Honduras

Internet country code

.hn

Internet hosts

1,944 (2003)

Internet users

168,600 (2002)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 241, FM 53, shortwave 12 (1998)

Telephone system

general assessment: inadequate system domestic: NA international: country code - 504; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to Central American Microwave System

Telephones - main lines in use

322,500 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular

326,500 (2002)

Television broadcast stations

11 (plus 17 repeaters) (1997)

Agriculture - products

bananas, coffee, citrus; beef; timber; shrimp

Budget

revenues: $1.467 billion expenditures: $1.722 billion, including capital expenditures of $106 million (2004 est.)

Currency (code)

lempira (HNL)

Current account balance

$258.3 million (2003 est.)

Debt - external

$5.365 billion (September 2004 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

56.3 (1998)

Economic aid - recipient

$557.8 million (1999)

Economy - overview

Honduras, one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere with an extraordinarily unequal distribution of income and massive unemployment, is banking on expanded trade under the U.S.-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and on debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. The country has met most of its macroeconomic targets, and began a three-year IMF Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PGRF) program in February 2004. Growth remains dependent on the economy of the US, its largest trading partner, on commodity prices, particularly coffee, and on reduction of the high crime rate.

Electricity - consumption

3.771 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports

16 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports

415 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - production

3.626 billion kWh (2002)

Exchange rates

lempiras per US dollar - 18.206 (2004), 17.345 (2003), 16.433 (2002), 15.474 (2001), 14.839 (2000)

Exports

$1.457 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities

coffee, shrimp, bananas, gold, palm oil, fruit, lobster, lumber

Exports - partners

US 54.4%, El Salvador 8.1%, Germany 5.9%, Guatemala 5.4% (2004)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$18.79 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 12.7% industry: 32.1% services: 55.3% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $2,800 (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

4.2% (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 0.6% highest 10%: 42.7% (1998)

Imports

$3.332 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and transport equipment, industrial raw materials, chemical products, fuels, foodstuffs (2000)

Imports - partners

US 37.5%, Guatemala 6.9%, Mexico 5.4%, Costa Rica 4.3%, El Salvador 4% (2004)

Industrial production growth rate

7.7% (2003 est.)

Industries

sugar, coffee, textiles, clothing, wood products

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

7% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

24.1% of GDP (2004 est.)

Labor force

2.47 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 34%, industry 21%, services 45% (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption

29,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA

Oil - imports

NA

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line

53% (1993 est.)

Public debt

74.1% of GDP (2004 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$1.464 billion (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate

28.5% (2004 est.)

Area

total: 112,090 sq km land: 111,890 sq km water: 200 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly larger than Tennessee

Climate

subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains

Coastline

820 km

Elevation extremes

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

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

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geographic coordinates

15 00 N, 86 30 W

Geography - note

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

Irrigated land

760 sq km (1998 est.)

Land boundaries

total: 1,520 km border countries: Guatemala 256 km, El Salvador 342 km, Nicaragua 922 km

Land use

arable land: 9.55% permanent crops: 3.22% other: 87.23% (2001)

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

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: natural extension of territory or to 200 nm

Natural hazards

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

Natural resources

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

Terrain

mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains

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

Capital

Tegucigalpa

Constitution

11 January 1982, effective 20 January 1982; amended 1995

Country name

conventional long form: Republic of Honduras conventional short form: Honduras local long form: Republica de Honduras local short form: Honduras

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Larry Leon PALMER embassy: Avenida La Paz, Apartado Postal No. 3453, Tegucigalpa mailing address: American Embassy, APO AA 34022, Tegucigalpa telephone: [504] 238-5114, 236-9320 FAX: [504] 236-9037

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant) chancery: Suite 4-M, 3007 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 966-7702 FAX: [1] (202) 966-9751 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco honorary consulate(s): Boston, Detroit, Jacksonville

Executive branch

chief of state: President Ricardo (Joest) MADURO (since 27 January 2002); First Vice President Vicente WILLIAMS Agasse (since 27 January 2002); Second Vice President Armida Villela Maria DE LOPEZ Contreras (since 27 January 2002); Third Vice President Alberto DIAZ Lobo (since 27 January 2002); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Ricardo (Joest) MADURO (since 27 January 2002); First Vice President Vicente WILLIAMS Agasse (since 27 January 2002); Second Vice President Armida Villela Maria DE LOPEZ Contreras (since 27 January 2002); Third Vice President Alberto DIAZ Lobo (since 27 January 2002); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by president elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 25 November 2001 (next to be held 27 November 2005) election results: Ricardo (Joest) MADURO (PN) elected president - 52.2%, Raphael PINEDA Ponce (PL) 44.3%, others 3.5%

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

Government type

democratic constitutional republic

Independence

15 September 1821 (from Spain)

International organization participation

ABEDA, BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Judicial branch

Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges are elected for seven-year terms by the National Congress)

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

Legislative branch

unicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional (128 seats; members are elected proportionally to the number of votes their party's presidential candidate receives to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 25 November 2001 (next to be held 27 November 2005) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PN 61, PL 55, PUD 5, PDC 4, PINU-SD 3

National holiday

Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Political parties and leaders

Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Juan Ramon VELAZQUEZ Nassar]; Democratic Unification Party or PUD [Matias FUNES]; Liberal Party or PL [Roberto MICHELETTI Bain]; National Innovation and Unity Party-Social Democratic Party or PINU-SD [Olban F. VALLADARES]; National Party of Honduras or PN [Jose Celin DISCUA Elvir]; United Confederation of Honduran Workers or CUTH

Political pressure groups and leaders

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

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.

Manpower available for military service

males age 18-49: 1,448,369 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 18-49: 955,019 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually

males: 77,399 (2005 est.)

Military branches

Army, Navy (includes Naval Infantry), Air Force

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$100.6 million (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.4% (2004)

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for voluntary 2-3 year military service (2004)

Age structure

0-14 years: 40.8% (male 1,452,646/female 1,393,271) 15-64 years: 55.5% (male 1,921,432/female 1,948,656) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 122,146/female 137,053) (2005 est.)

Birth rate

30.38 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate

6.87 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Ethnic groups

mestizo (mixed Amerindian and European) 90%, Amerindian 7%, black 2%, white 1%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

1.8% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

4,100 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

63,000 (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 29.32 deaths/1,000 live births male: 32.84 deaths/1,000 live births female: 25.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Languages

Spanish, Amerindian dialects

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 69.3 years male: 67.71 years female: 70.97 years (2005 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 76.2% male: 76.1% female: 76.3% (2003 est.)

Median age

total: 19.15 years male: 18.75 years female: 19.56 years (2005 est.)

Nationality

noun: Honduran(s) adjective: Honduran

Net migration rate

-1.95 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Population

6,975,204 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 2005 est.)

Population growth rate

2.16% (2005 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant 3%

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.87 children born/woman (2005 est.)

Disputes - international

in 1992, ICJ ruled on the delimitation of "bolsones" (disputed areas) along the El Salvador-Honduras border, but despite OAS intervention and a further ICJ ruling in 2003, full demarcation of the border remains stalled; 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 Sapodilla Cays off the coast of Belize, but agreed to creation of a joint ecological park and Guatemalan corridor in the Caribbean in the failed 2002 Belize-Guatemala Differendum, which the OAS is attempting to revive; Nicaragua filed a claim against Honduras in 1999 and against Colombia in 2001 at the ICJ over a complex dispute over islands and maritime boundaries in the Caribbean Sea

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for drugs and narcotics; illicit producer of cannabis, cultivated on small plots and used principally for local consumption; corruption is a major problem; some money-laundering activity

Airports

115 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 104 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 18 under 914 m: 84 (2004 est.)

Highways

total: 13,603 km paved: 2,775 km unpaved: 10,828 km (1999 est.)

Merchant marine

total: 137 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 598,600 GRT/616,158 DWT by type: bulk carrier 10, cargo 67, chemical tanker 6, container 2, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 1, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 30, refrigerated cargo 9, roll on/roll off 1, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 44 (Canada 1, China 3, Egypt 1, Greece 4, Hong Kong 2, Israel 1, Japan 4, Lebanon 1, Mexico 1, Singapore 12, South Korea 6, Taiwan 2, Tanzania 1, Turkey 1, United States 2, Vanuatu 1, Vietnam 1) registered in other countries: 1 (2005)

Ports and harbors

Puerto Castilla, Puerto Cortes, San Lorenzo, Tela

Railways

total: 699 km narrow gauge: 279 km 1.067-m gauge; 420 km 0.914-m gauge (2004)

Waterways

465 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2004)