Francisco Morazán Department

Francisco Morazán (, abbreviated FMO) is one of the departments of Honduras.

It is located in the central part of the nation. The departmental capital is Tegucigalpa, which is also Honduras's national capital.

The department is very mountainous, with rugged ranges covered in pine forests; which are rocky and mostly clay. Valleys, like those of Guaimaca, Talanga, and Amarateca, are interspersed among the ranges. Many of the high mountain peaks house cloud forests, like La Tigra National park or Cerro Uyuca. The extreme southeastern portion of the department has a Pacific dry forest environment, while the northern portion contains the ''Montaña de la Flor'', home to the Jicaque people.

Francisco Morazán department covers a total surface area of and, in 2005, had an estimated population of 1,680,700 people.

The coat-of-arms and departmental flag of Francisco Morazán Department are the same as its capital, Tegucigalpa.Crwflags.com: Francisco Morazán Department
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History

Precolumbian Times

In pre-Columbian times the department was inhabited mainly by Lenca Indians in the center and south and Tolupan in the north. Archaeological sites demonstrate that they were inhabited by an organized society since approximately the pre-Classic Mesoamerican period. Las Terrazas Ruins as well as the Ayasta caves are examples of organized human presence before European colonization.

Colonial era and independence

The territory began to be colonized by the Spanish in the 16th century and the towns of San Miguel de Tegucigalpa, Santa Lucia, and Ojojona were founded as mining hubs. Over time, the territory of what is now Francisco Morazán was part of the Province of Tegucigalpa. The name of the department honors Francisco Morazán, one of the most important heroes in the history of Central America, who was a political and military leader during the time of the Central American Federation in the 19th century

20th century

Until April 16th of 1943 it was known as Tegucigalpa department. It was renamed after national hero Francisco Morazán.

Municipalities

# Alubarén
# Cedros
# Curarén
# Distrito Central (cap. Tegucigalpa)
# El Porvenir
# Guaimaca
# La Libertad
# La Venta
# Lepaterique
# Maraita
# Marale
# Nueva Armenia
# Ojojona
# Orica
# Reitoca
# Sabanagrande
# San Antonio de Oriente
# San Buenaventura
# San Ignacio
# San Miguelito
# Santa Ana
# Santa Lucía
# Talanga
# Tatumbla
# Valle de Ángeles
# Vallecillo
# Villa de San Francisco

See also

* Arnoldo José Avilés García

Notes

References

Departments of Honduras

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