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Honduras

Introduction:

Once part of Spain's vast empire in the New World, Honduras became an independent nation in 1821. 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 Marxist Nicaraguan Government and an ally to Salvadoran Government forces fighting leftist guerrillas. The country was devastated by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, which killed about 5,600 people and caused approximately $2 billion in damage.

Official name: Republic of Honduras Capital: name: Tegucigalpa geographic coordinates: 14 06 N, 87 13 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November; note - these dates become ef Government type: democratic constitutional republic Population: 7,483,763 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.) Languages: Spanish, Amerindian dialects Official Currency: Honduran Lempira (HNL) Current Honduran Lempira Exchange Rates Historical Honduran Lempira Exchange Rates Chart Honduran Lempira Exchange Rates Currency code: HNL Area: total: 112,090 sq km land: 111,890 sq km water: 200 sq km Climate: subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains

Map of Honduras

Facts at a Glance:	Geography - People - Government - Economy - Communications - Transportation - Military - Climate - Current Time - Ranking Positions - Honduran Lempira Exchange Rates
Notes and Commentary:	People - Economy - Government and Political Conditions - Historical Highlights - Foreign Relations - Relations with U.S.