Meámbar is a municipality in the department of Comayagua in Honduras. It covers an area of and had a population of 12,522 inhabitants according to the 2013 census.
History Petroglyphs and other archeological evidence from the pre-Columbian period have been found between the villages of Loma Alta and Palmital in the municipality. The history of the first known settlement goes back to 1630 to the indigenous village of Meámbar, which was located east to the current settlement on the right bank of the Piojo River. "Meámbar" roughly translates to "water of the corn and sugarcane" in the Mesoamerican language. In 1801, Alonso Oseguera de Contreras established the municipality on the west bank of the Piojo River. During the Spanish colonial period, it served as a strategic transit center due to its central location, and became a major commercial hub.
Geography Meámbar is located in the department of Comayagua in Honduras. The municipality covers an area of . It is located in the northwestern part of the department, and borders the Cortés department to the north and west. The Laguna Seca Mountain mountains are located in the west central part of the municipality. It is traversed by the Maragua and Piojo rivers, and the water storage area of the Francisco Morazán Dam, which is located in the nearby municipality of Santa Cruz de Yojoa, occupies majority of the north western part of the municipality. Approximately 80% of the land area is covered by broad leaf forests, and the Meámbar Azul National Park is located next to the along Lake Yojoa to the west.
Meámbar has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen climate classification: Am). The municipality has an average annual temperature of and typically receives about of annual precipitation.
Administration The municipality comprises 25 aldeas (villages) and their associated caseríos (hamlets).
+Aldeas of Meámbar Aldea Population (2013) Men Women Meámbar 1,142 579 563 Agua Caliente 407 205 202 Chichipate 120 64 56 El Aguaje 377 194 183 El Buen Pastor 659 320 339 El Cienegal No. 1 295 157 138 El Palmital 848 466 382 El Zapote 179 94 85 Jicarito 418 204 214 La Concepción 559 277 282 La Joya 483 258 225 La Mesa 356 182 174 La Pimienta 457 247 210 Las Lajas 817 415 402 Los Globos 840 444 396 San José de los Planes 894 455 439 Matapalo 154 83 71 Monte de Dios 591 294 297 Ojo de Agua 155 86 69 Potrerillos 253 124 129 Pueblo Nuevo 442 225 217 San Antonio de Buenos Aires 555 264 291 San Isidro 291 143 148 Santa Ana 784 404 380 Santa Elena 446 213 233 Total 12,522 6,398 6,124
Demographics According to the 2013 census, Meámbar had a total population of 12,522 inhabitants, of whom 6,398 (51.1%) were men and 6,124 (48.9%) were women. The entire population was classified as rural.
By broad age group, 5,265 individuals (42.0%) were aged 0–14 years, 6,657 individuals (53.2%) were aged 15–64, and 599 individuals (4.8%) were aged 65 years and over. The median age was 18.0 years and the mean age was 23.5 years. Among the population aged 15 and over, the municipality recorded an illiteracy rate of 22.2%, significantly higher than the departmental average of 14.6%. The municipality had 2,544 occupied private dwellings, with an average of 4.8 persons per occupied dwelling.
The economy is dependent on agriculture and livestock rearing. Major agricultural produce include sugarcane, coffee, cucumber, and beet.
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