Facts about Honduras

Main languages: Spanish, Garífuna, English-Creole, indigenous languages

Main religions: Christianity (Roman Catholic, Evangelical)

Population: Approximately 9 percent of the total population self-identify as a member of an indigenous or minority community and approximately 20% self-identify as of indigenous or African descent. The most important minorities and indigenous people are the Lenca, Misquito, Garífuna, Maya Ch’ortí, Tolupán, Bay Creoles, Nahua, Pech, Xicaque and Tawahka. The Lenca, Pech, Tawahka, Xicaque, Maya Ch’ortí, Misquito and Garífuna are classified as indigenous.
The Garífuna are of Afro-Caribbean origin. A minority community is the Afro-Honduran Creole English-speaking minority community primarily in the Honduras Bay Islands.

Landscape: Honduras is the second largest country in Central America, bordering Guatemala to the west, Nicaragua to the east and south, and El Salvador to the southwest. Over 80 percent of the country is mountainous mostly on the east-west axis.

Honduras is divided into 18 administrative districts (departamentos). The largest department in terms of area is Olancho, the most populous department is Francisco Morazán, with the capital of the country Tegucigalpa. The smallest department in terms of area and population is Islas de la Bahía. The departments in Honduras are in turn divided into a total of 298 municipalities (Municipalidades).

Nacaome: is the capital of the Valle Department. Valle is divided into nine municipalities: Alianza, Amapala, Aramecina, Caridad, Goascorán, Langue, Nacaome, San Francisco de Coray and San Lorenzo. An ancient city, Nacaome was founded by the merger of two indigenous groups, the Cholulas and Chaparrastiques. In the center of their territory on the western side of the Chapulapa River (the native name of the Nacaome River) they built the new city of Naca-Ome – “union of two peoples”. In Nahuatl, Naca means people/ethnicity/body and Ome means two. This foundation took place before the Spanish conquest.

Nature: The biosphere reserve Río Plátano (Mosquitia region in the northeast) includes one of the last tropical rainforests in Central America and extends over approx. 5000 km² from the Caribbean coast to 1326 m. The reserve has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site since the 80s and has since been included on the Red List of World Heritage Sites. In and around the area of the national park, approx.
2000 Miskito and Pech Indians preserve their traditional way of life. Indigenous peoples and peoples of African descent in and around Río Plátano also include the Tawahka and Garífuna, who live alongside the Mestizo (Ladino) population. Here you will find a rich flora and fauna: macaw, jaguar, puma, tapir, Mexican spider monkey, giant anteater, West Indian manatee, white-lipped peccary, several species of poisonous snakes and 4 species of sea turtles.

Heritage: Copán was discovered in 1570 by Diego García de Palacio and is one of the most important remains of the Mayan civilization. The remains of the city and the imposing public squares show the three main periods of its development before the city was abandoned at the beginning of the 9th century AD. The Square of the Hieroglyphic Staircase has a monumental staircase, one of the extraordinary structures of the Mayan culture. The 10-metre-wide steps contain more than 1,250 individual glyphs, representing the longest known Mayan inscription. Copán Ruins is one of the most important heritage sites in Honduras. It is not only full of history, culture but also many natural attractions.

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