2020 Travel the World - Week 28

I started a Travel the World Series last year. (It should be noted that I did a similar thing in 2018, only it was the 50 states.) For 50 weeks in 2019, I visited a different country (virtually) and shared facts about that country. I then selected one tidbit of information about that week's country as inspiration for a card. Fifty weeks; fifty countries... BUT there are 195 countries in the world so that was just a little over 25% of them. Of course I couldn't stop, so this year I'm continuing with fifty more countries, one per week.

This week's country is...

Honduras

Honduras is a republic in Central America. It borders the Caribbean Sea. 

The geography of Honduras consists mainly of mountains and narrow plains along the coasts. There is a lowland jungle in the northeast. This region is also home to the Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its wide variety of plant and animal life. The Coco River divides Honduras from neighboring Nicaragua, while the Islas de la Bahía and the Swan Islands are off the north coast of Honduras. The country has many natural resources, including gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, and coal. Its climate varies from tropical in the lowlands to temperate in the mountains.

Honduras is the only of the Central American countries that share borders with four of the seven countries of the region.

Christopher Columbus first discovered Honduras on July 30, 1502.

In the past Honduras has been referred to as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras which became the modern-day state of Belize.

Spanish is the country's official language making Spanish the dominant language. Honduran sign language is also widely recognized.

The five stars on the Honduran flag represent the five countries of central America, with the center star representing Honduras.

The majority of people in Honduras live in the highlands and are Roman Catholic. Family life is considered very important. Many people in the country are poor and nearly half are unable to read or write.

Honduras is part of the second largest coral reef in the world. Extending along the coast of Honduras, Guatemala, Belize and Mexico, the Belize Barrier Reef is the largest barrier reef in the northern hemisphere and the second largest barrier reef in the world.

Honduras is 80% mountainous. 

The main exports of Honduras are coffee, bananas, and wood. The economy at one point was solely dependent on the export of coffee and bananas.

There are no active volcanoes in Honduras.

Lake Yojoa is the only natural lake in Honduras.

Plant life in Honduras varies with climate and elevation, ranging from mangroves to evergreen trees to Spanish cedar to oak.

Local buses are called Chicken Buses. They're brightly painted and look like a party on wheels.

The Cathedral in Comayagua, Honduras, is home to the oldest clock in America which dates back to 1100.

Honduras was the country with the first cinema to ever been built in Central America.

Children’s’ Day is celebrated on the 10th of September each year to acknowledge the importance of youth and childhood. The children receive presents and have parties as they would if it was their birthday.

Soccer is a very popular sport in Honduras and most communities have their own teams in addition to following the national team. While playing soccer is more common among boys, basketball, volleyball, and dancing are more common among girls. Western music and movies are also common forms of entertainment.

Punta is the most popular and beloved kind of music in the country.

Honduras’ national bird is the Scarlet Macaw and is considered sacred.

Honduras is home to many colorful insects, including butterflies, beetles, and spiders. Reptiles, including snakes and crocodiles, are also plentiful in the country's tropical forests. Larger animals include deer, ocelots, and pumas. Birds are also common along the coast.

Honduras has several national parks and other protected areas to preserve its native plants and animals.

Honduras was the first country to ban smoking in enclosed spaces, which includes people’s own homes.

More than 50% of the country lives below poverty level.

Honduras has the highest murder rates of any country in the world.

Honduras is renowned for its highway assaults, carjackings and kidnappings. The majority of people/families of victims will not report the kidnapping to the police but pay the ransom instead out of fear.

I decided to let this Honduras fact be the inspiration for this week's card... Half of the mammal species in Honduras are bats.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp Set: Sugar Pea Designs Fangtastic stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black and SU Daffodil Delight Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Papers: Accent Opaque 120# White, Recollections Black, and SU Daffodil Delight CS and Paper Studio Cosmic Sky and other DP from my scrap file

Die: MFT Stitched Mod Rectangle

Embellishments: SU Ribbon and Star-shaped Brads from an unknown vendor