Honduras
Official Country Name
Honduras
Honduras Overview
Once part of Spain's vast empire in the New World, Honduras became an independent nation in 1821. After two and a half decades of mostly military rule, a freely elected civilian government came to power in 1982. During the 1980s, Honduras proved a haven for anti-Sandinista contras fighting the Marxist Nicaraguan Government and an ally to Salvadoran Government forces fighting leftist guerrillas. The country was devastated by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, which killed about 5,600 people and caused approximately $2 billion in damage.
Honduras Economy
Honduras, the second poorest country in Central America and one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, with an extraordinarily unequal distribution of income and massive unemployment, is banking on expanded trade under the US-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and on debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. The country has met most of its macroeconomic targets, and began a three-year IMF Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PGRF) program in February 2004. The economy relies heavily on a narrow range of exports, notably bananas and coffee, making it vulnerable to natural disasters and shifts in commodity prices, but in recent years has experienced a rapid rise in exports of light manufacturers. Growth remains dependent on the economy of the US, its largest trading partner, and on reduction of the high crime rate, as a means of attracting and maintaining investment.
Honduras Location
Honduras is located in Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Nicaragua and bordering the Gulf of Fonseca (North Pacific Ocean), between El Salvador and Nicaragua
Region
Honduras is located in Central America
Honduras Population
Honduras has population of 7,326,496 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS
Honduras Climate
Honduras has subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains
Honduras Terrain
mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains
Honduras Natural Resources
timber, gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore, antimony, coal, fish, hydropower
Ethnic Groups in Honduras
Honduras has the following ethnic groups - mestizo (mixed Amerindian and European) 90%, Amerindian 7%, black 2%, white 1%
Honduras Religions
Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant 3%
Honduras Languages
Spanish, Amerindian dialects
Honduras Capital
Honduras capital is Tegucigalpa
Honduras Currency
Honduras currency is lempira
Map of Honduras
