The Honduras Portal
Republic of Honduras República de Honduras (Spanish) | |
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Motto:
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ISO 3166 code | HN |
Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. Honduras 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 several important Mesoamerican cultures, most notably the Maya, before the Spanish colonization in the sixteenth century. The Spanish introduced Catholicism and the now predominant Spanish language, along with numerous customs that have blended with the indigenous culture. Honduras became independent in 1821 and has since been a republic, although it has consistently endured much social strife and political instability, and remains one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. In 1960, the northern part of what was the Mosquito Coast was transferred from Nicaragua to Honduras by the International Court of Justice.
The nation's economy is primarily agricultural, making it especially vulnerable to natural disasters such as Hurricane Mitch in 1998. The lower class is primarily agriculturally based while wealth is concentrated in the country's urban centers. Honduras has a Human Development Index of 0.625, classifying it as a nation with medium development. When adjusted for income inequality, its Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index is 0.443. (Full article...)
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Honduras was inhabited by many indigenous peoples when the Spanish arrived in the 16th century. The western-central part of Honduras was inhabited by the Lencas, the central north coast by the Tol, the area east and west of Trujillo by the Pech (or Paya), the Maya and Sumo. These autonomous groups traded with each other and with other populations as distant as Panama and Mexico. Honduras has ruins of several cities dating from the Mesoamerican pre-classic period that show the pre-Columbian past of the country.
The Spanish founded new settlements such as Trujillo, Comayagua, Gracias, and Tegucigalpa. Starting in the colonial era, the territory of what is today Honduras was dedicated to harvesting,[clarification needed] mining, and ranching. After its independence from the Spanish Empire in 1821, Central America joined the First Mexican Empire for a very short time. It fell in 1823 and the Federal Republic of Central America was created, which fell in 1839. After that, the Honduran territory became an independent nation. (Full article...)Interesting facts -
- ... that Salomón Ibarra Mayorga, the lyricist of the Nicaraguan national anthem, was exiled to Honduras for his political activities but was reburied in Nicaragua after his death?
- ... that when the British Honduran Lands Department claimed no lands were available for women, Gwendolyn Lizarraga marched into the swamp and measured lots to create land parcels?
- ... that Salomón Ibarra Mayorga, the lyricist of the Nicaraguan national anthem, was exiled to Honduras for his political activities but was reburied in Nicaragua after his death?
- ... that thanks to the song "Sopa de Caracol", the musical ensemble Banda Blanca became the best-known Honduran band?
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List articles
- Departments of Honduras
- List of cathedrals in Honduras
- List of companies of Honduras
- List of ecoregions in Honduras
- List of football clubs in Honduras
- List of Honduran departments by Human Development Index
- List of Hondurans
- List of Honduras-related topics
- List of national parks of Honduras
- List of political parties in Honduras
- List of presidents of Honduras
- List of rivers of Honduras
- List of wars involving Honduras
- Municipalities of Honduras
- Outline of Honduras
- Timeline of Tegucigalpa
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