Balfate facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Balfate
Municipality
Balfate Location in Honduras
Country	Honduras
Department	Colón
Area
• Total	332 km2 (128 sq mi)
Population  (2015)
• Total	13,217
• Density	39.81/km2 (103.11/sq mi)
Climate	Af

Balfate is a small area in Honduras. It is known as a municipality within the Colón department. A municipality is like a local government area, similar to a county or district.

About Balfate

The main town of Balfate has about 2,500 people. But the whole municipality includes other towns too. Some of these are Lucinda, with about 600 people, and Lis Lis, with about 1,200 people. Many other smaller communities are also part of Balfate.

Healthcare in Balfate

In January 2003, a new hospital called Hospital Loma de Luz opened in Balfate. This hospital was very important for the area. It brought much-needed medical care to the people living there.

Roads and Travel

A major paved highway connects the cities of La Ceiba and Trujillo. However, this main road does not go through Balfate. Instead, there is a gravel and dirt road that connects Jutiapa to Balfate. This road needs to be improved.

The government has plans to extend this road all the way to Trujillo. Trujillo has one of the best natural harbors in the world. Completing this road would make travel easier. It would save about 40 kilometers (25 miles) when traveling from La Ceiba to Trujillo.

Challenges for Road Building

Building the road to Trujillo is difficult. In this part of Honduras, the mountains go all the way to the ocean. This makes it hard to build roads. Also, travelers need to cross several rivers that do not have bridges. This is especially challenging during the wet season, usually in December and January. Currently, the road ends at Rio Esteban, which is about 20 kilometers (12 miles) east of Balfate.

Balfate's History with Bananas

Balfate holds a special place in Honduran history. It was the very first port in Honduras to send banana shipments to the United States. This was a big deal for the country's economy.

However, the railroad tracks that carried the bananas were taken apart in the mid-1950s. The pier where ships loaded the bananas was also torn down. There is a chance that the new highway could be built along the path where the old railroad used to be. This would help connect the coastline and bring more development to the area.

See also

In Spanish: Balfate para niños