Map of Honduras | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background: Part of Spain's vast empire in the New World Honduras became as 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.


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

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area
Total: 112,090 km²
Land: 111,890 km²
Comparative: 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

Climate: Subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains

Terrain: Mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
Extremes highest point: Cerro Las Minas 2,870 m

Natural resources:

Land use
Arable land: 14%
Permanent crops: 2%
Permanent pastures: 30%
Forests and woodland: 34%
Other: 20%

Irrigated land: 900 km² (1989 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


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Population:
Growth rate:

Nationality
Noun: Honduran(s)
Adjective: Honduran

Ethnic groups:

Languages: Spanish, Indian dialects

Religions:

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years:
15-64 years:
65 years and over:

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate:

Birth rate:

Death rate:

Net migration rate:

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

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
Current issues 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

Air pollutants

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:

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate

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:

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over that can read and write (1995 est.)
Total population: 72.7%
Male: 72.6%
Female: 72.7%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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

Government 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

Dependent areas

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

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

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, 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

Diplomatic representation

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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: 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

Industries:

Industrial production growth rate: Growth rate 10% (1992 est.), accounts for 20% of GDP

Labor force: 1.3 million
By occupation Agriculture: 62%
By occupation Services: 20%
By occupation Manufacturing: 9%
By occupation Construction: 3%
By occupation Other: 6% (1985)

Unemployment rate: 10%; underemployed 30%-40% (1992)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

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

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: Calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports:
Commodities:
Partners:

Imports: total value:$1.1 billion (c.i.f. 1994)
Commodities:
Partners:

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $3.7 billion (1994)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates


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

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

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

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $41 million, about 0.4% of GDP (1994)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 111
2438 to 3047 m: 3
15-24 to 2437 m: 2
914 to 1523 m: 5
Under 914 m: 79
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 21 (1995 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 465 km navigable by small craft

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

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

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