5 Amazing places in Honduras That Competing Tourism Neighboring Countries In Central America Don't Want You To Know About

1

Lancetilla Botanical Garden is the 2nd largest botanical garden in the world. And the biggest in Latin America. With over 1,700 Hectares and over 1,500 botanical plant species. The area is tourists and family friendly, has a restaurant area, many eatable fruits, private tour experts, over 350 species of birds, and other animals and insects also habits the garden. All plants are carefully labeled with their names, and some are venomous. You can also find the Venus Fly Trap and other cool plants.

 2

Pico Bonito National Park is a flora and fauna National Park. It is located in a mountain range called Cordillera Nombre de Dios. It can be reached via car or bus and it has an altitude of between 60 and 2,480 metres. Many renowned international photographers travel all the way here to take some of the most breath-taking animal and plant photographs. You can stay at The Lodge at Pico Bonito which is a nice tropical mountain getaway. The location is perfect for hiking, ziplining, white water rafting trips, photography, comforting spa service, and much more!

  3

Copan Ruins is the most artistic Pre-colombian Mayan city in the Maya world. It was built around the 9th century BCE. Founded by K'inich Yax K'uk' Mo' the first emperor/king to re-establish and govern Copan. Copan is probably the most well-known wonder of Honduras, because of great archeological discoveries that has taken place since the 1950s. Copan City is still home to a much modern Mayan bloodline which are called Ch'orti'. Copan has many statues, plazas, and steles and tourist can visit this site by paying a small fee of 1,000 Lempiras which is roughly about $50 US Dollars.

 

 4

Punta Sal (Jeannette Kawas) National Park  

is located in the northern part of Honduras in a city called Tela. Is a protected park that features a fresh water lagoon, Monkeys, an extensive bay, lush white-sand beach, palm trees, variety of insects, spiders, birds, lizards, crocodiles, dolphins, the Capiro Bank coral reef, etc... Tourists can stay at the $140 million dollar Indura Beach & Golf Resort which is a 5 Star luxurious retreat villa with a Designer Golf Course, Spa area, Restaurant and take scuba diving classes, celebrate a wedding, go kayaking, hiking, zip lining, swim in crystal clear waters of the Caribbean Sea, and much more!

5

Bay Islands is one of many Honduras natural wonders competing tourism neighbors don't want you to know about, because it a true paradise in the sea. Bay islands is a department of Honduras, it is made out of 8 large islands and 53 small cays which include: Roatan, Utila, Guanaja, Cayos Cochinos--which are the main islands for tourists attractions. Bay Islands are minutes away to the Mesoamerican Coral Barrier Reef System which is the 2nd largest Coral Reef in the World after the Australian Coral Barrier. 

7 Living Rain Forest Treasures found only in Honduras

 

Honduran Emerald Hummingbird

Amazilia luciae

The Honduran Emerald is a super exotic Hummingbird specie that is found only in the Honduran Rain Forests. They are always featured in the top 5 rarest birds in the world by ornithologists (bird watchers). This bird is the only reason thousand of bird watchers from around the world, specially from the United States and Canada, visit Honduras to take pictures and gaze it. It is an endangered species, and it habits the Mosquitia Jungle of Honduras, and other parts of Honduras. Deforestation is affecting this little flying fellows at an alarming rate...

 

Source: Wikipedia - Honduran Emerald

 

 

Honduran Glass Frog

Cochranella Granulosa

One of the rarest frogs in the world can be found only in the Honduran Rain Forest. His body is transparent and his organs can be seen. (This frog is not poisonous) 

 

Source - Wikipedia: Honduran Glass Frog

 

 

Honduran Ghost Bat

Ectophylla alba

One of the rarest bats in the world can only be found in the Honduran Rain Forest. They are quite tiny compared to other Bats. They are sometimes refereed to as midget white bats. "The Honduran white bat (Ghost Bat) (Ectophylla alba) has snow white fur and a yellow nose and ears. It is tiny, only 3.7-4.7 cm long."

Source - Wikipedia: Honduran Ghost Bat

 

 

 

 

Gold Scarab

Honduran Chrysina Sp.

Any insect collector will tell you you need to visit Honduras for their diversity of insects that are endemic only in Honduras. This golden buddy is one of the rarest scarabs in the world. He is an exotic jewel scarab found only in the Honduran rainforests. 

 

Source - Wikipedia: Honduran Chrysina sp.

 

 

 

 

Craugastor milesi

Craugastor Milesi

"This species is known from west and northwest Honduras. It is recorded from Cerro Azul in Copán Department, and from Montaña del Cusuco (National Park) and Montaña del Merendón (west of San Pedro Sula) in the Department of Cortés, within the Sierras of Espíritu Santo and Omoa." Source: http://www.iucnredlist.org

 

This specie is an endangered species, once thought to be extinct. But it has been found again in the Mosquitia Jungle of Honduras. 

 

 

Source from "Wikipedia": Honduran Craugastor Milesi

 

 

 

Honduran brook frog

Duellmanohyla salvavida

"The Honduran brook frog, Duellmanohyla salvavida, is a species of frog in the Hylidae family endemic to Honduras. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and rivers. It is threatened by habitat loss." 

  Wikipedia: Honduran Brook Frog

 

Sibon Miskitus 

Sibon Miskitus

This a quite rare vibrant snake only eats snails and insects. It is not venomous. It is only found in La Mosquitia jungle. This species habitat has been consistently threaten by deforestation. 

"This species is endemic to La Mosquitia, Gracias a Dios Department, Honduras, were it has been collected in several closely adjacent localities at elevations of 35-300 meters (McCranie 2011)."

 

 

 Source: IUCN RED LIST

 

 

 

 

Demographics of the Republic of Honduras

Census population and average annual growth rate
Year	Pop.	±%
1791	96,421	—
1801	128,453	+33.2%
1881	307,289	+139.2%
1887	331,917	+8.0%
1895	398,877	+20.2%
1901	543,741	+36.3%
1905	500,136	−8.0%
1910	553,446	+10.7%
1916	605,997	+9.5%
1926	700,811	+15.6%
1930	854,184	+21.9%
1935	962,000	+12.6%
1940	1,107,859	+15.2%
1945	1,200,542	+8.4%
1950	1,368,605	+14.0%
1961	1,884,765	+37.7%
1988	4,614,377	+144.8%
2001	6,535,344	+41.6%
2015	8,098,000	+43.9%

Map of Honduras (Source: BornInHonduras)

"According to the 2012 revision of the World Population Prospects the total population was 7,621,000 in 2010, compared to only 1,487,000 in 1950 (a fivefold increase in 60 years). The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 36.8%, 58.9% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 4.3% was 65 years or older."

Population Growth: 2.1%

Birth rate: 3.03 births/1,000 population

Death rate: 5.13 deaths/1,000 population

Total fertility rate: 3.05 children born/woman, ranked 62th in the world

The median age is 22 years, for males its 21.7 years, and for females 22.5 years

Life Expectancy: 73.49 years

                                                   Official Language: Spanish

              Ethnic groups: Mestizo, Garifuna, Miskito, Tawahka, 

                                             Pech, Tolupan, Ch'orti', Lenca.

Sources:
Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Honduras
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honduras
IndexMundi:
http://www.indexmundi.com/honduras/median_age.html

Population in 2015

Garifuna tribe dancing "Punta"

 "The total population in Honduras was last recorded at 8.6 million people in 2013 from 2.0 million in 1960, changing 328 percent during the last 50 years."

 

90% of the  population in Honduras is "Mestizo" which is a mix between European and Amerindian descend.

 

Mestizo girls celebrating with traditional Honduran folklore costumes (photo by Eric Mohl)

 

7% population are ethnic groups called, Garifuna, Miskito, Tawahka, Pech, Tolupan, Ch'orti', Lenca. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ch'orti' (Mayan) girls posing next to a Mayan drawing

 

The remaining 3% of the population are immigrants from Turkey, Palestine, Arab countries, China, Korea, Japan, Germany, Ex-pats (American), and adjacent country visitors, etc..

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: http://www.tradingeconomics.com/honduras/population

Literacy rate:

"Literacy rate; adult total (% of people ages 15 and above) in Honduras was last measured at 85.12 in 2011, according to the World Bank."

 

Honduras literacy rate has improved since the 1960s, they now have an advanced public school system as well as a highly advanced private school system. Private schools are paid often out of pocket, and only affluent families can do so. In 70% of private schools are bilingual and English is the language the that is learned. Often American teachers volunteer their services in providing English lessons and providing improved teaching formats to Honduran teachers.

 

Source: http://www.tradingeconomics.com/honduras/literacy-rate-adult-total-percent-of-people-ages-15-and-above-wb-data.html

 

Population Distribution & Density Chart in 1974

Honduras population is mostly concentrated in its capital called Tegucigalpa. The second highest density city is called San Pedro Sula, which is the "industrial" capital of Honduras, and where most of the industries business is concentrated. Honduras is the largest country in Central America by its borders.

Graph depicts the population distribution in major areas in the country
 
Source: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/honduras.html

 Urbanization in Honduras:

 

KFC in Tegucigalpa, picture from
 https://rachelgit.wordpress.com/2011/06/02/tegucigalpa-taxis/

Recently there has been a change from rural living to urbanization. In San Pedro Sula, Honduras, the city is becoming urbanized, with extensive shopping malls, just like the ones in United States and some are actually bigger than the ones in United States. Well known international brands have started to shift business to Honduras, for example, Hilton Hotels, Holiday Inn, Toyota, Hyundai, Ford, McDonalds, KFC, CineMark, City Mall, Burger King, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Wendy's, LittleCaesar's, as well as many other American companies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_in_Honduras

Honduras has started to improve their transportation system with higher quality highways and safer public transportation. The main form of transportation are buses and taxis. Family own cars is the second way of transportation. 28% of the population owns a car.

(Picture of City Mall San Pedro Sula)

  

 

  "Urban population (% of total) in Honduras was last measured at 52.15 in 2011, according to the World Bank."

(Picture of Altia Business Park Honduras)

"The economy of Honduras is a neoliberal free market economy based mostly on agriculture, which accounts for 14% of its gross domestic product (GDP) in 2013. Leading export coffee ($340 million) accounted for 22% of total Honduran export revenues. Bananas, formerly the country's second-largest export until being virtually wiped out by 1998's Hurricane Mitch, recovered in 2000 to 57% of pre-Mitch levels. Cultivated shrimp is another important export sector. Since the late 1970s, towns in the north began industrial production through maquiladoras, especially in San Pedro Sula and Puerto Cortés."


Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Honduras





Urbanization Graph:

Source: http://www.tradingeconomics.com/honduras/urban-population-percent-of-total-wb-data.html


 

Mark Plotkin speaks about the importance of all earth rainforests

 
Mark Plotkin explains the importance of Rain Forest and tribes in the Amazon and hence the importance of plants and animals in any rainforest. Mark Plotkin's team has lead the mythical White City Expedition with the help of the British Special Forces, the Honduran Institute of Anthropology and History, the Honduran Military and the University of Colorado. They carried the research with the help of a 1 million dollar laser mapping machine called LiDAR "The scientific team was co-led by Christopher Fisher of Colorado State University and Oscar Neil Cruz of the Honduran Institute of Anthropology and History. A Honduran engineer named J.C. Fernandez, with the University of Houston, managed the lidar."



Source: http://blog.ted.com/mark-plotkin-shares-tales-of-the-lost-city-he-and-his-team-just-rediscovered/

Honduran forested area chart

According to this graph Honduras appears to have the highest Forested area in Central America, it worries me that because of the now found Archelogical site of the White City, deforestation will most likely increase due to Man exploration.

Source: http://blogs.worldwatch.org/revolt/biofuel-expansion-in-central-america-and-the-myth-of-vacant-la

Reminiscence of  dangerous deforestation

Soft green shows the start of unnatural deforestation in the outer parts of the Mosquitia Jungle. 

"The Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve is in blue. Pink shows forest loss inside the reserve and near it. Dark green is the area that is still considered an Intact Forest Landscape, though brown shows areas that have suffered degradation in the last 12 years. Map courtesy of the Global Forest Watch."

Source: http://news.mongabay.com/2015/0318-hance-honduras-ruins-forest.html

Extreme deforestation of 1 million hectares are affecting Honduras

Graph showing terrible deforestation areas in(orange color).

Source: http://www1.american.edu/TED/honduras.htm