Central America has 5 main countries which are Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Honduras. In 1821 these former colonies became free from the reign of Spain. When it comes to size, Honduras comes second and covers nearly 112,500 square kilometers of land. It is sparsely populated compared to El Salvador or Guatemala. The country is full of mountains but none of them are volcanic. Honduras has many villages with some big cities. Tegucigalpa is not only the capital of the country but also the biggest city with a population of 1,000,000. The main industrial city is San Pedro Sula which is in the northern part of Honduras. Nearby places like Villanueva, Choloma, El Progreso and La Lima have a lot of population and are developing very fast. La Cieba with a population of 150,000 is an important city with a port in the coast of Atlantic Ocean. Choluteca is located on the Pacific coast in the south of Honduras and has a population of nearly 80,000.

In Central America, the only two countries which did not face any civil war in the 1980's are Costa Rica and Honduras though the latter was under military rule for some time. Honduras has a peaceful democratically elected government for more than three decades. The Executive (president), the Judicial and the Legislative (128 representative congress) are the main powers in the Honduras government. The country comprises of eighteen sections and every four years they have elections. Bay Islands is one of the departments of the country. The urban population is mainly English speaking though Spanish is the chosen language of the population.

Honduras is positioned in the Central American Isthmus with Guatemala to its west, El Salvador to the south west and Nicaragua to its east. The Caribbean Sea is in the north of the country and the Pacific Ocean is in the south. The eight hundred kilometer coast along the Caribbean has given the country beautiful beaches. Tegucigalap, La Ceiba, Roatan and San Pedro have international airports which are serviced by Continental Airlines, TACA, Copa Airlines and American Airlines. Delta Airlines has also started operations in recent times making travel to different parts of the country easy.

Honduras has an excellent highway system because they have paved all the existing roads. This has made communicating from one city to another easy. Tegucigalpa and San Pedro is well linked by buses along with some of the other cities. Bus service is fast spreading all over Honduras.

Lempira was the renowned Indian chief who died in the war with the Spanish and the country's currency is named after him. The Lempira has a steady exchange rate of 19lps for I USA dollar for some years now. Denominations of 500, 50, 20, 100, 5, 2 and 1 of Lempira are available. They also have coins for .10, .20 and .50 lps. It is simple to convert USA dollars to Lempira and back because there is no charge for exchange. Most places in Honduras accept credit cards and USA dollars. Some places like Roatan, Utila and Copan also accept Euros because of the presence of European tourists.

Usually the authorities allow you to stay in the country for thirty days with a proper visa which can be extended from any town or city in Honduras. If your stay in Honduras or neighboring El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala is less than ninety days then your visa can be extended for thirty days. In that situation you have to come back after spending three days in some other country like Belize or Costa Rica. The fastest yet affordable way to reach Belize is to use the boat service from Puerto Cortes in Honduras. The ferry leaves two times a week. It takes about 2 hours and costs $500 USA for an individual. If you want more information you can go to the general information section in Puerto Cortes or check the route map of the ferries. The cost of extending visas has increased a lot and have gone up to $20 USA dollars for a month.

Honduras has two main seasons, one is the acrid summer season called Verano and the other is the cold season Inverino. Generally Verino last from December to May and they have rains during Inverino which is from June to November. Though Honduras has the same seasons in all its parts, they are more prominent in the southern, western and central parts.

In 2005 all the countries in Central America agreed that they will keep their borders open all through the day. This means that you do not have to waste time waiting for the reopening of the border if you reach there at night. There is a highway named Caribbean CA13 between Honduras and Guatemala and at Corinto the border shuts down at 6 p.m. every day. It is the only border that closes down for night. It connects Puerto Barios of Guatemala and Omoa.

In order to help the tourists the Tourism ministry of Honduras has started a division called Tourist Police. Officers from the police are given training so that they are friendly towards the tourists and thus helping the growth of tourism here. Places like Tegucigalpa, La Ceiba, Tela, San Pedro and Tela already have tourist police. Motorcycles, bicycles and patrol cars which have a special mark are used by the tourist police. They wear comfortable looking polo shirts and khaki pants. There is a special logo on their shirts. Their aim is to make your visit to Honduras enjoyable so they are always ready to help and will answer all your questions happily. The introduction of tourist police has been highly successful with the tourists who feel more safe and are not harassed by unwanted elements of the society.

Honduras is extremely safe for travelers but it is advised to abstain from walking the beaches at late hours or strolling in the streets after dark. Many of the trucks in Honduras do not have the correct lights which makes driving at night extremely unsafe for tourists. Enjoy all you want but do it during the day time.

Location: Honduras borders Guatemala to the west, El Salvador on the southwest and Nicaragua to the East. It also has access to the Pacific Ocean on the southwestern shore and to the Caribbean Ocean on the north.

Time zone: GMT -6:00 (same as U.S. Central Time but does not observe daylight savings).

Area: 43.000 square miles (112.500 square kilometers)

Capital city: Tegucigalpa

Administrative division: 18 departments: Atlántida, Choluteca, Colón, Comayagua, Copán, Cortés, El Paraíso, Francisco Morazán, Gracias a Dios, Intibuca, Islas de la Bahía, La Paz, Lempira, Ocotepeque, Olancho, Santa Bárbara, Valle and Yoró.

Population: 7 million.

Language: Spanish is the official language.

Currency: Lempira.

Holidays:

January 1: New Year's
February 1-3: Virgen of Suyapa days (Honduras' patron saint)
April 13: Holly Thrusday
April 14: Holly Friday
April 14: Celebration of America
May 1: Labor Day
September 15: Independence Day
October 3: Morazán Day
October 12: Christopher Columbus Day
October 21: Army Day
December 25: Christmas
Business Hours: The bank system - as well as most business offices - works 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. on Saturdays. Closed on Sundays.

Telecommunications: Internet, international telephone services, fax and cable television are available throughout the country. International area code is 504.

Exit fees: Passengers of international flights must pay $31.4 US dollars. National flights pay 23.4 Lempiras (little more than one dollar).

Other taxes: A 12% added value tax is charged on goods and services acquired in Honduras.

SAFETY TIPS

When traveling to any tourism destination you should always take some precautions. Follow our advice for a safe and pleasant visit Honduras!

GENERAL

-Keep an eye on your luggage and don't ask strangers to watch it for you.
-Carry a copy of your passport with you. Make sure it has your picture and date of entry to Honduras.
-Keep your passport, return ticket and money in a safe place.
-If using traveler's checks, write down the numbers and keep them separate.
-Carry only the amount of cash you need for the day.
-Keep a low profile with your video and photo cameras.

TAXICABS
-Remember that all taxies must be clearly identified.
-Ask and negotiate the fare for your ride.

MONEY
-Exchange money in a bank or your hotel, never on the street.
-Keep your wallet on you, in a safe place.
-Try not to carry cash (remember that businesses in Honduras accept credit cards).
-Tipping is normal in tourism related activities and services.
-If you buy souvenirs, remember that negotiating the price is common practice in the country's markets.

CAR RENTALS
-If you rent a car, remember to carry your driver's license, copy of your passport and rental contract.
-Obey by minimum and maximum speed laws.
-Remember that using drugs or drinking and driving is strictly forbidden.
-Wear your seatbelt at all times.
-If a traffic officer (wearing a uniform and identification) requests it, stop the car.
-Don't stop for strangers hitchhiking or waving on the street.
-In case of an accident, wait for the traffic officer. Don't move the car from the exact spot of the accident.
-Leave your car in a parking lot, never on the street.
-Don't leave valuables in the car or in plain sight of passersby.
-Be sure to lock all doors and close windows.

PARKS AND BEACHES
-Follow only the clearly marked trails in parks.
-If going on walks, form pairs or groups.
-Don't touch or hurt plants and animals in the area.
-In the beach, ask your hotel's front desk about dangerous areas, tides and undertow. Make sure there's a lifeguard on duty.