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| 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. The country was devastated by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, which killed about 5,600 people and caused approximately $2 billion in damage. |
| People | Honduras |
| Population: | 6,823,568 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 2004 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 41.2% (male 1,434,555; female 1,376,216) 15-64 years: 55.1% (male 1,866,219; female 1,896,027) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 118,404; female 132,147) (2004 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 19 years male: 18.6 years female: 19.4 years (2004 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 2.24% (2004 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 31.04 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Death rate: | 6.64 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | -1.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 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: 0.9 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 29.64 deaths/1,000 live births female: 25.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 33.22 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 66.15 years male: 64.99 years female: 67.37 years (2004 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 3.97 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 1.8% (2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 63,000 (2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 4,100 (2003 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: 76.2% male: 76.1% female: 76.3% (2003 est.) |
| 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 [Juan Ramon VALAZQUEZ Nazzar]; Democratic Unification Party or PUD [Cesar David Adolfo HAM Pena]; 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] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | 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 |
| International organization participation: | 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), 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): Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Jacksonville consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco 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 US: | 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 |
| 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 |
| Communications | Honduras |
| Telephones - main lines in use: | 322,500 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular: | 326,500 (2002) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: inadequate system domestic: NA international: country code - 504; 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 hosts: | 1,944 (2003) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 8 (2000) |
| Internet users: | 168,600 (2002) |
| Transportation | Honduras |
| Railways: | total: 699 km narrow gauge: 279 km 1.067-m gauge; 420 km 0.914-m gauge (2003) |
| Highways: | total: 13,603 km paved: 2,775 km unpaved: 10,828 km (1999 est.) |
| Waterways: | 465 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2004) |
| Ports and harbors: | La Ceiba, Puerto Castilla, Puerto Cortes, San Lorenzo, Tela, Puerto Lempira |
| Merchant marine: | total: 238 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 598,600 GRT/616,158 DWT registered in other countries: 16 (2003 est.) foreign-owned: Argentina 1, Bahrain 1, British Virgin Islands 1, Bulgaria 1, Cayman Islands 1, China 4, Costa Rica 1, Cyprus 1, Egypt 5, El Salvador 1, Greece 16, Hong Kong 3, Indonesia 2, Israel 1, Italy 1, Japan 2, Jordan 1, South Korea 9, Lebanon 4, Liberia 4, Maldives 2, Marshall Islands 3, Mexico 1, Nigeria 2, Panama 10, Philippines 1, Russia 1, Saint Kitts and Nevis 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Saudi Arabia 1, Singapore 22, Spain 1, Taiwan 2, Tanzania 1, Thailand 1, Turkey 2, Turks and Caicos Islands 1, United States 7, Vanuatu 1, Vietnam 1 by type: bulk 12, cargo 139, chemical tanker 5, combination bulk 1, container 5, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 1, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 54, refrigerated cargo 8, roll on/roll off 4, short-sea/passenger 3 |
| Airports: | 115 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways: | 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.) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 104 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 18 under 914 m: 84 (2004 est.) |
| Military | Honduras |
| Military branches: | Army, Navy (including Naval Infantry), Air Force |
| Military manpower - military age and obligation: | 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) |
| Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 1,642,029 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 977,130 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually: | males: 76,143 (2004 est.) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $99.8 million (2003) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 1.5% (2003) |
| Transnational Issues | Honduras |
| Disputes - international: | in 1992, ICJ ruled on the delimitation of "bolsones" (disputed areas) along the El Salvador-Honduras border, and the OAS is assisting with a technical resolution of bolsones; in 2003, the ICJ rejected El Salvador's request to revise its decision on one bolsone; 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 by the ICJ, 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; Nicaragua filed a claim against Honduras in 1999 and against Colombia in 2001 at the ICJ over a complex maritime dispute in the Caribbean Sea |
| 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 |
| This page was last updated on 16 December, 2004 |
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