Honduras

§1. Honduras Introduction

Background:
  Part of Spain's vast empire in the New World, Honduras became an
  independent nation in 1821. After two and one-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 against leftist guerrillas.

§2. Honduras Geography

Location:
  Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and
  Nicaragua and bordering the 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 kmē
  land: 111,890 kmē
  water: 200 kmē

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

Climate:
  subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains

Terrain:
  mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains

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

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

Land use:
  arable land: 15%
  permanent crops: 3%
  permanent pastures: 14%
  forests and woodland: 54%
  other: 14% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land:
  740 kmē (1993 est.)

Natural hazards:
  frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; damaging hurricanes and floods
  along 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; severe Hurricane Mitch damage

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

§3. Honduras People

Population:
  6,406,052
  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 2001 est.)

Age structure:
  0-14 years: 42.22% (male 1,381,823; female 1,322,684)
  15-64 years: 54.21% (male 1,719,593; female 1,753,003)
  65 years and over: 3.57% (male 108,271; female 120,678) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate:
  2.43% (2001 est.)

Birth rate:
  31.94 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate:
  5.52 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate:
  -2.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio:
  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: 0.9 male(s)/female
  total population: 1 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
  30.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 69.35 years male: 67.51 years
  female: 71.28 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  4.15 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  1.92% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  63,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  4,200 (1999 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 minority

Languages:
  Spanish, Amerindian dialects

Literacy:
  definition: age 15 and over can read and write
  total population: 72.7%
  male: 72.6%
  female: 72.7% (1995 est.)

§4. Honduras Government

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:
  Tegucigalpa

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 1995

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 Carlos Roberto FLORES Facusse (since 27 January
    1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
    government; First Vice President William HANDAL (since NA); Second Vice
    President Gladys CABALLERO de Arevalo (since NA); Third Vice President
    Hector Vidal CERRATO Hernandez (since NA)
  head of government: President Carlos Roberto FLORES Facusse (since 27
    January 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head
    of government; First Vice President William HANDAL (since NA); Second
    Vice President Gladys CABALLERO de Arevalo (since NA); Third Vice
    President Hector Vidal CERRATO Hernandez (since NA)
  cabinet: Cabinet appointed by president
  elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election
    last held 30 November 1997 (next to be held 25 November 2001)
  election results: Carlos Roberto FLORES Facusse elected president; percent
    of vote - Carlos Roberto FLORES Facusse (PL) 50%, Nora de MELGAR (PN)
    40%, other 10%

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 on 30 November 1997 (next to be held 25 November 2001)
  election results: percent of vote by party - PL 46%, PN 38%, PINU-SD 4%,
    PDC 2%, PUD 2%; seats by party - PL 67, PN 55, PINU-SD 3, PDC 2, PUD 1

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

Political parties and leaders:
  Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Efrain DIAZ Arrivillaga, president];
  Democratic Unification Party or PUD [Marias FUNES Valladares, president];
  Liberal Party or PL [Carlos Roberto FLORES Facusse, president]; National
  Innovation and Unity Party-Social Democratic Party or PINU-SD [Olban
  VALLADARES, president]; National Party of Honduras or PN [Carlos URBIZO,
  president]

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

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, ISO
  (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, NAM, OAS, OPANAL,
  OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador Hugo NOE PINO chancery: Suite 4-M, 3007 Tilden
    Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
  telephone: [1] (202) 966-7702
  FAX: [1] (202) 966-9751
  consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans,
    New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico)
  honorary consulate(s): Boston, Detroit, and Jacksonville

Diplomatic representation from the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador Frank ALMAGUER 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

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

§5. Honduras Economy

Economy - overview:
  Honduras, one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, is
  banking on expanded trade privileges under the Enhanced Caribbean Basin
  Initiative and on debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries
  (HIPC) initiative. While reconstruction from 1998's Hurricane Mitch is at
  an advanced stage, and the country has met most of its macroeconomic
  targets, it failed to meet the IMF's goals to liberalize its energy and
  telecommunications sectors. Economic growth has rebounded nicely since the
  hurricane and should continue in 2001.

GDP:
  purchasing power parity - $17 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
  5% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita:
  purchasing power parity - $2,700 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: 16.2% industry: 31.9%
  services: 51.9% (1999 est.)

Population below poverty line:
  53% (1993 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: 1.2% highest 10%: 42.1% (1996)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  11% (2000 est.)

Labor force:
  2.3 million (1997 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
  agriculture 29%, industry 21%, services 50% (1998 est.)

Unemployment rate:
  28% (2000 est.)

Budget:
  revenues: $607 million
  expenditures: $411.9 million, including capital expenditures of $106
    million (1999 est.)

Industries:
  sugar, coffee, textiles, clothing, wood products

Industrial production growth rate:
  4% (1999 est.)

Electricity - production:
  3.319 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source:
  fossil fuel: 44.71% hydro: 55.29%
  nuclear: 0%
  other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption:
  3.232 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports:
  0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports:
  145 million kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products:
  bananas, coffee, citrus; beef; timber; shrimp

Exports:
  $2 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Exports - commodities:
  coffee, bananas, shrimp, lobster, meat; zinc, lumber

Exports - partners:
  US 35.4%, Germany 7.5%, El Salvador 6.4%, Guatemala 5.8%, Nicaragua 4.8%
  (1999)

Imports:
  $2.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Imports - commodities:
  machinery and transport equipment, industrial raw materials, chemical
  products, fuels, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:
  US 47.1%, Guatemala 7.4%, El Salvador 5.9%, Mexico 4.8%, Japan 4.7% (1999)

Debt - external:
  $5.4 billion (2000)

Economic aid - recipient:
  $557.8 million (1999)

Currency:
  lempira (HNL)

Currency code:
  HNL

Exchange rates:
  lempiras per US dollar - 15.1407 (December 2000), 15.1407 (2000), 14.5039
  (1999), 13.8076 (1998), 13.0942 (1997), 12.8694 (1996)

Fiscal year:
  calendar year

§6. Honduras Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  234,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  14,427 (1997)

Telephone system:
  general assessment: inadequate system domestic: NA
  international: 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 Service Providers (ISPs):
  8 (2000)

Internet users:
  20,000 (2000)

§7. Honduras Transportation

Railways:
  total: 595 km
  narrow gauge: 349 km 1.067-m gauge; 246 km 0.914-m gauge (1999)

Highways:
  total: 15,400 km
  paved: 3,126 km
  unpaved: 12,274 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
  465 km (navigable by small craft)

Ports and harbors:
  La Ceiba, Puerto Castilla, Puerto Cortes, San Lorenzo, Tela, Puerto Lempira

Merchant marine:
  total: 313 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 760,819 GRT/820,582 DWT
  ships by type: bulk 21, cargo 187, chemical tanker 7, container 4,
    livestock carrier 2, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 52,
    refrigerated cargo 17, roll on/roll off 8, short-sea passenger 5,
    specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 2
  note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of
    convenience: Russia 4, Singapore 2, Vietnam 1 (2000 est.)

Airports:
  119 (2000 est.)

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 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 107 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
  914 to 1,523 m: 21
  under 914 m: 84 (2000 est.)

§8. Honduras Military

Military branches:
  Army, Navy (includes Marines), Air Force

Military manpower - military age:
  18 years of age

Military manpower - availability:
  males age 15-49: 1,515,101 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
  males age 15-49: 902,220 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
  males: 72,335 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
  $35 million (FY99)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
  0.6% (FY99)

§9. Honduras Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  with respect to the maritime boundary in the Golfo de Fonseca, the ICJ
  referred to the line determined by the 1900 Honduras-Nicaragua Mixed
  Boundary Commission and advised that some tripartite resolution among El
  Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua likely would be required; the maritime
  boundary dispute with Nicaragua in the Caribbean Sea is before the ICJ

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; vulnerable to money laundering
