Honduras shares borders with Nicaragua, Guatemala
and El Salvador. To the north lies the Caribbean and to the south the
Pacific Ocean. Christopher Columbus
happened upon Honduras in 1502 on his fourth voyage to the new world. He
named Honduras (deep water) after spending several days off the island
of Guanaja, Honduras Bay spotting manatees and trading with native
groups. Part of Spain's vast empire in the New World,
Honduras became an independent nation in 1821. After two and one-half
decades of mostly military rule, a freely elected civilian government
came to power in 1982. During the 1980s, Honduras proved a haven for
anti-Sandinista contras fighting the Marxist Nicaraguan government and
an ally to Salvadoran government forces fighting against leftist
guerrillas.
Honduras is one
of the biggest countries in Central America. A lush forested
mountainous country, Honduras' coastline, on the Pacific side (Gulf of
Fonseca) is only forty miles long while the Caribbean coast boasts 500
miles. With its wealth of biological reserves,
rare species and diverse culture, Honduras is destined to become one of
the most important ecotourism destinations for discerning adventure
travelers. The interior of the country comprises a central mountain
system, cut by rivers flowing into both the Caribbean and Pacific. The
lowlands in the south form a plain along the Pacific coast. The large
fertile valleys of the northern Caribbean lowlands are cultivated with
banana plantations.
Tegucigalpa, the capital, was originally founded as
a mining camp in 1524.
Silver attracted early settlers and
Tegucigalpa swiftly grew into an important silver mining center. Now
Tegus, as inhabitants call it, is a mixture of old colonial charm and
modern constructions. The city lies in a valley at 3,000 ft, and has an
ideal climate. It is for Honduras a natural gateway to the Pacific coast
and a good starting point for exploring central & southern Honduras.
The modern capital came into being when 2 separate cities,
Tegucigalpa & Comayaguela, merged. Comayaguela is almost completely
flat and Tegucigalpa is rather hilly.
Visitors should visit the city's impressive
parks, particularly Concordia, where models of Copan's Mayan
architecture are displayed. La Ceiba is a major banana port, looking to
tourism as a future major industry. There are good hotels and beaches,
and an international airport, one of the city's major assets. Trujillo
was once a thriving port but today offers old Spanish buildings, a
fascinating pirate history and superb tropical beaches. Local dishes
include curiles 
(seafood), tortillas, frijoles, enchiladas and mondongo.
There are cinemas, nightclubs and some discotheques in the main cities.
Honduras offers one of the most valuable
tracts of primary tropical forests in Central America, filled with over
700 species of birds, such as the rare resplendent quetzal, harpy eagle,
giant tinamou and colorful members of the parrot clan from large macaws
to smaller parakeets. One of the finest Maya
ceremonial site, Copán is best know for its intricately
carved stelae and the famed Hieroglyphic Staircase.
