Honduras

Bordered by three countries, Honduras is one of Central America's larger countries, with nearly 44,000 square miles. Its name is Spanish for "depths" and likely references a letter written by famed explorer Christopher Columbus, who referred to the region as depths while sailing along the northeastern coast.

Columbus, in fact, sailing for the Spanish, is credited with discovering Honduras on his fourth and final voyage to the New World in 1502. Upon that discovery, modern-day Honduras became a part of the increasingly vast Spanish Empire within the Kingdom of Guatemala. Three centuries later, Honduras was granted its independence from Spain, becoming a member of the Federal Republic of Central America until its disintegration in 1838. At that time, Honduras became an independent nation.

One of the more notable events in Honduras' vast history is the "Football" War, which took place in 1969. After political conflicts rooted in the migration of vast numbers of El Salvadorans to Honduras, tensions escalated when the two countries met for a qualifying football match for the following year's World Cup. The Salvadoran army then launched an attack on Honduras before outside forces negotiated a cease-fire.

Today, the country has several areas amenable to tourists. However, significant portions of the country lack both infrastructure and governmental presence. In fact, Honduran political unrest remains a topic of debate worldwide in 2009, as President Manuel Zelaya was arrested by armed forces in June of 2009, only to be replaced as President that same day, a move questioned by several supporters of democracy, including the United States, across the globe.