Geography and climate
Honduras is located at the heart of Central America, lying completely within the tropics. Temperatures range from the hot and humid Caribbean coast, to the mild and even cool highland areas, to our hot and dry southern Pacific coast. The Caribbean shoreline, consisting of mostly long, warm-water beaches, stretches nearly 400 miles from the western border with Guatemala to the eastern border with Nicaragua. Honduras' Bay Islands, once a British colony, are today a world class diving destination. Much of the country's most fertile land is located in the Sula and Aguan valleys which were first developed by banana companies in the early 1900s. Other important crops include coffee, African palm, pineapples and sugar cane. Timber harvesting has long been an important economic activity, as has extensive cattle grazing. On the south coast, cultured shrimp has recently become an important industry.
Government and politics
After Costa Rica, Honduras' is Central America's oldest democracy, having remained peaceful during the turbulent decade of the 80s. The tri-cameral Honduran government consists of an executive branch headed by the president; a legislative branch made of a single-house congress; and the judicial branch led by the Supreme Court.
Population and language
Honduras is home to about 8 million people. The cultural majority consists of mixed American Indian and Spanish descent, called Mestizos o Ladinos. Spanish is the dominant language in mainland Honduras, although English is prevalent on the Bay Islands, due to its colonial past. There are eight other indigenous groups that speak nearly as many languages: the Lenca, the Chorti, the Tolupan, the Garifuna, the Miskito, the Pech, the Tawhaka and the Bay Islanders.
Infrastructure
Although Honduras is a small country, there are four international airports. Direct, daily flights service these airports from major hubs in the USA. Honduras has an extensive network of paved roads, which are generally considered the best roads in Central America. The major cities offer a full range of traveler accommodation, ranging from numerous first-class hotels to a variety of less expensive alternatives. Dozens of fine restaurants offer nearly every type of international cuisine, as well as delicious local dishes. Honduras has also a modern telecommunications network, including long-distance direct dialing, easy access to the internet as well as cable and satellite television.
Honduras is a small country, about the size of Tennessee, yet it is packed with so much natural, cultural and archeological diversity that it can be described as three different worlds:
The realm of tropical nature: Honduras was blessed with an impressive natural diversity. The high peaks in the mountainous central highlands are capped with an ancient and mysterious tropical cloud forest. The north and south coasts are lined with rich wetlands and the entire northeast corner is a vast, trackless wilderness called the Mosquitia, also know as the "Mosquito Coast".
The second world is the world of the Maya. In the realm of Mayan archaeology, the name Copan stands out like that of Athens in Ancient Western Civilization. Indeed, Copan has been called the Athens of the New World. As one regards Copan's unequalled abundance of intricately carved stone sculptures, one understands why it is considered the Maya's crowning artistic achievement and why no trip to the "Mundo Maya" is complete without a visit to majestic Copan.
The third world is Caribbean Honduras. Along Honduras' northern coast, inhabited by the intriguing Garifuna people, one explores towering old-growth mangrove swamps, blackwater lagoons and secluded tropical beaches in the many wetland national parks. The Lancetilla Botanical Garden paired with the dramatic expanse of Pico Bonito National Park offers an intimate look at the tropical rainforest. Just a puddle jump offshore you will find over three large islands and over 60 islets and keys that makes up Honduras' Bay Islands. Famed for the diversity of their healthy reefs, these islands are one of the Caribbean's premier dive destinations. And a world of friendly people awaits your arrival in Honduras.
