Honduras
By: Ashley Wood
"Bienvenidos a Honduras"
Geography
Located in the northern central part of
Central America
Has a Caribbean and a Pacific coastline
Guatemala borders Honduras to the west, El
Salvador to the south, and Nicaragua to the
east
Cont.
Area: 43,278 sq mi
Highest elevation: Cerro Las Minas 2,870 m.
The second-largest country in Central
America (A bit larger than Tennessee)
Mountainous with fertile plateaus, river
valleys, and narrow coastal plains.
Climate
Tropical in the lowlands
Temperate in the mountains
The Pacific coast of Honduras is hotter than
the Caribbean coast.
Average Temperature~75°F
Average rainfall~40 inches in mountain
valleys and up to 100 inches along the
northern coast
History
1st millennium-Honduras was inhabited by the Maya
Honduras declared it’s independence from Spain in 1821 to form a
federation of Central American states then in 1838, Honduras left the
federation and became independent
1969-”Football War” between El Salvador and Honduras
In 1997, Carlos Flores Facussé became president. He began to
reform the economy and modernize the government.
In Oct. 1998, Hurricane Mitch killed nearly 13,000 Hondurans,
leaving 2 million homeless and also left more than $5 billion in
damages.
In 2006, a new president, Manuel Zelaya, also elected to fight
corruption and gang violence. A free-trade agreement (CAFTA) with
the U.S went into effect in April 2006.
Basic Facts
Capital city: Tegucigalpa
Population: 7,326,496 people
Official Languages Spoken: Spanish and
English
Ethnicity/Race: Mestizo 90%, Amerindian
7%, black 2%, white 1%
Religion: Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant
3%
Culture
Typical foods:
– “Plato Typico"
A grilled piece of beef, Refried beans with a touch of
grated cheese on top, fried bananas, lettuce and tomato
salad with vinaigrette and a wedge of hard cheese
– Beans, corn and rice
Culture Cont.
Traditional Clothing
Economy
Currency: “Lempira”
Economy cont.
Agriculture
Industry
Other services
Agriculture
Bananas
Coffee
Citrus
Beef
Timber
Shrimp
Industry
Manufactured Products
Sugar
Coffee
Textiles
Clothing
wood products
Natural Resources
Timber Zinc
Gold iron ore
Silver Antimony
Copper Coal
Lead Fish
Hydropower
Government
Council-Manager form of government:
-Elected officials become part of a
council/governing body and there is an
appointed local government manager.
Way of Life
A majority of people in Honduras live in
rural areas.
80%of all rural people live in poverty
Housing
Education
“Backwards” educational system
51 of every 100 students finish primary school
according to statistics from the United Nations.
Education is not made available to all school
age children.
More than half a million people are illiterate
(This is equal to the entire population of
individuals that are between the ages of 15 and
40 years old)
Festivals/Holidays
Independence Day
Armed Forces Day-October 21, 1956 was the
revolt that overthrew Lozano Diaz
Morazán Day-On October 3 Francisco
Morazán, Honduran statesman is honored.
Thanksgiving Day
Guancasco Festivals