HONDURAS GEOGRAPHY Total area: 112,090 km2; land area: 111,890 km2 Comparative area: slightly larger than Tennessee Land boundaries: 1,520 km total; Guatemala 256 km, El Salvador 342 km, Nicaragua 922 km Coastline: 820 km Maritime claims: Contiguous zone: 24 nm; Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation; Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm 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 Population: 4,949,275 (July 1991), growth rate 2.9% (1991) Birth rate: 38 births/1,000 population (1991) Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1991) Net migration rate: - 2 migrants/1,000 population (1991) Infant mortality rate: 56 deaths/1,000 live births (1991) Life expectancy at birth: 64 years male, 68 years female (1991) Total fertility rate: 5.0 children born/woman (1991) Nationality: noun--Honduran(s); adjective--Honduran Ethnic divisions: mestizo (mixed Indian and European) 90%, Indian 7%, black 2%, white 1% Religion: Roman Catholic about 97%; small Protestant minority Language: Spanish, Indian dialects Literacy: 73% (male 76%, female 71%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) 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 Long-form name: Republic of Honduras Type: republic Capital: Tegucigalpa 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 Independence: 15 September 1821 (from Spain) 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 National holiday: Independence Day, 15 September (1821) 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--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 (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 Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18 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 1.5%, other 2.6%; seats--(128 total) PNH 71, PLH 55, PINU 2 Communists: up to 1,500; Honduran leftist groups--Communist Party of Honduras (PCH), Party for the Transformation of Honduras (PTH), Morazanist Front for the Liberation of Honduras (FMLH), People's Revolutionary Union/Popular Liberation Movement (URP/MPL), Popular Revolutionary Forces-Lorenzo Zelaya (FPR/LZ), Socialist Party of Honduras Central American Workers Revolutionary Party (PASO/PRTC) 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 (observer), LORCS, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Jorge Ramon HERNANDEZ Alcerro; Chancery at Suite 100, 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 966-7700 through 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 Miami 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 words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom, centered in the white band ECONOMY Overview: Honduras is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. Agriculture, the most important sector of the economy, accounts for nearly 30% 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: $4.9 billion, per capita $960; real growth rate -1.0% (1990) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 35.2% (1990 est.) Unemployment rate: 15% unemployed, 30-40% underemployed (1989) Budget: revenues $1.4 billion; expenditures $1.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $511 million (1990 est.) Exports: $939 million (f.o.b., 1990); commodities--bananas, coffee, shrimp, lobster, minerals, lumber; partners--US 52%, FRG 11%, Japan, Italy, Belgium Imports: $1.1 billion (c.i.f. 1990); commodities--machinery and transport equipment, chemical products, manufactured goods, fuel and oil, foodstuffs; partners--US 39%, Japan 9%, CACM, Venezuela, Mexico External debt: $2.8 billion (1990) Industrial production: growth rate 2.9% (1989); accounts for 15% of GDP Electricity: 668,000 kW capacity; 2,023 million kWh produced, 380 kWh per capita (1990) Industries: agricultural processing (sugar and coffee), textiles, clothing, wood products Agriculture: most important sector, accounting for nearly 30% 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 (1970-88), $1,027 million Currency: lempira (plural--lempiras); 1 lempira (L) = 100 centavos Exchange rates: lempiras (L) per US$1--5.30 (fixed rate); 5.70 parallel black-market rate (November 1990) Fiscal year: calendar year COMMUNICATIONS Railroads: 785 km total; 508 km 1.067-meter gauge, 277 km 0.914-meter gauge Highways: 8,950 km total; 1,700 km paved, 5,000 km otherwise improved, 2,250 km unimproved earth Inland waterways: 465 km navigable by small craft Ports: Puerto Castilla, Puerto Cortes, San Lorenzo Merchant marine: 173 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 527,481 GRT/812,095 DWT; includes 2 passenger-cargo, 107 cargo, 12 refrigerated cargo, 9 container, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 20 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 2 specialized tanker, 1 vehicle carrier, 18 bulk; note--a flag of convenience registry; the USSR owns one ship under the Honduran flag Civil air: 9 major transport aircraft Airports: 175 total, 134 usable; 8 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 13 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: improved, but still inadequate; connection into Central American Microwave System; 35,100 telephones; stations--176 AM, no FM, 28 TV, 7 shortwave; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations DEFENSE FORCES Branches: Army, Navy (including Marines), Air Force, Public Security Forces (FUSEP) Manpower availability: males 15-49, 1,106,630; 659,520 fit for military service; 58,953 reach military age (18) annually Defense expenditures: $82.5 million, 1.9% of GDP (1990 est.)