Honduras (hon-DOO-rahs), republic (43,277 sq mi/112,088 sq km; 1996 estimated population 5,608,275; 2004 estimated population 6,823,568), Central America; (cap.) Tegucigalpa; 15°00'N 86°30'W.
Geography
Tegucigalpa is the chief commercial center. The second largest of the Central American countries, Honduras is bounded on the N by the Caribbean Sea, on the E and S by Nicaragua, on the SW by El Salvador, and on the W by Guatemala. The short stretch of S coast on the Gulf of Fonseca, with a small port, San Lorenzo (Henecán), is the sole Pacific outlet. Honduras has a tropical, rainy climate. Over 80% of the land is mountainous; ranges extend from E to W at elevations of 5,000–9,000 ft/1,520–2,740 m and limit heavy rainfall to the N. In the E are the swamps and forests of the Mosquito Coast. Several river systems, of which the Patuca and the Ulúa are most important, drain most of the N.
Population
The population is a mix of mestizo (mixed Amerinidan and Euopean), 90%, Amerindian, 7%, black, 2%, and white, 1%. About 40% of the population is illiterate. Hondurans are overwhelmingly Roman Catholic (97%)
Economy
The economy is based on agriculture; bananas and coffee are the most important exports. The vast banana plantations, established by U.S. companies, are mainly along the N coast; the United Fruit Company and the Standard Fruit Company, fiercely resented by many Latin Americans as exploitative monopolies, had much social and political influence in Honduras. Timber, minerals (silver, lead, zinc), beef, and seafood are also exported. Other important food crops include corn, beans, rice, and sugarcane. Honduras has rich forest resources and deposits of silver, lead, zinc, gold, cadmium, antimony, and copper, but exploitation is hampered by inadequate road and railroad systems, and the country remains underdeveloped. Its only railroads link the banana plantations in the N to San Pedro Sula and the principal ports, La Ceiba, Puerto Cortés, and Tela; they do not penetrate more than 75 mi/121 km inland. Air transportation, however, has opened up remote areas. Industry, concentrated chiefly in San Pedro Sula, is small and consumer-oriented, including the production of processed food, cement, lumber, and chemicals. Clothing manufacture, based around low-wage sweatshops developed by South Korean and U.S. companies, is the country’s fastest-growing industry; clothing is now the third-largest export.
History to 1948
The restored Mayan ruins of Copán in the W, first discovered by the Spaniards in 1576 and rediscovered in 1839, reflect the great Mayan culture that arose in the 4th century. It had declined when Columbus sighted the region in 1502, naming it Honduras (meaning “depths”) for the deep water off the coast. Hernán Cortés arrived in 1524 and ordered Pedro de Alvarado to found settlements along the coast. Comayagua and Tegucigalpa developed as early mining centers. In 1821, Honduras gained independence from Spain and became part of Iturbide’s Mexican Empire; it was a member of the Central American Federation from 1825 until the organization was dissolved in 1838. Great Britain long controlled the Mosquito Coast and the Islas de la Bahía; William Walker attempted a “liberation” in 1860 but was unsuccessful. Foreign capital, plantation life, and conservative politics constituted a trio of dominant forces that held sway in Honduras from the late 19th century to the end of the regime (1933–1948) of Tiburcio Carías Andino.
History - 1948 to Present
The illegal immigration of several hundred thousand Salvadorans across the ill-defined El Salvador–Honduras border and the expulsion of thousands of the immigrants by Honduras led to a war with El Salvador in July 1969. Although the war lasted only five days, its effects were serious, including the country’s withdrawal from and the subsequent collapse of the Central American Common Market as well as continued border incidents. A 3.7-mi/6-km demilitarized zone was set up in 1970. After several more military incidents in 1976, negotiations began between the two sides. A peace agreement reached in 1980 demarcated two-thirds; of the 213-mi/343-km border. In late 1974 the Caribbean coast of Honduras was devastated by a hurricane. During the 1980s Honduras served as a base for insurgent activity against the government of Nicaragua by the Contra rebels. The country’s economy became heavily dependent on aid from the U.S., which supported the rebel bases. Since 1990 Honduras has benefited from regional peace and cooperation to stabilize its economy and establish economic viability independent of the U.S. In 1992 Honduras signed an agreement with El Salvador, settling the border controversy between the two countries in its entirety. In 1998 the country was once again devasted by a hurrican killing about 5,600 people and causing approximately $2 billion in damage.
Government
Since 2002, Ricardo Maduro has been president as well as prime minister.
