Honduras - Government
Based on the etymolgy of Honduras, it was the name means "depths" in Spanish and refers to the deep anchorage in the northern Bay of Trujillo. The Government system in this country is the presidential republic type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 18 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Atlantida, Choluteca, Colon, Comayagua, Copan, Cortes, El Paraiso, Francisco Morazan, Gracias a Dios, Intibuca, Islas de la Bahia, La Paz, Lempira, Ocotepeque, Olancho, Santa Barbara, Valle, Yoro
National symbols
Scarlet macaw, white-tailed deer; national colors: blue, white.
The flag
The National flag of Honduras has three equal horizontal bands of cerulean blue (top), white, and cerulean blue, with five cerulean, five-pointed stars arranged in an X pattern centered in the white band; the stars represent the members of the former Federal Republic of Central America: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua; the blue bands symbolize the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea; the white band represents the land between the two bodies of water and the peace and prosperity of its people.
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note: similar to the flag of El Salvador, which features a round emblem encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Nicaragua, which features a triangle encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom, centered in the white band
The National Anthem
| Title | "Himno Nacional de Honduras" (National Anthem of Honduras) |
|---|---|
| Lyric/music | Augusto Constancio COELLO/Carlos HARTLING |
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note: adopted 1915; the anthem's seven verses chronicle Honduran history; on official occasions, only the chorus and last verse are sung
More about the government of Honduras
| Date of Independence | 15 September 1821 (from Spain) |
|---|---|
| National holiday | Independence Day, 15 September (1821) |
| Legal system | civil law system |
| International law organization participation | accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
| Constitution | |
| History | Several previous; latest approved 11 January 1982, effective 20 January 1982 |
| Amendments | Proposed by the National Congress with at least two-thirds majority vote of the membership; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of Congress in its next annual session; constitutional articles, such as the form of government, national sovereignty, the presidential term, and the procedure for amending the constitution, cannot be amended; amended several times, last in 2021 |
| Citizenship | |
| Citizenship by birth | yes |
| Citizenship by descent only | yes |
| Dual citizenship recognized | yes |
| Residency requirement for naturalization | 1 to 3 years |
| Executive Branch | |
| Chief of state | President Iris Xiomara CASTRO de Zelaya (since 27 January 2022) |
| Head of government | President Iris Xiomara CASTRO de Zelaya (since 27 January 2022) |
| Cabinet | Cabinet appointed by president |
| Elections/appointments | president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 4-year term; election last held on 28 November 2021 (next to be held on 30 November 2025); note - in 2015, the Constitutional Chamber of the Honduran Supreme Court struck down the constitutional provisions on presidential term limits |
| Election results | 2021: Iris Xiomara CASTRO de Zelaya elected president; percent of vote - Iris Xiomara CASTRO de Zelaya (LIBRE) 51.1%, Nasry Juan ASFURA Zablah (PNH) 36.9%, Yani Benjamin ROSENTHAL Hidalgo (PL) 10%, other 2% 2017: Juan Orlando HERNANDEZ Alvarado reelected president; percent of vote - Juan Orlando HERNANDEZ Alvarado (PNH) 43%, Salvador NASRALLA (Alianza de Oposicion contra la Dictadura) 41.4%, Luis Orlando ZELAYA Medrano (PL) 14.7%, other 0.9% |
| Legislative branch | |
| Description | Unicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional (128 seats; members directly elected in 18 multi-seat constituencies by closed party-list proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms) |
| Elections | Last held on 28 November 2021 (next to be held on 30 November 2025) |
| Election results | Percent of vote by party - LIBRE 39.8%, PNH 31.3%, PL 16.4%, PSH 10.9%, DC 0.8%, PAC 0.8%; seats by party - LIBRE 51, PNH 40, PL 21, PSH 14, DC 1, PAC 1; composition - men 93, women 35, percentage women 27.3% |
| Judicial branch | |
| Highest court(s) | Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (15 principal judges, including the court president, and 6 alternates; court organized into civil, criminal, constitutional, and labor chambers); note - the court has both judicial and constitutional jurisdiction |
| Judge selection and term of office | Court president elected by his peers; judges elected by the National Congress from candidates proposed by the Nominating Board, a diverse 7-member group of judicial officials and other government and non-government officials nominated by each of their organizations; judges elected by Congress for renewable, 7-year terms |
| Subordinate courts | Courts of appeal; courts of first instance; justices of the peace |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador Javier Efrain BU SOTO (since 12 December 2022) |
| Chancery | 1220 19th Street NW, Suite #320, Washington, DC 20036 |
| Telephone | [1] (202) 966-7702 |
| FAX | [1] (202) 966-9751 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://hondurasembusa.org/ |
| Consulate(s) general | Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte (NC), Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, McAllen (TX), Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, Seattle |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador Laura F. DOGU (since 12 April 2022) |
| Embassy | Avenida La Paz, Tegucigalpa M.D.C. |
| Mailing address | 3480 Tegucigalpa Place, Washington DC 20521-3480 |
| Telephone | [504] 2236-9320, |
| FAX | [504] 2236-9037 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://hn.usembassy.gov/ |
| National heritage | |
| Total World Heritage Sites | 2 (1 cultural, 1 natural) |
| Selected World Heritage Site locales | Maya Site of Copan (c); Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve (n) |
Key Political parties and their leaders in Honduras
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International organization participation
All Important Facts about Honduras
Want to know more about Honduras? Check all different factbooks for Honduras below.
