Honduras information

The term 'banana republic "was first applied to Honduras by the American writer O. Henry, by the influence they had in their time American banana companies. The official language of Honduras is Spanish. It is said that Christopher Columbus said after leaving a storm: "Thank God we have left these Honduras". And he called the territory Honduras, and thank God, after which he left. It was called "The Soccer War" to the armed conflict that occurred as a result of military aggression of El Salvador against Honduras, after a match between these two countries. The real purpose of the attack was to contain the Salvadoran population pressure. Hondurans are known as "Catrachos" because the general Florencio Xatruch, who fought in Nicaragua against the filibuster William Walker. "Catracho" is a corruption of the name Xatruch. "Here come the xatruches" said the first; after a while said, "Here come the Hondurans." The capital of Honduras is composed of two cities: Tegucigalpa and Comayagüela. The currency of Honduras is the lempira, and is named in honor of an Indian chief who fought to the death against the Spanish conquerors. It is assumed that a lempira bill has a printed face representing the face of the legendary chief, but instead contains the image of a red American Indian skin. Honduras is located in the waist or isthmus that connects North America with South America, which was the result of the clash of these two continental masses. If it were not for the existence of the Central American isthmus -in which Honduras is in part centrally ocean currents had taken other directions, the weather had been different in Africa and humans have not evolved as it did. The military base at Soto Cano, known as Palmerola, is of strategic importance to the United States. Due to its strategic geographical position, Honduras is liable for drug trafficking from South America next step. It is believed that the first mass was held on the American continent in Trujillo. Rio Platano Biosphere was nominated as one of the seven new wonders of the world. In Honduras there are no active volcanoes, and there is only one natural lake: Lake Yojoa. In Comayagua it is one of the oldest clocks in the world. In Yoro the phenomenon of fish rain occurs. Literally, fish fall from the sky. Most of the population is Catholic, and the Virgin of Suyapa, represented by a tiny statuette is considered the patron saint of Honduras. There is also a significant growth of evangelical sects, the faithful to the Catholic Church dispute. Contrary to what happens on land, in the Bay Islands predominantly Protestant, because of the early English influence. With the amount of coral reefs is in Bay Islands, Honduras is the second country in the world with over coral reef after Australia. In addition to receiving gifts at Christmas, children are celebrated and receive gifts on September 10, the day of Honduran boy. The Maya were the most advanced precombina culture in the present territory of Honduras, but when the Spanish conquistadors arrived this magnificent culture had disappeared. The Maya people why not disappeared, but returned to lower levels of development; It is not known whether from natural causes or by the collapse of its social organization. The ruins of Copan are the most important Mayan ruins in Honduras. Most Hondurans are mestizos. The ethnic groups of Honduras mentioned in textbooks are the Lenca, Tolupan, Pech, Tawahka, Chorti, Miskito and Garifuna. Also important in Honduras Arabs, Jews and Chinese. The most important national hero of Honduras is Francisco Morazan, who fought for the union of Central America and died executed for his ideals in Costa Rica. September 15 is celebrated as Independence Day in Honduras, which coincides with that of the other countries of Central America. The national flower of Honduras is the Rhyncholaelia digbyana (formerly known as Brassavola digbyana) which replaced the rose in 1969. The national mammal is the white-tailed deer, the national bird is the red Guara. The Honduran flag consists of three horizontal stripes, the upper and lower band are blue, and the center strip is white. In the white stripe there are five blue stars representing the five republics of the Central American Union, and the star represents Honduras center. The national anthem of Honduras consists of a choir and seven stanzas, but usually only sing the chorus and the last stanza. The favorite sport is football, which is the passion of multitudes. The main export products are bananas and coffee. Remittances represent around a quarter of GDP and about three quarters of exports. The population below the poverty line was 50.7% in 2004. The population is around 7.8 million. The land area of ​​Honduras is 112,090 square kilometers.