| Honduras |
La Ceiba
Tela
| Puerto Cotes |
| San Petro Sula |
Gracias
La Union
El Paraiso
Cedeno
| Jicaro Galan |
Local date and time Population 7,483,763 (July 2007) Capital Tegucigalapa Area 112,090 sq km languages Spanish, Amerindian dialects and English on the bay Islands Currency Lempiras Time GMT -6 hours Budget US$ 20 to 25 per day Electricity 110 volts US plugs Climate subtropical in the lowlands, temperate in the mountains is cooler Safety Follow this link |
The Mayans were strongly present in Honduras during the classic period (150 - 900 AD). The ancient Mayan city of Copan was one of the southernmost states of the Mayan civilisation, which stretched northwest through El Salvador, Guatemala, Belize and much of Mexico. The city was therefore an important trading post between the Mayan lands and the lands to the south. When Christopher Columbus finally landed on mainland Central America on his fourth voyage in 1502, it was in Honduras near where the town of Trujillo stands today that he came ashore. He named the land Honduras, which means "depths" in Spanish, due to the deep waters he had sailed through to reach the shore. The country was often referred to as Spanish Honduras to distinguish it from British Honduras, now the country of Belize. The Spanish colonists settled mainly in the highlands further inland, attracted by the cooler climate and prospect of silver mining. The British however were more interested in the hardwood trees around the Caribbean coast. Honduras gained independence from the Spanish along with the rest of Central America in 1821 but the British kept hold of their territories until 1859. Compared to other countries in Central America Honduras has suffered relatively few wars. |
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