Local name: Honduras Capital: Tegucigalpa Government: democratic constitutional republic Currency: lempira (HNL) Official language: Spanish Other languages spoken: Amerindian dialects
Brief History. Honduras was once part of Spain's vast empire. Honduras became independence in 1821. After two and a half decades of mostly military rule, a freely elected civilian government came to power in 1982. During the 1980s, Honduras proved a haven for anti-Sandinista contras fighting the Marxist Nicaraguan Government and an ally to Salvadoran Government forces fighting leftist guerrillas
