When you arrive in Honduras for the first time, having heard about its recent political upheaval, you might expect to see a country that looks a little tired and rough around the edges. In fact, you would find something very different during your daily excursions in Central America’s rising star.
Hope and progress aren’t just slogans for a country like Honduras. These are guiding principles for a population that is constantly working on a better life for now and in the future. Their optimism and enthusiasm for quality in life reminds many visitors of those halcyon days when life seemed simpler – a nostalgia familiar to most living in Europe and North America. Honduras’ nationwide movement forward to bigger things is proven by its continued growth in industry, real estate and tourism.
Honduras is a country full of promise and opportunity, with the natural and historical attributes to back up its ambitions. The narrow mouth of the country’s Pacific coast is a glory of volcanic islands and secret beaches, its sights only rivaled by the longer Caribbean coast. That northeast coastline boasts extraordinary marine life and the lure of island living on the Bay Islands, just off the mainland. The interior of the country is an exciting patchwork of mountains, jungles, and cloud and pine forests crisscrossed by huge rivers. Honduras’ cities and towns have retained most of their historic architecture and ways of life, unlike some of their Central American neighbors.
Though it’s not always the first to spring to mind when considering exotic destinations, the country matches others in the region for its dedication to wilderness protection, cultural preservation and continual progress. Hope and enthusiasm are a strong presence in the daily life of local people – both Honduran born and Honduran by choice. As a tourist or an expatriate, it’s impossible to resist the overwhelming feeling that good things are happening in Honduras, and being there is one of them.
- Major Cities: Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula
- Capital City: Tegucigalpa
- Boundaries: Caribbean Sea to the North, Guatemala and El Salvador to the West, Gulf of Fonseca and Nicaragua to the South
- Population: 8.14 million (July 2011)
- Languages: Predominantly Spanish. Some English is spoken along the Northern coast and on the Caribbean Bay Islands. Several indigenous Amerindian languages and Garífuna (a mixture of Afro-indigenous languages) also spoken.
- Diversity: 90% mestizo (mixed Amerindian and European), 7% other Amerindian, 2% black, 1% white
- Official Religions: Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant minority 3%
- Government: Democratic constitutional republic
- Currency: Lempira (HNL)
- Gross National Income (GNI) per capita: $1,649
- Population using Improved Drinking Water Sources: 86%
- Time Zone: GMT-6 (Central Time). Daylight saving time begins second Sunday in March and ends first Sunday in November.
- Country Calling Code: +504
- Climate: Tropical to subtropical, depending on elevation. Subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains.
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