The Republic of Honduras occupies a prominent pivotal position in the
seven-country Central America land bridge that connects North and South America. Stretching
175 miles (282 kilometers) across the isthmus from the Caribbean Sea to the Gulf of Fonseca on
the Pacific Ocean, Honduras borders Guatemala on the northwest, El Salvador on the southwest,
and Nicaragua on the southeast. In area Honduras, with more than 43,000 square miles (112,000
square kilometers), is the second largest country in Central America, only a bit smaller than
neighboring Nicaragua.
Official Name. Republic of Honduras.
Capital. Tegucigalpa.
Area. 43,277 square miles (112,087 square kilometers).
Population (1992 estimate). 4,996,000; 115.4 persons per square mile (44.6 persons per
square kilometer); 40 percent urban, 60 percent rural.
Major Language. Spanish (official).
Major Religion. Roman Catholicism.
Literacy. 73.1 percent.
Highest Peak. Las Minas.
Major Rivers. Patuca, Ulua.
Form of Government. Republic.
Chief of State and Head of Government. President.
Legislature. National Congress.
Voting Qualification. Age 18.
Political Divisions. 18 departments.
Major Cities (1989 census). Tegucigalpa (608,100), San Pedro Sula (300,400), La Ceiba
(71,600), El Progreso (63,400), Choluteca (57,400).
Chief Manufactured and Mined Products. Lumber, beverages, cement, cooking oil, textiles,
lead, zinc, silver, gold.
Chief Agricultural Products. Crops Bananas, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco. Livestock chickens,
cattle, pigs.
Monetary Unit. 1 Honduran lempira = 100 centavos.
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Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia
Copyright (c) 1994, 1995 Compton's NewMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved