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Other Maps: N. West Honduras Honduras maps at: LCPC, Info Please, Lonley Planet, U. Texas, MapBlast/Vicinity Map links at about.com, Central America El Salvador, Guatemala, NicaraguaHonduras Pages at: Official homepage, The Honduras Institute of Tourism 800-410-9608 Yahoo, Rec.travel library Virtual Tourist, Lonely Planet Honduras.com, Alfa Travel Guide, about.com, Lets go Honduras, Info Please, Global Travel Club Travels in Paradise, netsys.hn, countryWatch, HondurasTrips.com, honduras.start4all, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Honduras Facts and Figures: (Source: CIA World FactBook) Population: 6.4 million (growth rate: 2.4%) Fertility: 4.4 (1996 est.) 4.1 (2001 est.) Infant mortality rate: 30.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) Rate for US is 6.7 People: 90% Mestizo (persons of Spanish and Native American descent) 10% Native American, African-Americans and Caucasians Religion: Approximately 85% Roman Catholic. Protestants constitute a small but growing percentage. The indigenous tribes practice animism and ancestor worship. GDP: purchasing power parity - $17 billion (2000 est.) Agriculture 16% (Coffee, bananas, beef, sugar cane, tobacco and forestry), services 52%, industry 32% (1999 est.) Honduras was the original "banana republic". Vast expanses of its fertile flood plains are owned by two big U.S. banana corporations, Chiquita and Dole, which employed 20,000 workers before Hurricane Mitch. Exchange rates: lempiras per US dollar - 16.1 (Mar 2002) (Inflation 14%) Average per capita Income: $760 per year Literacy: total population: 72.7% (male: 72.6% female: 72.7% (1995 est.) Population below poverty line: 53% (1993 est.) Other Central American Countries % below poverty line: Belize 33%, Costa Rico 20%, El Salvador 48%, Guatemala 60%, Nicaraga 50%. 38% of pop. have no health services, 26% do not have sanitation systems Disasters: 1974 Hurricane Fifi: 8,000 dead. $1.3 Billion in damages. 1998 Hurricane Mitch: 11,000 deaths & more than $5 B in damages in Honduras. Most of the banana plants were destroyed and it takes several years for new trees to become productive. Most producers don't have the cash to invest and wait 2-3 years for any income. Agriculture accounted for 37% of Honduras' GDP before Hurricane Mitch and 16% after. Comparing Mitch to Hurricane Fifi, Vice-President Billy Handal said, "Hurricane Fifi was nothing compared to this. It took 12 to 14 years of effort to overcome Fifi. This one will take 30 or 40 years." Crime: (Source: US State Dept.) The security situation in Honduras requires a high degree of caution and U.S. citizens are encouraged to follow local news reports (See link to sources at http://www.usmission.hn.) and contact the Honduran Embassy in Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa (Tel: 011-504-236-9320 or 011-504-238-5114 ) for current conditions. There has been an upsurge in armed robberies against tourist vans, minibuses and cars traveling from San Pedro Sula airport to area hotels and to Copán. Copán and the Bay Islands have experienced petty theft, but tourists generally have fewer problems than the rest of the country. Update 2013: San Pedro Sula was labeled the world's deadliest city because of drug violence. Health risks: Chagas' disease, cholera, dengue fever, Hepatitis A, HIV/AIDS, malaria, Traveler's diarrhea Although doctors are generally well trained, support staff and facilities are not up to U.S. standards.Time Zone: Central Weather in Tegucigalpa (Elev. 3,218 ft.) - San Pedro Sula and the Bay Islands are about 6-9° hotter. Average daily hi and low temp. (°F) (Source: National Geographic Atlas)
Temperature at lower elevations is higher. Since Honduras at 15° Latitude is below the Tropic of Cancer (23.5°) the sun is directly overhead in the the middle of May and July and moves to the north in June. There are two basic seasons in Honduras: Verano, or summer is actually the dry season, and is roughly from December through May, and Invierno, or winter, which is the rainy season, that is from June through November. Weather Forecast at: The Weather Channel (San Pedro Sula, Tegucigalpa, other), Weather Underground (Santa Rosa de Copan, La Mesa (S. of San Pedro Sula), Tegucigalpa, other)
Financial Services
American Express:
American Express partner in Honduras is Credomatic Lost or Stolen Cards and Checks Note: Most non-local telephone numbers are toll free or collect; if not, the call is generally reimbursable. Inquire of your agent. American Express (905) 474-0870 (Intnt'l. collect) American Express TC's (801) 964-6665 MasterCard (314) 542-7111 collect Visa 410 581 9091 See Also: Bank lists at iGo.com and HondurasInfo.hn. Money exchange According to most travel guides the street money changers give better rates than the banks. There are usually some at the departure area in the airport and a block from the central park in front of the fast food row in San Pedro Sula.Towns/Cities (World_Gazatteer.com)
The larger cities are growing faster as Honduras transforms itself from an agrarian to a manufacturing and service based country.
Travel San Pedro Sula to La Entrada: 84 mi. 1 1/2 hrs. La Entrada to Copán: 2-3 hrs. The roads between Tegucigalpa and Copán are so poor that most people go back to San Pedro Sula and then to Copán.Hondutel operates the international telephone service in Honduras and provides telecommunications centers in all towns, their service also including collect calls. Direct dial international is only available in Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, La Ceiba, the Bay Islands, and a few other select places. To place a direct call, dial 00 + country code + area code + number. Look for AT&T Direct phones at the airport in Toncontin or at Hondutel offices. Otherwise, try accessing AT&T or MCI for collect or calling-card calls by dialing the following numbers: U.S. AT&T 123 U.S. MCI 122 Access is not available from every phone. International CallingATourism sights and activities:
Honduras Information at: CIA World FactBook State Department The Maya Ruins of Copán Honduras at: Global Travel Club, Honduras.net, Honduras Tips (Inst. of Tourism) Return to Places. |