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LOCATION Honduras is approximately 1000 miles southwest of Miami and has a mainly mountainous area of 48,200 square miles. To the North it has a large coastal line with the Caribbean sea and to the South it enjoys a small access to the Pacific. |
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HISTORY
Honduras lies at what was the southern tip of the Mayan civilization that spread southwards from the Yucatán peninsula through modern Guatemala to the city of Copán, now in north-west Honduras. The Mayan civilization collapsed long before the arrival of Christopher Columbus, who visited Trujillo in north-east Honduras in 1502 on his third voyage to the new world. The country was colonized by Spain after some resistance by the Lenca peoples of the central highlands. Their chief, Lempira, who was murdered by the Spaniards, became a national symbol after independence. |
THE HONDURAN PEOPLE
Over two thousand years of history are richly displayed in Honduras’ numerous Mayan archaeological sites and vestiges of early Spanish colonialism. As a result of this diverse history, the Honduran people are an ethnic mix of native Indian, Spanish and other nationalities. Honduras has enjoyed long lasting cultural, economic and political ties with the United States. Visitors and foreign residents in Honduras are often pleasantly surprised by the welcoming attitude of Hondurans. Foreign residents live securely, and in pleasant surroundings, in all regions of the country. |
POPULATION
Honduras has a population of over six million. It is growing at an average annual rate of 3%. The urban population is increasing at a much higher rate. Over 700,000 people live in the capital city of Tegucigalpa and 600,000 live in San Pedro Sula, the largest industrial city. |
LANGUAGE
The official language is Spanish. English is widely used as a second language. |
POLITICAL STRUCTURE
Today Honduras has a stable democratic government that is committed to private enterprise. In January 1994 president Carlos Roberto Reina of the Partido Liberal started his four year term. He replaced president Rafael Leonardo Callejas of the Partido Nacional. The president is elected for a single term as the head of state and the head of government. He appoints the governors of the eighteen departments of Honduras. There are three vice-presidents, who bear the title designado presindencial. The legislature is the National Assembly, with one member and a substitute elected for every 35,000 voters. There is a single national election on the bases of universal adult suffrage for the president and the legislature. Seats in the legislature are allocated to each party according to its vote in each region. This tends to make for domination of the political system by the president, which enforces party loyalty. Honduras has a US-style legal system with a Supreme Court at its apex. |
CURRENCY AND BANKING
The Honduran currency is the lempira. Having been set at Lps2 : US$1 since 1919, the lempira was effectively devalued in the March 1990 economic package of the Callejas government. Almost all transactions were shifted to an inter bank rate of Lps4 : US$1. Further adjustment took the rate to Lps5.3 : US$1 by the end of 1990. A new law requiring exporters to repatriate their foreign exchange earnings; and renewed flows of balance-of-payments support from the IMF, World Bank, IDB and USAID stabilized the rate. In 1992 congress approved a law allowing the establishment of casa de gambio (exchange houses), which institutionalized the free-market rate for the first time. In mid 1992 the exchange rate was fully liberalized and by year end it had depreciated to Lps5.9 : US$1, a level that held stable into early 1993. In January 1994 the rate was Lps7.3 : US$1 and in January 1996 it jumped to 10.1 : US$1. In January of 1997 it was 13 : US$1 and today it is Lps19 : US$1. There are about 20 private banks in Honduras, including two foreign banks: Citibank, whose local subsidiary is the Banco de Honduras, and Lloyds Bank. Apart from the Central Bank, the main state banks include the agricultural development bank, Banco Agricola de Desarrollo (Banadesa) and a municipal development bank. The Central Bank plans to rely increasingly on open market operations to regulate credit conditions. |
ENTRY FORMALITIES AND RESIDENCE
There is no tourist visa required. Working and resident visas are easily arranged. |
EDUCATION
Accredited bi-lingual schools from kindergarten through high school provide a quality education to children of US residents. Graduates are regularly accepted in US Ivy League colleges. |
LIFESTYLE
Foreign Investors, managers, and technical staff living in, or temporarily visiting Honduras, will find living conditions comfortable, and a wide variety of pleasurable activities easily available. Spacious housing of brick and masonry construction, usually with atriums or inner patios, in well cared for residential areas, is the norm. Apartment complexes offer fully equipped one to three bedroom apartments, to those who prefer a more central location. Domestic help is plentiful at a modest cost. International standard hotels and apart-hotels offer single rooms and small suites to those who make short visits. |
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CULTURAL ACTIVITIES
Shopping malls and supermarkets are conveniently located, with ample parking space. They carry products similar to those sold in the US. A wide selection of restaurants offers continental and Asiatic cuisine as well as local specialties. Modern movie houses feature first run films about the same time they are shown in the US. Cable TV is available in the principal cities, with more then twenty English language channels. Satellite TV distributors will install and service individual home units at a reasonable cost. |
RECREATION
From sight seeing to scuba diving, Honduras has a range of attractions within a short distance of all major Honduran cities. Country clubs have swimming pools, tennis courts and golf courses. Lake Yojoa, an uncrowded volcanic lake with world class bass fishing, is only a few miles from the main Tegucigalpa-San Pedro Sula highway. The National Energy Company arranges visits to an other beautiful lake, created when the El Cajón hydroelectric project was build. |
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HEALTH
Adequate health care facilities are provided by over twenty-five hospitals and clinics. If necessary, specialized US care in Miami, New Orleans or Houston, is only two hours flight time from Honduras. Dental clinics with up to date equipment are numerous. Many Honduran physicians and dentists received training in the US and Europe. |
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