1996 Edition

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

Location

15 00 N, 86 30 W -- Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Nicaragua and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between El Salvador and Nicaragua Flag ----

Area

comparative area

slightly larger than Tennessee

land area

111,890 sq km

total area

112,090 sq km

Climate

subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains

Coastline

820 km

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

international agreements

party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Tropical Timber 94

natural hazards

frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; damaging hurricanes and floods along Caribbean coast

Geographic coordinates

15 00 N, 86 30 W

International disputes

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

Irrigated land

900 sq km (1989 est.)

Land boundaries

border countries

Guatemala 256 km, El Salvador 342 km, Nicaragua 922 km

total

1,520 km

Land use

arable land

14%

forest and woodland

34%

meadows and pastures

30%

other

20%

permanent crops

2%

Location

Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Nicaragua and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between El Salvador and Nicaragua

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

contiguous zone

24 nm

continental shelf

natural extension of territory or to 200 nm

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural resources

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

Terrain

mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains

highest point

Cerro Las Minas 2,870 m

lowest point

Caribbean Sea 0 m

Age structure

0-14 years: 43% (male 1,220,188; female 1,177,725) 15-64 years: 54% (male 1,496,625; female 1,520,918) 65 years and over: 3% (male 91,126; female 98,611) (July 1996 est.)

Birth rate

33.38 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate

5.83 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Ethnic divisions

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

Infant mortality rate

41.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Languages

Spanish, Indian dialects

Life expectancy at birth

female

70.96 years (1996 est.)

male

66.01 years

total population

68.42 years

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)

female

72.7%

male

72.6%

total population

72.7%

Nationality

adjective

Honduran

noun

Honduran(s)

Net migration rate

-1.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Population

5,605,193 (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate

2.6% (1996 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant minority

Sex ratio

all ages

1 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years

1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female

Total fertility rate

4.41 children born/woman (1996 est.)

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

Data code

HO

Diplomatic representation in US

chancery

3007 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Roberto FLORES Bermudez

telephone

[1] (202) 966-7702, 2604, 5008, 4596

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet

chief of state and head of government

President Carlos Roberto REINA Idiaquez (since 27 January 1994) was elected for a four-year term by a simple majority of the people; First Vice President General (Ret.) Walter LOPEZ; Second Vice President Juan DE LA CRUZ Avelar; Third Vice President Guadeloupe JEREZANO; election last held 28 November 1993 (next to be held November 1997); results - Carlos Roberto REINA Idiaquez (PLH) 53%, Oswaldo RAMOS Soto (PNH) 41%, other 6%

FAX

[1] (202) 966-9751

[504] 36-9037

consulate(s)

Boston, Detroit, and Jacksonville

consulate(s) general

Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)

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)

International organization participation

BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIH, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO

Judicial branch

Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justica), judges are elected for four-year terms by the National Assembly

Legal system

rooted in Roman and Spanish civil law; some influence of English common law; accepts ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Legislative branch

unicameral

Name of country

conventional long form

Republic of Honduras

conventional short form

Honduras

local long form

Republica de Honduras

local short form

Honduras

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

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), Rafael PINEDA Ponce, president; National Party of Honduras (PNH), Oswaldo RAMOS Soto, president; National Innovation and Unity Party (PINU), Olban VALLADARES, president; Christian Democratic Party (PDCH), Efrain DIAZ Arrivillaga, president

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Type of government

republic

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission

Ambassador William T. PRYCE

embassy

Avenida La Paz, Apartado Postal No 3453, Tegucigalpa

mailing address

American Embassy, APO AA 34022, Tegucigalpa

telephone

[504] 36-9320, 38-5114

Agriculture

bananas, coffee, citrus; beef; timber; shrimp;

Budget

expenditures

$668 million, including capital expenditures of $166 million (1993 est.)

revenues

$527 million

Currency

1 lempira (L) = 100 centavos

Economic aid

recipient

ODA, $NA

Economic overview

Honduras is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. Agriculture, the most important sector of the economy, employs nearly two-thirds of the labor force and produces two-thirds of exports. Productivity remains low. Manufacturing, still in its early stages, employs about 9% of the labor force, and generates 20% of exports. Many basic problems face the economy, including rapid population growth, high unemployment, 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. A far-reaching reform program, initiated by former President CALLEJAS in 1990 and scaled back by President REINA, is beginning to take hold.

Electricity

capacity

290,000 kW

consumption per capita

445 kWh (1993)

production

2.3 billion kWh

Exchange rates

lempiras (L) per US$1 - 10.3432 (December 1994), 10.3432 (1995), 9.4001 (1994), 7.2600 (1993), 5.8300 (1992), 5.4000 (1991); the lempira was allowed to float in 1992

Exports

$843 million (f.o.b., 1994)

commodities

bananas, coffee, shrimp, lobster, minerals, meat, lumber

partners

US 53%, Germany 11%, Belgium 8%, UK 5%

External debt

$3.7 billion (1994)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $10.8 billion (1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector

agriculture

30%

industry

20%

services

50% (1995 est.)

GDP per capita

$1,980 (1995 est.)

GDP real growth rate

4% (1995 est.)

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for narcotics; illicit producer of cannabis, cultivated on small plots and used principally for local consumption

Imports

$1.1 billion (c.i.f. 1994)

commodities

machinery and transport equipment, chemical products, manufactured goods, fuel and oil, foodstuffs

partners

US 50%, Mexico 8%, Guatemala 6%

Industrial production growth rate

10% (1992 est.)

Industries

sugar, coffee, textiles, clothing, wood products

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

30% (1994 est.)

Labor force

1.3 million

by occupation

agriculture 62%, services 20%, manufacturing 9%, construction 3%, other 6% (1985)

Unemployment rate

10%; underemployed 30%-40% (1992)

Branches

Army, Navy (includes Marines), Air Force, Public Security Forces (FUSEP)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $41 million, about 0.4% of GDP (1994)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49

1,322,525

males fit for military service

787,889

males reach military age (18) annually

64,378 (1996 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 176, FM 0, shortwave 7

Radios

2.115 million (1992 est.)

Telephone system

inadequate system

domestic

NA

international

satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to Central American Microwave System

Telephones

105,000 (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations

28

Televisions

400,000 (1992 est.) Defense

Airports

total

111

with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m

2

with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m

3

with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m

5

with paved runways under 914 m

79

with unpaved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m

1

with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m

21 (1995 est.)

Highways

paved

2,533 km

total

14,203 km

unpaved

11,670 km (1993 est.)

Merchant marine

note

a flag of convenience registry; Russia owns 8 ships, Vietnam 4, North Korea 2, Greece 1, Japan 1, US 1, Iran 1 (1995 est.)

ships by type

bulk 29, cargo 165, chemical tanker 2, combination bulk 1, container 7, liquefied gas tanker 1, livestock carrier 3, oil tanker 19, passenger 1, passenger-cargo 3, refrigerated cargo 16, roll-on/roll-off cargo 7, short-sea passenger 2, vehicle carrier 1

total

257 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 769,518 GRT/1,148,423 DWT

Ports

La Ceiba, Puerto Castilla, Puerto Cortes, San Lorenzo, Tela, Puerto Lempira

Railways

narrow gauge

190 km 1.067-m gauge; 128 km 1.057-m gauge; 277 km 0.914-m gauge

note

in 1993, there was a total of 988 km of track (1995)

total

595 km

Waterways

465 km navigable by small craft