| Background: |
Part of Spain's
vast empire in the New World, Honduras became an independent
nation in 1821. After two and one-half decades of mostly
military rule, a freely elected civilian government came to
power in 1982. During the 1980s, Honduras proved a haven for
anti-Sandinista contras fighting the Marxist Nicaraguan
Government and an ally to Salvadoran Government forces
fighting against leftist guerrillas. |
| Location: |
Middle America,
bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Nicaragua
and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between El Salvador
and Nicaragua |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
15 00 N, 86 30 W |
| Map
references: |
Central America
and the Caribbean |
| Area: |
total:
112,090 sq km
land: 111,890 sq km
water: 200 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly larger
than Tennessee |
| Land
boundaries: |
total:
1,520 km
border countries: Guatemala 256 km, El Salvador
342 km, Nicaragua 922 km |
| Maritime
claims: |
contiguous
zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: natural extension of
territory or to 200 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
| Climate: |
subtropical in
lowlands, temperate in mountains |
| Terrain: |
mostly mountains
in interior, narrow coastal plains |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Cerro Las Minas 2,870 m |
| Natural
resources: |
timber, gold,
silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore, antimony, coal, fish,
hydropower |
| Land
use: |
arable land:
15%
permanent crops: 3%
permanent pastures: 14%
forests and woodland: 54%
other: 14% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
740 sq km (1993
est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
frequent, but
generally mild, earthquakes; damaging hurricanes and floods
along Caribbean coast |
| Environment
- current issues: |
urban population
expanding; deforestation results from logging and the
clearing of land for agricultural purposes; further land
degradation and soil erosion hastened by uncontrolled
development and improper land use practices such as farming
of marginal lands; mining activities polluting Lago de Yojoa
(the country's largest source of fresh water) as well as
several rivers and streams with heavy metals; severe
Hurricane Mitch damage |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
| Population: |
6,406,052
note: estimates for this country explicitly
take into account the effects of excess mortality due to
AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher
infant mortality and death rates, lower population and
growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population
by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2001
est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
42.22% (male 1,381,823; female 1,322,684)
15-64 years: 54.21% (male 1,719,593; female
1,753,003)
65 years and over: 3.57% (male 108,271; female
120,678) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
2.43% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
31.94
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
5.52 deaths/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
-2.12 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
30.88
deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 69.35 years
male: 67.51 years
female: 71.28 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
4.15 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
1.92% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
63,000 (1999
est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
4,200 (1999 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Honduran(s)
adjective: Honduran |
| Ethnic
groups: |
mestizo (mixed
Amerindian and European) 90%, Amerindian 7%, black 2%, white
1% |
| Religions: |
Roman Catholic
97%, Protestant minority |
| Languages: |
Spanish,
Amerindian dialects |
| Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 72.7%
male: 72.6%
female: 72.7% (1995 est.) |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: Republic of Honduras
conventional short form: Honduras
local long form: Republica de Honduras
local short form: Honduras |
| Government
type: |
democratic
constitutional republic |
| Administrative
divisions: |
18 departments (departamentos,
singular - departamento); Atlantida, Choluteca, Colon,
Comayagua, Copan, Cortes, El Paraiso, Francisco Morazan,
Gracias a Dios, Intibuca, Islas de la Bahia, La Paz, Lempira,
Ocotepeque, Olancho, Santa Barbara, Valle, Yoro |
| Independence: |
15 September 1821
(from Spain) |
| National
holiday: |
Independence Day,
15 September (1821) |
| Constitution: |
11 January 1982,
effective 20 January 1982; amended 1995 |
| Legal
system: |
rooted in Roman
and Spanish civil law with increasing influence of English
common law; recent judicial reforms include abandoning
Napoleonic legal codes in favor of the oral adversarial
system; accepts ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age;
universal and compulsory |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of
state: President Carlos Roberto FLORES Facusse
(since 27 January 1998); note - the president is both the
chief of state and head of government; First Vice President
William HANDAL (since NA); Second Vice President Gladys
CABALLERO de Arevalo (since NA); Third Vice President Hector
Vidal CERRATO Hernandez (since NA)
head of government: President Carlos Roberto
FLORES Facusse (since 27 January 1998); note - the president
is both the chief of state and head of government; First
Vice President William HANDAL (since NA); Second Vice
President Gladys CABALLERO de Arevalo (since NA); Third Vice
President Hector Vidal CERRATO Hernandez (since NA)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by president
elections: president elected by popular vote
for a four-year term; election last held 30 November 1997
(next to be held 25 November 2001)
election results: Carlos Roberto FLORES Facusse
elected president; percent of vote - Carlos Roberto FLORES
Facusse (PL) 50%, Nora de MELGAR (PN) 40%, other 10% |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral
National Congress or Congreso Nacional (128 seats; members
are elected proportionally to the number of votes their
party's presidential candidate receives to serve four-year
terms)
elections: last held on 30 November 1997 (next
to be held 25 November 2001)
election results: percent of vote by party - PL
46%, PN 38%, PINU-SD 4%, PDC 2%, PUD 2%; seats by party - PL
67, PN 55, PINU-SD 3, PDC 2, PUD 1 |
| Judicial
branch: |
Supreme Court of
Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges are elected for
four-year terms by the National Congress) |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Christian
Democratic Party or PDC [Efrain DIAZ Arrivillaga,
president]; Democratic Unification Party or PUD [Marias
FUNES Valladares, president]; Liberal Party or PL [Carlos
Roberto FLORES Facusse, president]; National Innovation and
Unity Party-Social Democratic Party or PINU-SD [Olban
VALLADARES, president]; National Party of Honduras or PN
[Carlos URBIZO, president] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
Committee for the
Defense of Human Rights in Honduras or CODEH; Confederation
of Honduran Workers or CTH; Coordinating Committee of
Popular Organizations or CCOP; General Workers Confederation
or CGT; Honduran Council of Private Enterprise or COHEP;
National Association of Honduran Campesinos or ANACH;
National Union of Campesinos or UNC; Popular Bloc or BP;
United Federation of Honduran Workers or FUTH |
| International
organization participation: |
BCIE, CACM, ECLAC,
FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO
(correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, NAM,
OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador Hugo NOE PINO
chancery: Suite 4-M, 3007 Tilden Street NW,
Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 966-7702
FAX: [1] (202) 966-9751
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los
Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San
Juan (Puerto Rico)
honorary consulate(s): Boston, Detroit, and
Jacksonville |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador Frank ALMAGUER
embassy: Avenida La Paz, Apartado Postal No.
3453, Tegucigalpa
mailing address: American Embassy, APO AA
34022, Tegucigalpa
telephone: [504] 238-5114, 236-9320
FAX: [504] 236-9037 |
| Flag
description: |
three equal
horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue with five
blue five-pointed stars arranged in an X pattern centered in
the white band; the stars represent the members of the
former Federal Republic of Central America - Costa Rica, El
Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua; similar to the
flag of El Salvador, which features a round emblem encircled
by the words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL
centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of
Nicaragua, which features a triangle encircled by the word
REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the
bottom, centered in the white band |
| Economy
- overview: |
Honduras, one of
the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, is banking
on expanded trade privileges under the Enhanced Caribbean
Basin Initiative and on debt relief under the Heavily
Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. While
reconstruction from 1998's Hurricane Mitch is at an advanced
stage, and the country has met most of its macroeconomic
targets, it failed to meet the IMF's goals to liberalize its
energy and telecommunications sectors. Economic growth has
rebounded nicely since the hurricane and should continue in
2001. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $17 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
5% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $2,700 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
16.2%
industry: 31.9%
services: 51.9% (1999 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
53% (1993 est.) |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
1.2%
highest 10%: 42.1% (1996) |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
11% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
2.3 million (1997
est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture 29%,
industry 21%, services 50% (1998 est.) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
28% (2000 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$607 million
expenditures: $411.9 million, including capital
expenditures of $106 million (1999 est.) |
| Industries: |
sugar, coffee,
textiles, clothing, wood products |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
4% (1999 est.) |
| Electricity
- production: |
3.319 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
44.71%
hydro: 55.29%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
3.232 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
145 million kWh
(1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
bananas, coffee,
citrus; beef; timber; shrimp |
| Exports: |
$2 billion
(f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
coffee, bananas,
shrimp, lobster, meat; zinc, lumber |
| Exports
- partners: |
US 35.4%, Germany
7.5%, El Salvador 6.4%, Guatemala 5.8%, Nicaragua 4.8%
(1999) |
| Imports: |
$2.8 billion
(f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery and
transport equipment, industrial raw materials, chemical
products, fuels, foodstuffs |
| Imports
- partners: |
US 47.1%,
Guatemala 7.4%, El Salvador 5.9%, Mexico 4.8%, Japan 4.7%
(1999) |
| Debt
- external: |
$5.4 billion
(2000) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$557.8 million
(1999) |
| Exchange
rates: |
lempiras per US
dollar - 15.1407 (December 2000), 15.1407 (2000), 14.5039
(1999), 13.8076 (1998), 13.0942 (1997), 12.8694 (1996) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
234,000 (1997) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
14,427 (1997) |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: inadequate system
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to Central American
Microwave System |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 241, FM 53,
shortwave 12 (1998) |
| Radios: |
2.45 million
(1997) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
11 (plus 17
repeaters) (1997) |
| Televisions: |
570,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.hn |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
8 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
20,000 (2000) |
| Railways: |
total:
595 km
narrow gauge: 349 km 1.067-m gauge; 246 km
0.914-m gauge (1999) |
| Highways: |
total:
15,400 km
paved: 3,126 km
unpaved: 12,274 km (1999 est.) |
| Waterways: |
465 km (navigable
by small craft) |
| Ports
and harbors: |
La Ceiba, Puerto
Castilla, Puerto Cortes, San Lorenzo, Tela, Puerto Lempira |
| Merchant
marine: |
total:
313 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 760,819 GRT/820,582
DWT
ships by type: bulk 21, cargo 187, chemical
tanker 7, container 4, livestock carrier 2, passenger 2,
passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 52, refrigerated cargo
17, roll on/roll off 8, short-sea passenger 5, specialized
tanker 2, vehicle carrier 2
note: includes some foreign-owned ships
registered here as a flag of convenience: Russia 4,
Singapore 2, Vietnam 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports: |
119 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
12
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total:
107
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 21
under 914 m: 84 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Army, Navy
(includes Marines), Air Force |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
18 years of age |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age
15-49: 1,515,101 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age
15-49: 902,220 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males:
72,335 (2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$35 million
(FY99) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
0.6% (FY99) |
| Disputes
- international: |
with respect to
the maritime boundary in the Golfo de Fonseca, the ICJ
referred to the line determined by the 1900
Honduras-Nicaragua Mixed Boundary Commission and advised
that some tripartite resolution among El Salvador, Honduras,
and Nicaragua likely would be required; the maritime
boundary dispute with Nicaragua in the Caribbean Sea is
before the ICJ |
| Illicit
drugs: |
transshipment
point for drugs and narcotics; illicit producer of cannabis,
cultivated on small plots and used principally for local
consumption; corruption is a major problem; vulnerable to
money laundering |
|
