Honduras Neighbouring Countries and Central America

Honduras’ Neighboring Countries

Honduras sits comfortably in the heart of Central America, snug with various countries by both land and sea.

Land Borders of Honduras

Honduras rubs shoulders with three friendly neighbors:

• Guatemala: Over to the west, you’ll find Honduras cozying up with Guatemala. This border is a big deal for swapping goods and people between the two (Wikipedia).
• El Salvador: Southwest of Honduras lies El Salvador. With about 126 miles of shared land, they’ve got a strong connection (World Atlas).
• Nicaragua: Look southeast, and there’s Nicaragua. This border is buzzing with cultural and economic exchanges (World Atlas).

Neighboring Country	Border Direction	Border Length (miles)
Guatemala	West	—
El Salvador	Southwest	126
Nicaragua	Southeast	—

Sea Borders of Honduras

Beyond the shore, Honduras mingles with several countries via the sea:

• Belize: To the northeast, on the warm Caribbean waves, they meet Belize (OEC).
• Colombia: Further south in the Caribbean, Colombia lines its coast alongside Honduras (OEC).
• Cuba: In those same Caribbean tides, Cuba and Honduras cross paths.
• Mexico: Northwest by the sea, Honduras finds a partner in Mexico (OEC).
• Cayman Islands: Caribbean breezes also link Honduras with the Cayman Islands (OEC).

Honduras is lucky to hug two major bodies of water:

• Caribbean Sea: This spellbinding stretch of blue is northeast, opening up to numerous Caribbean lands.
• Pacific Ocean: To the west, it connects to far-reaching international waters (China Briefing).

Neighboring Country	Sea Border Direction
Belize	Northeast
Colombia	Caribbean
Cuba	Caribbean
Mexico	Northwest
Cayman Islands	Caribbean

So, if you wanna wrap your head around Honduras’ place on the map, knowing its neighbors is key. To dive deeper, check out our reads on El Salvador neighboring countries and Guatemala neighboring countries.

Economic Challenges and Integration

Poverty in the Northern Triangle

Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador make up the Northern Triangle, a spot grappling with big money problems. Poverty here isn’t just high—it’s towering. Back in 2018, about 60% of folks in Honduras and Guatemala were living under their country’s poverty line, a number that tops many other spots in Latin America.

Look at Honduras—all kinds of reasons keep poverty sky high: ongoing violence, slim job choices, and messed-up agriculture. Think about farmers: they’re stuck with shrinking plots and lousy yields. Most folks scratching out a living from the land aren’t raking in much—like, under 70 bucks a year from their hard work. It’s no wonder people are packing up and leaving, hoping for something better beyond their borders.

Remittances Impact

Sending money back home—remittances—keeps the Northern Triangle’s economy on life support. Honduras leans on it heavy. This cash from abroad makes up nearly 18% of the region’s economic pie.

For many families, these dollars cover essentials: food, meds, and schooling. But counting on money from outside comes with baggage, making the whole setup shaky if things go south elsewhere. Plus, it might be sort of a crutch, keeping big, local investments from taking root.

Country	Percent of Population Below Poverty Line (2018)	Remittances as Percent of GDP
Honduras	60%	18%
Guatemala	60%	18%
El Salvador	N/A	18%

The numbers speak loud—remittances are no small potatoes in Honduras. To dig deeper into how moving to the US affects things on both sides of the border, check out info on emigration to the US.

The takeaway? There’s a screaming need for economic shake-ups and plans to pull people out of poverty in these parts. Less leaning on money from family overseas, more building up the home front—finding and fixing this balance could be the ticket to a sturdier economy for all. Curious about the places around Honduras? You might wanna check out guatemala neighboring countries and el salvador neighbouring countries.

Socio-Political Issues

Honduras has a lot to deal with when it comes to its thorny socio-political scene—a scenario that echoes across Central America. Violence and a wave of folks heading for new pastures stand out as big themes here.

Violence in Honduras

Honduras is right up there with Guatemala and El Salvador in what’s commonly known as the Northern Triangle. This region’s got itself quite a reputation for rough times. Back in 2016, Honduras didn’t just top the charts; it knocked them out with a wild 56.52 homicides for every 100,000 people. Fast forward a few years to 2019, and things have calmed down a tick, resting around 40 homicides per 100,000 folks. Still, that’s no picnic (Wikipedia).

Year	Homicides per 100,000 folks
2016	56.52
2017	42.8
2018	41.5
2019	40

All this violence isn’t just something you see in the news; it’s a real headache for stability and life quality in Honduras and neighboring spots. The resulting chaos sets off a chain reaction of problems that push a whole lot of people to pack up and try their luck in the U.S.

Want to know more about it? We’ve got pieces on Ecuador’s neighbors and El Salvador’s neighbors that go into the nitty-gritty of these issues.

Emigration to the US

Honduras and its Northern Triangle pals are caught in a spiral driving people to high-tail it to greener grass, typically found in the land of Uncle Sam.

Climate change isn’t just making headlines here. It throws in the wrench with nasty droughts and wild weather, making growing food a tall order. People aren’t just heading out for a change of scenery. They’re hunting down ways to put food on the table while their home situations just seem to dry up in more ways than one. Poverty only fans the flames, flipping the emigration dial to high.

Check out how many folks left Honduras for the US:

Year	US-bound Folks (thousands)
2016	20
2017	22
2018	25
2019	27

Plans are in the works to tackle these issues, yet climate blips and shaky politics keep nudging scores of Hondurans toward the American dream. Curious about these migrations and ways to slow the rush? Our reads on Ethiopia’s neighbors and Equatorial Guinea’s neighbors are worth checking out.

Border Disputes with Neighbors

Guatemala-Honduras Boundary Dispute

The boundary wrangle between Guatemala and Honduras has been simmering since the 19th century, kinda like a family feud that just won’t go away. Back in the day, a treaty in 1845 tried to iron out the wrinkles, recognizing lines drawn up by a far-off Royal Ordinance in 1786 (Foreign Affairs).

But just like trying to fix a leaky faucet with duct tape, these early talks flopped. Treaties in 1895 and 1914 followed, but neither managed to sort things out. The slice of land they bickered over held more than just some dirt—it included railroad disputes too. A survey from May and June 1919 put these disagreements under a magnifying glass (Foreign Affairs).

Year	Treaty	Outcome
1845	Recognition Treaty	No Success in Drawing Lines
1895	Boundary Treaty	Still No Luck
1914	Demarcation Treaty	Problems Persist

By the time 1928 rolled around, some common ground was found. The area in question shrank like an old sweater in a hot wash, and Honduras seemed cool with a boundary running along the mountain range that Guatemala wanted (Foreign Affairs).

Negotiations and Resolutions

Chipping away at the Guatemala-Honduras boundary tiff has been going on for ages, like trying to finish a never-ending jigsaw puzzle. The first tries in the 1800s and the early 1900s were dead ends. But the good news? Both countries have shown they’ve got fighting spirit—just the verbal kind, thankfully—to tough it out and keep jawing over solutions.

Lately, the talk show continues, with both sides leaning more into diplomatic chats and reaching out to international peacekeepers to play referee. They’ve got their eyes on sealing a deal that’s fair and square for both sides.

To delve into how neighbors sometimes squabble, check out pieces on dust-ups like the Dominican Republic and its neighbors and El Salvador’s border buddies.

Grasping these tug-of-wars gives insight into the Central American chessboard, where Honduras snuggles up against borders with Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua (Wikipedia). Tiptoeing through internal dialogue and tapping into international help looks set to keep untangling these border dramas.

For more on the regional chess game, check out stories on Ecuador’s neighbors and Ethiopia’s geopolitics.

Agricultural Landscape of Honduras

Honduras, tucked away in Central America, heavily relies on farming, making it quite the backbone of its economy. Let’s break down the main crops this country grows and what farmers are up against.

Major Crops in Honduras

In Honduras, a handful of crops dominate both the kitchen tables at home and their export receipts. Back in 2018, the fields sprouted these big shots:

Crop	Haul (Tons)
Sugar Cane	5,500,000
Palm Oil	2,500,000
Bananas	771,000
Coffee	481,000

(Source: Wikipedia)

Sugar cane and palm oil are the heavy hitters in volume, but don’t overlook bananas and coffee. The coffee industry isn’t just a favorite for that morning cup; it’s also crucial for job creation and the cash it brings into the country.

Challenges in Farming

Farming in Honduras isn’t all sunshine and green fields—there’s a laundry list of hurdles the farmers face. For starters, the land has some complicated ownership issues. Back in ’93, a big chunk of farmland was snapped up by the government and some big name companies like Chiquita Brands and Dole Food, leaving the little guys scrambling for a piece of the pie.

Small farmers, with their shrinking plots, find it tough to make a buck. About 55% of these families earn less than $70 a year from their harvests—pocket change in the farming world. This tight budget keeps them from upgrading to better methods or equipment, holding back potential growth.

Here’s a snapshot of other farming headaches:

• Crummy Soil: Bad dirt equals bad harvests, simple as that.
• Erosion: With fewer trees and poor land use, erosion chips away at what could be fertile ground.
• Cattle and Squatters: Some folks misuse the land, whether it’s ranchers expanding beyond their means or squatters just looking for a place to call home.
• Rain Dependency: No high-tech irrigation here—farmers rely on unpredictable rain which can make or break their harvest.

To get more insight into how regional neighbors like Guatemala and El Salvador handle similar issues, you can check out guatemala neighbouring countries and el salvador neighbouring countries.

Both internal policies and external forces are reshaping Honduran agriculture. Fixing these barriers is crucial for enhancing life for the locals and stabilizing food supplies.

International Relations and Development

China-Honduras Diplomatic Relations

On March 26, 2023, China and Honduras officially shook hands, turning a new page in international buddy stories. This was no small potato! It meant Honduras was ready to cozy up with China, stepping away from its old pal, Taiwan. President Xiomara Castro dropped hints about this back on March 15, 2023, like announcing plans to chat over potstickers and baleadas.

Now, with China at the helm, Honduras has a big player for imports. Picture this: just two years back in 2021, China shipped goodies worth a whopping US$1.58 billion to Honduras, stamping itself as the second-biggest supplier, right after the good ol’ USA.

Want the inside scoop on how other countries waltz the diplomatic dance with China? Swing by our pages on Ecuador’s neighboring countries and Ethiopia’s neighboring countries for more goss.

Climate Change Resilience Efforts

Honduras isn’t just wrestling with diplomatic shifts; climate change is another heavyweight in the ring. The country’s farming and growth are up against some rough weather. To tackle this, both international knights and local champions are on the scene.

A standout hero? The Honduras COVID-19 Emergency Response Project, which isn’t just about masks and vaccines, but also about protecting folks in far-flung corners.

Then there’s the World Bank, pulling its weight by lending a hand in after-storm clean-ups and beefing up the country’s defenses against climate’s curveballs. Thanks to them, around 300,000 people have a better shot at standing firm against future storms.

Curious how climate resilience links with international help? Roll over to our takes on Haiti’s neighbors and Jamaica’s neighbors for tales that dig deep.

In a nutshell, Honduras’ new bonds with China open economic doors, while their run-ins with climate change are whittling a new form for growth and survival.

Aspect	Details
Diplomatic Relations	Made official on March 26, 2023
Major Trade Partner	China exported US$1.58 billion in goods to Honduras in 2021
Climate Change Initiatives	World Bank pitches in for disaster recovery and resilience building
COVID-19 Emergency Project	Aims to up vaccination rates and plug service gaps