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 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.


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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: 15 00 N 86 30 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 112,090 km²
Land: 111,890 km²
Water: 200 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than Tennessee

Land boundaries
Total: 1,520 km
Border countries: (3) 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: 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 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: frequent but generally mild earthquakes; damaging hurricanes and floods along Caribbean coast

Geography


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Population
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.)
Growth rate: 2.43% (2001 est.)
Below poverty line: 53% (1993 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Honduran
Adjective: Honduran

Ethnic groups: mestizo (mixed Amerindian and European) 90% Amerindian 7% black 2% white 1%

Languages: Spanish Amerindian dialects

Religions: Roman Catholic 97% Protestant minority

Demographic profile

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.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 2.43% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 31.94 births/1000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 5.52 deaths/1000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: -2.12 migrant(s)/1000 population (2001 est.)

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 fresh water) as well as several rivers and streams with heavy metals; severe Hurricane Mitch damage
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
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male/female
65 years and over: 0.9 male/female
Total population: 1 male/female (2001 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 30.88 deaths/1000 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.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 1.92% (1999 est.)
People living with hivaids: 63,000 (1999 est.)
Deaths: 4,200 (1999 est.)

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 can read and write
Total population: 72.7%
Male: 72.6%
Female: 72.7% (1995 est.)

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: democratic constitutional 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; 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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

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
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]

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
In the us chancery: Suite 4-M, 3,007 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 966-7,702
In the us fax: [1] (202) 966-9,751
In the us consulates general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico)
In the us honorary consulates: Boston, Detroit, and Jacksonville
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Frank ALMAGUER
From the us embassy: Avenida La Paz, Apartado Postal No. 3,453, Tegucigalpa
From the us mailing address: American Embassy, APO AA 34,022, Tegucigalpa
From the us telephone: [504] 238-5,114, 236-9,320
From the us fax: [504] 236-9,037

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 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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 5% (2000 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,700 (2000 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 16.2%
Industry: 31.9%
Services: 51.9% (1999 est.)

Agriculture products: bananas coffee citrus; beef; timber; shrimp

Industries: sugar coffee textiles clothing wood products

Industrial production growth rate: 4% (1999 est.)

Labor force: 2.3 million (1997 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 29%
By occupation industry: 21%
By occupation services: 50% (1998 est.)

Unemployment rate: 28% (2000 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 53% (1993 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 1.2%
Highest 10: 42.1% (1996)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $607 million
Expenditures: $411.9 million, including capital expenditures of $106 million (1999 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 11% (2000 est.)

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: $2 billion (f.o.b. 2000 est.)
Commodities: coffee bananas shrimp lobster meat; zinc lumber
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.)
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment industrial raw materials chemical products fuels foodstuffs
Partners: US 47.1% Guatemala 7.4% El Salvador 5.9% Mexico 4.8% Japan 4.7% (1999)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $5.4 billion (2000)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

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)


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Electricity
Production: 3.319 billion kWh (1999)
Production by source fossil fuel: 44.71%
Production by source hydro: 55.29%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1999)
Consumption: 3.232 billion kWh (1999)
Exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Imports: 145 million kWh (1999)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 234,000 (1997)
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

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .hn
Service providers isps: 8 (2000)
Users: 20,000 (2000)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $35 million (FY99)
Percent of gdp: 0.6% (FY99)

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: 119 (2000 est.)
With paved runways total: 12
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 3
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 4
With paved runways under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 107
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 21
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 84 (2000 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways
Total: 595 km
Narrow gauge: 349 km 1.067-m gauge; 246 km 0.914-m gauge (1999)

Roadways

Waterways: 465 km (navigable by small craft)

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.)

Ports and terminals


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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

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs