Copán Department Explained

Official Name:Copán
Settlement Type:department
Mapsize:200px
Pushpin Label Position:bottom
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Honduras
Coordinates:14.7667°N -135°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Honduras
Subdivision Type1:Municipalities
Subdivision Name1:23
Subdivision Type2:Villages
Subdivision Name2:337
Established Title:Founded
Established Date:28 May 1869
Seat:Santa Rosa de Copán
Government Type:Departmental
Area Total Km2:3239
Population Footnotes:[1]
Population Total:382722
Population As Of:2015
Population Density Km2:auto
Demographics Type1:GDP (Nominal, 2015 US dollar)
Demographics1 Title1:Total
Demographics1 Info1:$1.1 billion (2023)[2]
Demographics1 Title2:Per capita
Demographics1 Info2:$2,300 (2023)
Demographics2 Title2:Total
Demographics2 Info2:$2.2 billion (2023)
Demographics2 Title3:Per capita
Demographics2 Info3:$4,700 (2023)
Timezone1:CDT
Utc Offset1:-6
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:41101, 41202
Iso Code:HN-CP
Blank Name Sec1:HDI (2021)
Blank Info Sec1:0.572[3]
· 15th of 18
Footnotes:Statistics derived from Consult INE online database: Population and Housing Census 2013[4]

Copán is one of the departments in the western part of Honduras. The departmental capital is the town of Santa Rosa de Copán. The department is well known for its tobacco and fine cigars.

The department is famous for its Pre-Columbian archaeological site at Copán, one of the greatest cities of the Maya civilization.

The department of Copán covers a total surface area of 3,242 km2 and, in 2015, had an estimated population of about 382,722 people.

Etymology

The name "Copán" is from the Mayan Ch'orti' language.

History

The territory that today is the department was inhabited by the Maya-Chortis civilization in the west and north; and Lenca in the extreme south. Its name "Copán" is due to the chief Copán Galel, a warrior who defended his lands before the Spanish colonization. This territory was within the jurisdiction of the colonial city of Gracias a Dios and until May 28, 1869, it was within the jurisdiction of the department of Lempira. On that date it was officially created as the Department of Copán and the city of Santa Rosa de Copán was named as the capital, during the administration of Captain General Don José María Medina. [5]

Economy

The Department of Copán is a geographically mountainous area, its main source of income is tourism to the Mayan archaeological sites, followed by the cultivation and production of coffee, tobacco, livestock, agriculture of vegetables and basic grains, production of articles in leather or saddlery, industrial products, etc.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: GeoHive - Honduras extended.
  2. Web site: TelluBase—Honduras Fact Sheet (Tellusant Public Service Series). 2024-01-11.
  3. Web site: Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab. hdi.globaldatalab.org. en. 2018-09-13.
  4. Web site: Consulta Base de datos INE en línea: Censo de Población y Vivienda 2013 . Consult INE online database: Population and Housing Census 2013 . es . 1 August 2018 . Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) . El Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) . 2018-09-13.
  5. Web site: A. Canuto . Marcello . February 2008 . The Ties that Bind: Administrative strategies in the El Paraiso Valley, Department of Copan, Honduras .