Country Project Assignment - Honduras

Honduras was a part of the ancient Mayan civilization back before the Incas and the Aztecs ruled. Copan, a city and touristic attraction in Honduras, was a major site for the Mayan civilization. Copan is a series of Ruins, and many people visit there each day to see Honduras's history. Honduras was, like many other Latin American countries, owned by Spain's vast empire in the New World. Although, Honduras became independent on September 15, 1821. During the 1980s, Honduras proved for a anti-Sandinista contra fighting the Marxist Nicaraguan Government and was an ally to Salvadoran Government leftist guerrillas. After two and a half decades of military rule, a freely elected civilian government came into power in 1982. Honduras has gone through many tragedies. Including a devastating hurricane, Hurricane Mitch, which passed in 1998 and killed about 5,600 people and caused a lot of damage adding up to$2 billion.

I, myself am from Honduras, and honestly I am proud of that. Taking this class made me realize that my country did go through a lot in its history. I never thought my country was active enough or even known to other people, but it all changed when I took this class. I learned that there was a strong military presence during the 1980s because there was a U.S. naval base here. I have been to Honduras many times and there is a lot to look at. You can see the beautiful mountains from wherever you because they are so big and gorgeous. One thing that turns me off in Honduras are the gangs. Yes, there are gangs in Honduras, and yes it is serious. The Mara Salvatrucha(MS-13), and the Mara 18 have a strong presence in Honduras and throughout Central America and some parts of the United States. It's hard for me to mention, but while vacationing over there I had came in contact with gang members. It is very dangerous to walk around at night even in downtown, because they usually come out at night. They don't care who you are, or what you do, they'll still find a was to kill you. Thank God, for the past two years, my Grandma has told me that the gangs have calmed down a little and have moved to other places. Honduras is a great place to visit, lots of history and cultural things to learn and see, and I recommend to go.

Right now, there are no primary concerns of individuals. The current president of Honduras Manuel Zelaya who runs a democratic constitutional republic. One thing I forgot to mention are the Garifuna people. They are tribe of Mullatos who have a good presence in Honduras. They even have their own style of music called "punta", it is a form of afro-pop because of its use of African drums. It is popular in Honduras. Everybody knows how to dance it. Punta is a fast paced style of music.

Here are some statistics that follow my project:

• GDP- Per Capita: $3,300
• Infant Mortality Rate: 24.61 deaths/1,000 live births
• Life expectancy: 69.37 years, for males it is: 67.81 years, and for females it is: 71.01 years.
• Literacy Rate: Age 15 and over can read and write, which is a total of 80% of Hondurans
• Ethnic groups: 90% Mestizos, 7% Amerindian, 2% Black, and 1% White.
• Population below poverty line: 50.7%
• Export commodities: Coffee, shrimp, bananas, gold, palm oil, fruit, lobster, and lumber.
  
• External debt: $3.871 billion
  

These numbers are not so good. This is because Honduras is one of the 10 poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. The economy is continuing to grow slowly, but average wages are low.


Ruinas de Copan video.