5 Facts of Honduras

The capital of Honduras is Tegucigalpa

Tropical rainforests covered much of Honduras, prior to the 1600s. At that time, the Mayans were the only inhabitants. Located in the middle of Central America, Honduras sits between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The Spaniards however, conquered the Mayans during 1524. This lasted until 1821, when the Mexicans gained control. Not until 1838 did Honduras win back its' freedom. Sadly, by then the population had become a mix of several nationalities, including African and European. Africans were brought as slaves, to work the land, by the Spaniards. Mayans as a singular race had disappeared.

5 Facts You Might Not Know

1

From 1946-1969, the rose was the National flower, despite the fact that it was not native to Honduras. In 1996 however, the Honduran Congress decided to replace the rose with their abundantly growing flower, the Orchid. There are 630 species of orchids, found to be thriving in the tropical climate, so far.

2

During the 1600s, the conquering Spaniards brought many communicable diseases to Honduras. This caused a rapid decrease in the population of indigenous Mayans, who succumbed to the new illnesses.

3

Today Honduras is a large supplier of bananas and coffee to the United States and Europe. Tourism in Honduras is growing, and with the last day of the Mayan calendar being December 21, 2012, many people around the world believe major events will take place at the Mayan ruins.

4

The most popular dish in Honduras is the baleada, which is a flour tortilla holding refried beans, cheese and sometimes an egg. There is no yellow corn grown, but white corn is also used to make tortillas. Coconut milk and strong Honduran coffee are the favored non-alcoholic drinks.

5

Since the 1960s, Honduras has cut down much of its rainforest, to make room for large cattle farms. America has developed an insatiable appetite for the fine, lean cattle that U.S. fast-food restaurants import from Honduras. This is how lifestyles in the United States have affected the overall world environment, by importing a commodity that causes destruction of the rainforests.