La Unión is a municipality

Municipality

A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...

 in the Honduran

Honduras

Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...

 department of Lempira.

It is one of the smallest municipalities of the Lempira department; travel to La Unión is a challenge. One way is to go 75 km from Gracias city on the common road for La Iguala

La Iguala

La Iguala is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.La Iguala is one of the oldest municipalities of the Lempira department. The municipality capital is also known as "La Iguala Centro". The access to this town is quite a challenge. Both ways will be briefly described here...

 and San Rafael

San Rafael, Lempira

San Rafael is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.San Rafael is one of the farthest municipalities of the Lempira department of Honduras...

, about 3 km before San Rafael is a left turn. An additional 13 km must be travelled. Another way is via Santa Bárbara-El Nispero-San Jerónimo-San Rafael-La Unión; the first 3 locations are in Santa Bárbara

Santa Bárbara (department)

Santa Bárbara is one of the 18 departments into which the Central American nation of Honduras is divided.The departmental capital is Santa Bárbara.The department covers a total surface area of 5,115...

 department.

History

Formerly La Unión was a village called "Pueblo Nuevo", in the jurisdiction of "El Conal" (currently San Rafael). The municipality was created on May 3rd 1916.

Geography

La Unión is located in a plateau-like surface, guarded by dense, green mountains. Despite the apparent elevation from sea level, sub-tropical forests are present and the weather is tropical.

Boundaries

Its boundaries are:

• North : Santa Bárbara department.
• South : San Rafael
  San Rafael, Lempira
  San Rafael is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.San Rafael is one of the farthest municipalities of the Lempira department of Honduras...
  
   and La Iguala
  La Iguala
  La Iguala is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.La Iguala is one of the oldest municipalities of the Lempira department. The municipality capital is also known as "La Iguala Centro". The access to this town is quite a challenge. Both ways will be briefly described here...
  
   municipalities.
• East : Santa Bárbara department.
• West : La Iguala
  La Iguala
  La Iguala is a municipality in the Honduran department of Lempira.La Iguala is one of the oldest municipalities of the Lempira department. The municipality capital is also known as "La Iguala Centro". The access to this town is quite a challenge. Both ways will be briefly described here...
  
   municipality.

• Surface Extents: 84 km²

Resources

This is a very prosperous town, due to coffee in both ways of plantations and gathering. The plantations are located in "Fincas" on the surrounding high mountains and the gathering in the town. Crops of Corn and Beans are indispensable. The cattle and milk products are for local consumption. There is Abundant Life Christian School

Abundant Life Christian School

Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin is the largest non-sectarian private school in the area. ALCS was founded by Lake City Church in 1978. The school's mission is to promote "Christian character and academic excellence." This K4–12 school shares its campus with Lake City Church ...

 a bilingual school in La Unión, as well as public elementaries. Electrity and mobile communications services have been recently introduced to the region since 2006. There are several small grocery stores called :es:Pulpería. The transportation services assign more buses to Santa Bárbara than to Gracias.

Population

The majority of people is a cross-breed of native Indians and Spanish settlers, but a significant amount of white people are seen.

• Population: In 2001 La Unión had 9,800 people. According to estimates; for 2008 it's expected to have 12,759.
• Villages: 6
• Settlements: 43

Tourism

La Unión is certainly an amazing place to visit, it is worth all the effort to get there because the mountains around it are imposing, dense and green. It has some streets paved with rocks and a viewer, from where the visitor can enjoy a nice landscape of the whole town. There are several places with internet access.

• Local Holidays: "Divina Pastora" day; March 4th.