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Background:
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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.
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Location:
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Central
America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala
and Nicaragua and bordering the Gulf of Fonseca (North
Pacific Ocean), between El Salvador and Nicaragua |
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Geographic coordinates:
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15 00 N, 86
30 W |
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Map references:
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Central
America and the Caribbean |
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Area:
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total:
112,090 sq km
land: 111,890 sq km
water: 200 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly
larger than Tennessee |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
1,520 km
border countries: Guatemala 256 km, El Salvador
342 km, Nicaragua 922 km |
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Coastline:
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820 km |
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Maritime claims:
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territorial
sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: natural extension of territory
or to 200 nm |
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Climate:
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subtropical
in lowlands, temperate in mountains |
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Terrain:
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mostly
mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Cerro Las Minas 2,870 m |
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Natural resources:
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timber,
gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore, antimony,
coal, fish, hydropower |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 9.55%
permanent crops: 3.22%
other: 87.23% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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760 sq km
(1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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frequent,
but generally mild, earthquakes; extremely susceptible
to damaging hurricanes and floods along the Caribbean
coast |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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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 |
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Geography - note:
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has only a
short Pacific coast but a long Caribbean shoreline,
including the virtually uninhabited eastern Mosquito
Coast
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Population:
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6,975,204
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 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 40.8% (male 1,452,646/female 1,393,271)
15-64 years: 55.5% (male 1,921,432/female
1,948,656)
65 years and over: 3.7% (male 122,146/female
137,053) (2005 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
19.15 years
male: 18.75 years
female: 19.56 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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2.16% (2005
est.) |
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Birth rate:
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30.38
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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6.87
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-1.95
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at
birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
29.32 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 32.84 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 25.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2005
est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 65.6 years
male: 64.66 years
female: 66.59 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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3.87
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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1.8% (2003
est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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63,000
(2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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4,100 (2003
est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Honduran(s)
adjective: Honduran |
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Ethnic groups:
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mestizo
(mixed Amerindian and European) 90%, Amerindian 7%,
black 2%, white 1% |
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Religions:
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Roman
Catholic 97%, Protestant 3% |
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Languages:
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Spanish,
Amerindian dialects |
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Literacy:
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definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 76.2%
male: 76.1%
female: 76.3% (2003 est.)
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: Republic of Honduras
conventional short form: Honduras
local long form: Republica de Honduras
local short form: Honduras |
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Government type:
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democratic
constitutional republic |
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Capital:
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Tegucigalpa |
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Administrative divisions:
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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 |
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Independence:
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15
September 1821 (from Spain) |
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National holiday:
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Independence
Day, 15 September (1821) |
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Constitution:
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11 January
1982, effective 20 January 1982; amended 1995 |
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Legal system:
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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 |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of
age; universal and compulsory |
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Executive branch:
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chief of
state: President Ricardo (Joest) MADURO (since 27
January 2002); First Vice President Vicente WILLIAMS
Agasse (since 27 January 2002); Second Vice President
Armida Villela Maria DE LOPEZ Contreras (since 27
January 2002); Third Vice President Alberto DIAZ Lobo
(since 27 January 2002); note - the president is both
the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Ricardo (Joest)
MADURO (since 27 January 2002); First Vice President
Vicente WILLIAMS Agasse (since 27 January 2002); Second
Vice President Armida Villela Maria DE LOPEZ Contreras
(since 27 January 2002); Third Vice President Alberto
DIAZ Lobo (since 27 January 2002); note - the president
is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by president
elections: president elected by popular vote for
a four-year term; election last held 25 November 2001
(next to be held 27 November 2005)
election results: Ricardo (Joest) MADURO (PN)
elected president - 52.2%, Raphael PINEDA Ponce (PL)
44.3%, others 3.5% |
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Legislative branch:
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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 25 November 2001 (next to be
held 27 November 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - PN 61, PL 55, PUD 5, PDC 4, PINU-SD 3 |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme
Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges
are elected for seven-year terms by the National
Congress) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Christian
Democratic Party or PDC [Juan Ramon VELAZQUEZ Nassar];
Democratic Unification Party or PUD [Matias FUNES];
Liberal Party or PL [Roberto MICHELETTI Bain]; National
Innovation and Unity Party-Social Democratic Party or
PINU-SD [Olban F. VALLADARES]; National Party of
Honduras or PN [Jose Celin DISCUA Elvir]; United
Confederation of Honduran Workers or CUTH |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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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 |
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International organization participation:
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ABEDA, BCIE,
CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer),
MIGA, MINURSO, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), PCA,
RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Mario Miguel CANAHUATI
chancery: Suite 4-M, 3007 Tilden Street NW,
Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 966-7702
FAX: [1] (202) 966-9751
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston,
Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Phoenix, San
Francisco
honorary consulate(s): Boston, Detroit,
Jacksonville |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Larry Leon PALMER
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 |
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Flag description:
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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
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Economy - overview:
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Honduras,
one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere
with an extraordinarily unequal distribution of income
and massive unemployment, is banking on expanded trade
under the U.S.-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA)
and on debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor
Countries (HIPC) initiative. The country has met most of
its macroeconomic targets, and began a three-year IMF
Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PGRF) program in
February 2004. Growth remains dependent on the economy
of the US, its largest trading partner, on commodity
prices, particularly coffee, and on reduction of the
high crime rate. |
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GDP:
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purchasing
power parity - $18.79 billion (2004 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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4.2% (2004
est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing
power parity - $2,800 (2004 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
12.7%
industry: 32.1%
services: 55.3% (2004 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
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24.1% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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53% (1993
est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest
10%: 0.6%
highest 10%: 42.7% (1998) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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56.3 (1998) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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7% (2004
est.) |
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Labor force:
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2.47
million (2004 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture
34%, industry 21%, services 45% (2001 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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28.5% (2004
est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$1.467 billion
expenditures: $1.722 billion, including capital
expenditures of $106 million (2004 est.) |
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Public debt:
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74.1% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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bananas,
coffee, citrus; beef; timber; shrimp |
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Industries:
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sugar,
coffee, textiles, clothing, wood products |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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7.7% (2003
est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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3.626
billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 50.2%
hydro: 49.8%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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3.771
billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - exports:
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16 million
kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - imports:
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415 million
kWh (2002) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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29,000
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA |
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Oil - imports:
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NA |
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Current account balance:
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$258.3
million (2003 est.) |
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Exports:
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$1.457
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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coffee,
shrimp, bananas, gold, palm oil, fruit, lobster, lumber |
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Exports - partners:
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US 63.3%,
El Salvador 2.8%, Guatemala 2.6% (2004) |
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Imports:
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$3.332
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery
and transport equipment, industrial raw materials,
chemical products, fuels, foodstuffs (2000) |
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Imports - partners:
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US 51.3%,
El Salvador 3.3%, Mexico 2.9% (2004) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
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$1.464
billion (2004 est.) |
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Debt - external:
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$5.365
billion (September 2004 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$557.8
million (1999) |
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Currency:
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lempira (HNL) |
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Currency code:
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HNL |
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Exchange rates:
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lempiras
per US dollar - 18.206 (2004), 17.345 (2003), 16.433
(2002), 15.474 (2001), 14.839 (2000) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar
year
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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322,500
(2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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326,500
(2002) |
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Telephone system:
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general
assessment: inadequate system
domestic: NA
international: country code - 504; satellite
earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected
to Central American Microwave System |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 241, FM
53, shortwave 12 (1998) |
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Radios:
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2.45
million (1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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11 (plus 17
repeaters) (1997) |
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Televisions:
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570,000
(1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.hn |
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Internet hosts:
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1,944
(2003) |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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8 (2000) |
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Internet users:
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168,600
(2002)
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Railways:
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total:
699 km
narrow gauge: 279 km 1.067-m gauge; 420 km
0.914-m gauge (2003) |
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Highways:
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total:
13,603 km
paved: 2,775 km
unpaved: 10,828 km (1999 est.) |
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Waterways:
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465 km
(most navigable only by small craft) (2004) |
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Ports and harbors:
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La Ceiba,
Puerto Castilla, Puerto Cortes, San Lorenzo, Tela,
Puerto Lempira |
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Merchant marine:
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total:
137 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 598,600 GRT/616,158 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 10, cargo 67, chemical
tanker 6, container 2, liquefied gas 1, livestock
carrier 1, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum
tanker 30, refrigerated cargo 9, roll on/roll off 1,
specialized tanker 1
foreign-owned: 44 (Canada 1, China 3, Egypt 1,
Greece 4, Hong Kong 2, Israel 1, Japan 4, Lebanon 1,
Mexico 1, Singapore 12, South Korea 6, Taiwan 2,
Tanzania 1, Turkey 1, United States 2, Vanuatu 1,
Vietnam 1)
registered in other countries: 1 (2005) |
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Airports:
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115 (2004
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
11
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total:
104
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 18
under 914 m: 84 (2004 est.)
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Military branches:
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Army, Navy
(including Naval Infantry), Air Force |
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Military manpower - military age and obligation:
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18 years of
age for voluntary 2-3 year military service (2004) |
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Military manpower - availability:
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males
age 18-49: 1,448,369 (2005 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males
age 18-49: 955,019 (2005 est.) |
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Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
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males:
77,399 (2005 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$100.6
million (2004) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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1.4% (2004)
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| Transnational
Issues |
Honduras |
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Disputes - international:
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in 1992,
ICJ ruled on the delimitation of "bolsones"
(disputed areas) along the El Salvador-Honduras border,
but despite OAS intervention and a further ICJ ruling in
2003, full demarcation of the border remains stalled;
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 Sapodilla Cays off the coast of
Belize, but agreed to creation of a joint ecological
park and Guatemalan corridor in the Caribbean in the
failed 2002 Belize-Guatemala Differendum, which the OAS
is attempting to revive; Nicaragua filed a claim against
Honduras in 1999 and against Colombia in 2001 at the ICJ
over a complex dispute over islands and maritime
boundaries in the Caribbean Sea |
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