Honduras

Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, and to the north by the Gulf of Honduras, a large inlet of the Caribbean Sea. Its capital and largest city is Tegucigalpa.

Honduras was home to several important Mesoamerican cultures, most notably the Maya, before Spanish colonization in the sixteenth century. The Spanish introduced Catholicism and the now-predominant Spanish language, along with numerous customs that have blended with the indigenous culture. Honduras became independent in 1821 and has since been a republic, although it has consistently endured much social strife and political instability, and remains one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. In 1960, the northern part of what was the Mosquito Coast was transferred from Nicaragua to Honduras by the International Court of Justice.

The nation's economy is primarily agricultural, making it especially vulnerable to natural disasters such as Hurricane Mitch in 1998. Honduras has a Human Development Index of 0.624, ranking 138th in the world. In 2022, according to the National Institute of Statistics of Honduras (INE), 73% of the country's population lived in poverty and 53% lived in extreme poverty. The lower class is primarily agriculturally based while wealth is concentrated in the country's urban centers. The country is one of the most economically unequal in Latin America. Honduran society is predominantly Mestizo; however, there are also significant Indigenous, black, and white communities in Honduras.

In the early 20th century, Honduras was dominated by transnational agricultural companies, whose interests were protected militarily by the United States. The term "banana republic" was originally coined to describe Honduras's politically unstable, corporate-dominated democracy. The country's civilian government was overthrown in a 1963 military coup, and the nation returned to civilian rule in 1979. The United States re-established its military presence in Honduras in the 1980s, using Honduras as a base of operations to oppose the Nicaraguan government in the Contra war.

A 2009 military coup toppled the government of Manuel Zelaya and controversy arose from claims of electoral fraud in the subsequent 2013 and 2017 presidential elections. In 2021, Xiomara Castro was elected to the presidency, returning the left to power for the first time since the 2009 coup. Nasry Asfura won the 2025 election amid claims of fraud and electoral interference by the United States.

Honduras spans about 112,492 km² (43,433 sq mi) and has a population exceeding 10 million. Its northern portions are part of the western Caribbean zone, as reflected in the area's demographics and culture. Honduras is known for its rich natural resources, including minerals, coffee, tropical fruit, and sugar cane, as well as for its growing textiles industry, which serves the international market.