Revision as of 06:35, 15 July 2014

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Source: flickr.com.

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. Since then, the economy has slowly rebounded.

Geography

Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Nicaragua and bordering the Gulf of Fonseca (North Pacific Ocean), between El Salvador and Nicaragua.

Geographic coordinates

15 00 N, 86 30 W

Area

Total: 112,090 sq km Country comparison to the world: 103 Land: 111,890 sq km Water: 200 sq km

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, hydropower

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.

People

Population

8,598,561 Country comparison to the world: 94 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 2014 est.).

Age Structure

0-14 years: 34.8% (male 1,529,578/female 1,465,188) 15-24 years: 21.2% (male 928,756/female 892,629) 25-54 years: 35.3% (male 1,530,429/female 1,502,916) 55-64 years: 4.7% (male 187,771/female 217,093) 65 years and over: 3.9% (male 150,681/female 193,520) (2014 est.)

Median Age

Total: 21.9 years Male: 21.6 years Female: 22.3 years (2014 est.)

Population Growth

1.74% (2014 est.) Country comparison to the world: 71

Urbanization

Urban population: 52.2% of total population (2011) Rate of urbanization: 3.06% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Sex Ratio

At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female Total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

Total: 18.72 deaths/1,000 live births Country comparison to the world: 96 Male: 21.2 deaths/1,000 live births Female: 16.13 deaths/1,000 live births (2014 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total population: 70.91 years Country comparison to the world: 147 Male: 69.24 years Female: 72.65 years (2014 est.)

Total Fertility Rate

2.86 children born/woman (2014 est.) Country comparison to the world: 65

HIV/AIDS

0.5% (2012 est.) Country comparison to the world: 70

Nationality

Noun: Honduran(s) Adjective: Honduran

Religion

Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant 3%

Languages

Spanish (official), Amerindian dialects

Literacy

Definition: age 15 and over can read and write Total population: 85.1% Male: 85.3% Female: 84.9% (2011 est.)

Government

Country name

Conventional long form: Republic of Honduras Conventional short form: Honduras Local long form: Republica de Honduras Local short form: Honduras

Capital

Tegucigalpa

Time Difference

UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Legal system

Civil law system

Economy

Honduras, the second poorest country in Central America, suffers from extraordinarily unequal distribution of income, as well as high underemployment. While historically dependent on the export of bananas and coffee, Honduras has diversified its export base to include apparel and automobile wire harnessing. Nearly half of Honduras's economic activity is directly tied to the US, with exports to the US accounting for 30% of GDP and remittances for another 20%. The US-Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) came into force in 2006 and has helped foster foreign direct investment, but physical and political insecurity, as well as crime and perceptions of corruption, may deter potential investors; about 70% of FDI is from US firms. The economy registered modest economic growth of 3.0%-4.0% from 2010 to 2012, insufficient to improve living standards for the nearly 65% of the population in poverty. An 18-month IMF Standby Arrangement expired in March 2012 and was not renewed, due to the country's growing budget deficit and weak current account performance. Public sector workers complained of not receiving their salaries in November and December 2012, and government suppliers are owed at least several hundred million dollars in unpaid contracts. The government announced in January 2013 that loss-making public enterprises will be forced to submit financial rescue plans before receiving their budget allotments for 2013.

Source

Source: CIA World Factbook