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Honduras Facts

Honduras Facts
The country Honduras is officially called the Republic of Honduras. It is located in Central America, bordering on Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, the Gulf of Honduras, and the Pacific Ocean. Prior to being conquered by the Spanish in the 1500s, Honduras was inhabited mainly by the Mayan people. The north eastern region of Honduras managed to resist the Spanish with the help of the British. In 1821 Honduras regained its independence from Spain. For a few years following, Honduras was part of the First Mexican Empire, and in 1823 became part of the United Provinces of Central America. In 1838 it became an independent republic.
Interesting Honduras Facts:
Honduras is the Spanish word for 'depths'.
Honduras covers an area of 43,201 square miles of land and a total of 43,278 square miles of total area (including water boundaries).
Honduras' capital city is Tegucigalpa, which has a population of approximately one million people.
Honduras' population is more than 8.3 million people.
The monetary unit in Honduras is the Lempira. It was named after an Indian chief that fought against the Spanish, and who died while trying to protect Honduras.
The official language in Honduras is Spanish, with many speaking English especially in business. There are also a variety of native dialects spoken in Honduras.
Honduras' Independence Day is celebrated on September 15th each year.
Major agriculture in Honduras includes coffee, bananas, citrus, as well as cattle and shrimp.
Major industry in Honduras incudes coffee, sugar, textiles, wood products and clothing manufacture.
Honduras' natural resources include gold, silver, timber, zinc, lead, iron ore, hydropower, fish, and coal.
Major imports into Honduras include transportation equipment, raw industrial materials, food, fuel and chemicals.
Major exports from Honduras include clothing, shrimp, coffee, cigars, gold, fruit, and palm oil.
Food commonly eaten in Honduras includes peppers, cassava, plantains, tamales, and tortillas.
Honduras has often been referred to as the 'Banana Republic'.
Because of Honduras location it is a common route for drug smuggling from South America to North America.
Honduras has no active volcanoes.
There is only one natural lake in Honduras, called Lake Yojoa.
In Yoro, Honduras a strange phenomenon occurs where fish fall from the sky. It is called fish rain or 'Iluvia de peces'.
Honduras has some of the highest amounts of coral reef in the world.
The most notable Mayan ruins in Honduras are the Copan Ruins.
Honduras national flower is the Rhyncholaeliadigbyana.
Honduras national bird is the scarlet macaw.
Honduras national mammal is the white-tail deer.
Honduras favorite sport is soccer. In 1969 an armed conflict broke out called the 'Soccer War' after a game between Honduras and El Salvador.
Approximately half the population in Honduras is at the poverty line.
The highest point in Honduras is Cerro Las Minas, at 2,870 meters tall.
The longest river in Honduras is Patuca River.
Honduras has a subtropical climate in its lowlands and is temperate in its mountain region.
Honduras' flag has three horizontal stripes. The top and bottom stripes are blue to represent the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The center white stripe has five blue stars to represent Central America Union's five states.


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