Choluteca | |
|---|---|
Municipality | |
 Choluteca City | |
| Nicknames: Cholu,Cholutexas | |
  Choluteca | |
| Coordinates:13°18′10″N87°11′00″W / 13.30278°N 87.18333°W /13.30278; -87.18333 | |
| Country |  Honduras |
| Department | Choluteca |
| Municipality | Choluteca |
| Founded | 1522 |
| Villa Title | 1585 |
| City Title | 1845 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Democratic Municipality |
| • Mayor | Quintín Soriano |
| • Vice-Mayor | Martha Margarita Oyuela |
| Area | |
• Municipality | 1,072 km2 (414 sq mi) |
| Population (2023 projection)[1] | |
• Municipality | 175,056 |
| • Density | 163.3/km2 (422.9/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 115,906 |
| Abbreviation | Cholu |
| Climate | Am |
Choluteca is a municipality and the capital city of theHonduran department of thesame name. Situated in southernHonduras betweenEl Salvador andNicaragua, the city is generally considered the regional centre of southern Honduras and is a major transit point on the Pan-American Highway. It has a major bus station and is home to the regional light (ENEE) and water (SANAA) utilities. The city is located on theCholuteca River,[2] near the centre of the department. An arching silver bridge crosses the river into the city.
Choluteca's population of 99,980 (2023 calculation)[3] makes it the seventh largest city in the country. It is the only major Honduran city on thePan-American Highway. It is considered to be the second-hottest city in Honduras afterNacaome.
When Spanishconquistadors arrived in southernHonduras in 1535, theChorotegaindigenous people inhabited the area. In 1541, a town was founded there by Captain Cristobál de la Cueva which was known as Villa de Xerez de la Frontera de Choluteca.[4] The conquistadors had a practice of establishing colonies in their territories in strategic locations to dominate and take over the land from the indigenous people.[5] With the founding of Xerex de la Frontera, that strategy was used to possess a communication center with the sister republics ofGuatemala andNicaragua.[6] Like other parts of Honduras, the Choluteca area had many mineral deposits[5][7] and fertile land for agriculture, making it one of the richest colonies of Honduras for the Spanish government.
From its founding, Villa de Xerez de la Frontera depended on the Guatemalan government, but in 1580, it became part of theTegucigalpa, Hondurasmunicipality. Under the Honduran presidentCoronado Chávez, the city was officially named “Choluteca” on October 1, 1845 by theNational Congress of the Republic.
There are many versions of Choluteca's founding.Federico Lunardi says it was established in 1535,[8] Rómulo Ernesto Durón says 1533, andDoris Stone says 1540.[9] The modern historian Marxis Lenin Hernández says there is a need to investigate the real origin of Choluteca because of these discrepancies. He says that Federico Lunardi's version of the history is the most widespread.
Over the years, Choluteca has developed into one of the country's most important centers of history, culture, and commerce.
Choluteca was heavily damaged by flooding fromHurricane Mitch in 1998. It received more rainfall than any other place affected by the storm – 36 inches in only a few days. This is the amount of rain the city normally receives in 212 days. In addition, the Choluteca River swelled to six times its normal width, putting entire neighbourhoods under water temporarily.[2] Many villages and suburbs, likeStevensville, were badly damaged, suffering immense property losses and a high number of deaths.
The charitySolar net Village helped to rebuildSan Ramón, Choluteca[10] and restored electricity inSan Francisco, Lempira.[11]
Choluteca is one of the most productive areas of Honduras. The department raises commodity crops of sugar,cantaloupe,watermelon,okra, andsweet potato. It also harvestsshrimp and fish, and produces salt, and a fewprecious metals.
José Cecilio del Valle, the first President ofCentral America, was born in Choluteca in 1780. His house (Casa Valle, located on the main square) is now a cultural centre housing the local library and a tourist centre. The house is featured on the back of the 100-lempira note.
Dania Prince,Miss Earth 2003 and the only Honduran to win a grandslam beauty pageant, came from Choluteca.
The city is served byCholuteca Airport, which, as of 2022, has no commercial airline services.
Choluteca is one of the hottest cities ofCentral America and the most hot in Honduras, as well gives atropical monsoon climate (Köppen:Am), the registered high temperature of the city is 45.0 °C (113.0 °F) in March 1984 and the lowest is 17 °C (62.6 °F).
| Climate data for Choluteca, Choluteca | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 38.6 (101.5) | 37.7 (99.9) | 39.0 (102.2) | 45.9 (114.6) | 44.7 (112.5) | 44.0 (111.2) | 36.5 (97.7) | 36.5 (97.7) | 35.1 (95.2) | 34.9 (94.8) | 35.9 (96.6) | 36.0 (96.8) | 45.9 (114.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 34.9 (94.8) | 36.0 (96.8) | 37.0 (98.6) | 38.1 (100.6) | 36.1 (97.0) | 34.0 (93.2) | 34.1 (93.4) | 33.0 (91.4) | 32.6 (90.7) | 32.6 (90.7) | 33.5 (92.3) | 34.3 (93.7) | 34.7 (94.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 28.6 (83.5) | 29.2 (84.6) | 30.1 (86.2) | 31.0 (87.8) | 29.5 (85.1) | 28.8 (83.8) | 28.8 (83.8) | 28.7 (83.7) | 28.7 (83.7) | 28.6 (83.5) | 28.6 (83.5) | 28.6 (83.5) | 29.1 (84.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 23.1 (73.6) | 23.0 (73.4) | 23.5 (74.3) | 24.5 (76.1) | 24.2 (75.6) | 23.4 (74.1) | 23.8 (74.8) | 23.6 (74.5) | 22.9 (73.2) | 22.8 (73.0) | 22.7 (72.9) | 23.0 (73.4) | 23.4 (74.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 19.7 (67.5) | 20.0 (68.0) | 20.4 (68.7) | 21.8 (71.2) | 21.7 (71.1) | 21.6 (70.9) | 21.2 (70.2) | 21.1 (70.0) | 21.2 (70.2) | 21.1 (70.0) | 20.5 (68.9) | 19.6 (67.3) | 19.6 (67.3) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 1 (0.0) | 2 (0.1) | 8 (0.3) | 10 (0.4) | 321 (12.6) | 342 (13.5) | 110 (4.3) | 230 (9.1) | 350 (13.8) | 320 (12.6) | 40.0 (1.57) | 6.7 (0.26) | 1,740.7 (68.53) |
| Average rainy days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 0 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 20 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 19 | 4 | 1 | 145 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 292.9 | 272.0 | 291.2 | 242.7 | 235.6 | 211.1 | 232.6 | 234.3 | 194.8 | 233.3 | 246.1 | 274.2 | 2,960.8 |
| Source:NOAA[12] | |||||||||||||
Capital:Choluteca | ||
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