Honduras is a country in 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. Belize (formerly "British Honduras") is 75 km away across the Bay of Honduras.
History
Main article: History of Honduras
Part of Spain's vast empire in the New World, Honduras became a state in the United Provinces of Central America in 1821, and became an independent republic at the demise of the union in 1840.
The Football War of 1969 was fought with El Salvador.
After two and a 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.
Hurricane Mitch devastated the country and wrecked its economy in 1998.
Politics
Main article: Politics of Honduras
See also: List of Presidents of Honduras
Departments
Main article: Departments of Honduras
Honduras is divided into 18 departments:
See also: List of places in Honduras
Geography
Missing imageHonduras_sm04.png Map of Honduras
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 the year 1999 primarily recovering from Hurricane Mitch, which killed more than 5,000 people and caused about US$3 billion in damage. Although it is slated to receive about US$2.76 billion in international aid, the economy shrank 3% with widening current account and fiscal deficits in 1999. Nevertheless it met most of its macroeconomic targets. Honduras may also get relief from its US$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
The patron saint of Honduras is the Virgin of Suyapa.
Miscellaneous topics
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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