Honduras

Republic of HondurasRepublica de Honduras

republicIndependence 15 September 1821 (from Spain)

Honduras as the 1993 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 78 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

LocationCentral America, between Guatemala and Nicaragua

Populationas each edition published it

5.17 million July 1993 est. · 5.26m in 1990

Population growth% a year

2.8% 1993 est. · 1.28% in 2025

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 18.8 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

67.17 years 1993 est. · 73.1 yrs in 2025

Fertility ratechildren per woman

4.87 children per woman 1993 est. · 4.8 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

47.2 deaths per 1,000 live births 1993 est. · 62 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$1,090 1992 est. · $6,600 in 2025

GDP real growth% a year

3.6% 1992 est. · 3.6% in 2025

Geography

Central America, between Guatemala and Nicaragua

13 fields

Land useshare of 112,090 km2

arable land 14%permanent crops 2%meadows and pastures 30%forest and woodland 34%other 20%irrigated 900 km2 (1989 est.)

Area

112,090km2

land area: 111,890 km2comparative 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

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

Location

Central America, between Guatemala and Nicaragua

Map references

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

International disputes

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

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

Environment

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

People

14 fields

Population

5,170,108

(July 1993 est.)growth rate: 2.8% (1993 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1993 est.)

Birth

35.82Death

6.44Net migration

-1.43

Male · female(1993 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years67.17

64.82 · 69.62

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy73%

76% · 71%

MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write (1990)

Ethnic divisions

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

Labor force

1.3million

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

Infant mortality rate

47.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Honduran(s)
adjective:: Honduran

Government

Republic

21 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

51%

Rafael Leonardo CALLEJAS (PNH) 51%Carlos FLORES Facusse (PLH) 43.3%other 5.7%

Names

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

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

Political parties and leaders

Liberal Party (PLH), Carlos Roberto REINA, presidential candidate, 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), German LEITZELAR, president;
Christian Democratic Party (PDCH), Efrain DIAZ Arrivillaga, president

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)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Elections

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%
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

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)

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

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Rene Arturo BENDANA-VALENZUELA
chancery:: 3007 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:: (202) 966-7702
consulates general:: Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco
consulates:: Baton Rouge, Boston, Detroit, Houston, and Jacksonville

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:: Ambassador William Bryce (since 28 May 1993)
embassy:: Avenida La Paz, Tegucigalpa
mailing address:: APO AA 34022, Tegucigalpa
telephone:: [504] 32-3120
FAX:: [504] 32-0027

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

19 fields

GDP per capita, PPP

$1,090

(1992 est.)

Real growth rate

3.6%

(1992 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate 0.8% (1990 est.); accounts for 15% of GDP

Inflation, consumer prices

(1992 est.)

Unemployment rate

15%

(30-40% underemployed) (1989)

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, 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 President CALLEJAS in 1990 is beginning to take hold.

National product

GDP - exchange rate conversion - $5.5 billion (1992 est.)

Exports

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

commodities:: bananas, coffee, shrimp, lobster, minerals, meat, lumber
partners:: US 65%, Germany 9%, Japan 8%, Belgium 7%

Imports

$1.3 billion (c.i.f. 1991)

commodities:: machinery and transport equipment, chemical products, manufactured goods, fuel and oil, foodstuffs
partners:: US 45%, Japan 9%, Netherlands 7%, Mexico 7%, Venezuela 6%

External debt

$2.8 billion (1990)

Electricity

575,000 kW capacity; 2,000 million kWh produced, 390 kWh per capita (1992)

Industries

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

Agriculture

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

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

1 lempira (L) = 100 centavos

Exchange rates

lempiras (L) per US$1 - 5.4 (fixed rate);
5.70 parallel black-market rate (November 1990);
the lempira was allowed to float in 1992;
current rate about US$1 - 5.65

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

7 fields

Merchant marine, 252 ships by type

passenger-cargo 2cargo 162refrigerated cargo 20container 10roll-on/roll-off cargo 6oil tanker 22chemical tanker 1specialized tanker 2bulk 22passenger 3short-sea passenger; note - a flag of convenience registry; Russia owns 10 ships under the Honduran flag 2252 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 819,100 GRT/1,195,276 DWT

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

total:: 165
usable:: 137
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

Telecommunications

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