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Honduras is a nation of northern Central America,
bordered to the west by Guatemala and El Salvador, to the south by Nicaragua and the Pacific Ocean and to the north by the Gulf of Honduras and the Caribbean Sea. The nation
of Belize (formerly "British Honduras") is some 75 km away across the Bay of Honduras
at the two nation's closest points.
History
Main article: History of Honduras
Part of Spain's vast empire in the New
World, Honduras became a state of the nation of Central America in 1821, and became an
independent republic at the demise of the union in 1840.
After two and one-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 Nicaraguan government and an ally to Salvadoran government forces fighting against leftist guerrillas.
Politics
Main article: Politics of Honduras
Departments
Main article: Departments of Honduras
Honduras is divided into 18 departments:
Geography
Main article: Geography of Honduras
Honduras borders the Caribbean Sea and North Pacific Ocean. The climate varies
from subtropical in lowlands to temperate in mountains.
Honduran terrain consists mainly of mountains, but there are narrow plains along the coasts.
Natural resources include timber, gold,
silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore, antimony, coal, fish, and hydropower.
Economy
Main article: Economy of Honduras
Honduras spent 1999 primarily recovering from Hurricane Mitch, which killed more than 5,000 people and caused about $3 billion in damage. Although it is
slated to receive about $2.76 billion in international aid, the economy shrank 3% with widening current account and fiscal
deficits in 1999. It nevertheless met most of its macroeconomic targets. Honduras may also get relief from its $4.4 billion
external debt under the Heavily Indebted
Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative.
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of
Honduras
The population of Honduras is predominantly of Mestizo descent and Roman Catholic faith.
Culture
Main article: Culture of Honduras
Miscellaneous topics
- List of places in Honduras
- Politics of Honduras
- Communications in Honduras
- Transportation in Honduras
- Military of Honduras
- Foreign relations of Honduras
Note: Some of these articles are based on text from the CIA
World Factbook 2000 and the U.S. Department of State website.
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