Honduras: Map & History
Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America.
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Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, and to the north by the Gulf of Honduras, a large inlet of the Caribbean Sea. Its capital and largest city is Tegucigalpa.
Modern Countries Once Part of Honduras
At its mapped extent, Honduras covered territory in 1 present-day country. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Honduras's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Honduras in Depth
History
In the pre-Columbian era, the territory was split between two large and diverse cultural regions: Mesoamerica in the west and the Isthmo-Colombian area in the east. Each complex had a "core area" within Honduras (the far west for Mesoamerica, and La Mosquitia for the Isthmo-Colombian area). The intervening area was one of gradual transition, with influences ebbing and flowing over time. For instance, Mesoamerican influences expanded at the time of the preclassic Olmec culture, and later again at the time of the postclassic Toltec culture. On the other hand, Isthmo-Colombian influences intensifed during the classic period.
In the extreme west, Maya civilization flourished for hundreds of years.
Government and politics
Honduras is governed within a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic. The President of Honduras is both head of state and head of government. Executive power is exercised by the Honduran government. Legislative power is vested in the National Congress of Honduras. The judiciary is independent of both the executive branch and the legislature.
The National Congress of Honduras (Congreso Nacional) has 128 members (diputados), elected for a four-year term by proportional representation. Congressional seats are assigned the parties' candidates on a departmental basis in proportion to the number of votes each party receives.
Economy
The World Bank categorizes Honduras as a low middle-income nation. The per capita income is around US$4,000, making it one of the lowest in North America and Central America. In 2016, more than 66% of the population was living below the poverty line.
Economic growth has averaged 7% per year, one of the highest rates in Latin America as of 2010. Despite this, Honduras has seen the least development amongst all Central American countries. Honduras is ranked 130 of 188 countries with a Human Development Index of.625 that classifies the nation as having medium development (2015).
Culture
The flag of Honduras is composed of three equal horizontal stripes. The blue upper and lower stripes represent the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The central stripe is white. It contains five blue stars representing the five states of the Central American Union. The middle star represents Honduras, located in the center of the Central American Union.
The coat of arms was established in 1945. It is an equilateral triangle, at the base is a volcano between three castles, over which is a rainbow and the sun shining. The triangle is placed on an area that symbolizes being bathed by both seas. Around all of this an oval containing in golden lettering: "Republic of Honduras, Free, Sovereign and Independent".
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Honduras (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Honduras: Key Facts
| Capital | Tegucigalpa |
|---|---|
| Official language | Spanish |
| Form of government | republic |
| Currency | Honduran lempira |
| Founded | 1821 |
Preceded by
- State of Honduras
- Mosquitia
Facts from Wikidata Q783 (CC0).
Interactive map
Honduras on the World War I map →
See Honduras’s territory change day by day from 19 July 1918, with every battle it fought.
Interactive map
Honduras on the World War II map →
See Honduras’s territory change day by day from 12 December 1941, with every battle it fought.
Honduras Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Honduras appears, with the other states of the time.
Honduras Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 115,148 km² in 1878 CE.
Honduras: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Honduras exist?
Honduras is dated to 1840 CE – 2024 CE, in the Industrial era.
What was the capital of Honduras?
The capital of Honduras was Tegucigalpa.
How large was Honduras at its peak?
At its peak in 1878 Honduras covered about 115,148 km².
How did the map of Honduras change over time?
Honduras appears on 4 dated world maps in the atlas, from 1850 CE to 1945 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.
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