Honduras Information, Geography and History

INFORMATION

Full name: Republic of Honduras

Capital City: Tegucigalpa

Language: Spanish

Currency: Lempira (L)

Religion: Roman Catholic, Protestant group

National Anthem: Tu bandera es un lampo de cielo

Newspaper: Diario La Prensa, El Heraldo, Honduras News, La Tribuna

Places to Visit: Bay Islands, Tegucigalpa, Basílica de Suyapa, Parque Nacional La Tigra, Pulhapanzak Falls

Transport: International Flights take off from Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, and Roatán that take you to locations like Central America, North America and Europe. No tax is availed for entering and existing in this land. One may even opt for bus services that leave to the destination from the existing crossings available here. Boats ply to different places from Puerto Barrios (Guatemala), Belize, Puerto Cabezas (Nicaragua), and the Caribbean island.

Shopping: Woodcarvings, cigars, straw hats and bags, leather goods,seed necklaces and baskets.

INTRODUCTION

Travel to Honduras, which was officially referred to as Spanish Honduras where one get to observe primitive colonial settlements to the ancient ruins of Maya times, from Caribbean coastline to coral consolidated reefs, from the beaches of the Pacific region to the beautiful Bay Island.

LOCATION OF HONDURAS

The Central American country of Honduras is engulfed by Guatemala towards the western front, El Salvador to the southwestern front, by Nicaragua to the southeastern front, by Pacific Ocean to the southern end, by the Gulf of Honduras and finally by the Caribbean Sea towards the northern front. Belize formerly called as British Honduras, is positioned 50 miles away, along the region of Gulf of Honduras.

PHYSICAL MAP OF HONDURAS

Honduras is nestled in the cape of Central America that stands as the second largest Central American republic. The place is bounded by the Caribbean Sea from the northern side and the Pacific Ocean from the southern side, through the region of Gulf of Fonseca.

Honduras can be divided into three discrete topographical regions:

•  The Interior highland area, and

•  Two narrow coastal lowlands

The two coastal lowlands comprises of the Caribbean lowlands in the north end side while the Pacific lowlands along the Golfo de Fonseca.

The interior terrain is mountainous in nature, while the coastal lands are marked with alluvial plains.

Interior Highland: Honduras's mountains stretch towards the west to reach the Guatemala mountainous area. Several high range peaks are nestled here like Pico Congolón, Cerro de Las Minas that are enclosed with wooded pine forests.

The Honduras Mountain stretches and unites along with the Nicaragua towards the east. Some of the highest peaks that fall nowhere while compared to the western region are Montaña de la Flor, El Boquerón (Monte El Boquerón) and Pico Bonito.

Caribbean lowlands: The place widens to the broad river valley along the region of Río Ulúa adjacent to the Guatemalan border where Both Puerto Cortés, the largest port, and San Pedro Sula, the industrial capital is positioned.

Pacific lowlands : The two eroded volcanoes of the region are Zacate Grande and El Tigre that widens along the Pacific coastal region of Central America.

La Mosquitia province that lies towards the northeastern part is basically undeveloped lowland jungle whereas the lowland San Pedro Sula valley lying towards the northwestern region is chiefly inhabited.

Some of the major rivers passing through this land are Ulúa, flowing to the Caribbean land that originate from the Valle de Sula. The Río Goascorán passes through the borderline of El Salvador and Honduras thereby defining them as distinct regions while touching the areas of Golfo de Fonseca and the Río Lempa. Lago de Yojoa, which is placed towards the west-central part of the country, is known as the natural lake of region.

Honduras is constituted with several groups of island: Along the Caribbean Sea, the islands of Roatán (Isla de Roatán), Utila, and Guanaja collectively shape the Bay Island called as the Islas de la Bahía. It is one of the eighteen departments into which the province is accordingly alienated.

CLIMATE OF HONDURAS

Honduras is positioned within the tropics, where the climatic condition varies as per the topographical regions of the province is concerned.

•  The Caribbean lowlands - Tropical Wet Weather- High humidity and Temperature with slight down pouring.

•  The Pacific Lowland – Tropical Wet and Dry Weather – High temperature and dry during November to April.

•  The Interior highlands - Tropical Highland Weather- Dry with a fall in temperature with a raise in elevation.

It is the elevation and not season that define the climatic condition of the tropical region, which is not subjected to weather in similar with the northerly latitudes.

Tierra caliente means hot land is said to those regions where the land area is underneath 1,000 meters. The land area lying in between 1,000 and 2,000 meters are known as Tierra templada (temperate land) while Tierra fría (cold land) are those lands which ascends above 2000 meters.

The Caribbean and the Pacific lowland area experience a Tierra caliente where a high in temperature during the daytime is expected. April is the warmest season of the year with slight showers of rain. December or January brings a sigh of respite in the Caribbean lowland area where the winds from the northwest area cools down the high humidity within the region.

Tierra templada to Tierra fría can be witnessed in the interior highland area where April being the warmest month and January, the coolest. The temperature ascends to a freezing point with frost covering major portions of the elevated region.

Caribbean lowlands experiences showers round the year while the interior highlands and Pacific lowlands witnesses down pouring during the winter months of May to September. The place is hit by occasional hurricanes or tropical storms that passes through the Caribbean.

FLORA AND FAUNA OF HONDURAS

Get a vivid sight of varied flora and fauna while traveling to Honduras. There are about 725 different assortments of bird species. The native birds of the region are macaws, toucans, quetzals, motmots, parrots, tanagers, orioles, herons, ibis, terns and kingfishers that can be sighted frequently. Honduran Emerald, is unique to this region that can be seen along the dry forest region of the Olanchito province. The Scarlet Macaw is the national Bird of this region which can be located in the Olancho, Rio Patuca and Mosquitia province.

The native animals of the region being species like anteater, armadillo, coyote, deer, fox, peccary, pocket gopher, porcupine, puma, tapir, and monkeys. White-tail Deer (odocoileus virginianus) is the national animal of the region. Different species of sea turtles along with the Hawksbill can be sighted here.

Among the reptiles mention can be made of bushmaster, coral snake, fer-de-lance, horned viper, rattlesnake, and whip snake, caiman, crocodile, and iguana.

The Orchid (brassavola digbiana) is the national flower of the region. While the Pine being the national Tree. Coconut Palms fruits like Coco Plums, Sea Grapes, Almond Trees, Mangrove plants like Red Mangroves, Black Mangroves, White Mangroves and Buttonwood, vines, Hog Plum, Strangler Fig Trees, Bromeliads, Ferns, Orchids, Bamboo, Palms can be found in this region.

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