Country Honduras Seat Gracias Postal code 42101, 42201 Population 333,125 (2015) | Founded 1825 Time zone -6 Area 4,234 km² Municipalities 28 | |
 | ||
Points of interest Celaque National Park, Aguas Termales Presidente, El Fuerte de San Cristóbal, Casa Galeano, Cerro Las Minas | ||
Lempira is one of the 18 departments of Honduras, Central America, located in the western part of the country with borders with El Salvador. It was named Gracias department until 1943, and the departmental capital is Gracias.
Contents
Map of Lempira Department, Honduras
In colonial times, Gracias was an early important administrative center for the Spaniards. It eventually lost importance to Antigua, in Guatemala.
Lempira is a rugged department, and it is relatively isolated from the rest of the country. The highest mountain peak in Honduras, Cerro las Minas, is in Lempira. The department was named after Lempira, a local chieftain of the Lenca people who fought against the Spanish conquistadores in the early 16th century. Opals are mined near the town of Opatoro.
The department covers a total surface area of 4,290 km² and, in 2005, had an estimated population of 277,910.
Municipalities
- Belén
- Candelaria
- Cololaca
- Erandique
- Gracias
- Gualcince
- Guarita
- La Campa
- La Iguala
- Las Flores
- La Unión
- La Virtud
- Lepaera
- Mapulaca
- Piraera
- San Andrés
- San Francisco
- San Juan Guarita
- San Manuel Colohete
- San Marcos de Caiquín
- San Rafael
- San Sebastián
- Santa Cruz
- Talgua
- Tambla
- Tomalá
- Valladolid
- Virginia