Facts About Honduras

Honduras, officially known as the ‘Republic of Honduras’, is a country located in Central America. The country has for its neighbors the countries of El Salvador to the southwest, Nicaragua to the southeast and Guatemala to the west. Honduras has a geographical territory of just a little over 1, 12, 000 square kilometers, and has an estimated population of almost 8 million people. The country was formerly known as Spanish Honduras to distinguish it from British Honduras that is now Belize. Honduras however managed to gain independence from the Spanish on 15^th September 1820, only to be ruled again by the Federal Republic of Central America and United States of Central America. The Hondurans being a resolute lot managed to gain independence from the Federal Republic of Central America on 31^st May, 1838 and the United States of Central America on 10^th December , 1898. Go ahead and read on to know more on the country of Honduras.

• The country of Honduras is located in Central America between Nicaragua and Guatemala and bordering the Caribbean Sea. The country also borders the Gulf of Fonseca from where it is located between El Salvador and Nicaragua.
• The country in terms of geographical area occupied is only slightly larger than the American state of Tennessee.
• Honduras’ motto “Libre, Soberana e Independiente” in Spanish literally translates to "Free, Sovereign and Independent".
• The city of Tegucigalpa in Honduras makes for the country’s capital city. Tegucigalpa also happens to be the largest city in the country of Honduras.
• Spanish is the official language in Honduras. However languages that include Garifuna, English, Miskito continue to be spoken commonly throughout the length and breadth of the country.
• Cero Las Minas makes for the tallest mountain (2870m) in Honduras and its peak for the highest point in the country. 
• The peak of Cero Las Minas lies near the larger settlement of Santa Rosa de Cop and enjoys proximity to the borders that Honduras shares with Guatemala and El Salvador, its neighbors.
• For natural resources the country of Honduras is blessed with varying amounts of iron ore, zinc, gold, silver, timber, copper and coal.
• Honduras at present functions as a ‘Constitutional Republic’ and its government is headed by President Porfirio Lobo Sosa who also shares responsibilities with Vice President María Antonieta de Bográn.
• Did you know that Honduras is also known as the Banana Republic? The name basically stuck to the country because it grows and exports a large amount of bananas.
• The orchid makes for the national flower of the country of Honduras, while the ‘Scarlet Macaw’ makes for its national bird.
• ‘Honduran’ is the demonym for Honduras. In other words, the people or the natives of the country of Honduras are known as Hondurans.
• If the United States of America had the Native Indians as the people who first lived in its territory, Honduras had the Maya Indians who were some of the first people to live in the country. The Maya Indians, as opposed to letters and numbers, were known to use pictures to communicate.
• Sadly, around 53% of the Hondurans in the country live below the poverty line. This makes Honduras one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere.
• The Copan ruins in Honduras makes for one of the country’s most popular tourist attractions. Talking about popular, football, basketball, volleyball and baseball are some of the most popular sports in Honduras.