Monday, July 20, 2009
What Does The Honduras Flag Means ?
The blue stripes represent the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The five stars represent the five nations of the United States of Central America (Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Guatemala) and the hope that the nations may form a union again.
Honduras National Flower ( ORHID )
The rose was the National Flower during 1946-1969, but considering that roses were not native to Honduras, the Legislative Decree # 17 dated January 12, 1946 was replaced by the National Congress in Tegucigalpa on November 25, 1969.
Considering that the Orchid (Brassavola Digbiana) is a flower native to Honduras with exceptional beauty, vigor and distinctive characteristics, it was decreed to declare the National Flower of the Republic of Honduras as the orchid. Also at the same time, the government implemented pertinent measures to ensure its conservation and to the areas in which it grows, and to control its commercialization, cultivation and to teach scientific knowledge regarding orchids in local.
Honduras Coat of Arm
Dionisio de Herrera, as the Head of the State of Honduras, decreed the creation of a national shield on October 3, 1825. Through his initiative, Honduras acquired its own national shield, one which represents Honduran history and the rich variety of national resources that it possesses and which should be protected and conserved.
Pine - National Tree of Honduras
Therefore, an accord was approved by the legislative decree # 48 dated February 4, 1927 to declare the Pine as the national tree of Honduras
Economy
El Banana Industry in
Bananas were introduced to
This conversion of the north coast into a virtual North American colony was led by three companies: United Fruit (now Chiquita), Cuyamel and Standard Fruit (now Dole). Some land was actually purchased by the companies, but much more was awarded to them by the government in massive concessions, in return for railroad construction and jobs. Additionally the companies had no compunctions about paying bribes and even fomenting the occasional revolution to keep government officials in line. By the second decade of the 20th century, the banana companies held almost one million acres of the countries most fertile lands, were making huge profits and unabashedly manipulated government officials to maintain the status quo.
Departments Of Honduras is divided in 18 departments
Departments
- Atlantida (Atlantica)
- Choluteca: Choluteca
- Colón
- Comayagua: Comayagua
- Copán
- Cortés: Sa Pedro Sula
- El Paraíso (The Paradise): Yuscaran
- Francisco Moraz n: Tegucigalpa
- Gracias a Dios (Thanks to God): Puerto Lempira
- Intibucá: La Espiranza (Hope)
- Islas de Bahia
- La Paz (The Peace): La Paz
- Lempira: ?Gracias
- Ocotepeque
- Olancho: Juticalpa
- Santa Barbara (St. Barbara): Santa Barbara
- Valle: Nacaome
- Yoro
Honduras History
This Photo Below Is A Small View Of Honduras
During the first millennium, Honduras was inhabited by the Maya. Columbus explored the country in 1502. Honduras, with four other Central American nations, declared its independence from Spain in 1821 to form a federation of Central American states. In 1838, Honduras left the federation and became independent. Political unrest rocked Honduras in the early 1900s, resulting in an occupation by U.S. Marines. Dictator Gen. Tiburcio Carias Andino established a strong government in 1932.
In 1969, El Salvador invaded Honduras after Honduran landowners deported several thousand Salvadorans. Five thousand people ultimately died in what is called "the football war," because it broke out during a soccer game between the two countries. By threatening economic sanctions and military intervention, the Organization of American States (OAS) induced El Salvador to withdraw. After a decade of military rule, parliamentary democracy returned with the election of Roberto Suazo Córdova as president in 1982. However, Honduras faced severe economic problems and tensions along its border with Nicaragua. "Contra" rebels, waging a guerrilla war against the Sandinista regime in Nicaragua, used Honduras as a training and staging area. The U.S. also used Honduras for military exercises and built bases to train Honduran and Salvadoran troops.
In 1997, Carlos Flores Facussé of the Liberal Party was elected president. He began to reform the economy and modernize the government. In recent years, Honduras has faced high unemployment, inflation, and economic over-dependence on coffee and bananas. In Oct. 1998, Hurricane Mitch killed some 13,000 Hondurans, left 2 million homeless, and caused more than $5 billion in damage.
In 2002, Ricardo Maduro became president, promising to lessen crime and corruption, but his hardline efforts, growing increasingly more repressive, have not improved these problems.