Honduras Research Paper

3165 Words13 Pages
Brittney Little Mr. Rogan English 111 7 November 2013 Honduras: The Murder Capital of the World In Honduras over 60% of the population live in poverty. It is one of the poorest countries in the American continent (“This is Honduras”). This economic stagnation has had far-reaching effects on the Honduran population, from poor education, healthcare, and joblessness to increased theft, and more severe criminal acts such as illegal drug trade, sexual assault, human trafficking, and murder. The impacts of foreign mission activity are noticeable and much needed, but they alone are not enough to change the direction of the Honduran economic and social situation. Sporadic foreign aid also does little to help Honduras on the scale necessary to…show more content…
It is estimated that seventy-five percent of the rural population are unable to meet basic needs (“Honduras”). Poverty affects sixty percent of the Honduran people, and thirty-six percent live below extreme poverty. These figures rise to sixty-three percent, and fifty percent in rural areas. Central hillside areas are home to about seventy-five percent of the rural population. The root of poverty is caused by lack of access to land, a vulnerable environment, and low agricultural production (“Rural Poverty in Honduras”). About sixty percent of the land in Honduras is still forested, but only twenty-five percent of that is obtainable for agriculture (“Honduras: Economy”). In the twentieth century the Honduran economy was based on one commodity, bananas. Like other third world countries, whose livelihood depends solely on one export, the Honduran economy was at the mercy of the world market and its current prices. Efforts to diversify agriculture and expand manufacturing have shown some slight improvement. Today, not even forty percent of Hondurans, between the ages of 20 to 45, are active economically. Sixteen percent of Hondurans work in industry, thirty percent in services, and forty percent in agriculture. Many Hondurans work for “the informal economy,” which is when they work selling fruits, vegetables, clothes, and other numerous items on the streets. Over the last fifteen years the political stability allowed Honduras to expand into areas such as tourism, apparel, manufacturing, and shrimp farming. The apparel industry has employed 130,000 Hondurans over the last fifteen years. The natural resources of Honduras have great potential; however, in order for them to contribute to the country’s wealth it is important they be managed with care. Tourism could be a potential source of income for Honduras because of the public and private investment (“This is Honduras”). Unfortunately, the country
Open Document