Honduras occupies 112,492 square kilometers in Central America, bordered by Guatemala to the west, El Salvador to the southwest, Nicaragua to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and the Pacific Ocean via the Gulf of Fonseca to the south. The population reached approximately 10.3 million in 2023. Tegucigalpa, the capital since 1880, sits in the southern highlands at approximately 990 meters elevation. San Pedro Sula, the second city, functions as the industrial center in the northwest. The Caribbean coastline stretches roughly 820 kilometers, while the Pacific coast measures approximately 153 kilometers. The interior is predominantly mountainous, with Cerro Las Minas in Celaque National Park reaching 2,870 meters, the highest point in the country. The Bay Islands—Roatán, Utila, and Guanaja—lie 30 to 60 kilometers offshore in the Caribbean. The Mosquito Coast in the northeast remains one of Central America's most remote regions, largely rainforest and wetland. Lago de Yojoa, the largest natural lake, covers approximately 79 square kilometers between San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa.
The Copán Mayan civilization reached its height between approximately 400 and 800 CE in western Honduras. The Hieroglyphic Stairway at Copán, completed around 755 CE under the ruler K'ak' Yipyaj Chan K'awiil, contains 2,200 glyphs across 63 steps, forming the longest known Mayan hieroglyphic text. The site includes temples, ball courts, and carved stelae depicting rulers. The civilization at Copán collapsed around 900 CE during the broader Mayan decline. Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés arrived in 1524, establishing the first Spanish settlements. Comayagua served as the colonial capital from 1537 until the transfer to Tegucigalpa in 1880. The Spanish colonial cathedral in Comayagua, completed in 1711, houses a clock built in the Alhambra in Granada, Spain, in the 12th century, donated to the cathedral in 1636.
Honduras declared independence from Spain on September 15, 1821, as part of the broader Central American independence movement. José Cecilio del Valle, a Honduran lawyer and philosopher, drafted the Act of Independence of Central America. Honduras initially joined the Mexican Empire under Agustín de Iturbide from 1821 to 1823, then became part of the Federal Republic of Central America from 1823 to 1838. Francisco Morazán, born in Tegucigalpa in 1792, served as president of the Federal Republic from 1830 to 1839 and advocated for maintaining Central American political unity. The federation dissolved in 1838, and Honduras became a fully independent republic in 1838. The country experienced frequent political instability through the 19th and 20th centuries, with approximately 300 internal rebellions, civil wars, and changes of government between independence and the mid-20th century.
Lempira, an indigenous Lenca leader, organized resistance against Spanish conquest in the 1530s. He united various indigenous groups in western Honduras and led a rebellion from approximately 1537 to 1538, based in the fortress of Peñol de Cerquín. Spanish records indicate Lempira was killed in 1538, though accounts differ on whether he died in battle or was betrayed during peace negotiations. The Honduran currency, the lempira, adopted in 1931, bears his name. The Lenca people, the largest indigenous group at the time of Spanish arrival, inhabited the western highlands. Today approximately 7 percent of Honduras's population identifies as indigenous, including Lenca, Maya Chortí, Tolupan, Pech, Miskito, and Tawahka peoples.
The Garífuna people arrived on the Caribbean coast in 1797 after being expelled from the island of Saint Vincent by the British. They are descendants of West African, Arawak, and Carib peoples. Garífuna communities established settlements including Trujillo, Tela, and La Ceiba on the northern coast. The Garífuna language, music, and dance traditions remain distinct. Punta is the most recognized Garífuna musical style, characterized by drumming and hip movement. Machuca, a traditional Garífuna dish, combines fried fish, mashed green plantains, and coconut soup. UNESCO designated Garífuna language, dance, and music as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2001.
Spanish remains the official language, spoken by the vast majority of the population. Roman Catholicism was the predominant religion through the 20th century, though Protestant evangelical denominations grew significantly from the 1980s onward. Census data from 2023 indicates approximately 48 percent of Hondurans identify as Catholic and approximately 41 percent as Protestant evangelical.