Jonathan Zaid

Two mountain ranges divide Honduras and tropical lowlands line both coasts. The climate varies according to altitude; higher regions are temperate and the lowlands are tropical. The rainy season lasts from May to October. Honduras is one of the poorest countries in Central America. Eighty-seven percent of the people are peasants of Indian and Spanish ancestry. Honduras is primarily an agricultural country. It’s major exports are bananas, coffee, timber, beef and sugar. The majority of Hondurans are Catholic although there’s a fast-growing minority of Protestants. Compassion works in Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula and in the central and western parts of the country. Originally inhabited by a Mayan civilization, Honduras was colonized by the Spanish in the early 1500s and gained its independence in 1821. Part of a short-lived confederation of Central American states, Honduras became a separate republic in 1838. Tegucigalpa is the capital and the largest city with a population of 7,480,000. Internal conflict, skirmishes with neighboring countries and military dictatorship led to decades of political unrest in Honduras. During a stable period from 1955 to 1957, important social progress was made. An elected civilian government took power in 1982, the country’s first in ten years. In 1998, the country was devastated by Hurricane Mitch, which killed about 5,600 people and caused almost $1 billion in damage.