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Honduras is located on the Central American peninsula. With just over 43,000 square miles it has about the size of Virginia. Honduras has a population of 7.4 million, making it the second least populated among the five Central American countries after Nicaragua.

Tegucigalpa is Honduras´capital and largest city. San Pedro Sula, on the north coast, is considered the industrial capital and has a population of over 900 000 inhabitants in its metro region.

While the north-eastern part of Honduras is predominantly flat, the central and western parts of Honduras are mountainous. The climate is tropical with a good deal of sunshine all year long.

The Honduran population is predominantly “mestizo” (Amerindians mixed with Europeans), but there are black and indigenous populations, too. The Honduran population grows at a rate of over 2 % annually; life expectancy runs around 67 years. Almost half of all Hondurans are age 18 and younger.

Honduras is an agricultural country. Main export articles are bananas, coffee, tobacco and shrimps. Most Hondurans live in the rural areas working as subsistency farmers and farm labor. In the San Pedro Sula area, there are numerous textile manufactures.

Along with the other four Central American countries Honduras obtained independence in 1821 after over two centuries of Spanish dominion. Until 1982 Honduras was governed by military regimes. In the 1980’s there were civil wars in three of the five Central American countries, but not Honduras.

In November 1998, Hurricane Mitch killed approximately 10,000 people and devastated large parts of the country, deepening the many existing social problems such as unemployment, lack of decent housing, poor healthcare and education systems as well as a large social injustice.

Honduras is a presidential republic. The one-chamber parliament is made up by 128 congressmen. President José Manuel Zelaya Rosales from the Liberal Party became president in January 2006 and is dedicated to fight the rampant crime and boost the economy.

The name „Honduras“ has its origin in an exclamation by Christopher Columbus when arriving at Guanaja Island in 1502: „Gracias a Dios que ya salimos de estas honduras“ („Thank God we got out of these deep waters.“)