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Honduras
GeographyHonduras, in the north-central part of Central America, has a Caribbean as well as a Pacific coastline. Guatemala is to the west, El Salvador to the south, and Nicaragua to the east. The second-largest country in Central America, Honduras is slightly larger than Tennessee. Generally mountainous, the country is marked by fertile plateaus, river valleys, and narrow coastal plains. GovernmentDemocratic constitutional republic. HistoryDuring 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. Tensions Flare Between Honduras and NicaraguaAfter 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 it 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 overdependence 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 hard-line efforts, growing increasingly more repressive, did not improve these problems. In 2006, a new president, Manuel Zelaya, also vowed to fight corruption and gang violence, but he promised to do so with a more humane approach. A free-trade agreement (CAFTA) with the U.S went into effect in April 2006. Military Coup Brings InstabilityOn June 28th, 2009, Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was deposed in a military coup. Zelaya had faced widespread criticism for attempting to extend presidential term limits by holding a constitutional referendum, which the Supreme Court had ruled was illegal. A group of countries, including the United States and Venezuela–an unlikely alliance, signed a resolution condemning the actions of the Honduran military and demanded that Zelaya be reinstated as president. The U.S. suspended military and development aid to Honduras after the coup. Roberto Micheletti, with the backing of the Honduran Congress, courts, and army, assumed leadership of the country. Zelaya, on the other hand, had the support of most of Latin America's leftist governments, including the leaders of Argentina, Ecuador, and Venezuela. Zelaya attempted to return to his country by plane on July 5, but he found a closed runway and well-armed Honduran troops on the ground waiting for him. In September, Zelaya secretly returned to Honduras, taking refuge in the Brazilian embassy. Micheletti responded by temporarily cutting off power and water to the embassy, suspending constitutional freedoms, and shuttering a television channel and a radio station. The moves met widespread criticism from within Honduras and abroad, and Micheletti rescinded his restrictions. The U.S. brokered an agreement between Zelaya and Micheletti in late October that left Zelaya's reinstatement up to a Congressional vote, called for the establishment of a government of national unity and a truth commission, and required Zelaya to abandon a referendum on constitutional reform. The accord, however, fell apart within days, as Micheletti reportedly attempted to form a government that did not include Zelaya. Presidential elections are still set for Nov. 29, but the U.S., the Organization of American States, and UN have said they will not recognize the results if the political impasse continues. See also Encyclopedia: Honduras Information Please® Database, © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
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