Honduras: the Socceroos' next hurdle
THE SOCCEROOS' NEXT OPPONENTS: HONDURAS
* THE TEAM
FIFA RANKING: 74 (Australia 50)
NICKNAME: Los Catrachos
QUALIFICATION RESULTS: Won three (Trin & Tob 3-1 and 2-1; Mexico 3-2), drew four (Costa Rica 1-1 and 1-1; Panama 2-2, USA 1-1), lost three (Panama 1-0; USA 6-0; Mexico 3-0)
WORLD CUP HISTORY: 1982 (group stage), 2010 (group stage), 2014 (group stage)
KEY PLAYERS: Maynor Figueroa, Emilio Izaguirre, Boniek Garcia
ACHIEVEMENTS: 1981 CONCACAF champions, 1985 and 1991 runners-up
* THE PLACE ITSELF
POPULATION: 9.1 million (Source: World Bank)
LOCATION: Central America, in between Guatemala and Nicaragua, and also bordered the Caribbean Sea, El Salvador and the North Pacific Ocean.
CAPITAL: Tegucigalpa
WHAT ELSE?
* It is said to rain fish at least once a year in the Honduran city of Yoros - with locals holding a festival to celebrate the unusual downpour.
* Honduras went to war with El Salvador for several days in 1970 after riots at the two nations' World Cup qualifying matches flared existing tensions.
* The term Banana Republic was originally used to describe Honduras's reliance on banana exports.
* The murder rate in Honduras is exceptionally high, with about 90 murders per 100,000 people (compared to just one per 100,000 in Australia).
* The nation's Bay Islands sit on the second largest coral reef in the world, behind the Great Barrier Reef.
