Honduras
Honduras names 3 different subjects across the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf. Each is set out below. 1 of them is described by more than one encyclopedia.
Honduras a republic of Central America
Described by 2 of the 6 encyclopedias.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a republic of Central America; bounded by Nicaragua, Guatemala, the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean; area, 46,250 square miles; pop. about 610,000; capital, Tegucigalpa. Topography. The country is generally mountainous, and is traversed by the Cordilleras, connecting the Andes on the S. with the Sierra Madre on the N. The rivers are numerous though small, the principal ones being the Ulna, Aguan, Choluteca, and Chamelican. The republic has nearly 500 miles of sea coast with numerous fine harbors. Climate and Productions. The climate is mild in the higher regions and semitropical in the lowlands. Agriculture is the principal occupation of the people. The mineral resources are great; gold, platinum, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron, antimony, nickel and cobalt being found in nearly every department. Commerce. The chief agricultural product is bananas, which are grown mainly on the Caribbean coast. That man region also produces cocoanuts. The Other agristaple food product is corn. cultural products are rubber, coffee, to- The bacco, beans, rice, and sugar cane. total imports in 1919 amounted to about $5,000,000 and the exports to about $7,000,000. Practically all the exports are taken by the United States, which also furnished nearly all the imports. Communications. -In recent years the main roads of the country have been improved so that they are passable by The railroad from Puerto motor cars. Cortez to Potrerillos, about 70 miles in length, was taken over by the Government in 1912, and has been completely overhauled and repaired. In 1918 a line was completed from the Port of Tela to El Progreso. There are in all about 365 miles of railway. There were in 1919 about 630 miles of telephone lines and 4,500 miles of telegraph lines. is derived Finance. The revenue chiefly from customs, and from spirit explosive, and tobacco mononoli 976 and the total expenditure amounted to $7,770,585. The internal debt for 1919-1920 was $3,555,982. The revenue of the country is mainly derived from tobacco and spirits. Government. The legislature is vested in a C Congress s of of Deputies, consisting of 42 members elected directly for four years. The executive is a President, elected by popular vote for four years. pope He acts through a Council of five, who ministers of Foreign Relations, are Government and Justice, War, Treasury and Public Credit, Public Works and Instruction. Religion and Education. -The prevailing religion is the Roman Catholic, but freedom is guaranteed to all creeds. Instruction is free and compulsory. about 1,000 schools, with There are about 1,200 teachers. There are about 95,000 children of school age, of whom about 35,000 attend school. The expenditure for education in 1919 was 384,980 pesos. There is a university at Tegucigalpa, where there is also maintained a central institution for secondary instruction. History. Honduras was discovered by Columbus in 1502, conquered by Cortez 1523, joined the Republic of Central in in America in 1821 and became an independent State in 1839. There have been several small civil wars and conflicts with adjoining States. In 1894 the present constitution was adopted and in 1897 Honduras became a part of the Greater Republic of Central America, which soon dissolved. In July, 1906, there was a short war between Honduras and Salvador on one side, and Guatemala on the other. There was a revolt against the Government in 1910, headed by General Valladeras. In the following year, the former president, Bonilla, instigated a revolt. The United States Government intervened to adjust the difficulties. Disturbed conditions continued throughout the several years following, and in 1913 United States marines were landed to protect American property. In 1916 an arbitration treaty was negotiated between Honduras and the United States. A revolution against the rule of President Bertrand broke out in 1919, largely as a result of the anti- German attitude of the executive. In September, President Bertrand resigned. There was another revolution in February, 1920, which resulted from the election of General Gutierrez to the dency, in October, 1919 pressed with
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
hon-doo'ras, a republic of Central America , formerly a province of Guatemala. The name is Spanish, signifying depth, in allusion to the depth of water on the coast and the difficulty of finding anchorage. The area is 46,250 square miles, approximately that of Mississippi. Population 543,741. The general aspect of the country is mountainous. The valleys, plains, and lower slopes are clothed with dense forests. The animals, birds, and insects are much like those of the Amazon Valley. The inhabitants are chiefly Spanish-speaking Indians, with a few white people of Spanish descent. There are 30,000 children in school. The chief product is bananas. The San Pedro district of Honduras in 1906 exported 2,347,902 bunches of bananas worth in silver at the side of the railway $1,173,951. Two hundred ten ships called during the year for cargoes of bananas. Tobacco, sugar, maize, oranges, sarsaparilla, beans, coffee, indigo, rice, and wheat are grown in varying quantities. Cattle raising is carried on in the uplands. The mountains abound in gold, platinum, silver, copper, lead, zinc, and iron. The coast is exceedingly hot. The climate in the elevated interior is more tolerable. The capital is an ancient inland town of 12,000 people. A number of small towns on the Caribbean coast ship bananas, coffee, mahogany, cocoanuts, rubber, plantains, oranges, pineapples, sarsaparilla, hides, cattle, deerskins, and tortoise shells. STATISTICS. The following statistics are the latest to be had from trustworthy sources: Land area, square miles 46,250 Population 500,136 No. departments 16 Members of congress 50 Annual expenditure $1,320,000 Bonded indebtedness $100,000,000 Chief Exports-- Bananas $1,000,000 Ores 450,000 Bar silver 135,000 Cattle 175,000 Hides 115,000 Deer skins 20,000 Cocoanuts 65,000 Mahogany and cedar 30,000 Coffee 20,000 Rubber 40,000 Domestic Animals-- Horses 43,500 Mules 14,000 Cattle 571,000 Sheep 12,000 Swine 111,000 Miles of railway 100 Elementary schools 851 Pupils enrolled 30,025 Number of postoffices 268
Honduras BAY OF, a wide inlet of the Caribbean Sea
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
BAY OF, a wide inlet of the Caribbean Sea, having on the S. Guatemala and Honduras, Honduras, and on the W. British Honduras and Yucatan. Along its shores are the islands of Bonaca, Ruatan, Utila, Turneff, and numerous islets and reefs called cays.
Honduras BRITISH. See BELIZE
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
BRITISH. See BELIZE.
What Has Changed in the Last Century
Collier's put the population at "about 610,000" in 1921 and Aiton's at 543,741 in 1910; Honduras today has roughly 10 million people, and greater Tegucigalpa alone holds well over a million. The banana trade the older accounts describe, with "practically all the exports" going to the United States, made Honduras the original "banana republic" under United Fruit and Standard Fruit; coffee has since overtaken bananas as the leading export, alongside apparel assembled in duty-free factories. The chronic revolutions Collier's lists did not end in 1920: Tiburcio Carías Andino ruled as dictator from 1933 to 1949, Honduras fought the brief 1969 "Football War" with El Salvador, Hurricane Mitch killed thousands in 1998, President Manuel Zelaya was removed by the army in 2009, and Xiomara Castro became the country's first woman president in 2022. The borders left vague in 1921 were fixed by international judgment, and the modern area is given as about 43,400 square miles rather than Collier's 46,250.
Written for this edition, 2026.