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HONDURAS
Map of HONDURAS
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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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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: 9.53%
permanent crops: 3.21%
other: 87.26% (2005) |
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Irrigated land:
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800 sq km (2003) |
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Total renewable water resources:
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95.9 cu km (2000) |
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Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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total: 0.86 cu km/yr (8%/12%/80%)
per capita: 119 cu m/yr (2000) |
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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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Population:
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7,639,327
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 2008 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 38.7% (male 1,508,835/female 1,446,530)
15-64 years: 57.8% (male 2,210,187/female 2,203,620)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 121,839/female 148,316) (2008 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: 80%
male: 79.8%
female: 80.2% (2001 census) |
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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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name: Tegucigalpa
geographic coordinates: 14 06 N, 87 13 W
time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November |
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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)
Source: http://cia.gov
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