The Republic of Honduras is a country in Central America, bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the south west by El Salvador, to the south east by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean, to the north by the Gulf of Honduras and the Caribbean Sea, with Belize (formerly British Honduras) situated 75 km away across the Gulf of Honduras.
Honduras borders the Caribbean Sea on the north coast and the Pacific Ocean on the south through the Gulf of Fonseca. The climate varies from tropical in the lowlands to temperate in the mountains. The central and southern regions are relatively hotter and less humid than the northern coast.
Honduran terrain consists mainly of mountains (~80%), but there are narrow plains along the coasts, a large undeveloped lowland jungle La Mosquitia region in the northeast and the heavily populated lowland San Pedro Sula valley in the northwest. In La Mosquitia lies the UNESCO-protected Biosphere of Río Plátano, with the Río Negro dividing the country from Nicaragua. See Rivers of Honduras.
Natural resources include timber, gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore, antimony, coal, fish, and hydropower.
Honduras has a diverse culture. The second largest country in Central America (after Nicaragua), it has four distinct geographical areas, the highlands in the interior, the Caribbean coast, the sparsely inhabited Mosquito Coast, and the lowlands near the Gulf of Fonseca, on Honduras' Pacific coast.
Along with these, there is an archipelago lying off Honduras called the Bay Islands (Islas de la Bahía), with a culture distinct from that of the rest of the country.
Spanish is the dominant language throughout the country, though there are various other languages spoken including English in the Bay Islands and other languages local to Honduras spoken by minorities throughout the countryside but particularly in the undeveloped north eastern La Mosquitia region. September 15 is independence day and it is celebrated throughout the land with all the schoolchildren from all the schools engaging in marches throughout their cities, towns and villages. These involve a lot of drumming.
Honduras has one of the largest women's rights movements in Latin America, as women were fighting for the right to work in factories alongside men in the 1920s, and universal suffrage being achieved in 1954.
Women in Honduras have historically been encouraged to be submissive, to raise the children and not take a job outside of the home, though this has changed, with poverty meaning that women taking jobs to earn a wage has become necessary.
A Family Code passed in 1984 gave more rights to single mothers, and made Honduran divorced men take a part in the rearing of their children.
Things you should know when travelling to Honduras
On November 19, 2005, heavy rains brought on by Tropical Storm Gamma caused major rivers to flood, forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents from low-lying sections of the country. The storm caused mudslides and more than 15 reported deaths as a result of flooding in the region. On October 30, 2005, Hurricane Beta made landfall on the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, causing storm surge flooding and torrential rain. Parts of Honduras also felt the effects of Beta, where flooding and wind damage have been reported. In early October 2005, heavy rainfall resulting from Hurricane Stan also caused floods and landslides in many regions of Central America, including Honduras. Continued rain in the region has increased the risk of flooding and mudslides.
Please note that the hurricane season extends from June to the end of November. Although most of the impacts associated with tropical storms and hurricanes occur in the ocean and coastal areas, these storms can impact inland areas. The biggest threat to life and property inland is damage from flash flooding and landslides due to excessive rainfall. Canadians residing in or travelling to these regions should monitor local news and weather reports, follow the advice of local authorities, and contact their travel agent or tour operator to determine whether the situation will disrupt travel arrangements.
In late December 2004 assailants opened fire on a public bus in the Sula valley in northern Honduras. Twenty-eight passengers were killed. In light of another recent incident where a Canadian citizen was killed by assailants in a public bus, Canadians are advised to exercise extreme caution and avoid public transportation while travelling to San Pedro Sula and to its neighbouring municipalities.
