1992 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1992 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains
Coastline
820 km
Comparative area
slightly larger than Tennessee
Contiguous zone
24 nm
Continental shelf
200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation
Disputes
dispute with El Salvador over several sections of the land boundary; dispute over Golfo de Fonseca maritime boundary because of disputed sovereignty of islands; unresolved maritime boundary with Nicaragua
Environment
subject to frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; damaging hurricanes and floods along Caribbean coast; deforestation; soil erosion
Exclusive economic zone
200 nm
Land area
111,890 km2
Land boundaries
1,520 km; Guatemala 256 km, El Salvador 342 km, Nicaragua 922 km
Land use
arable land 14%; permanent crops 2%; meadows and pastures 30%; forest and woodland 34%; other 20%; includes irrigated 1%
Natural resources
timber, gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore, antimony, coal, fish
Terrain
mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains
Territorial sea
12 nm
Total area
112,090 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
37 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate
7 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Ethnic divisions
mestizo (mixed Indian and European) 90%, Indian 7%, black 2%, white 1%
Infant mortality rate
54 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Labor force
1,300,000; agriculture 62%, services 20%, manufacturing 9%, construction 3%, other 6% (1985)
Languages
Spanish, Indian dialects
Life expectancy at birth
65 years male, 68 years female (1992)
Literacy
73% (male 76%, female 71%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Nationality
noun - Honduran(s); adjective - Honduran
Net migration rate
-2 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Organized labor
40% of urban labor force, 20% of rural work force (1985)
Population
5,092,776 (July 1992), growth rate 2.8% (1992)
Religions
Roman Catholic about 97%; small Protestant minority
Total fertility rate
4.8 children born/woman (1992)
Government
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
Chief of State and Head of Government
President Rafael Leonardo CALLEJAS Romero (since 26 January 1990)
Constitution
11 January 1982, effective 20 January 1982
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador Jorge Ramon HERNANDEZ Alcerro; Chancery at 3007 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 966-7702; there are Honduran Consulates General in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco, and Consulates in Baton Rouge, Boston, Detroit, Houston, and Jacksonville US: Ambassador S. Crescencio ARCOS; Embassy at Avenida La Paz, Tegucigalpa (mailing address is APO AA 34022); telephone [504] 32-3120
Executive branch
president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Flag
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
Independence
15 September 1821 (from Spain)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justica)
Legal system
rooted in Roman and Spanish civil law; some influence of English common law; accepts ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Legislative branch
unicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional)
Long-form name
Republic of Honduras
Member of
BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
National Congress
last held on 26 November 1989 (next to be held November 1993); results - PNH 51%, PLH 43%, PDCH 1.9%, PINU-SD 1.5%, other 2.6%; seats - (128 total) PNH 71, PLH 55, PINU-SD 2
National holiday
Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Other political or pressure groups
National Association of Honduran Campesinos (ANACH), Honduran Council of Private Enterprise (COHEP), Confederation of Honduran Workers (CTH), National Union of Campesinos (UNC), General Workers Confederation (CGT), United Federation of Honduran Workers (FUTH), Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Honduras (CODEH), Coordinating Committee of Popular Organizations (CCOP)
Political parties and leaders
Liberal Party (PLH) - faction leaders, Carlos FLORES Facusse (leader of Florista Liberal Movement), Carlos MONTOYA (Azconista subfaction), Ramon VILLEDA Bermudez and Jorge Arturo REINA (M-Lider faction); National Party (PNH), Jose Celin DISCUA, party president; PNH faction leaders - Oswaldo RAMOS Soto and Rafael Leonardo CALLEJAS Romero (Monarca faction); National Innovation and Unity Party - Social Democrats (PINU-SD), Enrique AGUILAR Cerrato Paz; Christian Democratic Party (PDCH), Jorge ILLESCAS; Democratic Action (AD), Walter LOPEZ Reyes
President
last held on 26 November 1989 (next to be held November 1993); results - Rafael Leonardo CALLEJAS (PNH) 51%, Carlos FLORES Facusse (PLH) 43.3%, other 5.7%
Suffrage
universal and compulsory at age 18
Type
republic
Economy
Agriculture
most important sector, accounting for more than 25% of GDP, over 60% of the labor force, and two-thirds of exports; principal products include bananas, coffee, timber, beef, citrus fruit, shrimp; importer of wheat
Budget
revenues $1.4 billion; expenditures $1.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $511 million (1990 est.)
Currency
lempira (plural - lempiras); 1 lempira (L) = 100 centavos
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.4 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1.1 billion
Electricity
575,000 kW capacity; 1,850 million kWh produced, 374 kWh per capita (1991)
Exchange rates
lempiras (L) per US$1 - 5.4 (fixed rate); 5.70 parallel black-market rate (November 1990)
Exports
$1.0 billion (f.o.b., 1991) commodities: bananas, coffee, shrimp, lobster, minerals, lumber partners: US 52%, Germany 11%, Japan, Italy, Belgium
External debt
$2.8 billion (1990)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
exchange rate conversion - $5.2 billion, per capita $1,050; real growth rate - 0.3% (1991 est.)
Illicit drugs
illicit producer of cannabis, cultivated on small plots and used principally for local consumption; transshipment point for cocaine
Imports
$1.3 billion (c.i.f. 1991) commodities: machinery and transport equipment, chemical products, manufactured goods, fuel and oil, foodstuffs partners: US 39%, Japan 9%, CACM, Venezuela, Mexico
Industrial production
growth rate 2.9% (1989); accounts for 15% of GDP
Industries
agricultural processing (sugar and coffee), textiles, clothing, wood products
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
26% (1991 est.)
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 nearly 20% of the labor force. Basic problems facing the economy include rapid population growth, high unemployment, sharply increased inflation, 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. Despite government efforts at reform and large-scale foreign assistance, the economy still is unable to take advantage of its sizable natural resources.
Unemployment rate
15% unemployed, 30-40% underemployed (1989)
Communications
Airports
171 total, 133 usable; 8 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 12 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
6 major transport aircraft
Highways
8,950 km total; 1,700 km paved, 5,000 km otherwise improved, 2,250 km unimproved earth
Inland waterways
465 km navigable by small craft
Merchant marine
201 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 629,134 GRT/939,289 DWT; includes 2 passenger-cargo, 127 cargo, 17 refrigerated - cargo, - 7 - container, - 2 - roll-on/roll-off cargo, 19 petroleum tanker, 2 chemical tanker, 3 specialized tanker, 1 vehicle carrier, 18 bulk, 2 passenger, 1 short-sea passenger; note - a flag of convenience registry; Republics of the former USSR own 10 ships under the Honduran flag
Ports
Puerto Castilla, Puerto Cortes, San Lorenzo
Railroads
785 km total; 508 km 1.067-meter gauge, 277 km 0.914-meter gauge
Telecommunications
improved, but still inadequate; connection into Central American Microwave System; 35,100 telephones; broadcast stations - 176 AM, no FM, 28 TV, 7 shortwave; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Navy (including Marines), Air Force, Public Security Forces (FUSEP)
Defense expenditures
exchange rate conversion - $43.4 million, about 1% of GDP (1992 est.)
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 1,148,376; 684,375 fit for military service; 57,028 reach military age (18) annually