2010 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. Since then, the economy has slowly rebounded.

Area

land

111,890 sq km

total

112,090 sq km

water

200 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly larger than Tennessee

Climate

subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains

Coastline

820 km

Elevation extremes

highest point

Cerro Las Minas 2,870 m

lowest point

Caribbean Sea 0 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)

per capita

119 cu m/yr (2000)

total

0.86 cu km/yr (8%/12%/80%)

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

border countries

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

total

1,520 km

Land use

arable land

9.53%

other

87.26% (2005)

permanent crops

3.21%

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

contiguous zone

24 nm

continental shelf

natural extension of territory or to 200 nm

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 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% (male 1,521,006/female 1,457,790) 15-64 years: 58.4% (male 2,290,300/female 2,280,848) 65 years and over: 3.6% (male 127,187/female 156,565) (2010 est.)

Birth rate

25.61 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Death rate

4.99 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 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

0.7% (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

1,900 (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

28,000 (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

18.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

male

23.82 deaths/1,000 live births

total

21.04 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

Spanish (official), Amerindian dialects

Life expectancy at birth

female

72.28 years (2010 est.)

male

68.82 years

total population

70.51 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

female

80.2% (2001 census)

male

79.8%

total population

80%

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 (2009)

Median age

female

21.1 years (2010 est.)

male

20.3 years

total

20.7 years

Nationality

adjective

Honduran

noun

Honduran(s)

Net migration rate

-1.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Population

7,989,415 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 2010 est.)

Population growth rate

1.935% (2010 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant 3%

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

12 years (2008)

male

11 years

total

11 years

Sex ratio

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female

total population

1.01 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.17 children born/woman (2010 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

2.9% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

urban population

48% of total population (2008)

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

daylight saving time

+1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November

geographic coordinates

14 06 N, 87 13 W

name

Tegucigalpa

time difference

UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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

FAX

[504] 238-4357

mailing address

American Embassy, APO AA 34022, Tegucigalpa

telephone

[504] 236-9320, 238-5114

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

Suite 4-M, 3007 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Jorge Ramon HERNANDEZ Alcerro

consulate(s) general

Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco

FAX

[1] (202) 966-9751

honorary consulate(s)

Jacksonville

telephone

[1] (202) 966-2604

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet appointed by president (For more information visit the World Leaders website )

chief of state

President Porfirio LOBO Sosa (since 27 January 2010); Vice President Maria Antonieta Guillen de BOGRAN (since 27 January 2010); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

election results

Porfirio "Pepe" LOBO Sosa elected president; percent of vote - Porfirio "Pepe" LOBO Sosa 56.3%, Elvin SANTOS Lozano 38.1%, other 5.6%

elections

president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held on 29 November 2009 (next to be held in November 2013)

head of government

President Porfirio LOBO Sosa (since 27 January 2010); Vice President Maria Antonieta Guillen de BOGRAN (since 27 January 2010)

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; the blue bands symbolize the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea; the white band represents the land between the two bodies of water and the peace and prosperity of its people note: 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 words 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-11, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC (suspended), IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, NAM, OAS (suspended), OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, PetroCaribe, RG (suspended), SICA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO (suspended), 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 elected proportionally by department to serve four-year terms)

election results

percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PNH 71, PL 45, PDC 5, PUD 4, PINU 3

elections

last held on 29 November 2009 (next to be held in November 2013)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Augusto Constancio COELLO/Carlos HARTLING note: adopted 1915; the anthem's seven verses chronicle Honduran history; on official occasions, only the chorus and last verse are sung

name

"Himno Nacional de Honduras" (National Anthem of Honduras)

National holiday

Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Political parties and leaders

Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Felicito AVILA Ordonez]; Democratic Unification Party or PUD [Cesar HAM]; Liberal Party or PL [Roberto MICHELETTI Bain]; National Party or PN [Antonio ALVAREZ Arias]; Social Democratic Innovation and Unity Party or PINU [Jorge Rafael AGUILAR Paredes]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Beverage and Related Industries Syndicate or STIBYS; 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, corn, African palm; beef; timber; shrimp, tilapia, lobster

Central bank discount rate

NA% (31 December 2009) NA% (31 December 2008)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

19.16% (31 December 2009 est.) 17.94% (31 December 2008 est.)

Current account balance

-$1.048 billion (2010 est.) -$1.327 billion (2009 est.)

Debt - external

$3.54 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $3.311 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

53.8 (2003) 56.3 (1998)

Economy - overview

Honduras, the second poorest country in Central America, suffers from extraordinarily unequal distribution of income, as well as high underemployment. While historically dependent on the export of bananas and coffee, Honduras has diversified its export base to include apparel and automobile wire harnessing. Nearly half of Honduras's economic activity is directly tied to the US, with exports to the US equivalent to 30% of GDP and remittances for another 20%. The US-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) came into force in 2006 and has helped foster foriegn direct investment, but physical and political insecurity may deter potential investors; about 70% of FDI is from US firms. The economy registered marginally positive economic growth in 2010, insufficient to improve living standards for the nearly 60% of the population in poverty. The LOBO administration inherited a difficult fiscal position with off-budget debts accrued in previous administrations and government salaries nearly equivalent to tax collections. His government has displayed a commitment to improving tax collection and cutting expenditures. This enabled Tegucigalpa to secure an IMF Precautionary Stand-By agreement in October 2010. The IMF agreement has helped renew multilateral and bilateral donor confidence in Honduras following the ZELAYA administration's economic mismanagement and the political coup.

Electricity - consumption

6.54 billion kWh note: approximately 1.5 billion kWh in transmission and distribution losses (2009 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - imports

11.8 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production

6.58 billion kWh (2009 est.)

Exchange rates

lempiras (HNL) per US dollar - 18.9 (2010), 18.895 (2009), 18.983 (2008), 18.9 (2007), 18.895 (2006)

Exports

$5.879 billion (2010 est.) $5.09 billion (2009 est.)

Exports - commodities

apparel, coffee, shrimp, wire harnessing, cigars, bananas, gold, palm oil, fruit, lobster, lumber

Exports - partners

US 59.6%, El Salvador 5.61%, Guatemala 5.28%, Mexico 4.19%, Germany 4.04% (2009)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

12.4%

industry

26.9%

services

60.8% (2010 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$4,200 (2010 est.) $4,200 (2009 est.) $4,400 (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

2.5% (2010 est.) -2.1% (2009 est.) 4.2% (2008 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$15.34 billion (2010 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$33.77 billion (2010 est.) $32.94 billion (2009 est.) $33.65 billion (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 0.7% highest 10%: 42.2% (2006)

Imports

$8.878 billion (2010 est.) $5.924 billion (2009 est.)

Imports - commodities

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

Imports - partners

US 46.81%, Guatemala 8.92%, El Salvador 7.13%, Mexico 5.54%, Costa Rica 4.91% (2009)

Industrial production growth rate

2.4% (2010 est.)

Industries

sugar, coffee, woven and knit apparel, wood products, cigars

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

4.6% (2010 est.) 5.5% (2009 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

23.3% of GDP (2010 est.)

Labor force

3.394 million (2010 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

39.2%

industry

20.9%

services

39.8% (2005 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2010 est.)

Oil - consumption

56,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - imports

46,130 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.)

Population below poverty line

65% (2010)

Public debt

26.1% of GDP (2010 est.) 23.7% of GDP (2009 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$2.302 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $2.127 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of broad money

$7.618 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $7.064 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$7.581 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $7.029 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$1.296 billion (31 December 2010 est) $1.564 billion (31 December 2009 est)

Unemployment rate

5.1% (2010 est.) 3.2% (2009 est.) note: about 36% are unemployed or underemployed

Broadcast media

multiple privately-owned terrestrial television networks, supplemented by multiple cable TV networks; Radio Honduras is the lone government-owned radio network; roughly 300 privately-owned radio stations (2007)

Internet country code

.hn

Internet hosts

16,075 (2010)

Internet users

731,700 (2009)

Telephone system

domestic

beginning in 2003, private sub-operators allowed to provide fixed-lines in order to expand telephone coverage contributing to an increase in fixed-line teledensity to roughly 10 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular subscribership reached 100 per 100 persons in 2009

general assessment

the number of fixed-line connections are increasing but still limited; competition among multiple providers of mobile-cellular services is contributing to a sharp increase in the number of subscribers

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

830,000 (2009)

Telephones - mobile cellular

7.714 million (2009)

Airports

104 (2010)

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 (2010)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

92 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 16 under 914 m: 74 (2010)

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 8, cargo 50, carrier 2, chemical tanker 7, container 1, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 22, refrigerated cargo 6, roll on/roll off 3

foreign-owned

49 (Bahrain 5, Canada 1, China 2, Egypt 2, Greece 4, Hong Kong 1, Israel 1, Japan 4, Lebanon 2, Mexico 1, Montenegro 2, Panama 1, Singapore 12, South Korea 6, Taiwan 2, Tanzania 1, UK 1, Vietnam 1) (2010)

total

104

Ports and terminals

La Ceiba, Puerto Cortes, San Lorenzo, Tela

Railways

narrow gauge

75 km 1.067-m gauge (2009)

total

75 km

Roadways

paved

3,159 km

total

14,239 km

unpaved

11,080 km (1,420 km summer only) (2009)

Waterways

465 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2010)

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 1,989,556 females age 16-49: 1,939,462 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 1,483,292 females age 16-49: 1,502,788 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

90,757 (2010 est.)

male

94,501

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 page last updated on January 19, 2011 ======================================================================