GEOGRAPHY
DEMOGRAPHICS
POLITICS
Name: Republic of Honduras
Capital: Tegucigalpa
Capital: Tegucigalpa
Honduras is a country in Central America.
Honduras borders the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean. Guatemala lies to the west, Nicaragua south east and El Salvador to the south west.
Honduras is the second largest Central American republic, with a total area of 112,890 square kilometres (43,590 sq mi).
Major languages: Spanish, indigenous languages, English
Major religion Christianity
Currency lempira (Lempira 100 = $4 )
Most residents live in the mountainous western half of the country; unlike other Central American nations, Honduras is the only one with an urban population that is distributed between two large centers - the capital of Tegucigalpa and the city of San Pedro Sula;
the Rio Ulua valley in the north is the only densely populated lowland area
According to the 2017 World Population Prospects, the total population was 9,112,867 in 2016, compared to 1,487,000 in 1950 (a fivefold increase in 60 years).
The proportion of the population aged below 15 in 2010 was 36.8%, 58.9% were aged between 15 and 65 years of age, and 4.3% were aged 65 years or older.
Women represent 56% of the 15-64 age group population
As of 2014, 60% of Hondurans live below the poverty line. More than 30% of the population is divided between the lower middle and upper middle class, less than 10% are wealthy or belong to the higher social class (most live in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula).
Life expectancy 71 years (men), 76 years (women)
Until the mid-1980s Honduras was dominated by the military, which enthusiastically supported US efforts to stem revolutionary movements in the region. Since then, civilian leaders have sought to curb the power of the military, with varying degrees of success.
Gang violence, drug wars and extortion are commonplace and the country is notorious for having the world's highest murder rate per capita.
Juan Orlando Hernandez took office in January 2014, promising a zero tolerance approach towards organized crime and pledging to bring down the high levels of drug-related violence.
He won elections in the previous November, beating off challenger Xiomara Castro, the wife of former president Manuel Zelaya - whose ouster in a 2009 coup triggered a deep political crisis.
He was declared winner of the November 2017 presidential election, which was disputed by his main rival Salvador Nasralla. Several people died in protests against the election outcome.
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EDUCATION
ECONOMY
FUN FACTS
Honduras has among the lowest education indicators in Latin American and Caribbean Regions.
Many children are forced to leave school for work, usually permanently, at a very young age to help support their families. For similar reasons, this connects the low level of education reached by many parents with the insecure living conditions for more than 80% of Honduras.
Although school is provided by the government through the 5th grade many children are unable to attend because their families can not afford uniforms and school supplies.
Only 51% of children registered complete primary school.
The acutest problem is that the basic educational system only covers 86.5% of school-age children, while the remaining 13.5% have no access to education.
Poor families have almost no access to education beyond the 6th grade in Honduras. Only 30% of all Honduran children go to High School. The government does not provide free education past the 6th grade.
Other problems in the Honduran educational system include lack of resources and schools, teacher strikes, poor teacher training and corruption
Many children are forced to leave school for work, usually permanently, at a very young age to help support their families. For similar reasons, this connects the low level of education reached by many parents with the insecure living conditions for more than 80% of Honduras.
Although school is provided by the government through the 5th grade many children are unable to attend because their families can not afford uniforms and school supplies.
Only 51% of children registered complete primary school.
The acutest problem is that the basic educational system only covers 86.5% of school-age children, while the remaining 13.5% have no access to education.
Poor families have almost no access to education beyond the 6th grade in Honduras. Only 30% of all Honduran children go to High School. The government does not provide free education past the 6th grade.
Other problems in the Honduran educational system include lack of resources and schools, teacher strikes, poor teacher training and corruption
Honduras is the second poorest country in Central America and is among the very poorest in all the Western Hemisphere.
Honduras has a long history of military rule, corruption, poverty and crime which have rendered it one of the least developed and most unstable countries in Central America.
The economy of Honduras is based mostly on agriculture, which accounts for 14% of its gross domestic product (GDP) in 2013. Leading export coffee ($340 million) accounted for 22% of total Honduran export revenues. Bananas, formerly the country's second-largest export until being virtually wiped out by 1998's Hurricane Mitch, recovered in 2000 to 57% of pre-Mitch levels. Cultivated shrimp is another important export sector.
Since the late 1970s, towns in the north began industrial production through maquiladoras, especially in San Pedro Sula and Puerto Cortés.
Honduras has extensive forests, marine, and mineral resources, although widespread slash and burn agricultural methods continue to destroy Honduran forests.
Inequalities in wealth remain high, with nearly half of the population living below the poverty line. Thousands of Hondurans leave to go to the US each year and the remittances they send home are a crucial source of income for many families.
1. Hondurians are serious about soccer:
Honduras had a 100-hour war with El Salvador. Over soccer. There may have been some other economic stuff going as well, but the important thing to remember is soccer.
2. You can explore incredible Maya ruins
Copan is the site of an ancient Maya city, located in Western Honduras. It was one of the most densely populated urban areas of the Maya world between AD 426 to 820.
3. The name Honduras translates to “great depths” in Spanish – named by Christopher Columbus after the deep waters along the coast.
4. The coral reefs are out of this world
Honduras is part of the second largest coral reef in the world, after the Great Barrier Reef.
5. Honduras has a dual capital
The capital is actually two cities: Comayaguela and Tegucigalpa.
6. Ever wondered why Honduras was referred to as a banana republic?
In actual fact, this term was first used by the American writer O. Henry in the early twentieth century to describe the country’s over reliance on banana exports and unstable economy. These days, Honduras is working hard to make a new name for itself.
7. Smoke free - Honduras was the first country to ban smoking in your own home. Smokers must always stand about two metres (six feet) away from non-smokers.
8. The buses seriously stand out
Local buses are called Chicken buses. They’re brightly painted and look like a party on wheels. You’re unlikely to see chickens on these buses.
9. It’s home to one of the oldest clocks in the world
The clock was built around 1100 AD by the Moors and was originally placed in the Alhambra Palace, in Granada, Spain. It’s travelled a long way to sit in the Cathedral of Comayagua.
10. They have some amazing bird life
In fact, the national bird of Honduras is the Scarlet Macaw.