Map of Honduras | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Once part of Spain's vast empire in the New World, Honduras became an independent nation in 1821. After two and a 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 leftist guerrillas. The country was devastated by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, which killed about 5,600 people and caused approximately $2 billion in damage. Since then, the economy has slowly rebounded.


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Location: Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Nicaragua and bordering the Gulf of Fonseca (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: 1,575 km
Border countries: (3) Guatemala 244 km; , El Salvador 391 km; , Nicaragua 940 km

Coastline: 823 km (Caribbean Sea 669 km, Gulf of Fonseca 163 km)

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguouszone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: natural extension of territory or to 200 nm

Climate: subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains

Terrain: mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains

Elevation
Highest point: Cerro Las Minas 2,870 m
Lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
Mean elevation: 684 m

Natural resources: timber, gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore, antimony, coal, fish, hydropower

Land use
Agricultural land: 28.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 9.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 4% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 15.7% (2018 est.)
Forest: 45.3% (2018 est.)
Other: 25.9% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 900 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 315 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
Industrial: 114 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
Agricultural: 1.178 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 92.164 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

Natural hazards: frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; extremely susceptible to damaging hurricanes and floods along the Caribbean coast

Geography
Note: has only a short Pacific coast but a long Caribbean shoreline, including the virtually uninhabited eastern Mosquito Coast


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Population
Distribution: most residents live in the mountainous western half of the country; unlike other Central American nations, Honduras is the only one with an urban population that is distributed between two large centers - the capital of Tegucigalpa and the city of San Pedro Sula; the Rio Ulua valley in the north is the only densely populated lowland area: 9,346,277 (July 2021 est.)
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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected
Growth rate: 1.22% (2021 est.)
Below poverty line: 48.3% (2018 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Honduran(s)
Adjective: Honduran

Ethnic groups: Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and European) 90%, Amerindian 7%, African descent 2%, White 1%

Languages: Spanish (official), Amerindian dialects
Major language samples:

Religions: Roman Catholic 46%, Protestant 41%, atheist 1%, other 2%, none 9% (2014 est.)

Demographic profile: Honduras is one of the poorest countries in Latin America and has one of the world's highest murder rates. More than half of the population lives in poverty and per capita income is one of the lowest in the region. Poverty rates are higher among rural and indigenous people and in the south, west, and along the eastern border than in the north and central areas where most of Honduras' industries and infrastructure are concentrated. The increased productivity needed to break Honduras' persistent high poverty rate depends, in part, on further improvements in educational attainment. Although primary-school enrollment is near 100%, educational quality is poor, the drop-out rate and grade repetition remain high, and teacher and school accountability is low.

Age structure
0-14 years: 30.2% (male 1,411,537/female 1,377,319)
15-24 years: 21.03% (male 969,302/female 972,843)
25-54 years: 37.79% (male 1,657,260/female 1,832,780)
55-64 years: 5.58% (male 233,735/female 281,525)
65 years and over: 5.4% (male 221,779/female 277,260) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 55.2
Youth dependency ratio: 47.5
Elderly dependency ratio: 7.7
Potential support ratio: 13 (2020 est.)

Median age
Total: 24.4 years
Male: 23.5 years
Female: 25.2 years (2020 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.22% (2021 est.)

Birth rate: 18.19 births/1000 population (2021 est.)

Death rate: 4.67 deaths/1000 population (2021 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.35 migrant(s)/1000 population (2021 est.)

Population distribution: most residents live in the mountainous western half of the country; unlike other Central American nations, Honduras is the only one with an urban population that is distributed between two large centers - the capital of Tegucigalpa and the city of San Pedro Sula; the Rio Ulua valley in the north is the only densely populated lowland area

Urbanization
Urban population: 59% of total population (2021)
Rate of urbanization: 2.48% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 1.485 million TEGUCIGALPA (capital), 929,000 San Pedro Sula (2021)

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
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 20.12 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 9.81 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 7.72 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.9 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.83 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 20.3 years (2011/12 est.)
Note: median age a first birth among women 25-49

Maternal mortality ratio: 65 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 15.39 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 17.52 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 13.19 deaths/1000 live births (2021 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 74.9 years
Male: 71.34 years
Female: 78.58 years (2021 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.05 children born/woman (2021 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 73.2% (2011/12)

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 100% of population
Improved rural: 88.9% of population
Improved total: 94.8% of population
Unimproved urban: 0% of population
Unimproved rural: 11.1% of population
Unimproved total: 5.2% of population (2017 est.)

Current health expenditure: 7.1% (2018)

Physicians density: 0.31 physicians/1000 population (2017)

Hospital bed density: 0.6 beds/1000 population (2017)

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban: 95.4% of population
Improved rural: 83.5% of population
Improved total: 90.2% of population
Unimproved urban: 4.6% of population
Unimproved rural: 16.5% of population
Unimproved total: 9.8% of population (2017 est.)

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2020 est.)
People living with hivaids: 22,000 (2020 est.)
Deaths: <1000 (2020 est.)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: high (2020)
Food or water borne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vector borne diseases: dengue fever and malaria

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 21.4% (2016)

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 7.1% (2011/12)

Education expenditures: 4.9% of GDP (2019)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 88.5%
Male: 88.2%
Female: 88.7% (2019)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 10 years
Male: 10 years
Female: 11 years (2019)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15-24 total: 17.8%
Rate ages 15-24 male: 11.1%
Rate ages 15-24 female: 27.7% (2020 est.)


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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
Etymology: the name means 'depths' in Spanish and refers to the deep anchorage in the northern Bay of Trujillo

Government type: presidential republic

Capital
Name: Tegucigalpa; note - article eight of the Honduran constitution states that the twin cities of Tegucigalpa and Comayaguela, jointly, constitute the capital of the Republic of Honduras; however, virtually all governmental institutions are on the Tegucigalpa side, which in practical terms makes Tegucigalpa the capital
Geographic coordinates: 14 06 N, 87 13 W
Time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Etymology: while most sources agree that Tegucigalpa is of Nahuatl derivation, there is no consensus on its original meaning

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
History: several previous; latest approved 11 January 1982, effective 20 January 1982
Amendments: proposed by the National Congress with at least two-thirds majority vote of the membership; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of Congress in its next annual session; constitutional articles, such as the form of government, national sovereignty, the presidential term, and the procedure for amending the constitution, cannot be amended; amended several times, last in 2021

Legal system: civil law system

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: yes
Citizenship by descentonly: yes
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 1 to 3 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Juan Orlando HERNANDEZ Alvarado (since 27 January 2014); Vice Presidents Ricardo ALVAREZ, Maria RIVERA, and Olga ALVARADO (since 26 January 2018); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Juan Orlando HERNANDEZ Alvarado (since 27 January 2014); Vice Presidents Ricardo ALVAREZ, Maria RIVERA, and Olga ALVARADO (since 26 January 2018)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by president
Elections and appointments: president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 4-year term; election last held on 28 November 2021 (next to be held in 30 November 2025); note - in 2015, the Constitutional Chamber of the Honduran Supreme Court struck down the constitutional provisions on presidential term limits
Election results:

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional (128 seats; members directly elected in 18 multi-seat constituencies by closed party-list proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms)
Elections: last held on 28 November 2021 (next to be held on 30 November 2025)
Election results: percent of vote by party - LIBRE 39.8%, PNH 31.3%, PL 16.4%, PSH 10.9%, DC 0.8%, PAC 0.8%; seats by bloc or party - LIBRE 51, PNH 40, PL 21, PSH 14, DC 1, PAC 1

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (15 principal judges, including the court president, and 7 alternates; court organized into civil, criminal, constitutional, and labor chambers); note - the court has both judicial and constitutional jurisdiction
Judge selection and term of office: court president elected by his peers; judges elected by the National Congress from candidates proposed by the Nominating Board, a diverse 7-member group of judicial officials and other government and non-government officials nominated by each of their organizations; judges elected by Congress for renewable, 7-year terms
Subordinate courts: courts of appeal; courts of first instance; justices of the peace

Political parties and leaders: Anti-Corruption Party or PAC [Marlene ALVARENGA]
Christian Democratic Party or DC [Lucas AGUILERA]
Democratic Unification Party or UD [Alfonso DIAZ]
Honduran Patriotic Alliance or AP [Romeo VASQUEZ Velasquez]
Innovation and Unity Party or PINU [Guillermo VALLE]
Liberal Party or PL [Yani Benjamin ROSENTHAL Hidalgo]
Liberty and Refoundation Party or LIBRE [Jose Manuel ZELAYA Rosales]
National Party of Honduras or PNH [Reinaldo SANCHEZ Rivera]
Opposition Alliance against the Dictatorship or Alianza de Oposicion contra la Dictadura [Salvador NASRALLA] (electoral coalition)
Savior Party of Honduras or PSH [Salvador Alejandro Cesar NASRALLA Salum]

International organization participation: BCIE, CACM, CD, CELAC, EITI (candidate country), FAO, G-11, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC (suspended), IOM, IPU, ISO (subscriber), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, Pacific Alliance (observer), PCA, Petrocaribe, SICA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO (suspended), WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Luis Fernando SUAZO BARAHONA (since 17 September 2020)
In the us chancery: 1220 19th Street NW, Suite #320, Washington, DC 20,036
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 966-7,702
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 966-9,751
In the us email address and website: [link]
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Colleen A. HOEY (since August 2019)
From the us embassy: Avenida La Paz, Tegucigalpa M.D.C.
From the us mailing address: 3,480 Tegucigalpa Place, Washington DC  20,521-3,480
From the us telephone: [504] 2,236-9,320,
From the us FAX: [504] 2,236-9,037
From the us email address and website:

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of cerulean blue (top), white, and cerulean blue, with five cerulean, 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; the blue bands symbolize the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea; the white band represents the land between the two bodies of water and the peace and prosperity of its people
Note: 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 words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom, centered in the white band

National symbols: scarlet macaw, white-tailed deer; national colors: blue, white

National anthem
Name: 'Himno Nacional de Honduras' (National Anthem of Honduras)
Lyrics and music: Augusto Constancio COELLO/Carlos HARTLING
Note: adopted 1915; the anthem's seven verses chronicle Honduran history; on official occasions, only the chorus and last verse are sung

National heritage


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Economy overview

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate: 4.8% (2017 est.)

3.8% (2016 est.)

3.8% (2015 est.)

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 77.7% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 13.8% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 23.1% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0.7% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 43.6% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -58.9% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 14.2% (2017 est.)
Industry: 28.8% (2017 est.)
Services: 57% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: sugarcane, oil palm fruit, milk, bananas, maize, coffee, melons, oranges, poultry, beans

Industries: sugar processing, coffee, woven and knit apparel, wood products, cigars

Industrial production growth rate: 4.5% (2017 est.)

Labor force: 3.735 million (2017 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 39.2%
By occupation industry: 20.9%
By occupation services: 39.8% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate: 5.6% (2017 est.)
Note: about one-third of the people are underemployed

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15-24 total: 17.8%
Rate ages 15-24 male: 11.1%
Rate ages 15-24 female: 27.7% (2020 est.)

Population below poverty line: 48.3% (2018 est.)

Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income: 52.1 (2018 est.)

45.7 (2009)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 1.2%
Highest 10: 38.4% (2014)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $4.658 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: $5.283 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: $-2.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 20.3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Public debt: 39.5% of GDP (2017 est.)

38.5% of GDP (2016 est.)

Revenue
From forest resources forest revenues: 0.91% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal coal revenues: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 4.3% (2019 est.)

4.3% (2018 est.)

3.9% (2017 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: -$380 million (2017 est.)

-$587 million (2016 est.)

Exports: $7.16 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.)

$7.14 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)
Partners: United States 53%, El Salvador 8%, Guatemala 5%, Nicaragua 5% (2019)
Commodities: clothing and apparel, coffee, insulated wiring, bananas, palm oil (2019)

Imports: $11.5 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.)

$11.78 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)
Partners: United States 42%, China 10%, Guatemala 8%, El Salvador 8%, Mexico 6% (2019)
Commodities: refined petroleum, clothing and apparel, packaged medicines, broadcasting equipment, insulated wiring (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $4.708 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$3.814 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Debt external: $9.137 billion (2019 est.)

$8.722 billion (2018 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification total population: 81% (2019)
Access electrification urban areas: 91% (2019)
Access electrification rural areas: 68% (2019)
Production: 8.501 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption: 7.22 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Exports: 536 million kWh (2015 est.)
Imports: 195 million kWh (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity: 2.546 million kW (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 40% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 25% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources: 34% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products consumption: 59,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products exports: 12,870 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports: 56,120 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2014 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 531,763 (2020)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 5.37 (2020 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 6,960,654 (2020)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 70.28 (2020 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media: multiple privately owned terrestrial TV networks, supplemented by multiple cable TV networks; Radio Honduras is the lone government-owned radio network; roughly 300 privately owned radio stations

Internet
Country code: .hn
Users total: 3.81 million (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 31.7% (2019 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 396,454 (2020)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 4 (2020 est.)


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Military expenditures: 1.7% of GDP (2020 est.)

1.6% of GDP (2019)

1.6% of GDP (2018)

1.7% of GDP (2017)

1.7% of GDP (2016)

Military and security forces: Honduran Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas de Honduras, FFAA): Army (Ejercito), Honduran Naval Force (FNH; includes marines), Honduran Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Hondurena, FAH), Honduran Public Order Military Police (PMOP); Security Secretariat: Public Security Forces (includes Honduran National Police paramilitary units) (2021)

note - the PMOP was created in 2013 as part of an effort by the Honduran Government to expand the military’s role in law enforcement alongside the Honduran National Police (HNP), particularly against narcotics trafficking and organized crime; since its creation, the PMOP’s role in internal security has expanded; it was used against election protesters in 2017, for example, and it has been accused of human rights violations; as of 2021, the PMOP was composed of 8 battalions of military personnel (approximately 5,000 troops) who have undergone some police training; it reported to military authorities but conducts operations sanctioned by both civilian security officials and military leaders

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary 2- to 3-year military service; no conscription (2021)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 4 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 26
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 251,149 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 450,000 mt-km (2018)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: HR

Airports
Total: 103 (2013)
With paved runways total: 13
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 3
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 4
With paved runways under 914 m: 3 (2017)
With unpaved runways total: 90
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 16
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 73 (2013)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways
Total: 699 km (2014)
Narrowgauge: 164 km 1.067-m gauge (2014)

Roadways
Total: 14,742 km (2012)
Paved: 3,367 km (2012)
Unpaved: 11,375 km (1,543 km summer only) (2012)
Note: an additional 8,951 km of non-official roads used by the coffee industry

Waterways: 465 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2012)

Merchant marine
Total: 505
By type: bulk carrier 1, general cargo 244, oil tanker 82, other 178 (2021)

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: La Ceiba, Puerto Cortes, San Lorenzo, Tela


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Disputes international: International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled on the delimitation of 'bolsones' (disputed areas) along the El Salvador-Honduras border in 1992 with final settlement by the parties in 2006 after an Organization of American States survey and a further ICJ ruling in 2003; the 1992 ICJ ruling advised a tripartite resolution to a maritime boundary in the Gulf of Fonseca with consideration of Honduran access to the Pacific; El Salvador continues to claim tiny Conejo Island, not mentioned in the ICJ ruling, off Honduras in the Gulf of Fonseca; Honduras claims the Belizean-administered Sapodilla Cays off the coast of Belize in its constitution, but agreed to a joint ecological park around the cays should Guatemala consent to a maritime corridor in the Caribbean under the OAS-sponsored 2002 Belize-Guatemala Differendum

Refugees and internally displaced persons
IDPs: 247,000 (violence, extortion, threats, forced recruitment by urban gangs between 2004 and 2018) (2020)

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine destined for the United States and precursor chemicals used to produce illicit drugs; some experimental coca cultivation