This week I am going to be investigating four nations that I think have intriguing investment opportunities that are part of the World Cup 2010 in South Africa. Today we move to Honduras in Central America.
Yesterday, we looked at the Eastern European nation of Slovenia. Tomorrow, we will look at Nigeria and finish up with Chile. These reports will talk about the nation, its history, its economy, and why it is an interesting investment moving forward. This will help us get into the spirit for the World Cup and connect it to investing! The stadium on the right is the first stadium that Honduras will be playing in called Nelspruit – Mbombela Stadium.
Did you know that in the past ten years, Honduras has seen over 70% growth in its GDP, increasing its GDP per capita from $1100 to $4175? This has helped Honduras move from a rank of 122 to 109th.
Historically, Honduras is one of the most prominent banana republics. The actual terminology of calling a nation a banana republic began in Honduras in the late 19th Century. In William Sydney Porter’s book Cabbage and Kings, Porter refers to 
Honduras as a banana repbulic while staying there. The nation was a major exporter to the European empire for banana and received very little in return for their abundant natural resource. Honduras has a long history of colonization
The nation was first colonized by Spain in the early 16th Century by the great, almighty Christopher Columbus. Spain ruled the nation till 1821, when they received independence.The nation has been independent ever since but always been at the brunt of first world nations’ power. Honduras has since the post-WWII era had severe political strife. The nation became democratic in 1982 for the first time, but just last year, the nation performed a coup d’etat that removed power from the president and transferred to the head of Honduras’ Congress. The nation’s political struggles have continually dampered the nation’s significant economic capacities, which are abundant. Natural disasters, as well, have continually caused issues for Honduras.
The political strife of 2009 has caused the nation to extremely damper its economic chances. The 2009 Presidential Crisis took power away from then President Manuel Zelaya, and he was deported. The new leader of the party Porfirio Lobo Sosa was elected in the 2009 elections, and slowly, nations have begun to give support to him and his party. Sosa is a conservative politician that…
