Honduras Essay Example For Students

Honduras Essay Located in middle Central America, Honduras is a tropical country named afterthe depth of the water along the northern border of the Caribbean Sea (LexisNexis). Nicaragua to the South and Guatemala and El Salvador to the West borderHonduras. The climate in Honduras varies depending upon the region. Along thecoast the weather is hot and dry, yet, in the mountain ranges it stays cool thewhole year round. Honduras is the third poorest country in the world. There arefew corporations, universities, and land for the citizens to settle on inHonduras, causing many citizens to immigrate to other countries to find newopportunities. Due to the lack of employment, education, and land, Hondurancitizens immigrate to the United States in order to find a better life. Hondurasis a very racially diverse country. Their backgrounds, housing, and economicpatterns differ greatly than those of Americans. Ninety percent of the residenceon the island are Mestizo or Ladinos while the other ten percent are poo r groupsknown as the Garifuna and the blacks of the West Indies. The Garifuna and theblacks of the West Indies make up the problem of emigration in the states. Bythe 1980s there was economic and political crisis in all of Central Americaand the number of emigrants shot up. In Honduras, at this time, there was anational economic plan (American Immigration Cultures 395). This plan tookaway much of the land from the common folk, and Honduras economy was so bad thatthere were no jobs to offer. This sparked the spike in emigration to the UnitedStates. At this time there was also a spike in the tuition for college andconsidering that there are only a few universities in the country. Emigration tothe U.S. started subtly. Much of the emigration is connected to the UFCo and theStanford Fruit Company, which at one time monopolized all the banana trade. Culture And CustomsThe Native American and Spanish strains in Honduran cultural history isvisible in the awesome architecture. Fine Arts in Comayagua, the old capitalhas long been a custom to our southern neighbors. in northwestern Honduras is aceremonial center of the Old Empire of the Maya and one of the most importantarchaeological sites in the entire western hemisphere. Type Of GovernmentThe constitution of Honduras was formed in 1982. Under the Constitution,the people elect a president and the members of the legislature serve four-yearterms. Presidents can only serve one term. The cabinet is appointed by thepresident. The military has allot of the influence in the government ofHonduras. Military leaders are completely responsible for its national securitypolicies and they can veto any of the presidents appointments to the cabinet. Military leaders have often taken complete control of the government in the past. EducationIn this country education is free and compulsory for children betweenthe ages of 7 and 12. Although the literacy rate stands at 73% the governmentpledges to raise it. The Pan American Agricultural School, financed by theUnited Brands Company of the United States, is near the capital. LanguageSpanish is the official language and is spoken by nearly all theHonduran people. English is spoken by some people in the north, and the NativeAmericans have retained their languages. ReligionAbout 85% of the people are Roman Catholic. Protestants constitute asmall minority. Type of CurrencyThe unit of currency in Honduras is the lempira, which is divided into100 centavos. 6.91 lempiras equal $1.00 to the US as of 1993. Governmentcontrolled municipal Bank and national Agricultural development Bank providecredit for developmental projects. AgricultureAbout 16% of the total land area of Honduras is arabel, most of it onthe coastal plains. The leading cash crop are coffee and bananas and plantains. Other important crops include sugarcane and palm oil. The principle food cropsare corn, beans, and rice. Citrus fruit and pineapples also are grown. Medical InformationIn recent years public health services in Honduras have been made moreaccessible through an increase in modern health units. Also through thedevelopment of community participation in health programs. These programs haveresulted in malaria control, improved sewage, and increased medical personnel. Unfortunately, malnutrition, inadequate housing, and infant diseases are still aproblem. ClimateThe climate of Honduras is Tropical but is tempered by the higherelevations of the interior. Coastal regions are warmer and the humidity canbecome high. This all added together gives the Honduras nation an average 80degrees F. or 26.7 degrees C. Well now that you have taken the time to learn a little bit of facts ofthe Great Latin country of Honduras, I hope you will take some time to visitthis rich cultured country. I am confident that you will enjoy this awesomeexperience!History