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.
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 references
Central America and the Caribbean
Area
total
112,090 sq km
land
111,890 sq km
water
200 sq km
Area - comparative
slightly larger than Tennessee
Land boundaries
total
1,520 km
border countries
Guatemala 256 km, El Salvador 342 km, Nicaragua 922 km
Coastline
820 km
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
Climate
subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains
Terrain
mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains
frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; extremely susceptible to damaging hurricanes and floods along the Caribbean coast
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
Geography - note
has only a short Pacific coast but a long Caribbean shoreline, including the virtually uninhabited eastern Mosquito Coast
Population
7,483,763
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 2007 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
39.3% (male 1,500,949/female 1,439,084)
15-64 years
57.2% (male 2,142,953/female 2,140,432)
65 years and over
3.5% (male 117,774/female 142,571) (2007 est.)
Median age
total
19.7 years
male
19.4 years
female
20.1 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate
2.091% (2007 est.)
Birth rate
27.59 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate
5.32 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate
-1.36 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years
1.043 male(s)/female
15-64 years
1.001 male(s)/female
65 years and over
0.826 male(s)/female
total population
1.011 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total
25.21 deaths/1,000 live births
male
28.3 deaths/1,000 live births
female
21.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population
69.35 years
male
67.78 years
female
70.99 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate
3.48 children born/woman (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
1.8% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
63,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths
4,100 (2003 est.)
Nationality
noun
Honduran(s)
adjective
Honduran
Ethnic groups
mestizo (mixed Amerindian and European) 90%, Amerindian 7%, black 2%, white 1%
Religions
Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant 3%
Languages
Spanish, Amerindian dialects
Literacy
definition
age 15 and over can read and write
total population
80%
male
79.8%
female
80.2% (2001 census)
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
name
Tegucigalpa
geographic coordinates
14 06 N, 87 13 W
time difference
UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time
+1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November; note - these dates become effective in 2007
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; amended many times
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
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch
chief of state
President Manuel ZELAYA Rosales (since 27 January 2006); Vice President Elvin Ernesto SANTOS Ordonez (since 27 January 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government
President Manuel ZELAYA Rosales (since 27 January 2006); Vice President Elvin Ernesto SANTOS Ordonez (since 27 January 2006)
cabinet
Cabinet appointed by president
elections
president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 27 November 2005 (next to be held in November 2009)
election results
Manuel ZELAYA Rosales elected president - 49.8%, Porfirio "Pepe" LOBO Sosa 46.1%, other 4.1%
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 27 November 2005 (next to be held in November 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PL 62, PN 55, PUD 5, PDC 4, PINU 2
Judicial branch
Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges are elected for seven-year terms by the National Congress)
Political parties and leaders
Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Felicito AVILA]; Democratic Unification Party or PUD [Cesar HAM]; Liberal Party or PL [Patricia RODAS]; National Innovation and Unity Party or PINU [Jorge AQUILAR Paredes]; National Party of Honduras or PN [Porfirio LOBO]
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 Confederation of Honduran Workers or CUTH
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
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission
Ambassador Charles A. FORD
embassy
Avenida La Paz, Apartado Postal No. 3453, Tegucigalpa
mailing address
American Embassy, APO AA 34022, Tegucigalpa
telephone
[504] 236-9320, 238-5114
FAX
[504] 236-9037
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, the second poorest country in Central America and 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 US-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 (PRGF) program in February 2004. The economy relies heavily on a narrow range of exports, notably bananas and coffee, making it vulnerable to natural disasters and shifts in commodity prices, but in recent years has experienced a rapid rise in exports of light manufacturers. Growth remains dependent on the economy of the US, its largest trading partner, and on reduction of the high crime rate, as a means of attracting and maintaining investment.
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$22.54 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$8.478 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
6% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$3,100 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture
13.6%
industry
31.4%
services
55% (2006 est.)
Labor force
2.589 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture
34%
industry
23%
services
43% (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate
27.9% (2006 est.)
Population below poverty line
53% (1993 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%
0.6%
highest 10%
42.7% (1998)
Distribution of family income - Gini index
55 (1999)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
5.7% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed)
23.7% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget
revenues
$2.002 billion
expenditures
$2.028 billion; including capital expenditures of $106 million (2006 est.)
machinery and transport equipment, industrial raw materials, chemical products, fuels, foodstuffs
Imports - partners
US 51.7%, Guatemala 6.8%, El Salvador 4.4%, Mexico 4.1%, Costa Rica 4% (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$2.778 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external
$5.587 billion (2006 est.)
Economic aid - recipient
$557.8 million (1999)
Currency (code)
lempira (HNL)
Currency code
HNL
Exchange rates
lempiras per US dollar - 18.895 (2006), 18.92 (2005), 18.206 (2004), 17.345 (2003), 16.433 (2002)
Fiscal year
calendar year
Telephones - main lines in use
494,400 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular
1.282 million (2005)
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
Radio broadcast stations
AM 241, FM 53, shortwave 12 (1998)
Radios
2.45 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations
11 (plus 17 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions
570,000 (1997)
Internet country code
.hn
Internet hosts
3,973 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
8 (2000)
Internet users
223,000 (2005)
Airports
116 (2006)
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 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total
105
1,524 to 2,437 m
2
914 to 1,523 m
19
under 914 m
84 (2006)
Railways
total
699 km
narrow gauge
279 km 1.067-m gauge; 420 km 0.914-m gauge (2005)
Roadways
total
13,603 km
paved
2,775 km
unpaved
10,828 km (1999)
Waterways
465 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2007)
Merchant marine
total
136 ships (1000 GRT or over) 405,984 GRT/557,179 DWT
by type
bulk carrier 11, cargo 61, chemical tanker 5, container 1, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 1, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 9, petroleum tanker 29, refrigerated cargo 8, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 1
foreign-owned
43 (Canada 1, China 3, Egypt 4, Greece 3, Hong Kong 2, Israel 1, Japan 4, South Korea 6, Lebanon 1, Mexico 1, Qatar 1, Singapore 11, Taiwan 2, Tanzania 1, US 1, Vietnam 1) (2006)
Ports and terminals
Puerto Castilla, Puerto Cortes, San Lorenzo, Tela
Military branches
Army, Navy (includes Naval Infantry), Honduran Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Hondurena, FAH) (2007)
Military service age and obligation
18 years of age for voluntary 2 to 3-year military service (2004)
Manpower available for military service
males age 18-49
1,537,232
females age 18-49
1,515,120 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
males age 18-49
1,100,991
females age 18-49
1,121,649 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually
males age 18-49
82,105
females age 18-49
78,971 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
0.6% (2006 est.)
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 (OAS) 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; memorials and countermemorials were filed by the parties in Nicaragua's 1999 and 2001 proceedings against Honduras and Colombia at the ICJ over the maritime boundary and territorial claims in the western Caribbean Sea - final public hearings are scheduled for 2007
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
