| Choluteca Department | |
| Native Name: | Departamento de Choluteca |
| Native Name Lang: | es |
| Settlement Type: | department |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Honduras |
| Subdivision Type1: | Municipalities |
| Subdivision Name1: | 16 |
| Subdivision Type2: | Villages |
| Subdivision Name2: | 198 |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Established Date: | June 28, 1825 |
| Seat Type: | Capital city |
| Seat: | Choluteca |
| Leader Party: | PNH |
| Leader Title: | Gobernador |
| Leader Name: | Edgardo Tato Loucel (2018–2022) |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Total Km2: | 4397 |
| Population As Of: | 2015 |
| Population Total: | 447852 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | GDP (Nominal, 2015 US dollar) |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Total |
| Demographics1 Info1: | $1.0 billion (2023)[1] |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Per capita |
| Demographics1 Info2: | $1,800 (2023) |
| Demographics2 Title2: | Total |
| Demographics2 Info2: | $2.0 billion (2023) |
| Demographics2 Title3: | Per capita |
| Demographics2 Info3: | $3,800 (2023) |
| Timezone1: | CDT |
| Utc Offset1: | +6 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 51101, 51201 |
| Iso Code: | HN-CH |
| Blank Name Sec1: | HDI (2021) |
| Blank Info Sec1: | 0.583[2] · 13th of 18 |
| Footnotes: | Statistics derived from Consult INE online database: Population and Housing Census 2013[3] |
Choluteca is one of the 18 departments (departamentos) into which Honduras is divided. The departmental capital is the city of Choluteca. The Choluteca River runs through the department.
In the, the indigenous Cholutecas were engaged in trade in a vast territory encompassing the south of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, parts of El Salvador and Nicaragua. In the exercise of this industry they reached the South Coast of Honduras, and founded the settlement of what is now the city of Choluteca hundreds of years before the Spanish conquest.
Choluteca was created as a division of colonial rule from Guatemala in March 1535. Upon independence from Spain, the department of Choluteca was created on June 28, 1825, as one of the seven original departments in which Honduras was divided after independence during the government of the first head of state of Honduras, Dionisio de Herrera. Its borders were changed twice after the original partition. In 1843 the district of Guascorán was added to its territory, until then part of Comayagua. In 1893 its westernmost part was split, with the creation of the Valle department.
Choluteca is the southernmost department of Honduras with an area of 4360 km2. In 2015 it had an estimated population of 447,852 inhabitants. Chuleteca has many lands that are used for agriculture, fishing, sugar production, and shrimp farms. The head of the department is the city of Choluteca, which is located on the Choluteca river that crosses the department. One crosses the Choluteca Bridge to enter the city.
Choluteca is bordered to the north by the departments of Francisco Morazán and El Paraíso, to the west by the Golfo de Fonseca and the department of Valle, and to the east and south by Nicaragua.
The Choluteca Department has a number of 9 deputies elected for the National Congress.
| Deputy | Department | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Choluteca | PNH | ||
| Carlos Ledezma | Choluteca | PNH | |
| Clara Laínez | Choluteca | PNH | |
| Selvin Rueda | Choluteca | PNH | |
| María Bardales | Choluteca | PNH | |
| Yuri Sabas | Choluteca | PLH | |
| Carlos Lara | Choluteca | PLH | |
| Luis Martínez | Choluteca | Libre | |
| David Reyes | Choluteca | PINU-SD |
The department is, historically, a prominent producer of gold, silver, and copper. The region also had a cattle industry.[4]