| Honduras |
Background: | |
Once part of Spain's vast empire in the New World, Honduras became an independent nation in 1821. After two and a 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 leftist guerrillas. The country was devastated by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, which killed about 5,600 people and caused approximately $2 billion in damage. Since then, the economy has slowly rebounded. | |
Nationality: | |
noun: Honduran(s) adjective: Honduran | |
Ethnic Groups: | |
mestizo (mixed Amerindian and European) 90%, Amerindian 7%, black 2%, white 1% | |
Languages: | |
Spanish (official), Amerindian dialects | |
Religions: | |
Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant 3% | |
Population: | |
8,296,693 (July 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 93note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected | |
Major Cities - Population: | |
TEGUCIGALPA (capital) 1 million (2009) | |
| Statistics | |
| Percent Urbanization | 52 % |
| Total People Groups | 23 |
| Unreached People Groups | 3 |
| Region | Central and South America |
| 10/40 Window | No |
| Official National Language | Spanish |
| Primary Religion | Christianity |
| Percent Christian Adherent | 95.8% [1] |
| Percent Evangelical | 22.1% [2] |
| Country Progress Level | 3.2  |
| Persecution Ranking | Not ranked (1=High to 50=Low OD) |
| Human Development Index | 0.604 (0=Low to 1=High UN) |
