Honduras

Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



Communications            History      	          Travel

GEOGRAPHY

Location

Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Nicaragua and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between El Salvador and Nicaragua

Area

Total area: 112,090 sq km
Land area: 111,890 sq km
Comparative area: slightly larger than Tennessee

Land Boundaries

Total 1,520 km, Guatemala 256 km, El Salvador 342 km, Nicaragua 922 km

Coastline

820 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

International Disputes

Land boundary dispute with El Salvador mostly resolved by 11 September 1992 International Court of Justice (ICJ) decision; with respect to the maritime boundary in the Golfo de Fonseca, ICJ referred to an earlier agreement in this century and advised that some tripartite resolution among El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua likely would be required

Climate

Subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains

Terrain

Mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains
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

Land Use

Arable land: 14%
Permanent crops: 2%
Meadows and pastures: 30%
Forest and woodland: 34%
Other: 20%

Irrigated Land

900 sq km (1989 est.)

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 freshwater) with heavy metals as well as several rivers and streams
Natural hazards: frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; damaging hurricanes and floods along Caribbean coast
International agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Tropical Timber 94

PEOPLE

Population

5,605,193 (July 1996 est.)
5,459,743 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

43% (male 1,220,188; female 1,177,725) (July 1996 est.)
43% (male 1,201,927; female 1,159,846) (July 1995 est.)

15-64 Years

54% (male 1,496,625; female 1,520,918) (July 1996 est.)
53% (male 1,444,959; female 1,468,950) (July 1995 est.)

65 Years and Over

3% (male 91,126; female 98,611) (July 1996 est.)
4% (male 88,700; female 95,361) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

2.6% (1996 est.)
2.66% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

33.38 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
34.12 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

5.83 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
6 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

-1.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
-1.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 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: 0.92 male(s)/female
all ages: 1 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

41.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
43.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total population: 68.42 years (1996 est.); 68.04 years (1995 est.)
Male: 66.01 years (1996 est.); 65.64 years (1995 est.)
Female: 70.96 years (1996 est.); 70.55 years (1995 est.)

Total Fertility Rate

4.41 children born/woman (1996 est.)
4.55 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Noun: Honduran(s)
Adjective: Honduran

Ethnic Divisions

Mestizo (mixed Indian and European) 90%
Indian 7%
Black 2%
White 1%

Religions

Roman Catholic 97%
Protestant minority

Languages

Spanish, Indian dialects

Literacy

Age 15 and over that can read and write (1995 est.)

Total population: 72.7%
Male: 72.6%
Female: 72.7%

Labor Force

1.3 million

By occupation:

Agriculture 62%
Services 20%
Manufacturing 9%
Construction 3%
Other 6% (1985)

GOVERNMENT

Names

Conventional long form: Republic of Honduras
Conventional short form: Honduras
Local long form: Republica de Honduras
Local short form: Honduras

Digraph

Type

Republic

Capital

Tegucigalpa

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

Legal System

Rooted in Roman and Spanish civil law; some influence of English common law; accepts ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive Branch

Chief of state and head of government: President Carlos Roberto REINA Idiaquez (since 27 January 1994) was elected for a four-year term by a simple majority of the people; First Vice President General (Ret.) Walter LOPEZ; Second Vice President Juan DE LA CRUZ Avelar; Third Vice President Guadeloupe JEREZANO; election last held 28 November 1993 (next to be held November 1997); results - Carlos Roberto REINA Idiaquez (PLH) 53%, Oswaldo RAMOS Soto (PNH) 41%, other 6%
Cabinet: Cabinet

Legislative Branch

Unicameral

National Congress (Congreso Nacional)

Elections last held on 27 November 1993 (next to be held November 1997); results - PNH 53%, PLH 41%, PDCH 1.0%, PINU-SD 2.5%, other 2.5%; seats - (134 total) PNH 55, PLH 77, PINU-SD 2

Judicial Branch

Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justica), judges are elected for four-year terms by the National Assembly

Political Parties and Leaders

Liberal Party (PLH), Rafael PINEDA Ponce, president; National Party of Honduras (PNH), Oswaldo RAMOS Soto, president; National Innovation and Unity Party (PINU), Olban VALLADARES, president; Christian Democratic Party (PDCH), Efrain DIAZ Arrivillaga, president

Other Political or Pressure Groups

National Association of Honduran Campesinos (ANACH); Honduran Council of Private Enterprise (COHEP); Confederation of Honduran Workers (CTH); National Union of Campesinos (UNC); General Workers Confederation (CGT); United Federation of Honduran Workers (FUTH); Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Honduras (CODEH); Coordinating Committee of Popular Organizations (CCOP)

Member of

BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIH, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO

National Anthem

National anthem

Flag

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 is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. Agriculture, the most important sector of the economy, employs nearly two-thirds of the labor force and produces two-thirds of exports. Productivity remains low. Manufacturing, still in its early stages, employs about 9% of the labor force, and generates 20% of exports. Many basic problems face the economy, including rapid population growth, high unemployment, inflation, a lack of basic services, a large and inefficient public sector, and the dependence of the export sector mostly on coffee and bananas, which are subject to sharp price fluctuations. A far-reaching reform program, initiated by former President CALLEJAS in 1990 and scaled back by President REINA, is beginning to take hold.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $10.8 billion (1995 est.); $9.7 billion (1994 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

4% (1995 est.)
-1.9% (1994 est.)

National Product Per Capita

$1,980 (1995 est.)
$1,820 (1994 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

30% (1994 est.)

Unemployment Rate

10%; underemployed 30%-40% (1992)

Budget

Revenues: $527 million
Expenditures: $668 million, including capital expenditures of $166 million (1993 est.)

Exports

$843 million (f.o.b., 1994)
$850 million (f.o.b., 1993 est)

Commodities:

Bananas
Coffee
Shrimp
Lobster
Minerals
Meat
Lumber

Partners:

U.S. 53%
Germany 11%
Belgium 8%
U.K. 5%

Imports

$1.1 billion (c.i.f. 1994)

Commodities:

Machinery and transport equipment
Chemical products
Manufactured goods
Fuel and oil
Foodstuffs

Partners:

U.S. 50%
Mexico 8%
Guatemala 6%

External Debt

$3.7 billion (1994)

Industrial Production

Growth rate 10% (1992 est.); accounts for 20% of GDP

Electricity

Capacity: 290,000 kW
Production: 2.3 billion kWh
Consumption per capita: 445 kWh (1993)

Industries

Agricultural processing (sugar and coffee)
Textiles
Clothing
Wood products

Agriculture

Most important sector, accounting for 30% of GDP, more than 60% of the labor force, and two-thirds of exports; principal products include bananas, coffee, timber, beef, citrus fruit, shrimp; importer of wheat

Illicit Drugs

Transshipment point for narcotics; illicit producer of cannabis, cultivated on small plots and used principally for local consumption

Economic Aid

Recipient: U.S. commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.4 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1.1 billion

Currency

1 lempira (L) = 100 centavos

Exchange Rates

Lempiras (L) per US$1 - 10.3432 (December 1994), 10.3432 (1995), 9.4001 (1994), 7.2600 (1993), 5.8300 (1992), 5.4000 (1991); 2.0000 (fixed rate until 1991); 5.70 parallel black-market rate (November 1990); the lempira was allowed to float in 1992

Fiscal Year

Calendar year

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

Total: 595 km
Narrow gauge: 190 km 1.067-m gauge; 128 km 1.057-m gauge; 277 km 0.914-m gauge

note: in 1993, there was a total of 988 km of track (1995)

Highways

Total: 14,203 km
Paved: 2,533 km
Unpaved: 11,670 km (1993 est.)

Inland Waterways

465 km navigable by small craft

Ports

La Ceiba, Puerto Castilla, Puerto Cortes, San Lorenzo, Tela, Puerto Lempira

Merchant Marine

Total: 257 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 769,518 GRT/1,148,423 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 29, cargo 165, chemical tanker 2, combination bulk 1, container 7, liquefied gas tanker 1, livestock carrier 3, oil tanker 19, passenger 1, passenger-cargo 3, refrigerated cargo 16, roll-on/roll-off cargo 7, short-sea passenger 2, vehicle carrier 1

Note: A flag of convenience registry; Russia owns 8 ships, Vietnam 4, North Korea 2, U.S. 1, Japan 1, Iran 1, Greece 1

Airports

Total: 111
With paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
With paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
With paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 5
With paved runways under 914 m: 79
With unpaved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 21 (1995 est.)

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

105,000 telephones (1992 est.); inadequate system

Local: NA
Intercity: NA
International: 2 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth stations and the Central American microwave radio relay system

Radio

Broadcast stations: AM 176, FM 0, shortwave 7
Radios: 2.115 million (1992 est.)

Television

Broadcast stations: 28
Televisions: 400,000 (1992 est.)

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

Army, Navy (includes Marines), Air Force, Public Security Forces (FUSEP)

Manpower Availability

Males age 15-49 1,322,525; males fit for military service 787,889; males reach military age (18) annually 64,378 (1996 est.)

Defense Expenditures

Exchange rate conversion - $41 million, about 0.4% of GDP (1994)

History
World Atlas

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