Honduras is located in the middle of Central America and borders Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua. The north-facing coast faces the Caribbean Sea, and to the south, Honduras has a small strip of coastline facing the Pacific Ocean. Off the Caribbean coast are a number of small tropical islands, Islas de la Bahia. A very large part of the country is covered by mountains.
The country is especially known for bla. having preserved an entire city of ruins from the highly civilized Mayan culture, and its stunning natural areas – in fact, the government has set aside almost a quarter of the country for either national parks or nature reserves.
The La Mosquitia jungle is part of a large UNESCO-protected rainforest area with a huge flora and fauna. The area is sometimes called “Central America’s last lung” because it is one of the few remaining tropical rainforest areas in the region. In addition to wildlife that can give any biology teacher shortness of breath, there live about 2,000 Indians who have preserved their traditional way of life.
Most Hondurans are mixed with descendants of European colonists and local Native American peoples, meaning that tensions between ethnic groups, as found most elsewhere in Latin America, are more or less absent.
As one of the least developed nations in Latin America according to Trackaah, Honduras is often surrounded by tourists and international developers, which means that there is a relaxed atmosphere, even in the cities.
CAPITAL CITY: Tegucigalpa
LANGUAGE: Spanish
CURRENCY: Lempira (HNL)
AREA: 112,492 km2
POPULATION: 8,570,154
People and community
You will probably be staying with a family living in a Honduran suburb. Honduran parents tend to be very protective, especially towards their daughters, so be sure to reverse your decisions or your plans with your host parents.
Schooling
According to TopSchoolsintheUSA, there are different types of schools that you can go to: private school, public school, technical school, bilingual schools, art or music school. The school year runs either from February to November or from August to June. The school day lasts from 07:00 to 14:00. All students wear uniforms. Depending on the school, there will be a wide range of leisure activities, which are mainly related to sports, school bands, academic groups and theater.
Language
Spanish is the official language of Honduras, but many speak good English. Having a basic knowledge of Spanish or English will be useful to you. AFS can provide language teaching.
Food
Honduran cuisine is delicious, colorful and very varied. Meals often include corn, beans and rice, tortillas, fruits and seafood. It is usually with a large breakfast where lunch and dinner are lighter meals. You will probably like the Honduran dish baleada , which is a thick meltortilla filled with fried beans and possibly other ingredients – such as cheese.
