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2 definitions found
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
Honduras
n : a republic in Central America; achieved independence from
Spain in 1821; an early center of Mayan culture [syn: {Republic
of Honduras}]
From CIA World Factbook 2002 [world02]:
Honduras
Introduction Honduras
---------------------
Background: Part of Spain's vast empire in the
New World, Honduras became an
independent nation in 1821. After
two and one-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 against leftist guerrillas.
Geography Honduras
------------------
Location: Middle America, bordering the
Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and
Nicaragua and bordering the North
Pacific Ocean, between El Salvador
and Nicaragua
Geographic coordinates: 15 00 N, 86 30 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 112,090 sq km
land: 111,890 sq km
water: 200 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Tennessee
Land boundaries: total: 1,520 km
border countries: Guatemala 256 km,
El Salvador 342 km, Nicaragua 922 km
Coastline: 820 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: natural extension
of territory or to 200 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Climate: subtropical in lowlands, temperate
in mountains
Terrain: mostly mountains in interior, narrow
coastal plains
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Cerro Las Minas 2,870
m
Natural resources: timber, gold, silver, copper, lead,
zinc, iron ore, antimony, coal,
fish, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 15.15%
permanent crops: 3.13%
other: 81.72% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 760 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: frequent, but generally mild,
earthquakes; extremely susceptible
to damaging hurricanes and floods
along the Caribbean coast
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 party to: Biodiversity, Climate
agreements: Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber
94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of
the selected agreements
Geography - note: has only a short Pacific coast but a
long Caribbean shoreline, including
the virtually uninhabited eastern
Mosquito Coast
People Honduras
---------------
Population: 6,560,608
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 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 41.8% (male 1,400,778;
female 1,340,834)
15-64 years: 54.6% (male 1,774,619;
female 1,806,568)
65 years and over: 3.6% (male
112,100; female 125,709) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.34% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 31.21 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 5.74 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: -2.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/
female
total population: 1 male(s)/female
(2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 30.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 68.77 years
female: 70.51 years (2002 est.)
male: 67.11 years
Total fertility rate: 4.03 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1.92% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ 63,000 (1999 est.)
AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 4,200 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Honduran(s)
adjective: Honduran
Ethnic groups: mestizo (mixed Amerindian and
European) 90%, Amerindian 7%, black
2%, white 1%
Religions: Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant
minority
Languages: Spanish, Amerindian dialects
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 74%
male: 74%
female: 74.1% (1999)
Government Honduras
-------------------
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of
Honduras
conventional short form: Honduras
local short form: Honduras
local long form: Republica de
Honduras
Government type: democratic constitutional 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)
National holiday: Independence Day, 15 September
(1821)
Constitution: 11 January 1982, effective 20
January 1982; amended 1995
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
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and
compulsory
Executive branch: 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 NA November 2005)
election results: Ricardo (Joest)
MADURO (PN) elected president -
52.2%, Raphael PINEDA Ponce (PL)
44.3%, others 3.5%
Legislative branch: 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 NA November
2005)
election results: percent of vote by
party - NA; seats by party - PN 61,
PL 55, PUD 5, PDC 4, PINU-SD 3
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice or Corte
Suprema de Justicia (judges are
elected for seven-year terms by the
National Congress)
Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Party or PDC
[Dr. Hernan CORRALES Padilla];
Democratic Unification Party or PUD
[leader NA]; 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 [Raphael CALLEJAS]
Political pressure groups and Committee for the Defense of Human
leaders: 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
International organization BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB,
participation: IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU,
LAES, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, NAM,
OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), PCA,
RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Mario
Miguel CANAHUATI
honorary consulate(s): Boston,
Detroit, Jacksonville, and St. Louis
consulate(s) general: Chicago,
Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New
Orleans, New York, Phoenix, San
Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico),
Tampa
FAX: [1] (202) 966-9751
telephone: [1] (202) 966-7702
chancery: Suite 4-M, 3007 Tilden
Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation from the chief of mission: Ambassador Frank
US: ALMAGUER
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
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; 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 Honduras
----------------
Economy - overview: Honduras, one of the poorest
countries in the Western Hemisphere
with an extraordinarily unequal
distribution of income, is banking
on expanded trade privileges under
the Enhanced Caribbean Basin
Initiative and on debt relief under
the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries
(HIPC) initiative. While the country
has met most of its macroeconomic
targets, it failed to meet the IMF's
goals to liberalize its energy and
telecommunications sectors. Growth
remains dependent on the status of
the US economy, its major trading
partner, on commodity prices,
particularly coffee, and on
containment of the recent rise in
crime.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $17
billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 2.1% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,600
(2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 18%
industry: 32%
services: 50% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 53% (1993 est.)
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: 0.4%
percentage share: highest 10%: 44.3% (1997)
Distribution of family income - Gini 59 (1997)
index:
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9.7% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 2.3 million (1997 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 34%, industry 21%,
services 45% (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate: 28% (2001 est.)
Budget: revenues: $607 million
expenditures: $411.9 million,
including capital expenditures of
$106 million (1999 est.)
Industries: sugar, coffee, textiles, clothing,
wood products
Industrial production growth rate: 4% (1999 est.)
Electricity - production: 3.573 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 36.89%
hydro: 63.11%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 3.593 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 5 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 275 million kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: bananas, coffee, citrus; beef;
timber; shrimp
Exports: $2 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Exports - commodities: coffee, bananas, shrimp, lobster,
meat; zinc, lumber
Exports - partners: US 39.9%, El Salvador 9.2%, Germany
7.9%, Belgium 5.8%, Guatemala 5.4%
(2000)
Imports: $2.7 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment,
industrial raw materials, chemical
products, fuels, foodstuffs
Imports - partners: US 46.1%, Guatemala 8.2%, El
Salvador 6.6%, Mexico 4.7%, Japan
4.6% (2000)
Debt - external: $5.6 billion (2001)
Economic aid - recipient: $557.8 million (1999)
Currency: lempira (HNL)
Currency code: HNL
Exchange rates: lempiras per US dollar - 16.0256
(January 2002), 15.9197 (2001),
15.1407 (2000), 14.5039 (1999),
13.8076 (1998), 13.0942 (1997)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Honduras
-----------------------
Telephones - main lines in use: 234,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 14,427 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: inadequate
system
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth
stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean); connected to Central
American Microwave System
Radio broadcast stations: AM 241, FM 53, shortwave 12 (1998)
Radios: 2.45 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 11 (plus 17 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 570,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .hn
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 8 (2000)
Internet users: 40,000 (2000)
Transportation Honduras
-----------------------
Railways: total: 595 km
narrow gauge: 318 km 1.067-m gauge;
277 km 0.914-m gauge (2000)
Highways: total: 15,400 km
paved: 3,126 km
unpaved: 12,274 km (1999 est.)
Waterways: 465 km (navigable by small craft)
Ports and harbors: La Ceiba, Puerto Castilla, Puerto
Cortes, San Lorenzo, Tela, Puerto
Lempira
Merchant marine: total: 284 ships (1,000 GRT or over)
totaling 749,243 GRT/846,942 DWT
note: includes some foreign-owned
ships registered here as a flag of
convenience: Argentina 1, Bahrain 1,
Belize 1, British Virgin Islands 1,
Bulgaria 1, China 8, Costa Rica 1,
Cyprus 1, Egypt 6, El Salvador 1,
Germany 1, Greece 18, Hong Kong 3,
Indonesia 2, Italy 1, Japan 7,
Lebanon 4, Liberia 4, Maldives 2,
Marshall Islands 1, Mexico 1,
Nigeria 1, Norway 1, Panama 14,
Philippines 1, Romania 2, Russia 1,
Saint Kitts and Nevis 3, Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines 1,
Singapore 24, South Korea 12, Spain
1, Syria 1, Taiwan 4, Tanzania 1,
Trinidad and Tobago 1, Turkey 2,
Turks and Caicos Islands 1, United
Arab Emirates 6, United Kingdom 1,
United States 5, Vanuatu 1, Vietnam
1, Virgin Islands (UK) 1 (2002 est.)
ships by type: bulk 20, cargo 166,
chemical tanker 5, container 6,
livestock carrier 1, passenger 3,
passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker
54, refrigerated cargo 12, roll on/
roll off 8, short-sea passenger 4,
specialized tanker 1, vehicle
carrier 1
Airports: 117 (2001)
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: 3
under 914 m: 4 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 105
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 20
under 914 m: 83 (2001)
Military Honduras
-----------------
Military branches: Army, Navy (including marines), Air
Force
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,563,174 (2002
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military males age 15-49: 930,718 (2002 est.)
service:
Military manpower - reaching males: 72,335 (2002 est.)
military age annually:
Military expenditures - dollar $35 million (FY99)
figure:
Military expenditures - percent of 0.6% (FY99)
GDP:
Transnational Issues Honduras
-----------------------------
Disputes - international: Honduras claims Sapodilla Cays off
the coast of Belize; El Salvador
disputes tiny Conejo Island off
Honduras in the Golfo de Fonseca;
many of the "bolsones" (disputed
areas) along the El Salvador-
Honduras boundary remain
undemarcated despite ICJ
adjudication in 1992; with respect
to the maritime boundary in the
Golfo de Fonseca, the ICJ referred
to the line determined by the 1900
Honduras-Nicaragua Mixed Boundary
Commission and advised a tripartite
resolution among El Salvador,
Honduras, and Nicaragua; Nicaragua
filed a claim against Honduras in
1999 and against Colombia in 2001 at
the ICJ over disputed maritime
boundary involving 50,000 sq km in
the Caribbean Sea, including the
Archipelago de San Andres y
Providencia and Quita Sueno Bank
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; vulnerable to money
laundering
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