Upon the first examination, Honduras is the true meaning of the term "Banana Republic". It has a history of dictatorships, strong influence by the military and foreign multinational firms, under-developed economy based on a few exports (most importantly bananas and coffee), profound social inequality and widespread corruption.

But there is more to the country than this unfortunate label. Much more. To start with, it has beautiful nature such as rain forests, coral reefs, mountains, mangroves hosting a diversity of animals and plants. In addition, you can find the rich cultural inheritance of the Mayans and other Indian cultures along with colonial Spanish-style villages. The inhabitants of the country are very friendly and helpful which contributes to a relaxed atmosphere. The climate is good, especially the dry climate in the capital suits Northern Europeans and Americans well. Due to the few tourists, you can expect to have many of the beautiful places in Honduras to yourself, compared to crowded European sights.

Furthermore, the term "Banana Republic" is slowly becoming inappropriate for Honduras. The country has had a democratic political system since 1980, the power and influence of the military is rapidly decreasing, and the economy is slowly growing into new sectors, reducing the dependence on banana exports and on American banana companies. However, the social inequality, high crime rate and corruption remain.

Most of the Hondurans (90%) are so-called mestizos. That is people of both Indian and European descent. They are typically Catholics.

Honduras also has a black population that can be divided into islanders and Garífunas. Islanders are the Blacks that live on the Bay Islands, off the North coast of Honduras. They speak English among themselves (but with a strong accent!), and they are mainly Protestants. Garífunas are Blacks living on the North coast of Honduras, speaking an African (!) dialect among themselves in addition to Spanish and following a mixed African/Catholic religion.

There are several Indian tribes living in Honduras as well, most importantly the Lencas (live to the West near El Salvador, mostly farmers, related to the Mayans), Chortís (mostly farmers, live to the west near Guatemala), Pipil (live near EL Salvador), Jicaque (live in the North), Miskitos (live in the jungle in the East of Honduras, hunter-gatherers), Sumos (see Miskitos) and Pech (see Miskitos).

Finally, there is a small white population in Honduras, mostly made out of European and Northamerican immigrants, European and Northamerican volunteers and professional aid workers, and Middle Eastern immigrants. The latter group have been succesful in the business life of Honduras and have moved up in society. Even the current president of Honduras is part of Arab descent.

The climate in Honduras is tropical. That means that there is no seasons, except for dry season and wet season. The wet season normally lasts from May to October. Bear in mind that wet season doesn't mean "the season of continual rain" but rather "the season in which it rains occationally, mostly at night and usually not for very long". Temparaturewise, the coldest months are December and January, like in Europe, but here coldest means down to 15 degree Celcius in the nights. And it is only that cold a few nights per year and only in certain parts of the country.

One could guess that the warmest month, then, is July, but for some reason it is not so. April is the month of real heat, especially outside the mountainous area of the capital. In the lowlands, temperatures sometimes go over 40 degrees Celcius, and combined with high humidity this heat is hard to tolerate for others than the hardened locals.

Lately, the inhabitants in Honduras have been troubled by more than just the heat at the end of the dry season. Forrest fires across Central America and in South America had covered most of Central America with a thick carpet of "smog". And I mean thick! At night you could never see stars, you could not see the surrounding hills of the capital, highrisers would disappear in the smog and even the sun turned red on the worst days. For an allergy cripled person like me, it meant two months of coughing. It only ended when the rain finally started in mid-May. So, you potential tourists, do not visit at the end of the dry season or you might regret it.

In conclusion, one must conclude the Honduran climate, especially of the capital, Tegicigalpa, is very comfortable (except during smog-time), more or less like the best days of the Northern European summer all year round.

Let's start by saying, that the economy has not been doing all that well. According to a recent travel guide for the area, the situation is such:

"Honduras is a poor country, with one of the lowest GNPs in Latin America; only Haiti and Nicaragua are poorer. It's estimated that 70% of the population lives below the poverty level. Close to 50% of the workforce is unemployed or underemployed, the country has a large foreign debt, and it imports more than it exports. Inflation in 1993 was around 12%, double that of 1992 but much lower than in 1991; by 1996 inflation had soared to around 30%"

More recent statistics from UNICEF states that an estimated 400.000 young people in Honduras (out of a 5.8 million population) neither holds a regular job nor studies. That's a lot vangrancy for such a little country. So, the situation doesn't look that good.

Some new areas are looking promising, such as ZIP-zones, Honduran-owned production companies and, tourism. The ZIP-zones (or "maquilas" as they are also called) are tax-free zones in which foriegn companies can set up production. And tax-free means tax-free (no duties, no import or export taxes, no corporate tax and no income tax for employes!). Why would a country let itself be screwed like that by foreign companies, one could ask? Well, at least it is generating activity in society, and seeing the properity in areas with ZIPs, one can understand why the current government seeks to promote this area.

Honduran-owned companies are appearing, for example Corporacion Cressida or Cervería Hondureña. These companies are rapidly building up their productive and administrative capacities, investing heavily in modern production systems and world-class administrative software, such as SAP.

Finally, Copan Ruinas and the Bay Islands, along with other spectacular places is opening room for a tourist industry that can provide Honduras with more scarce foreign currency. Considering the climate, its location and natural and cultural enheritage, Honduras has a big potential as a tourist destination.

Government. Well, before 1980 government meant dictatorship. But let's forget that and look at the current democratic system. It follows the US model with the power divided between the executive, legislative and judicial bodies, a president elected for four-year terms, all citizens over 18 can vote. A president can only sit for one term, though, and there is one legislative chamber, the National Congress.

Two parties dominate the political scene, the National Party and the Liberal Party. The current president, Carlos Flores, belongs to the Liberal Party and took office in January 1998. What's the differences between the two parties? The Liberal Party is a traditional right wing party with a technocratic look on things (they focus on economic and social problems). The National Party, which has deep roots in the military and former dictators, has a more emotional approach (focusing more on obvious problem and adressing national pride) .

Former presidents from both of the two parties have stolen money from the state (the disillusioned citizens of Honduras expect presidents to steal - why else would one be a president). The all time recordholder so far seem to be Rafael Romero Callejas who was president from 1990 to 1993. His presidency started with lots initiatives (road building, economic stabilazation, and more) but ended in scandals (illegal sales of Honduras passports to Hong Kong citizens, disappearance of millon-dollar gasoline price stabilization fund, and much more). Now Callejas has managed to get himself legal immunity as a member of parlament, his public appearances have increased and he continues to hold strong influence within the National Party.

PS. A little political joke (these are common in Honduras): A guy wants to visit the National Registry but can't find parking for his Mercedes. Instead he parks it next door in front of the residence of Rafael Callejas. A guard comes running, telling him that he shouldn't park there. The guy responds: "Don't worry. I have a steering wheel bar, electronic car alarm and anti-starting device. I think it is safe."

Football. European style football, that is, or soccer. That sums it up. Honduras is country of the football freaks. Just think about the fact, that a war broke out in 1969 between Honduras and El Salvador after a World Cup qualifying match between the two countries, the so-called "Football War". It only lasted a 100 hours and it had deeper roots than just football, but still.... .

In the World Cup of 1998, everybody talked about the games, the television showed ALL the matches and spent the remaining time analyzing the games. During the matches with Denmark, the commentators were especially keen on Peter Schmeichel, whom one of them kept referring to as "The Tiger" (El Tigre).

Honduras has only participated in the World Cup once, in Spain 1982, in which it played three draws which did not qualify it for the second round. Still, it was a decent performance. Liga football in Honduras is not bad either. Tegicigalpa has two strong teams (that are arch enemies), Olympia and Motagua. At the moment, Montagua is ruling.

Other sports in Honduras: Baseball (dominating team: Medias Verdes with nine championships in a row), volleyball, basketball, martial arts, and others.