Interesting Facts About Honduras

The Republic Of Honduras, also known simply as Honduras, was once known as Spanish Honduras to avoid confusion with the  British Honduras which is now known as Belize.  (Confused yet?)  The Central American country neighbors Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua.  Its landmass touches on both the Pacific Ocean to the south and the Caribbean Sea to the north.  There are also several islands northeast of the country which are known as the Bay Islands.  Some of these islands, such as Roatan, have become very popular with cruise ships and as such there are many Roatan vacation homes and other tourist amenities.

Demographics

Honduras has over 9 million people, 90% of which consider themselves Mestizo, a combination of Spanish, African and Latin American heritages.  Almost 40% of the population was under 15 years of age in 2010, so it’s a relatively young country.  There is a large expat population of Hondurans in the United States with recent US census results reporting more than a half million Hondurans.  The main language is Spanish, although on many of the Bay Islands English is often spoken.  There are several indigenous languages, Miskito, Sumo, Pech, and Jicaque and particularly a large Garifuna culture along the north coast and Bay islands,  Garifuna speakers number approximately 100,000 and the total of other indigenous speakers numbers about 100,000.

Cultural History

The Mayans left the earliest recorded history in the area.  Flourishing between 250 AD and @ 900 AD, the Mayan people are actually a loose confederation of various languages and cultures but sharing a similar culture and base language.  Their disappearance as a dominant political force took place for as yet unknown reasons, leaving scattered smaller Mayan groups throughout Central America, and certainly further supplanted by the Spanish in the Colombian era. Honduras is actually the first place a European ever actually touched Central American soil, when on his fourth and final journey, Christopher Columbus landed near Trujillo on August 14th, 1502.  The Columbian Era which followed brought the Spanish culture and Roman Catholicism to Honduras.   Honduras achieved full independence in 1839 after splitting from the United Provinces Of Central America.  Easter is one of the major celebrations throughout the country and Christmas is celebrated with firecrackers, fireworks and large pyrotechnic exhibitions.

Cuisine

Although many popular Honduran foods such as rice, beans, pork, corn and plantain are similar to those found in other Latin American countries, there are some foods that are indigenous to Honduras.  One such example are baleadas which are corn tortillas filled with fried red beans and cheese along with other fillings such as eggs, plantain, pork and more.  Olla soup is another local dish made with beef broth, yucca, squash and other local vegetables.

Cultural Present

Soccer and politics stir up a lot of passion in Honduras.  The national soccer team has qualified for the World Cup three times since 1982, but has never made it past the group stage.  Their best outing was taking third place in the Copa America championship in 2001.  The Honduran constitution, the sixteenth since independence from Spain, entered into force on January 20, 1982, and since that time, although marked by significant periodic political turmoil, Honduras has remained a Constitutional Republic ever since (though sometimes by the skin of its proverbial teeth).  As late as 2017 there was a contested presidential election that left many wondering who actually won the vote.  In the end, the incumbent, Juan Orlando Hernandez, retained his seat.

Tourism

The Bay Islands off the northeast coast in the Caribbean fuel the tourism industry due to the proximity to the world’s second largest coral reefs, as well as the easy-going, largely English speaking population, and their much greater degree of freedom from the gang violence of the large cities on the mainland, and their relative political stability. The island of Roatan receives many cruise ships and North American flights which contribute to the number of Roatan vacation homes, diving outfitters, boating companies and fishing trips available.

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