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Honduras |
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Courtesy of the
University of Texas Libraries, The University of
Texas at Austin.
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National
Icthus Director or Coordinator: |
Francisco Campos |
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Capital: |
Tegucigalpa |
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Population: |
7,100,000 |
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Population
under age 15: |
40% |
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Ethnic Groups: |
mestizo (mixed
Amerindian and European) 90%, Amerindian 7%, black
2%, white 1% |
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National Products: |
bananas, coffee,
citrus; beef; timber; shrimp, sugar, coffee,
textiles, clothing, wood products |
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GDP (Per capita gross domestic product): |
$980 |
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Currency: |
lempira (HNL) |
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Life Expectancy at Birth: |
66 years |
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Infant Mortality: |
30 deaths/1000 live
births |
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Protestant / Evangelical Churches: |
8,000 |
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History of Country: The
Mayan civilization resided in Honduras from the fifth century
A.D.. Christopher Columbus named it Honduras in 1502, meaning
"depths", for the deep water off the north coast. In 1524, Hernan Cortes established his authority in
Honduras. The indigenous people declined because of
disease, mistreatment and deportation to the Caribbean Islands
as slaves. A war, led by Lempira the Indian chief in 1537 and lasted for two years. The monetary unit of Honduras was later named
in honor of him.
Honduras became independent from Spain in 1821 and was part of
the Mexican Empire. It became a member of the Central
American Federation from 1825. It its
independence in 1838. Political chaos persisted for decades because of
power struggles between conservatives and liberals, and a
succession of military regimes. In 1969 border disputes and the
threat of expelling approximately 300,000 illegal El Salvadorans
immigrants living in Honduras led to a sudden outburst of
violence. This dispute was called the Soccer War
because it happened at the time Honduras and El Salvador were
engaged in a three-game elimination match for the World Cup
preliminaries. Although the war lasted only five days, it
created serious losses for both sides. Some 130,000 Salvadorans
were expelled from Honduras, 2,000 people were killed, and
thousands of other Hondurans in the border area had been made
homeless.
During the 1980s, Honduras served as a base for insurgent
activity against the government of Nicaragua by rebels known as
Contras. U.S. staged military maneuvers in Honduras and the
country's economy became heavily dependent on aid from the
United States. After the conflict, however, with the decrease in
American aid, Honduras was left in economic crises again.
In November 1998, Honduras was hard hit by Hurricane Mitch,
causing landslides and floods that buried towns. 5,600 people died and
thousands were missing, and much of the country's crops and livestock
were destroyed. Significant progress has been made since
then.
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