honduras'' referred to the eastern part of the province, and ''Higueras'' referred to the western part.
History
Pre-Colonial Period
In pre-Columbian times, modern Honduras was part of the Mesoamerican cultural area. In the west, the Maya civilization flourished for hundreds of years. The dominant state within Honduras's borders was that based in
Copán. Copán fell with the other Lowland centres during the conflagrations of the Terminal Classic, the early 9th century. The Maya of this civilization survive in western Honduras as the Ch'orti', isolated from their Choltian linguistic peers to the west.
Remains of other Pre-Columbian cultures are found throughout the country. Archaeologists have studied sites such as Naco and La Sierra in the Naco Valley, Los Naranjos on Lake Yojoa, Yarumela in the Comayagua Valley, La Ceiba and Salitron Viejo (both now under the Cajon Dam reservoir), Selin Farm and Cuyamel in the Aguan valley, Cerro Palenque, Travesia, Curruste, Ticamaya, Despoloncal in the lower Ulua river valley, and many others.
Conquest Period
On his fourth and the final voyage to the
New World in 1502,
Christopher Columbus became the first European to visit the Bay Islands on the coast of Honduras. Columbus landed near the modern town of
Trujillo, in the vicinity of the Guaimoreto Lagoon.
In 1524 the Spanish arrived on Honduras led by Hernan Cortes, bring forces down from Mexico. Much of the conquest was done in the following two decades, first by groups loyal to Cristóbal de Olid, and then by those loyal of Francisco Montejo but most particularly by those following Alvarado. In addition to Spanish resources, the conquerors relied heavily armed forces from Mexico—Tlaxcalans and Mexica armies of thousands who lived on in the region as garrisons. Resistance to conquest was led in particularly by Lempira,and many regions in the north never fell to the Spanish, notably the Miskito Kingdom. After the Spanish conquest, Honduras became part of Spain's vast empire in the New World within the Kingdom of Guatemala. Trujillo and Gracias were the first city-capitals. The Spanish ruled the region for approximately three centuries.
Colonial Period
Honduras was organized as a province of the "Kingdom of Guatemala" and the capital was fixed, first at
Trujillo on the Atlantic coast, and later at
Comayagua, and finally at
Tegucigalpa in the central part of the country.
Silver mining was a key factor in the Spanish conquest and settlement of Honduras. Initially the mines were worked by local people through the encomienda system, but as disease and resistance made this less available, slaves from other parts of Central America were brought in, and following the end of the local slave trading period at the end of the sixteenth century, African slaves, mostly from Angola were obtained. After about 1650, very few slaves or other outside workers arrived in Honduras.
Although the Spanish conquered the southern or Pacific portion of Honduras fairly quickly they were less successful in the northern or Atlantic side. They managed to found a few towns along the coast, at Puerto Caballos and Trujillo in particular, but failed to conquer the eastern portion of the region and many pockets of independent indigenous people as well. The Miskito Kingdom, located in the northeast was particularly effective in resisting conquest. The Miskitos, in turn found support from northern European privateers, pirates and especially the English colony of Jamaica, which placed much of it under their protection after 1740.
Independence and the nineteenth century
Honduras became independent from Spain in 1821 and was for a time under the Mexican Empire. After 1838 it was an independent republic and held regular elections.
Comayagua was the capital of Honduras until 1880, when it was transferred to Tegucigalpa.
In the decades of 1840 and 1850 Honduras participated in several failed attempts to restore Central American unity, such as the Confederation of Central America (1842–1845), the covenant of Guatemala (1842), the Diet of Sonsonate ( 1846), the Diet of Nacaome (1847) and National Representation in Central America (1849–1852).
Although Honduras eventually adopted the name Republic of Honduras, the unionist ideal never waned, and Honduras was one of the Central American countries that pushed hardest for the policy of regional unity.
Since independence, nearly 300 small internal rebellions and civil wars have occurred in the country, including some changes of government.
Liberal policies favoring international trade and investment began in the 1870s, and soon foreign interests became involved first in shipping, especially tropical fruit (most notably bananas) from the north coast, and then in railway building. In 1888, a projected railroad line from the Caribbean coast to the capital, Tegucigalpa, ran out of money when it reached San Pedro Sula, resulting in its growth into the nation's main industrial center and second largest city.
International influence in the 20th century
In the late nineteenth century
United States-based infrastructure and fruit growing companies were granted substantial land and exemptions to develop the northern regions. As a result, thousands of workers came to the north coast to work in the
banana plantations and the other industries that grew up around the export industry. The banana exporting companies, dominated by
Cuyamel Fruit Company (until 1930),
United Fruit Company, and
Standard Fruit Company, built an
enclave economy in northern Honduras, controlling infrastructure and creating self-sufficient, tax exempt sectors that contributed relatively little to economic growth. In addition to drawing many Central American workers to the north, the fruit companies also encouraged immigration of workers from the
English-speaking Caribbean, notably
Jamaica and
Belize, who introduced an African descended, English speaking and largely
Protestant population into the country, though many left after changes in the immigration law in 1939.
Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Honduras joined the Allied Nations on 8 December 1941. Along with twenty-five other governments, Honduras signed the Declaration by United Nations on 1 January 1942.
Constitutional crises in the 1940s led to reforms in the 1950s, and as a result of one such reform, workers were given permission to organize, which led to a general strike in 1954 that paralyzed the northern part of the country for more than two months, but which led to more general reforms.
In 1969, Honduras and El Salvador fought what would become known as the Football Warfutbal. There had been border tensions between the two countries after Oswaldo López Arellano, a former president of Honduras, blamed the deteriorating economy on the large number of immigrants from El Salvador. From that point on, the relationship between the two countries grew acrimonious and reached a low when El Salvador met Honduras for a three-round football elimination match as a preliminary to the World Cup. Tensions escalated, and on 14 March 1969, the Salvadoran army launched an attack Hondurasarmy. The Organization of American States negotiated a cease-fire, which took effect on 20 July and brought about a withdrawal of Salvadoran troops in early August.
Contributing factors to the conflict were a boundary dispute and the presence of thousands of Salvadorans living in Honduras illegally. After the week-long football war, many Salvadoran families and workers were expelled. El Salvador had agreed on a truce to settle the boundary issue, but Honduras later paid war damage costs for expelled refugees.
Hurricane Fifi caused severe damage while skimming the northern coast of Honduras on 18 and 19 September 1974. Melgar Castro (1975–78) and Paz Garcia (1978–82) largely built the current physical infrastructure and telecommunications system of Honduras.
In 1979, the country returned to civilian rule. A constituent assembly was popularly elected in April 1980 and general elections were held in November 1981. A new constitution was approved in 1982 and the PLH government of Roberto Suazo assumed power. Roberto Suazo won the elections with a promise to carry out an ambitious program of economic and social development in Honduras in order to tackle the country's recession. President Roberto Suazo Cordoba launched ambitious social and economic development projects, sponsored by American development aid. Honduras became host to the largest Peace Corps mission in the world, and nongovernmental and international voluntary agencies proliferated.
During the early 1980s, the United States established a continuing military presence in Honduras with the purpose of supporting the Contra guerillas fighting the Nicaraguan government and also developed an air strip and a modern port in Honduras. Though spared the bloody civil wars wracking its neighbors, the Honduran army quietly waged a campaign against Marxist-Leninist militias such as Cinchoneros Popular Liberation Movement, notorious for kidnappings and bombings, and many non-militants. The operation included a CIA-backed campaign of extrajudicial killings by government-backed units, most notably Battalion 316.
In 1998, Hurricane Mitch caused such massive and widespread destruction that former Honduran President Carlos Roberto Flores claimed that fifty years of progress in the country were reversed. Mitch obliterated about 70% of the crops and an estimated 70–80% of the transportation infrastructure, including nearly all bridges and secondary roads. Across the country, 33,000 houses were destroyed, an additional 50,000 damaged, some 5,000 people killed, 12,000 injured – for a total loss estimated at $3 billion USD.
21st century
The 2008 Honduran floods were severe and around half the country's roads were damaged or destroyed as a result.
In 2009, a constitutional crisis culminated in a transfer of power from the president to the head of Congress.
Countries all over the world, the OAS, and the UN formally and unanimously condemned the action as a coup d'état and refused to recognize the de facto government, though a document submitted to the United States Congress declared the ouster to be legal according to the opinion of the lawyers consulted by the Library of Congress. In any event the Honduran Supreme Court also ruled the proceedings to be legal.
Presidents of Honduras
Honduras has had many leaders from several parties since gaining its independence from Spain and from Mexico
Nineteen served as president during the period when Honduras was a part of the Federal Republic of Honduras.
Sixty-seven men have served as president of the Republic of Honduras.
In addition there have been several joint governments.
Contemporary politics
Honduras has five registered political parties: National Party (Partido Nacional de Honduras: PNH); Liberal Party (Partido Liberal de Honduras: PLH); Social Democrats (Partido Innovación y Unidad-Social Demócrata: PINU-SD), Social Christians (Partido Demócrata-Cristiano de Honduras: DCH); and Democratic Unification (Partido Unificación Democrática: UD). PNH and PLH have ruled the country for decades. In the last years, Honduras has had six Liberal presidents: Roberto Suazo Córdova, José Azcona del Hoyo, Carlos Roberto Reina, Carlos Roberto Flores, Manuel Zelaya and Roberto Micheletti, and three Nationalists: Rafael Leonardo Callejas Romero, Ricardo Maduro and Porfirio Lobo Sosa. The elections have been full of controversies, including questions about whether Azcona was born in Spain, and whether Maduro should have been able to stand, given he was born in Panama.
In 1963, a military coup was mounted against the democratically elected president Ramón Villeda Morales. This event started a string of Military Governments which held power almost uninterrupted until 1981 when Suazo Córdova (LPH) was elected president and Honduras changed from a military authoritarian regime.
In 1986, there were five Liberal candidates and four Nationalists running for president. Because no one candidate obtained a clear majority, the so-called "Formula B" was invoked and Azcona del Hoyo became president. In 1990, Callejas won the election under the slogan "Llegó el momento del Cambio" (English: "The time for change has arrived"), which was heavily criticized for resembling El Salvador's "ARENAs" political campaign. Once in office, Callejas Romero gained a reputation for illicit enrichment, and has been the subject of several scandals and accusations. It was during Flores Facusse's mandate that Hurricane Mitch hit the country and decades of economic growth were eradicated in less than a week.
Government ministries are often incapable of carrying out their mandate due to budgetary constraints. In an interview with Rodolfo Pastor Fasquelle, Minister of Sports & Culture and one of three 'super ministers' responsible for coordinating the ministries related to public services (security and economic being the other two), published in Honduras This Week on 31 July 2006, it was related that 94% of the department budget was spent on bureaucracy and only 6% went to support activities and organizations covered by the mandate. Wages within that ministry were identified as the largest budget consumer.
President Maduro's administration "de-nationalized" the telecommunications sector in a move to promote the rapid diffusion of these services to the Honduran population. As of November 2005, there were around 10 private-sector telecommunications companies in the Honduran market, including two mobile phone companies. As of mid 2007, the issue of tele-communications continues to be very damaging to the current government.
The country's main newspapers are La Prensa, El Heraldo, La Tribuna and Diario Tiempo. The official newspaper is La Gaceta.
A Presidential and General Election was held on 27 November 2005. Manuel Zelaya of the Liberal Party of Honduras (Partido Liberal de Honduras: PLH) won, with Porfirio Pepe Lobo of the National Party of Honduras (Partido Nacional de Honduras: PNH) coming in second. The PNH challenged the election results, and Lobo Sosa did not concede until 7 December. Towards the end of December, the government finally released the total ballot count, giving Zelaya the official victory. Zelaya was inaugurated as Honduras' new president on 27 January 2006.
Zelaya precipitated a national crisis by trying to hold a non-binding national referendum to ask the Honduran people: "Do you agree that, during the general elections of November 2009 there should be a fourth ballot to decide whether to hold a Constituent National
Assembly that will approve a new political constitution?" This possible Assembly then might not or more likely might have proposed constitutional changes to term-limits – as the military and the Supreme Court deemed possible – and other more likely, unrelated and legal constitutional changes.
2009 Honduran constitutional crisis
The
2009 Honduran constitutional crisis resulted in a
coup d'état that lasted from 28 June 2009 to 27 January 2010. President
Manuel Zelaya attempted to hold a "non-binding referendum" on the 28 June asking voters if the upcoming November elections should include an additional ballot box. The ballot box would ask if the Honduran people wished to form a Constitutional Assembly in the term of the newly elected president. The Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling that found a prior referendum based on the same issue unconstitutional and prohibited it.
Referendum
Zelaya ignored the Supreme Court and decided to proceed on the referendum, basing his decision on the Law of Citizen Participation, passed in 2006. Zelaya dismissed the head of the military command, General Romeo Vásquez Velásquez, for disobeying an order to hold the poll, but the Supreme Court ordered his reinstatement. The Supreme Court then ordered the military (who as a non-civilian force had no jurisdiction over the matter) to detain Zelaya. The vote on the referendum was scheduled for 28 June 2009. In the early morning on that day, the
army arrested Zelaya at his home.
Zelaya was held in a U.S. airbase outside Tegucigalpa before being forcibly sent to San José, Costa Rica. Zelaya attempted reentry into the country on several occasions. According to the constitution, it is illegal to expatriate any Honduran citizen. Roberto Micheletti, the former President of the Honduran Congress and a member of the same party as Zelaya, was sworn in as President by the National Congress on the afternoon of Sunday 28 June for a term that ended on 27 January 2010.
No country recognised the ''de facto'' government as legitimate; all members of the UN condemned the removal of Zelaya as a coup d'état. Some Republican Party members of the U.S. Congress voiced support at the time for the new government. On 21 September 2009, Zelaya returned to Honduras and entered the Brazilian embassy. From its roof, he attempted to incite his supporters in a rebellion. The government disrupted utility services to the embassy and imposed a curfew in an attempt to maintain order in the area when Zelaya's supporters protested around the embassy.
The following day, in Decree PCM-M-016-2009, the government suspended five Constitutional rights: personal liberty (Article 69), freedom of expression (Article 72), freedom of movement (Article 81), habeas corpus (Article 84) and freedom of association and assembly. It closed a leftist radio and a television station. The decree suspending human rights was officially revoked on 19 October 2009 in La Gaceta.
The 2009 election
The general election for President of the Republic of Honduras was won by the candidate of the National Party of Honduras, Mr.
Porfirio Lobo Sosa,under a tense state of political turmoil and ongoing coup, the 29 November 2009, beating his opponent the candidate of the Liberal Party of Honduras, civil engineer, Mr.
Elvin Ernesto Santos Ordoñez. Porfirio Lobo Sosa, was sworn in office as president in 2010 and declared its tasks to be to bring order to the country and reapply for acceptance of Honduras within the OAS.
Departments and municipalities
Honduras is divided into 18
departments. The capital city is
Tegucigalpa Central District of the department of
Francisco Morazán.
#
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
Geography
Honduras borders the Caribbean Sea on the north coast and the Pacific Ocean on the south through the Gulf of Fonseca. It mostly lies between latitudes 13° and 17°N (a small area lies south of 13°, and the Swan Islands are north of 17°), and longitudes 83° and 90°W.
The climate varies from tropical in the lowlands to temperate in the mountains. The central and southern regions are relatively hotter and less humid than the northern coast.
The Honduran territory consists mainly of mountains, but there are narrow plains along the coasts, a large undeveloped lowland jungle La Mosquitia region in the northeast, and the heavily populated lowland Sula valley in the northwest.
In La Mosquitia, lies the UNESCO world-heritage site Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve, with the Coco River which divides the country from Nicaragua.
The Islas de la Bahía and the Swan Islands (all off the north coast) are part of Honduras. Misteriosa Bank and Rosario Bank, 130 to 150 km (80–93 miles) north of the Swan Islands, fall within the EEZ of Honduras.
Natural resources include timber, gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore, antimony, coal, fish, shrimp, and hydropower.
Ecology
The region is considered a
biodiversity hotspot because of the numerous plant and animal species that can be found there. Like other countries in the region, Honduras contains vast biological resources. The country hosts more than 6,000 species of
vascular plants, of which 630 (described so far) are
orchids; around 250 reptiles and amphibians, more than 700 bird species, and 110 mammal species, half of them being bats.
In the northeastern region of La Mosquitia lies the Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve, a lowland rainforest which is home to a great diversity of life. The reserve was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites List in 1982.
Honduras has rain forests, cloud forests (which can rise up to nearly three thousand meters above sea level), mangroves, savannas and mountain ranges with pine and oak trees, and the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System. In the Bay Islands there are bottlenose dolphins, manta rays, parrot fish, schools of blue tang and whale shark.
Economy
The economy has continued to grow slowly, but the distribution of wealth remains very polarized with average wages remaining low. Economic growth in the last few years has averaged 7% per year which has been one of the most successful growths in Latin America, but 50%, approximately 3.7 million, of the population still remains below the poverty line. It is estimated that there are more than 1.2 million people who are
unemployed, the rate of unemployment standing at 27.9%. However, according to the Human Development Index, Honduras is the 6th poorest/least developed country in Latin America, after Haiti, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Guyana, and Bolivia.
Honduras was declared one of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund which made it eligible for debt relief in 2005.
Both the electricity services (ENEE) and land-line telephone services (HONDUTEL) have been operated by government agencies, with ENEE receiving heavy subsidies because of chronic financial problems. HONDUTEL, however, is no longer a monopoly, the telecommunication sector having been opened to private-sector companies after 25 December 2005; this was one of the requirements before approving the beginning of CAFTA. There are price controls on petrol, and other temporary price controls for basic commodities are often passed for short periods by the Congress.
Gold, silver, lead and zinc are produced by mines owned by foreign companies.
After years of declining against the U.S. dollar the Lempira has stabilized at around 19 Lempiras per dollar. In June 2008 the exchange rate between United States Dollars and Honduran Lempiras was approximately 1 to 18.85.
In 2005 Honduras signed the CAFTA (Free Trade Agreement with United States). In December 2005, Honduras' main seaport Puerto Cortes was included in the U.S. Container Security Initiative.
On 7 December 2006, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Energy) announced the first phase of the Secure Freight Initiative, an unprecedented effort to build upon existing port security measures by enhancing the U.S. federal government’s ability to scan containers for nuclear and radiological materials overseas and to better assess the risk of inbound containers. The initial phase of Secure Freight involves the deployment of a combination of existing technology and proven nuclear detection devices to six foreign ports: Port Qasim in Pakistan; Puerto Cortes in Honduras; Southampton in the United Kingdom; Port Salalah in Oman; Port of Singapore; and the Gamman Terminal at Port Busan in Korea. Since early 2007, containers from these ports are scanned for radiation and information risk factors before they are allowed to depart for the United States.
Social conditions
Over the centuries, the territory of Honduras has known a number of social systems, ranging from ancient forager groups through early complex societies to more elaborated ones, such as those of the Maya and Lenca. Spanish conquest built on these, and their traditions carried over into the post independence period. Honduras' emergence in the late nineteenth century as a cash crop producing exporter and then its limited industrialization through the maquiladora system have finalized the conditions of today.
Demographics
According to the CIA World Factbook, relying on national census data, Honduras has a population of 7.48 million; the CIA World Factbook states that the population makeup is: "mestizo (mixed Amerindian and European) 90%, Amerindian 7%, black 2%, white 1%". However, in Honduras as in Latin American countries in general, racial breakdowns of population conform to local perceptions of race, and also social status which may tend to over represent some groups and under represent others, and thus such statistics must be understood in that light.
Ninety percent of the Honduran population is Mestizo and white (a mixture of Amerindian and European ancestry). About 7% of the Honduran population are members of one of the seven recognized indigenous groups.
About 2% of Honduras's population is black, or Afro-Honduran, and mainly reside on the country's Caribbean coast. Most are the descendants of the slaves and indentured servants from the West Indian islands brought to Honduras. Another large group (about 150,000 today) are the Garifuna, descendants of an Afro-Carib population which revolted against British authorities on the island of St. Vincent and were forcibly moved to Belize and Honduras during the 18th century. Garífunas are part of Honduran identity through theatrical presentations such as Louvavagu. A final group are workers brought in from the English-speaking Caribbean, primarily Jamaica and Barbados, to work on the fruit plantations started by mostly North American companies such as United Fruit Company in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Honduras hosts a significant Palestinian community (the vast majority of whom are Christian Arabs). The Palestinians arrived in the country in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, establishing themselves especially in the city of San Pedro Sula. The Palestinian community, well integrated in Honduras, is prominent in business, commerce, banking, industry, and politics. There is also an East Asian community that is primarily Chinese descent, and to a lesser extent Japanese. Some Korean, Ryukyuan, Vietnamese and Filipino peoples also make up a small percentage due to their arrival to Honduras as contract laborers in the 1980s and 1990s. There are also an estimated 1000 Sumos (or Mayangnas) that live in Honduras, the majority of whom reside on the Caribbean coast.
Since 1975, emigration from Honduras has accelerated as job-seekers and political refugees sought a better life elsewhere. Although many Hondurans have relatives in Nicaragua, Spain, Mexico, El Salvador and Canada, the majority of Hondurans living abroad are in the United States.
Religion
Although most Hondurans are nominally
Roman Catholic (which would be considered the main religion), according to one report, membership in the Roman Catholic Church is declining while membership in Protestant churches is increasing. The International Religious Freedom Report, 2008, notes that a CID Gallup poll reported that 47% of the population identified themselves as Catholic, 36% as evangelical Protestant, and 17% provided no answer or considered themselves "other." Customary Catholic church tallies and membership estimates 81% Catholic where the priest (in more than 185 parishes is required to fill out a pastoral account of the parish each year.
The CIA Factbook has Honduras listed as 97% Catholic and 3% Protestant. Commenting on statistical variations everywhere, John Green of Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life notes that: "It isn't that ... numbers are more right than [someone else's] numbers ... but how one conceptualizes the group. Often people attend one church without giving up their "home" church. Many who attend evangelical megachurches in the US, for example, attend more than one church. This shifting and fluidity is common in Brazil where two-fifths of those who were raised evangelical are no longer evangelical and Catholics seem to shift in and out of various churches, often while still remaining Catholic.
Most pollsters suggest an annual poll taken over a number of years would provide the best method of knowing religious demographics and variations in any single country. Still, in Honduras are thriving Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist, Seventh-day Adventist, Lutheran, Mormon and Pentecostal churches. There are Protestant seminaries. The Catholic Church, still the only "church" that is recognized, is also thriving in the number of schools, hospitals, and pastoral institutions (including its own medical school) that it operates. It archbishop, Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga, is also very popular, both with the government, other churches, and in his own church. Practitioners of the Buddhist, Jewish, Islamic, Bahá'í, Rastafari and indigenous denominations and religions exist.
Health
The
fertility rate is approximately 3.7 per woman. The under-five mortality rate is at 40 per 1,000 live births. The health expenditure was US$ (PPP) 197 per person in 2004. There are about 57 physicians per 100,000 people.
Culture
The most renowned Honduran painter is Jose Antonio Velásquez. Other important painters include Carlos Garay, and Roque Zelaya. Two of Honduras' most notable writers are Froylan Turcios and Ramón Amaya Amador. Others include Marco Antonio Rosa, Roberto Sosa, Lucila Gamero de Medina, Eduardo Bähr, Amanda Castro, Javier Abril Espinoza, Teófilo Trejo, and Roberto Quesada. Some of Honduras' notable musicians include Rafael Coello Ramos, Lidia Handal, Victoriano Lopez, Guillermo Anderson, Victor Donaire,Matilde Quan,Moises Canelo,Julio Quan Francisco Carranza and Camilo Rivera Guevara.
Hondurans are often referred to as ''Catracho'' or ''Catracha'' (fem) in Spanish. The word was coined by Nicaraguans and derives from the last name of the Spanish Honduran General Florencio Xatruch, who, in 1857, led Honduran armed forces against an attempted invasion by North American adventurer William Walker. The nickname is considered complimentary, not derogatory. The main language is Spanish, spoken by 94% as first language. Minority languages are spoken by less than 4%. These are Amerindian languages such as Garifuna, Miskito, and Pech; Honduras Sign Language; and English on the Bay Islands off the coast.
''Honduras This Week'' is a weekly English language newspaper that has been published for seventeen years in Tegucigalpa. On the islands of Roatan, Utila and Guanaja, the ''Bay Islands Voice'' has been a source of monthly news since 2003.
Honduran cuisine makes extensive use of coconut, in both sweet and savory foods, and even in soups.
The José Francisco Saybe theater in San Pedro Sula is home to the Círculo Teatral Sampedrano (Theatrical Circle of San Pedro Sula)
Celebrations
Some of Honduras' national holidays include Honduras Independence Day on 15 September and Children's Day or Día del Niño, which is celebrated in homes, schools and churches on 10 September; on this day, children receive presents and have parties similar to Christmas or birthday celebrations. Some neighborhoods have piñatas on the street. Other holidays are
Easter,
Maundy Thursday,
Good Friday, Day of the Soldier (3 October to celebrate the birth of
Francisco Morazán),
Christmas, El Dia de
Lempira on 20 July, and
New Year's Eve.
Honduras Independence Day festivities start early in the morning with marching bands. Each band wears different colors and features cheerleaders. Fiesta Catracha takes place this same day: typical Honduran foods such as beans, tamales, baleadas, cassava with chicharron, and tortillas are offered. On Christmas Eve, the people reunite with their families and close friends to have dinner, then give out presents at midnight. In some cities fireworks are seen and heard at midnight. On New Year's Eve there is food and "cohetes", fireworks and festivities. Birthdays are also great events, and include the famous “piñata” which is filled with candies and surprises for the children invited.
La Feria Isidra is celebrated in La Ceiba at the end of May. La Ceiba is a city located in the east coast. It is usually called "The Friendship Carnival". People from all over the world come for one week of festivities. Every night there is a little carnaval (carnavalito) in a neighborhood. Finally, on Saturday there is a big parade with floats and displays with people from Brazil, New Orleans, Japan, Jamaica, Barbados and many other countries. This celebration is also accompanied by the Milk Fair, where many Hondurans come to show off their farm products and animals.
Education
In Honduras about 83.6% of the population of the country is literate. The net primary enrollment rate was 94% in 2004, while in 2007 the primary school ''completion'' rate was reported to be 40%. Honduras has bilingual (Spanish and English) and even trilingual (Spanish, English, German/Turkish) schools and numerous universities.
The university is ruled by National Autonomous University of Honduras which have centers in the most important cities in Honduras.
Infrastructure
Energy
About half of the
electricity sector in Honduras is privately owned. The remaining
generation capacity is run by
ENEE (''Empresa Nacional de Energía Eléctrica'').
Key challenges in the sector are:
How to finance investments in generation and transmission in the absence of either a financially healthy utility or of concessionary funds by external donors for these types of investments;
How to re-balance tariffs, cut arrears and reduce commercial losses – including electricity theft – without fostering social unrest; and
How to reconcile environmental concerns with the government's objective to build two new large dams and associated hydropower plants.
How to improve access in rural areas.
Water supply and sanitation
Water supply and sanitation in Honduras varies greatly from urban centers to rural villages. Larger population centers generally have modernized water treatment and distribution systems, however water quality is often poor because of lack of proper maintenance and treatment. Rural areas generally have basic drinking water systems with limited capacity for water treatment. Many urban areas have sewer systems in place for the collection of wastewater, however proper treatment of wastewater is scarce. In rural areas, sanitary facilities are generally limited to latrines and basic septic pits.
Water and sanitation services were historically provided by Servicio Autonomo de Alcantarillas y Aqueductos (SANAA). In 2003, a new "water law" was passed which called for the decentralization of water services. With the 2003 law, local communities have the right and responsibility to own, operate, and control their own drinking water and wastewater systems. Since passage of the new law, many communities have joined together to address water and sanitation issues on a regional basis.
Many national and international non-government organizations have a history of working on water and sanitation projects in Honduras. International groups include, but are not limited to, the Red Cross, Water 1st, Rotary Club, Catholic Relief Services, Water for People, EcoLogic Development Fund, CARE, CESO-SACO, Engineers Without Borders USA, SHH, and Global Brigades.
In addition, many government organizations working on projects include: the European Union, USAID, the Army Corps of Engineers, Cooperacion Andalucia, the government of Japan, and many others.
Transport
Transportation in Honduras consists of the following infrastructure: 699 km of railways; 13,603 km of roadways; seven ports and harbors; and 112 airports altogether (12 Paved, 100 unpaved).
Responsibility for policy in the transport sector rests with the Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Housing (SOPRTRAVI after its Spanish acronym).
National symbols
The
flag of Honduras is composed of 3 equal horizontal stripes, with the upper and lower ones being blue and representing the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. The central stripe is white. It contains five blue stars representing the five states of the
Central American Union. The middle star represents Honduras, located in the center of the Central American Union.
The Coat of Arms was established in 1945. It is an equilateral triangle, at the base is a volcano between three castles, over which is a rainbow and the sun shining. The triangle is placed on an area that symbolizes being bathed by both seas. Around all of this an oval containing in golden lettering: "Republic of Honduras, Free, Sovereign and Independent".
The National Anthem of Honduras is a result of a contest carried out in 1914 during the presidency of Manuel Bonilla. In the end, it was the poet Augosto C. Coello that ended up writing the anthem, with the participation of German composer Carlos Hartling writing the music. The anthem was officially adopted on 15 November 1915, during the presidency of Alberto Membreño. The anthem is composed of a choir and seven stroonduran,that is very long.
The national flower is the famous orchid, ''Rhyncholaelia digbyana'' (formerly known as ''Brassavola digbyana''), which replaced the rose in 1969. The change of the National Flower was carried out during the administration of general Oswaldo López Arellano, thinking that ''Brassavola digbiana'' "is an indigenous plant of Honduras; having this flower exceptional characteristics of beauty, vigor and distinction", as the decree dictates it.
The National Tree of Honduras is the Honduras Pine (''Pinus caribaea'' var. ''hondurensis''). Also the use of the tree was regulated, "to avoid the unnecessary destructions caused by choppings or fires of forest."
The National Mammal is the White-tailed Deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), which was adopted as a measure to avoid excessive depredation. It is one of two species of deer that live in Honduras.
The National Bird of Honduras is the Scarlet Macaw (''Ara macao''). This bird was much valued by the pre-Columbian civilizations of Honduras.
Folklore
Legends and fairy tales are paramount within the Honduras culture;
Lluvia de Peces (Fish Rain) is an example of this. The legend of El
Cadejo and
La Ciguanaba (La Sucia) are also popular.
Sports
Football is the most popular Sport in Honduras. Information on all other Honduran sports related articles are below:
Football in Honduras
Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras
Honduras national baseball team
Honduras national football team
Honduras national under-20 football team
Honduras U-17 national football team
See also
International rankings of Honduras
List of Hondurans
List of newspapers in Honduras
List of places in Honduras
Military of Honduras
Notes
References
''Adventures in Nature: Jose Elephant''; James D. Gollin
''Don't Be Afraid, Gringo: A Honduran Woman Speaks From The Heart: The Story of Elvia Alvarado''; Medea Benjamin
''Honduras: The Making of a Banana Republic''; James Jones
''Honduras: State for Sale''; Richard Lapper, Francisco Kanemoto
''Inside Honduras''; Kent Norsworthy and Tom Berry
''La Mosquitia: A Guide to the Savannas, Rain Forest and Turtle Hunters''; Goal
''Moon Handbooks: Honduras''; Christopher Humphrey
''Reinterpreting the Banana Republic: Region and State in Honduras, 1870-1972''; Dario A. Euraque
''Seven Names for the Bellbird: Conservation Geography in Honduras''; Mark Bonta
''Ulysses Travel Guide: Honduras''; Eric Ilamovitch
''The United States in Honduras, 1980-1981: An Ambassador's Memoir''; Jack R. Binns
''The War of the Dispossessed: Honduras and El Salvador, 1969''; Thomas P. Anderson
External links
general Website
Honduras 504 - TV,Radio, and 100% Hondurian Website (Spanish) *(English coming Soon)
Utila'sWebsite
Government of Honduras
Official Site of the Tourism Institute of Honduras (English)
Chief of State and Cabinet Members
Honduras at ''University of Colorado at Boulder Libraries GovPubs''
Honduran Biodiversity Database
Honduras Tips Travel Info (English)
Honduras Weekly
Travel and Tourism Info on Honduras (English)
Humanitarian Aid in Honduras
Answers.com
CIA World Factbook
Project Honduras
Interactive Maps Honduras
Category:Caribbean countries
Category:Central American countries
Category:Countries bordering the Pacific Ocean
Category:Former Spanish colonies
Category:Member states of the United Nations
Category:Republics
Category:Spanish-speaking countries
Category:States and territories established in 1821
ace:Honduras
af:Honduras
als:Honduras
ar:هندوراس
an:Honduras
frp:Honduras
ast:Hondures
az:Honduras
bm:Honduras
bn:হন্ডুরাস
zh-min-nan:Honduras
be:Гандурас
be-x-old:Гандурас
bcl:Honduras
bo:ཧོང་དུ་ར་སི།
bs:Honduras
br:Honduras
bg:Хондурас
ca:Hondures
ceb:Honduras
cs:Honduras
cy:Honduras
da:Honduras
de:Honduras
dv:ހޮންޑިއުރަސް
dsb:Honduras
et:Honduras
el:Ονδούρα
es:Honduras
eo:Honduro
ext:Honduras
eu:Honduras
fa:هندوراس
hif:Honduras
fr:Honduras
fy:Hondueras
ga:Hondúras
gv:Ny Hondooraghyn
gag:Honduras
gd:Hondùras
gl:Honduras
gu:હોન્ડુરાસ
hak:Fùng-tû-lâ-sṳ̂
xal:Ондурасин Орн
ko:온두라스
hy:Հոնդուրաս
hi:हौण्डुरस
hr:Honduras
io:Honduras
ilo:Honduras
bpy:হন্ডুরাস
id:Honduras
ia:Honduras
os:Гондурас
is:Hondúras
it:Honduras
he:הונדורס
jv:Honduras
pam:Honduras
ka:ჰონდურასი
kk:Ондурас
kw:Hondouras
rw:Hondurasi
rn:Honduras
sw:Honduras
ht:Ondiras
ku:Hondûras
mrj:Гондурас
la:Honduria
lv:Hondurasa
lb:Honduras
lt:Hondūras
lij:Honduras
li:Honduras
ln:Honduras
jbo:onduras
lmo:Honduras
hu:Honduras
mk:Хондурас
ml:ഹോണ്ടുറാസ്
mr:होन्डुरास
arz:هوندوراس
ms:Honduras
mn:Гондурас
my:ဟွန်ဒူးရပ်စ်နိုင်ငံ
nah:Honduras
na:Honduras
nl:Honduras
ne:होन्दुरास
new:होण्डुरस
ja:ホンジュラス
frr:Honduuras
no:Honduras
nn:Honduras
nov:Honduras
oc:Honduras
mhr:Гондурас
uz:Gonduras
pnb:ہونڈراس
pap:Honduras
ps:هندوراس
pms:Honduras
nds:Honduras
pl:Honduras
pt:Honduras
crh:Honduras
ro:Honduras
qu:Unduras
ru:Гондурас
sah:Хондурас
se:Honduras
sa:हांडूरस
sco:Honduras
sq:Hondurasi
scn:Honduras
simple:Honduras
ss:IHondulasi
sk:Honduras
cu:Ондоурасъ
sl:Honduras
szl:Hůnduras
ckb:ھۆندووراس
sr:Хондурас
sh:Honduras
fi:Honduras
sv:Honduras
tl:Honduras
ta:ஹொண்டுராஸ்
tt:Гондурас
te:హోండురాస్
th:ประเทศฮอนดูรัส
tg:Ҳондурас
tr:Honduras
uk:Гондурас
ur:ہونڈوراس
ug:ھوندۇراس
vi:Honduras
vo:Hondurän
fiu-vro:Honduras
wa:Hondourasse
war:Honduras
wo:Onduras
yi:האנדוראס
yo:Họ̀ndúràs
diq:Honduras
zea:Honduras
bat-smg:Huondūrs
zh:洪都拉斯