Honduras

republicIndependence 15 September 1821 (from Spain)

Honduras as the 1992 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 73 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalTegucigalpa

Area112,090 km2

Populationas each edition published it

5.09 million July 1992 · 5.26m in 1990

Population growth% a year

Not in this edition 2.8% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 18.8 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

Not in this edition 67.17 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

4.8 children per woman 1992 · 4.8 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

54 deaths per 1,000 live births 1992 · 62 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

Not in this edition $1,090 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

Not in this edition 3.6% in 1993

Geography

12 fields

Total area

112,090km2

Comparative area: slightly larger than Tennessee

Coastline

820km

Contiguous zone: 24 nmContinental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitationExclusive economic zone: 200 nmTerritorial sea: 12 nm

Land boundaries

1,520km

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

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

Climate

subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains

Terrain

mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains

Natural resources

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

Land use

arable land 14%;
permanent crops 2%;
meadows and pastures 30%;
forest and woodland 34%;
other 20%;
includes irrigated 1%

Environment

subject to frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes;
damaging hurricanes and floods along Caribbean coast;
deforestation;
soil erosion

People

14 fields

Population

5,092,776

(July 1992), growth rate 2.8% (1992)

Per 1,000 population(1992)

Birth

37Death

7Net migration

-2

Ethnic divisions

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

Literacy

73%

(male 76%, female 71%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Nationality

noun - Honduran(s); adjective - Honduran

Religions

Roman Catholic about 97%; small Protestant minority

Labor force

1,300,000; agriculture 62%, services 20%, manufacturing 9%, construction 3%, other 6% (1985)

Organized labor

40% of urban labor force, 20% of rural work force (1985)

Government

Republic

19 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

51%

PNH 51%PLH 43%PDCH 1.9%PINU-SD 1.5%other 2.6%

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

Constitution

11 January 1982, effective 20 January 1982

Legal system

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

Executive branch

president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch

unicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justica)

Leaders

Chief of State and Head of Government: President Rafael Leonardo CALLEJAS Romero (since 26 January 1990)

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

Elections

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
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%

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)

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

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

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

Economy

17 fields

Inflation, consumer prices

26%

(1991 est.)

Unemployment rate

15%unemployed

30-40% underemployed (1989)

External debt

$2.8billion

(1990)

Budget

Revenues

$1.4 billionExpenditures

$1.9 billion

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $511 million (1990 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.

GDP

exchange rate conversion - $5.2 billion, per capita $1,050; real growth rate - 0.3% (1991 est.)

Exports

$1.0 billion (f.o.b., 1991)

commodities:: bananas, coffee, shrimp, lobster, minerals, lumber
partners:: US 52%, Germany 11%, Japan, Italy, Belgium

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

Electricity

575,000 kW capacity; 1,850 million kWh produced, 374 kWh per capita (1991)

Industries

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

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

Illicit drugs

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

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

Currency

lempira (plural - lempiras); 1 lempira (L) = 100 centavos

Exchange rates

lempiras (L) per US$1 - 5.4 (fixed rate); 5.70 parallel black-market rate (November 1990)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

8 fields

Airports, 171 total, 133 usable

permanent-surface runways

8runways | over 3,659 m

nonerunways 2,440-3,659 m

4runways 1,220-2,439 m

Networkskm

Highways

8,950Railroads

785Inland waterways

465

Highways: ; 1,700 km paved, 5,000 km otherwise improved, 2,250 km unimproved earth · Railroads: ; 508 km 1.067-meter gauge, 277 km 0.914-meter gauge

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