With a population of more than 9 million – about half of which is under 19 years old – Honduras is a young, energetic country that traces its culture back to ancient beginnings.
Find Out Top 30 Fun And Interesting Facts About Honduras:
1) It is bounded on the south by the Gulf of Fonseca and Nicaragua, on the east and north by the Caribbean Sea, on the west by Guatemala, and on the southwest by El Salvador.
2) More than 75 percent of the land area of the country is mountainous, lowlands being found only along the coasts and in the river valleys which penetrate toward the interior. There are also a few islands close to the country’s shores.
3) With a total boundary length of 1,454 miles (2,340 kilometers), of which 509 miles (820 kilometers) is coastline, it is the 2nd largest country in Central America, after Nicaragua.
4) This amazing country was discovered by Christopher Columbus. The first words Columbus said when he landed in the area were: “Thank God we found these great depths.”
5) Before the Spanish invasion of the country in the 16th century, Honduras was home to many Mesoamerican cultures, including the Mayas.
Tegucigalpa | National Capital
6) Tegucigalpa, also known as Tegus, is the capital of the country. It has an area of 201.5 square kilometers (78 square miles) and a population of 1.12 million in 2018, with a density of 5,600 people per square kilometer.
7) Tegucigalpa is a great example of Central American urban sprawl gone amok, spread out across very hilly terrain. This fantastic capital has a diverse light industries, including the production of sugar, textiles, and cigarettes.
8) The airport in Tegucigalpa, Toncontín International Airport, is notorious since the History Channel’s Most Extreme Airports ranked it the number 2 most dangerous airport in the world, because of its extremely short runway and high location.
9) You should also visit La Tigra National Park if you’re in the capital – it is a ”cloud forest” (a forest which is typically cloaked in cloud cover) where you can see many different beautiful trees, plants, animals, and geographical features.
National Flag
10) The national flag is very significant. For instance, the five stars on it is actually a representation of the 5 Central American countries and the central star represents Honduras as it is the only one that touches all of them.
Official Currency
11) The lempira, also known as the peso, is the official currency.
It is named after an Indian chief who died trying to protect his property from Spanish invaders.
12) As of 2018, the population of Honduras was estimated to be 9,417,167 people.
13) The patron saint of the country is the Virgin of Suyapa (a title of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ), whose festival day is Feb. 3. There is no official national religion, but 97 percent of the people consider themselves Roman Catholic.
14) The country gained independence from Spain in 1821 and was a part of the First Mexican Empire until 1823. Until the mid-1980s, it was dominated by the military, which supported the United States efforts.
15) The term ”Banana Republic” was first applied to Honduras by American writer O. Henry in 1904, because of the United States-based banana companies which had a substantial influence in the region. In the past, the country has also been referred to as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras that became the modern-day state of Belize.
16) The main languages spoken by people here are Miskito, Garifuna, English, as well as other local languages spoken by native people, however, the official language is Spanish.
17) In 1998, Hurricane Mitch (the second-deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record) took the lives of about 5,000 people in the country and caused billions of dollars in damage.
Crime & Safety
18) According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Central American nation is notorious for having the world’s highest homicide rate, which stood at 84.6 victims per 100,000 inhabitants in 2014. By way of comparison, the United States rate is 4.2 per 100,000 and Australia’s rate is 1.0 per 100,000.
19) The U.S. Department of State has also issued a Travel Warning for the country since late 2012 to caution American travelers about high crime rates. Tourists may be a target of violent crimes in specific areas such as on the ferry from La Ceiba to the Bay Islands, San Pedro Sula, Tela, Tegucigalpa, Trujillo, and in the Copan ruins area.
20) A law against illicit associations, like gangs, was approved in 2003 and numerous gang members have been put in jail since then. Nevertheless, the country still faces challenges when gangs commit atrocious acts, and locals are still living in fear. Even Honduran President Ricardo Maduro’s son was kidnapped and killed by the gang of Mara Salvatrucha in 1997.
21) One of the most intriguing events of the country is the Sawdust Alfombras of Comayagua – colorful sawdust illustrations are trampled into non-existence only moments after they are finished.
22) Corn tortillas and beans are the mainstays of the diet. The beans are usually fried, and the tortillas are small, thick, and typically handmade; ideally, they are eaten warm.
23) The scarlet macaw is the national bird of the country. Scarlet macaws were sacred to the Mayans.
ALSO READ: Colibita Lake Resort – The Sea in the Mountains
Economy
24) An estimated 50% of the locals live below poverty levels. The country is the 6th least developed country in Latin America, following Haiti, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Bolivia, and Guyana, according to the Human Development Index.
25) The country is best known for the production of coffee, minerals, tropical fruit, and sugar cane, as well as for its textiles industry, which serves the international market.
Sports
26) Soccer is the main sport in the country. Interestingly, this country had a 100-hour war with El Salvador over soccer.
27) Carlos Alberto Pavón Plummer is a retired Honduran football striker. He became Honduras’s all-time leading scorer, with 58 goals.
Fauna & Flora
28) The country is home to a few venomous snakes, including – the Coral Snake, the Green Palm Pit Viper, and the Middle American Rattlesnake. Crocodiles are also plentiful in the country’s tropical forests. Larger animals you can find here are deer, ocelots, and pumas. Also, birds are common along the coast. In addition, the country is home to many colorful insects, including beetles, butterflies, and spiders.
29) With the number of coral reefs which are in the Bay Islands, this nation is the second country in the world with more coral reefs after Australia.
30) Platano Forest, located on the Río Plátano on the Caribbean coast, was nominated as one of the new seven new wonders of the world.
Image source – https://pixabay.com/photos/happy-dance-costa-rica-honduras-2723487/
ALSO READ: Bigar Waterfall In Caras-Severin, Romania
Sources https://www.theguardian.com/world/honduras https://www.nytimes.com/topic/destination/honduras https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/honduras