Honduran Bicentennial Banknote Celebrates Education and Environment

The Republic of Honduras is located in Central America, bordering on many countries – to the west Guatemala, to the southwest El Salvador and to the southeast Nicaragua. To the south is the Gulf of Fonseca in the Pacific Ocean, and to the north is the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean. Its capital and largest city is Tegucigalpa. Significantly, Honduras will soon be celebrating its bicentennial alongside several other Central American countries, recognising 200 years of independence from Spanish colonisation which began in 1492 and ended in 1821.

The currency of Honduras is the lempira (HNL), introduced in 1926 to replace the peso. The lempira was named in honour of the cacique (native chief) Lenca Lempira, who is renowned in Honduran folklore as a national hero for leading the local resistance against the Spanish conquistador forces. The Central Bank of Honduras (CBH) took over production of paper money in 1950 on its foundation.