2008 Edition

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.

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

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 0.86 cu km/yr (8%/12%/80%) per capita: 119 cu m/yr (2000)

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

800 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

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

Land use

arable land: 9.53% permanent crops: 3.21% other: 87.26% (2005)

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

Total renewable water resources

95.9 cu km (2000)

Age structure

0-14 years: 38.7% (male 1,508,835/female 1,446,530) 15-64 years: 57.8% (male 2,210,187/female 2,203,620) 65 years and over: 3.5% (male 121,839/female 148,316) (2008 est.)

Birth rate

26.93 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate

5.36 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Education expenditures

3.8% of GDP (1991)

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: 24.61 deaths/1,000 live births male: 27.63 deaths/1,000 live births female: 21.43 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Languages

Spanish, Amerindian dialects

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 69.37 years male: 67.81 years female: 71.01 years (2008 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 80% male: 79.8% female: 80.2% (2001 census)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Median age

total: 20 years male: 19.7 years female: 20.4 years (2008 est.)

Nationality

noun: Honduran(s) adjective: Honduran

Net migration rate

-1.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Population

7,639,327 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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Population growth rate

2.024% (2008 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant 3%

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 11 years male: 11 years female: 12 years (2004)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.38 children born/woman (2008 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

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

Constitution

11 January 1982, effective 20 January 1982; amended many times

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 Hugo LLORENS embassy: Avenida La Paz, Apartado Postal No. 3453, Tegucigalpa mailing address: American Embassy, APO AA 34022, Tegucigalpa telephone: [504] 236-9320, 238-5114

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Roberto FLORES BERMUDEZ chancery: Suite 4-M, 3007 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 966-7702

Executive branch

chief of state: President Jose 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 Jose 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: Jose Manuel ZELAYA Rosales elected president - 49.8%, Porfirio "Pepe" LOBO Sosa 46.1%, other 4.1%

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

[504] 238-4357

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

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

Judicial branch

Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (15 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 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

National holiday

Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Agriculture - products

bananas, coffee, citrus; beef; timber; shrimp, tilapia, lobster; corn, African palm

Budget

revenues: $2.344 billion expenditures: $2.631 billion; including capital expenditures of $106 million (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate

NA (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

16.61% (31 December 2007)

Currency (code)

lempira (HNL)

Currency code

HNL

Current account balance

-$1.225 billion (2007 est.)

Debt - external

$3.411 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

53.8 (2003)

Economic aid - recipient

$680.8 million (2005)

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. Despite improvements in tax collections, the government's fiscal deficit is growing due to increases in current expenditures and financial losses from the state energy and telephone companies. Honduras is the fastest growing remittance destination in the region with inflows representing over a quarter of GDP, equivalent to nearly three-quarters of exports. 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, however, investments in the maquila and non-traditional export sectors are slowly diversifying the economy. 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.

Electricity - consumption

4.233 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports

11.8 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production

5.753 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 50.2% hydro: 49.8% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Exchange rates

lempiras (HNL) per US dollar - 18.9 (2007), 18.895 (2006), 18.92 (2005), 18.206 (2004), 17.345 (2003)

Exports

$5.594 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities

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

Exports - partners

US 67.2%, El Salvador 4.9%, Guatemala 3.9% (2007)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 13.4% industry: 28.1% services: 58.6% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$4,300 (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

6.3% (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$12.28 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$32.26 billion (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 1.2% highest 10%: 42.2% (2003)

Imports

$8.556 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities

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

Imports - partners

US 52.4%, Guatemala 7.1%, El Salvador 5.2%, Mexico 4.5%, Costa Rica 4.2% (2007)

Industrial production growth rate

4.4% (2007 est.)

Industries

sugar, coffee, textiles, clothing, wood products

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

6.9% (2007 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

30.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Labor force

2.779 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 34% industry: 23% services: 43% (2003 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Oil - consumption

46,830 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports

417.9 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports

44,040 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Population below poverty line

50.7% (2004)

Public debt

24.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$2.546 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$6.298 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of money

$1.573 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money

$5.266 billion (31 December 2007)

Unemployment rate

27.8% (2007 est.)

Internet country code

.hn

Internet hosts

13,370 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

8 (2000)

Internet users

344,100 (2006)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 241, FM 53, shortwave 12 (1998)

Radios

2.45 million (1997)

Telephone system

general assessment: inadequate system domestic: beginning in 2003, private sub-operators allowed to provide fixed-lines in order to expand telephone coverage; fixed-line teledensity has increased to about 10 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone service has been increasing rapidly and subscribership in 2006 exceeded 30 per 100 persons international: country code - 504; landing point for both the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) and the MAYA-1 fiber optic submarine cable system that together provide connectivity to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to Central American Microwave System

Telephones - main lines in use

713,600 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular

2.241 million (2006)

Television broadcast stations

11 (plus 17 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions

570,000 (1997)

Airports

112 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 12 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 100 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 15 under 914 m: 83 (2007)

Merchant marine

total: 123 by type: bulk carrier 10, cargo 57, chemical tanker 6, container 1, liquefied gas 1, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker 25, refrigerated cargo 7, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 42 (Bangladesh 1, Canada 1, China 3, Egypt 3, Greece 4, Hong Kong 1, Israel 1, Japan 4, South Korea 6, Lebanon 1, Mexico 1, Singapore 12, Taiwan 2, Tanzania 1, Vietnam 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals

La Ceiba, Puerto Cortes, San Lorenzo, Tela

Railways

total: 699 km narrow gauge: 279 km 1.067-m gauge; 420 km 0.914-m gauge (2006)

Roadways

total: 13,600 km paved: 2,775 km unpaved: 10,825 km (2000)

Waterways

465 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2007)

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 1,868,940 females age 16-49: 1,825,770 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 1,359,406 females age 16-49: 1,371,418 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 90,876 female: 87,292 (2008 est.)

Military branches

Army, Navy (includes Naval Infantry), Honduran Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Hondurena, FAH) (2008)

Military expenditures

0.6% of GDP (2006 est.)

Military service age and obligation

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

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 This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008