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.

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean, North America, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area
Total area total: 112,090 km²
Land: 111,890 km²

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: 200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains

Terrain: mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains

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 km² (1989 est.)

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

Population: 5,314,794 (July 1994 est.)
Growth rate: 2.73% (1994 est.)

Nationality: noun:Honduran(s)

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

Languages: Spanish, Indian dialects

Religions: Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant minority

Population growth rate: 2.73% (1994 est.)

Birth rate: 34.97 births/1000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate: 6.22 deaths/1000 population (1994 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.5 migrant(s)/1000 population (1994 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

Infant mortality rate: 45.3 deaths/1000 live births (1994 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 67.6 years
Male: 65.23 years
Female: 70.08 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.71 children born/woman (1994 est.)

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Total population: 73%
Male: 76%
Female: 71%

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Honduras
Conventional short form:

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

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; election last held on 28 November 1993 (next to be held November 1997; results - Carlos Roberto REINA Idiaquez (PLH) 53%, Oswaldo RAMOS Soto (PNH) 41%, other 6%

Legislative branch: Army, Navy (including Marines), Air Force, Public Security Forces (FUSEP)
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)

International organization participation: BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), LORCS, MINURSO, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador William PRYCE
From the us chancery: 3,007 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20,008
From the us telephone: [504] 32-3,120
From the us fax: (202) 966-9,751
From the us consulates general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)
From the us consulates: Boston, Detroit, and Jacksonville
From the us embassy: Avenida La Paz, Tegucigalpa
From the us mailing address: American Embassy, APO AA 34,022, Tegucigalpa
From the us FAX: [504] 32-0027

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 is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. Agriculture, the most important sector of the economy, accounts for more than 25% of GDP, employs 62% of the labor force, and produces two-thirds of exports. Productivity remains low. Industry, still in its early stages, employs nearly 9% of the labor force, accounts for 15% of GDP, and generates 20% of exports. The service sectors, including public administration, account for 50% of GDP and employ 20% of the labor force. Basic problems facing the economy include rapid population growth, high unemployment, 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 is beginning to take hold. In 1993 the large fiscal deficit emerged as a key economic problem, the result of improvident state spending.

Real gdp growth rate: 3.7% (1993 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $1,950 (1993 est.)

Agriculture products: most important sector, accounting for more than 25% 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: agricultural processing (sugar and coffee), textiles, clothing, wood products

Industrial production growth rate: 0.8% (1990 est.), accounts for 15% 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)

Budget: revenues:$1.4 billion

Fiscal year: calendar year

Exports: $850 million (f.o.b., 1993 est)
Commodities: bananas, coffee, shrimp, lobster, minerals, meat, lumber
Partners: US 53%, Germany 11%, Belgium 8%, UK 5%

Imports: $1.1 billion (c.i.f. 1993 est)
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment, chemical products, manufactured goods, fuel and oil, foodstuffs
Partners: US 50%, Mexico 8%, Guatemala 6%

Debt external: $2.8 billion (1990)

Exchange rates: lempiras (L) per US$1 - 7.2600 (December 1993), 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

Electricity
Capacity: 575,000 kW
Production: 2 billion kWh
Consumption per capita: 390 kWh (1992)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: exchange rate conversion - $42.8 million, about 1.3% of GDP (1993 est.)

Airports: 160
Usable: 133
With permanentsurface runways: 11
With runways over 3659 m: 0
With runways 2440-3659 m: 4
With runways 1220-2439 m: 14

Waterways: 465 km navigable by small craft

Merchant marine: 270 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 831,856 GRT/1,248,186 DWT, bulk 25, cargo 177, chemical tanker 2, combination bulk 1, container 7, liquified gas 1, oil tanker 22, passenger 2, passenger-cargo 2, refrigerated cargo 20, roll-on/roll-off cargo 6, short-sea passenger 2, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 1
Note: a flag of convenience registry; Russia owns 14 ships under the Honduran flag

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

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