Honduran_units_of_measurement
Honduran units of measurement
Units of measurement used in Honduras
A number of units of measurement were used in Honduras for length, mass, volume etc. In Honduras, the metric system was adopted in 1910, and has been compulsory since 1912, under a joint convention between Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador.[1][2]
Before the introduction of the metric system, a number of modified Spanish (Castilian[2]), English and local units were used, and continue to be used today by a large part of the country.[1]
Length
A number of units were used to measure length. One vara was equal to 0.836 m.[1][2] Some other units are given below:[1][2]
1 cuarta = 1⁄4 vara
1 tercia = 1⁄3 vara
1 mecate = 24 varas.
1 legua = 5,000 varas[3]
Area
The manzana was used by farmers to measure land area. For large areas, land was customarily measured in labors or legua.[3]
1 manzana = 10,000 vara2 = 1.727 acres = 6,989 m2 ≈ .7 hectare[lower-alpha 1]
1 labor = 1 million vara2
1 legua[lower-alpha 2] = 25 labors = 25 million vara2
Mass
Several units were used to measure mass in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador. Some units are given below:[1][2]
1 caja = 16 kg
1 quintal = 100 libras[lower-alpha 3] ≈ 46 kg ≈ 101.4 lbs[3]
1 carga[lower-alpha 4] = 2 quintals ≈ 200 lbs ≈ 90.72 kg[5]
Volume
Several units were used to measure capacity in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador.
1 botella = 0.63 to 0.67 L.[1][2]
1 cajuela = 16.6 L.[1]
1 cuartillo varies between countries,[1] but defined as 4 octavillos or 1/4 almude and contains 1.156 L ≈ 1.222 qt(US) (liquid) ≈ 1.017 qt(Imp)[3]
1 fanega = 12 almudes = 48 cuartillos ≈ 55.50 L ≈ 1.960 ft3 (1.575 U.S. bushels)[3]
- In Honduras and El Salvador a sack of beans or coffee typically weighs one quintal. Two of these are loaded on a mule or horse to make one load, or carga in Spanish. The unit carga is cited for yuca and yams as approximately 90.72 kg.[4] There are other Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries in which a carga is equal to 3 quintals or equal to a volume of 3 quintals of a commodity being shipped.[3]
- Washburn, E.W. (1926). International Critical Tables of Numerical Data, Physics, Chemistry and Technology. New York: McGraw-Hil Book Company, Inc. p. 5.
- Cardarelli, F. (2003). Encyclopaedia of Scientific Units, Weights and Measures. Their SI Equivalences and Origins. London: Springer. pp. 157, 158. ISBN 978-1-4471-1122-1.
- Rowlett, Russ (2018). "How Many? A Dictionary of Units of Measurement". ibiblio. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- Technical Conversion Factors for Agricultural Commodities. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 1972. p. 155.
- World Weights and Measures. Handbook for Statisticians (Statistical Papers. Series M no. 21 Revision 1. (ST/STAT/SER.M/21/rev.1) ed.). New York: United Nations: United Nations. Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Statistical Office of the United Nations. 1966.