HONDURAS Have you ever wanted to travel to a beautiful country far from where you r at now.

To visit a land full of many different customs and where culture is put into a whole new perspective. Well if this is what you have dreamed of take you r Spanish class and fly or drive down to a friendly neighbor Honduras! Now lets learn about our travel. "Size And Population" About 90% of the population is mestizo (people of Spanish and Native American ancestry); the remainder are Native Americans, blacks, and whites. The population is about 60% rural. In 1995 the estimated population was 5,968,000. "Physical Landscape And Location" Except for two coastal strips, Honduras is a plateau, consisting of broa d, fertile plains broken by deep valleys, and traversed by mountain ranges in a northwestern to southwestern direction. Most of the country's rivers drain to t he Atlantic Ocean. Forests cover about 31% of the land. "Culture And Customs" The Native American and Spanish strains in Honduran cultural history is visible in the awesome architecture. Fine Arts in Comayagua, the old capital ha s long been a custom to our southern neighbors. in northwestern Honduras is a ceremonial center of the Old Empire of the Maya and one of the most important archaeological sites in the entire western hemisphere. "Type Of Government" The constitution of Honduras was formed in 1982. Under the Constitution , the people elect a president and the members of the legislature serve four-year terms. Presidents can only serve one term. The cabinet is appointed by the president. The military has allot of the influence in the government of Hondura s. Military leaders are completely responsible for its national security policies a nd they can veto any of the presidents appointments to the cabinet. Military leade rs have often taken complete control of the government in the past. "Education" In this country education is free and compulsory for children between th e ages of 7 and 12. Although the literacy rate stands at 73% the government pledg es to raise it. The Pan American Agricultural School, financed by the United Brand s Company of the United States, is near the capital. "Language" Spanish is the official language and is spoken by nearly all the Hondura n people. English is spoken by some people in the north, and the Native Americans have retained their languages.

"Religion" About 85% of the people are Roman Catholic. Protestants constitute a small minority. "Type of Currency" The unit of currency in Honduras is the lempira, which is divided into 1 00 centavos. 6.91 lempiras equal $1.00 to the US as of 1993. Government controlle d municipal Bank and national Agricultural development Bank provide credit for developmental projects. "Agriculture" About 16% of the total land area of Honduras is arabel, most of it on th e coastal plains. The leading cash crop are coffee and bananas and plantains. Ot her important crops include sugarcane and palm oil. The principle food crops are corn, beans, and rice. Citrus fruit and pineapples also are grown. "Medical Information" In recent years public health services in Honduras have been made more accessible through an increase in modern health units. Also through the development of community participation in health programs. These programs have resulted in malaria control, improved sewage, and increased medical personnel. Unfortunately, malnutrition, inadequate housing, and infant diseases are still a problem. "Climate" The climate of Honduras is Tropical but is tempered by the higher elevations of the interior. Coastal regions are warmer and the humidity can become high. This all added together gives the Honduras nation an average 80 degrees F. or 26.7 degrees C.

Well now that you have taken the time to learn a little bit of facts of the Great Latin country of Honduras, I hope you will take some time to visit this r ich cultured country. I am confident that you will enjoy this awesome experience!