The Central American country of Honduras was once part of the great civilization of the Maya people. It later spent more than three centuries as a Spanish colony. The first European to see the land was the explorer Christopher Columbus. He named it Honduras, meaning “depths,” because of the deep waters off its coast. The capital of Honduras is Tegucigalpa. GeographyHonduras has a long northern coast on the Caribbean Sea. In the south is a much shorter coast on the Gulf of Fonseca of the Pacific Ocean. Honduras borders Guatemala and El Salvador to the west and Nicaragua to the southeast. The Bay Islands and the very small Swan Islands in the Caribbean are also part of the country. In all, Honduras covers an area of 43,277 square miles (112,088 square kilometers). - A small farm nestled in the rugged highlands of central Honduras.
The landscape of Honduras is mountainous. The highest mountains are in the western and central parts of the country. The highest peak, Mount Celaque in the west, rises 9,347 feet (2,849 meters). Lowlands are found only along the coasts and in the river valleys. The eastern Caribbean lowlands include the northern part of the swampy area known as the Mosquito Coast. This region was named after the Miskito Indians who live there. Most of the rivers in Honduras flow into the Caribbean Sea. Honduras lies near the equator and therefore is a tropical country. Temperatures are generally hot and vary little from season to season. The central mountains are cooler than the coastal plains because of their elevation. Plants and animalsMany of the lower mountains of Honduras are covered with dense evergreen forests. They include large tropical trees such as mahogany, balsa, and Spanish cedar. Pine and oak grow on the high, rainy mountain slopes. The coastal swamps support mangrove and palm trees. The forests of Honduras are home to a variety of reptiles, including crocodiles, snakes, lizards, and turtles. Deer, peccaries, tapir, pumas, jaguars, and ocelots also live in the forests. The country's birds include toucans, herons, and kingfishers. People and cultureThe first people to live in Honduras were American Indians. Spanish colonists arrived in the 16th century. Today almost 90 percent of the country's population is mestizo, or people of mixed Spanish and American Indian ancestry. Indians make up only a small part of the population. Blacks who migrated to Honduras from Caribbean islands live along the north coast and on the Bay Islands. Among them are the Garifuna (or Black Caribs), who have both African and American Indian ancestors. The official language of Honduras is Spanish, but English is spoken widely along the Caribbean coast. Some Indian groups have their own languages. Honduras has no official religion, but most of the people are Roman Catholic. Most people in Honduras live in the western and southern highlands or along the northwestern Caribbean coast. The population is divided fairly evenly between urban and rural areas. The largest city is the capital, Tegucigalpa, in the southern mountains. It grew quickly in the last decades of the 20th century. Much of the rural population lives in small villages that are hard to reach because of the mountainous land and poor roads. Honduran culture carries on the proud tradition of the Mayan civilization that thrived before the arrival of Europeans. The Mayan city of Copán, located on the Copán River in western Honduras, represents the height of Mayan culture. Among its ruins are stone temples, pyramids, plazas, and staircases dating back more than 1,000 years. Copán has been named a World Heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). EconomyHonduras ranks among the poorest countries in the Americas. Many people work on small farms where they grow only enough food for themselves and their families. The main food crop is corn (maize). Bananas are grown mainly by U.S. companies on large farms called plantations. They became the country's leading export by far in the first half of the 20th century. Bananas remain an important export, though production was greatly reduced for a time after Hurricane Mitch destroyed almost all of the crop in 1998. Coffee and sugar are also produced mainly for export. Cattle are the main livestock. Fishing is a developing industry, and shrimp and lobsters are exported. Manufacturing in Honduras is small in scale. The major products manufactured and processed include food and beverages, textiles, clothing, chemicals, furniture, lumber, and paper. Mining is a small part of the economy. Honduras has deposits of lead, zinc, silver, gold, antimony, copper, and gypsum. HistoryAmerican Indian peoples have lived in what is now Honduras since well before the 1st century AD. The Maya were the most advanced of these groups. Their culture flourished for centuries before declining in the early 9th century AD. Spanish ruleChristopher Columbus sailed along the coast of present-day Honduras in 1502. The Spanish began building settlements along the coast in the 1520s. The discovery of gold in the region encouraged the Spanish to develop Honduras as a colony. In 1537 they established a capital at Comayagua in the central part of the colony. In the same year a major war broke out between the Spanish and the Indians. Many Indians were killed in the fighting. Others died from diseases carried by the Spanish. Honduras and other Central American colonies gained independence from Spain in 1821. After a brief period of rule by Mexico, Honduras and other states formed a union called the United Provinces of Central America. The union was unstable, and Honduras declared its full independence in 1838. IndependenceAs an independent country Honduras experienced many civil wars and changes of government. During the early 20th century U.S. banana companies became the dominant economic force in the country. To protect these companies, the United States sometimes interfered in the politics of Honduras. The banana companies brought advancements such as port facilities and railroads to the Caribbean coast. Nevertheless, most of the country remained poor. The Honduran military played a strong role in the country for much of the 20th century. It generally controlled who became president, and at times military leaders ruled the country themselves. In 1982, however, a freely elected civilian (non-military) government came to power. Civilian governments continued to lead Honduras in the following decades. They struggled to improve the country's economy. Honduras' problems grew when Hurricane Mitch struck the country in October 1998. The storm killed thousands of people and forced more than a million people to abandon their homes. It also ruined the economy. Massive aid from other countries helped in reconstruction efforts, which continued into the early 21st century. Population (2001 estimate), 6,626,000. |