According to abbreviationfinder, Tegucigalpa is the capital of Honduras and seat of the government of the Republic, along with its twin sister Comayagüela. Founded on 29 of September of 1578 by the Spanish, it became the capital of the country 30 of October of 1880 under President Marco Aurelio Soto. The current Constitution of Honduras, promulgated in 1982, names the sister cities of Tegucigalpa and Comayagüela as the Central District to serve as the permanent national capital, in Articles 8 and 295.
Geography
Tegucigalpa is located in a chain of mountains at an elevation of 935 meters at its lowest points and 1,463 meters at its highest in suburban areas. The Choluteca River, which crosses the city from north to south, physically separates Tegucigalpa and Comayagüela. The El Picacho hill, a steep mountain of moderate height rises above the center of the city, several neighborhoods, both high-class and low-class residential, are located on its slopes. The city is made up of gentle hills, and the ring of mountains that surround the city tends to trap pollution. During the dry season, a dense cloud of smoke persists in the basin until the first rains of autumn. There is a dam, known as Embalse Los Laureles, to the west of the city providing 30 percent of the city’s water supply.
Climate
Teguicigalpa has a more moderate form of a humid and dry tropical climate. Of the main cities in Central America, the climate of Tegucigalpa is one of the most pleasant thanks to its high altitude. Like much of central Honduras, the city has a tropical climate, although temperate due to the altitude, that is, less humid than in the lower valleys and coastal regions, even average temperatures between 19 ° C and 23 ° C. The months of December and January are the coolest, while March and April, popularly associated with the popular festivities of Holy Week, are the hottest. The dry season lasts from November to April and the rainy season from May to October.
Demography
In 2011, the city of Tegucigalpa had approximately 1.5 million people. The city’s residents are mostly mestizo, with a small white Hispanic minority. They are joined by Chinese and Arab immigrants, the latter mainly from Palestine. There are indigenous Amerindians and Afro-Hondurans as well. See population of Honduras.
Economy
The production of small industries and mainly for local consumption, has increased since the 1970s with road improvements. Production includes textiles, clothing, sugar, tobacco, wood, plywood, paper, ceramics, cement, glass, metal, plastics, chemicals, tires, electrical appliances, and agricultural machinery. Some duty-free maquiladora plants have been established since the 1990s in an industrial park in the Amarateca valley, on the northern highway. Silver, lead and zinc continue to be mined on the outskirts of the city.
Government
Tegucigalpa is the political and administrative center of Honduras. It is also the seat of the government of the department of Francisco Morazán. The three branches of the national government, as well as their immediate divisions, including that of the 16 departments of the executive branch, the National Congress, the Supreme Court of Justice, and the headquarters of the Armed Forces and the National Police are located in the town. Most public bodies and state companies are based in the capital as well.
Local government takes shape in a mayoral council system. The administration of the mayor’s office is called the Municipal Mayor’s Office of the Central District (Central District Office of the Mayor), under the advice and consent of the Municipal Council of the Corporation (Municipal Corporation), 10 council members, five of them representing each one of the political parties in the country. Both the city mayor and the councilors are elected by the voters of the Central District.
Law enforcement in the city falls under the National Preventive Police and its subdivision, the Municipal Police. The State Prosecutor (State Attorney’s Office) and the Attorney General’s Office (Public Ministry) are in charge of criminal prosecution.
Central District
For all practical purposes, the capital of Honduras is Tegucigalpa. However, politically and officially speaking, the Municipality of the Central District (DC for short) is the capital of Honduras and Tegucigalpa and Comayagüela are two entities within the district. Traditionally, they are considered as twin or sister cities, in part because they were originally founded as two separate cities. When the Central District was formed on 30 of January of 1937 under Decree 53 of the amended article 179 of the Constitution of 1936 in Honduras, both cities became a political entity sharing the title of Capital of Honduras.
The Constitution of Honduras, by virtue of Chapter 1, Article 8, states, “The cities of Tegucigalpa and Comayagüela, together, constitute the capital of the Republic.” On the other hand, Chapter 11, Article 295, states “The Central District is made up of a single municipality made up of the former municipalities of Tegucigalpa and Comayagüela.” However, municipalities in Honduras are defined as political entities similar to counties, and may contain one or more cities.
