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Country Fact File : Honduras
Teaching and Community Work in Honduras

Honduras Flag Honduras is the an easy, enjoyable and inexpensive place to travel in. It is also a fascinating country to visit with more than its fair share of flora and fauna, national parks, ancient settlements and no less than 640km of Caribbean coastline! Despite its turbulent political history (it is the original ‘banana republic’), it is now an endearing place to visit. There is evidence of Maya settlement since at least 1000 BC at Copán in western Honduras, but like other Maya city-states this was abandoned mysteriously around 900 AD so much of this cultural heritage lies shrouded in mystery.

Location	Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Nicaragua and bordering the Gulf of Fonseca (North Pacific Ocean), between El Salvador and Nicaragua
Area	112,090 sq km/td>
Border Countries	Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua
Climate	Subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains
Terrain	Mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains
Highest Point	Cerro Las Minas 2,870 m
Natural Hazards	Frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; extremely susceptible to damaging hurricanes and floods along the Caribbean coast
Environmental Issues	Urban population expanding; deforestation results from logging and the clearing of land for agricultural purposes; further land degradation and soil erosion hastened by uncontrolled development and improper land use practices such as farming of marginal lands; mining activities polluting Lago de Yojoa (the country's largest source of fresh water), as well as several rivers and streams, with heavy metals
Population	6,669,789
Ethnic Groups	Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and European) 90%, Amerindian 7%, black 2%, white 1%
Religions	Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant minority
Languages	Spanish, Amerindian dialects
Type of Government	Democratic Constitutional Republic
Capital	Tegucigalpa
Independence Day	15 September 1821 (from Spain)
Chief of State/ Head of Government	President Ricardo (Joest) MADURO (since 27 January 2002);
Currency	lempira (HNL)
Time	GMT -6

Did you know?

Honduras is larger than all the other Central American republics except Nicaragua, but has a smaller population than El Salvador which is less than 1/5th of its size

In 1969 Honduras was involved in a ‘Football War’ over a disputed decision in the third qualifying round of the world cup.

Some of the finest examples of Mayan sculpture are from the Copan Ruins, in Honduras.

Useful Numbers & Web Addresses

International dialing code: +504

Police tel: 199

Ambulance tel: 195

British Honorary Consul: 2 Calle, 1BY 19 Ave.N.O. Casa#182, Apartado Postal No. 63, San Pedro Sula, Cortes, Honduras. Tel: (504) 550 2337

Honduras Embassy in UK: 115 Gloucester Place, London W1H 3PJ. Tel: (020) 7486 4880