Intibucá ( Spanish pronunciation: [intiˈβuka] ) is one of the 18 departments in the Republic of Honduras . Intibucá covers a total surface area of 1,186.1 square miles (3,072 km). Its capital is the city of La Esperanza , in the municipality of La Esperanza.
8-581: The department of Intibucá was created on April 16, 1883 upon recommendation of the Governor of the department of Gracias (now called Lempira) , Jose Maria Cacho in 1869. He advised that the vast size of Gracias made it difficult to govern and that it would be desirable to divide it into more than one department. On March 7, 1883 Decree No. 10 was issued, which called for the creation of a new department to be named Intibucá in April of that year. The town of La Esperanza
16-543: Is 30 km long by 8 km wide. The Opalaca mountains have several ridges and crosses over into the department of La Paz. Sierra de Montecillos is a natural border with the department of Comayagua , and contains the mountains Opatoro, Concepción, El Picacho, Goascotoro, El Granadino among others. Rivers of La Esperanza include the San Juan River and the Intibucá River, which passes through La Esperanza. Otoro River
24-671: Is a tributary of the Ulua River, and carries water to the Otoro valley. The Black River, known by the name of Guarajambala River , serves as a dividing line with the department of Lempira. Torola River and Gualcarque River flow into the Lempa river. According to the 1895 census , Intibucá had a population of 18,957 people at that time. In 2015, it had grown to 241,568 people, divided among 17 municipalities and 126 villages (aldeas). The mountains and slopes are well supplied with pine and Oak forests, and
32-568: The east, and Santa Bárbara to the north. To its south lies the El Salvador–Honduras border . The departmental capital is Gracias . It was named Gracias department until 1943. 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
40-624: 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 Erandique . The department covers a total surface area of 4,290 km . In 2005, had an estimated population of 277,910. Lempira
48-463: The valleys thrive with fertile, well-watered soil, covered with vegetation characteristic of the temperate rather than tropical zone. Intibucá has the following municipalities of Honduras : Lempira Department Lempira is one of the 18 departments in Honduras . located in the western part of the country, it is bordered by the departments of Ocotepeque and Copán to the west, Intibucá to
56-558: The west by the department of Lempira, and on the south by the Republic of El Salvador . Intibucá is the most mountainous district of Honduras. The capital of La Esperanza lies at an elevation of 4,950 feet (1,510 m) above sea level. The table-land and valleys are higher than in any other part of the country, and the ranges of the Cordilleras rise to an altitude approaching 10,000 feet (3,000 m) feet above sea level. The valley of Otoro
64-425: Was designated to be the capital of the new department. To create the new department, territory from both the departments of Gracias and La Paz were reassigned. The department of Intibucá is situated between latitudes 13°51'E and 14°42'N and longitudes 87°46'W and 88°42'W. It is bounded on the north by the departments of Comayagua, Lempira, and Santa Bárbara, on the east by the departments of Comayagua and La Paz, on
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