Choluteca, Choluteca

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Choluteca is a municipality and the capital of the Honduran department of Choluteca. It is the regional center of southern Honduras. It has a major bus and mail hub, as well as regional light (ENEE) and water (SANAA) utility centers. The city is located on the Choluteca River, near the center of the department. An arching white bridge crosses the river into the city. This bridge, built in the 1930s by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, survived Hurricane Mitch, although the road it was connected to did not.

Choluteca's population of around 100,000 makes either the fourth or fifth largest city in the country, depending on the source. It is also the only major Honduran city on the Pan-American Highway. It is considered to be the hottest city in Honduras.

The city was originally founded in colonial Honduras in 1522 as Villa de Jerez de Choluteca. It received city status in 1845.

Choluteca was heavily damaged by flooding from Hurricane 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 neighborhoods under water temporarily.

Actually Choluteca is one of the most productive area of Honduras. In this region they produce and export melons, watermelons, okra, shrimp, sweet potato, salt, fish, gold, and electricity.

José Cecilio del Valle, the first President of Central America, was born in Choluteca in 1780.