Lempira Department


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.
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">Municipalities of Honduras">Municipalities

  1. Belén
  2. Candelaria
  3. Cololaca
  4. Erandique
  5. Gracias
  6. Gualcince
  7. Guarita
  8. La Campa
  9. La Iguala
  10. Las Flores
  11. La Unión
  12. La Virtud
  13. Lepaera
  14. Mapulaca
  15. Piraera
  16. San Andrés
  17. San Francisco
  18. San Juan Guarita
  19. San Manuel Colohete
  20. San Marcos de Caiquín
  21. San Rafael
  22. San Sebastián
  23. Santa Cruz
  24. Talgua
  25. Tambla
  26. Tomalá
  27. Valladolid
  28. Virginia