Puerto Lempira

Puerto Lempira or Auhya Yari is the Miskito capital of the Gracias a Dios department in northeastern Honduras, located on the shores of the Caratasca Lagoon. Though it does not have paved roads, it is the largest town in the La Mosquitia region.[2]

Puerto Lempira
Municipality
Dock in Puerto Lempira
Dock in Puerto Lempira
Puerto Lempira is located in Honduras
Puerto Lempira
Puerto Lempira
Location in Honduras
Coordinates: 15°16′N 83°46′W
CountryHonduras
DepartmentGracias a Dios
Villages31
Area
  Municipality7,126 km2 (2,751 sq mi)
Elevation
10 m (30 ft)
Population
 (2023 projection)[1]
  Municipality61,626
  Density8.6/km2 (22/sq mi)
  Urban
25,662
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central America)
ClimateAf

The town is named for the 16th century leader of the indigenous Lenca peoples, Lempira, who directed an ultimately unsuccessful resistance against the Spanish conquistador forces in the 1530s.

Puerto Lempira became the departmental capital in 1975, prior to which it was Brus Laguna. In the 1980s, the town became a centre for CIA operations against the Sandinistas.[3]

Its population is 22,860 (2023 calculation).[4]

Puerto Lempira is sister city to Plattsburgh, New York, US, and has been since 2011.

Demographics

At the time of the 2013 Honduras census, Puerto Lempira municipality had a population of 47,528. Of these, 82.41% were Indigenous (81.98% Miskito), 14.86% Mestizo, 1.34% Afro-Honduran or Black, 1.27% White and 0.13% others.[5]

Culture

Miskito culture is dominant, though not exclusive.

Language

Miskito language is dominant and official in the region, followed by Mayangna and Spanish.

Transportation

The city is served by Puerto Lempira Airport, which operates several flights a week on a regular schedule.

Climate

Like most of the Caribbean side of Central America, Puerto Lempira has a warm, humid and rainy tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af). Its driest month of March, when the relentlessly wet trade winds are weakest, is only marginally rainy enough to avoid a tropical monsoon classification; however, between June and December monthly rainfall consistently averages above or near 300 millimetres or 12 inches.

Climate data for Puerto Lempira (1961-1990, extremes 1961-present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 33.0
(91.4)
35.2
(95.4)
36.4
(97.5)
37.0
(98.6)
38.0
(100.4)
34.8
(94.6)
35.0
(95.0)
37.3
(99.1)
38.1
(100.6)
35.0
(95.0)
34.6
(94.3)
32.8
(91.0)
38.1
(100.6)
Average high °C (°F) 28.2
(82.8)
28.8
(83.8)
30.2
(86.4)
31.1
(88.0)
31.6
(88.9)
30.7
(87.3)
30.1
(86.2)
30.3
(86.5)
30.6
(87.1)
29.7
(85.5)
29.0
(84.2)
28.4
(83.1)
29.9
(85.8)
Daily mean °C (°F) 25.9
(78.6)
26.2
(79.2)
27.3
(81.1)
28.2
(82.8)
28.5
(83.3)
28.1
(82.6)
27.9
(82.2)
28.1
(82.6)
27.8
(82.0)
27.2
(81.0)
26.7
(80.1)
26.1
(79.0)
27.3
(81.1)
Average low °C (°F) 22.0
(71.6)
21.8
(71.2)
22.1
(71.8)
23.0
(73.4)
23.7
(74.7)
24.1
(75.4)
23.9
(75.0)
24.0
(75.2)
23.6
(74.5)
23.2
(73.8)
23.1
(73.6)
22.7
(72.9)
23.1
(73.6)
Record low °C (°F) 14.5
(58.1)
14.0
(57.2)
12.5
(54.5)
15.0
(59.0)
21.4
(70.5)
15.5
(59.9)
16.0
(60.8)
17.4
(63.3)
17.0
(62.6)
15.3
(59.5)
15.5
(59.9)
11.0
(51.8)
11.0
(51.8)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 193.2
(7.61)
135.8
(5.35)
69.3
(2.73)
79.7
(3.14)
215.6
(8.49)
368.0
(14.49)
420.3
(16.55)
354.1
(13.94)
316.3
(12.45)
456.9
(17.99)
430.6
(16.95)
293.1
(11.54)
3,332.9
(131.22)
Average rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm) 12 9 6 5 9 16 19 17 16 19 16 15 159
Source 1: NOAA[6]
Source 2: Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)[7]

References

  1. Citypopulation.de Population of departments and municipalities in Honduras
  2. Chandler, Gary & Prado, Liza. Honduras & the Bay Islands (2007) p. 297 (ISBN 978-1740591508)
  3. Gill, Nicholas. Frommer's Honduras (2009) p.260 (ISBN 978-0470159439)
  4. Citypopulation.de Population of cities in Honduras
  5. Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), bases de datos en línea
  6. "Puerto Lempira Climate Normals 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  7. "Station Puerto Lempira" (in French). Meteo Climat. Retrieved 12 June 2016.


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