It is located in the central part of the nation. The departmental capital is Tegucigalpa, which is also Honduras's national capital.
The department is very mountainous, with rugged ranges covered in pine forests; which are rocky and mostly clay. Valleys, like those of Guaimaca, Talanga, and Amarateca, are interspersed among the ranges. Many of the high mountain peaks house cloud forests, like La Tigra National park or Cerro Uyuca. The extreme southeastern portion of the department has a Pacific dry forest environment, while the northern portion contains the Montaña de la Flor, home to the Jicaque people.
Francisco Morazán department covers a total surface area of 7,946 km2 (3,068 sq mi) and, in 2005, had an estimated population of 1,680,700 people.
The coat-of-arms and departmental flag of Francisco Morazán Department are the same as its capital, Tegucigalpa.[4]
History
Precolumbian Times
In pre-Columbian times the department was inhabited mainly by Lenca Indians in the center and south and Tolupan in the north. Archaeological sites demonstrate that they were inhabited by an organized society since approximately the pre-Classic Mesoamerican period. Las Terrazas Ruins as well as the Ayasta caves are examples of organized human presence before European colonization.
Colonial era and independece
The territory began to be colonized by the Spanish in the 16th century and the towns of San Miguel de Tegucigalpa, Santa Lucia, and Ojojona were founded as mining hubs. Over time, the territory of what is now Francisco Morazán was part of the Province of Tegucigalpa. The name of the department honors Francisco Morazán, one of the most important heroes in the history of Central America, who was a political and military leader during the time of the Central American Federation in the 19th century
20th century
Until April 16th of 1943 it was known as Tegucigalpa department. It was renamed after national hero Francisco Morazán.
^The department of Tegucigalpa (renamed Francisco Morazán in 1943) was one of the first 7 departments in which the national territory was divided in the first political division of Honduras in 1825.
