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Communications

Airports [time series]

total: 160 usable: 133 with permanent-surface runways: 11 with runways over 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 4 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 14

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

total: 8,950 km paved: 1,700 km unpaved: otherwise improved 5,000 km; unimproved earth 2,250 km

Waterways (Inland waterways) [time series]

465 km navigable by small craft

Merchant marine [time series]

270 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 831,856 GRT/1,248,186 DWT, bulk 25, cargo 177, chemical tanker 2, combination bulk 1, container 7, liquified gas 1, oil tanker 22, passenger 2, passenger-cargo 2, refrigerated cargo 20, roll-on/roll-off cargo 6, short-sea passenger 2, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 1 note: a flag of convenience registry; Russia owns 14 ships under the Honduran flag

Ports [time series]

Puerto Castilla, Puerto Cortes, San Lorenzo

Railways (Railroads) [time series]

785 km total; 508 km 1.067-meter gauge, 277 km 0.914-meter gauge

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

inadequate system with only 7 telephones per 1,000 persons; international services provided by 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations and the Central American microwave radio relay system; broadcast stations - 176 AM, no FM, 7 SW, 28 TV

Defense Forces

Affiliation [time series]

(dependent territory of the UK)

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

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

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

exchange rate conversion - $42.8 million, about 1.3% of GDP (1993 est.)

Manpower availability [time series]

males age 15-49 1,229,777; fit for military service 732,866; reach military age (18) annually 60,445 (1994 est.)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

most important sector, accounting for more than 25% of GDP, more than 60% of the labor force, and two-thirds of exports; principal products include bananas, coffee, timber, beef, citrus fruit, shrimp; importer of wheat

Budget [time series]

revenues: $1.4 billion expenditures: $1.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $511 million (1990 est.)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

1 lempira (L) = 100 centavos

Economic aid [time series]

recipient: 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 [time series]

capacity: 575,000 kW production: 2 billion kWh consumption per capita: 390 kWh (1992)

Exchange rates [time series]

lempiras (L) per US$1 - 7.2600 (December 1993), 7.2600 (1993), 5.8300 (1992), 5.4000 (1991); 2.0000 (fixed rate until 1991) 5.70 parallel black-market rate (November 1990); the lempira was allowed to float in 1992

Exports [time series]

$850 million (f.o.b., 1993 est) commodities: bananas, coffee, shrimp, lobster, minerals, meat, lumber partners: US 53%, Germany 11%, Belgium 8%, UK 5%

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$2.8 billion (1990)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Illicit drugs [time series]

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

Imports [time series]

$1.1 billion (c.i.f. 1993 est) commodities: machinery and transport equipment, chemical products, manufactured goods, fuel and oil, foodstuffs partners: US 50%, Mexico 8%, Guatemala 6%

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate 0.8% (1990 est.); accounts for 15% of GDP

Industries [time series]

agricultural processing (sugar and coffee), textiles, clothing, wood products

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

13% (1993 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (National product) [time series]

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $10 billion (1993 est.)

Real GDP per capita (National product per capita) [time series]

$1,950 (1993 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (National product real growth rate) [time series]

3.7% (1993 est.)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

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 20% of the labor force. Basic problems facing the economy include rapid population growth, high unemployment, 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 is beginning to take hold. In 1993 the large fiscal deficit emerged as a key economic problem, the result of improvident state spending.

Unemployment rate [time series]

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

Geography

Area [time series]

total area: 112,090 sq km land area: 111,890 sq km comparative area: slightly larger than Tennessee

Climate [time series]

subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains

Coastline [time series]

820 km

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

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 natural hazards: subject to frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; damaging hurricanes and floods along Caribbean coast international agreements: party to - Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Tropical Timber

Disputes - international (International disputes) [time series]

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

Irrigated land [time series]

900 sq km (1989 est.)

Land boundaries [time series]

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

Land use [time series]

arable land: 14% permanent crops: 2% meadows and pastures: 30% forest and woodland: 34% other: 20%

Location [time series]

Middle America, between Guatemala and Nicaragua

Map references [time series]

Central America and the Caribbean, North America, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims [time series]

contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources [time series]

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

Terrain [time series]

mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

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 [time series]

Tegucigalpa

Constitution [time series]

11 January 1982, effective 20 January 1982

Digraph [time series]

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation in US) [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Rene Arturo BENDANA chancery: 3007 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 966-7702, 2604, 5008, 4596

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state and head of government: President Carlos Roberto REINA Idiaquez (since 27 January 1994); election last held on 28 November 1993 (next to be held November 1997); results - Carlos Roberto REINA Idiaquez (PLH) 53%, Oswaldo RAMOS Soto (PNH) 41%, other 6% cabinet: Cabinet

Diplomatic representation in the US (FAX) [time series]

(202) 966-9751 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico) consulate(s): Boston, Detroit, and Jacksonville

Diplomatic representation in the US (FAX) [time series]

[504] 32-0027

Flag [time series]

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 [time series]

15 September 1821 (from Spain)

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justica)

Legal system [time series]

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

Legislative branch [time series]

unicameral

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), LORCS, MINURSO, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Country name (Names) [time series]

conventional long form: Republic of Honduras conventional short form: Honduras local long form: Republica de Honduras local short form: Honduras

Legislative branch (National Congress (Congreso Nacional)) [time series]

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 [time series]

Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Political parties (Other political or pressure groups) [time series]

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 (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

Liberal Party (PLH), Rafael PINEDA Ponce, president; National Party (PN) has two factions: Movimiento Nacional de Reivindication Callejista (Monarca), Rafael Leonardo CALLEJAS, and Oswaldista, Oswaldo RAMOS Soto, presidential candidate; National Innovation and Unity Party (PINU), Olban VALLADARES, president; Christian Democratic Party (PDCH), Efrain DIAZ Arrivillaga, president

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Government type (Type) [time series]

republic

Diplomatic representation from the US (US diplomatic representation) [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador William PRYCE embassy: Avenida La Paz, Tegucigalpa mailing address: American Embassy, APO AA 34022, Tegucigalpa telephone: [504] 32-3120

People

Birth rate [time series]

34.97 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate [time series]

6.22 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

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

Infant mortality rate [time series]

45.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

Labor force [time series]

1.3 million by occupation: agriculture 62%, services 20%, manufacturing 9%, construction 3%, other 6% (1985)

Languages [time series]

Spanish, Indian dialects

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 67.6 years male: 65.23 years female: 70.08 years (1994 est.)

Literacy [time series]

age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) total population: 73% male: 76% female: 71%

Nationality [time series]

noun: Honduran(s) adjective: Honduran

Net migration rate [time series]

-1.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Population [time series]

5,314,794 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

2.73% (1994 est.)

Religions [time series]

Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant minority

Total fertility rate [time series]

4.71 children born/woman (1994 est.)