*Holy See (Vatican City), Defense Forces
Note:
defense is the responsibility of Italy; Swiss Papal Guards are posted at
entrances to the Vatican City
*Honduras, Geography
Location:
Central America, between Guatemala and Nicaragua
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean, North America, Standard Time Zones of the
World
Area:
total area:
112,090 km2
land area:
111,890 km2
comparative area:
slightly larger than Tennessee
Land boundaries:
total 1,520 km, 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
International disputes:
land boundary dispute with El Salvador mostly resolved by 11 September 1992
International Court of Justice (ICJ) decision; ICJ referred the maritime
boundary in the Golfo de Fonseca to an earlier agreement in this century and
advised that some tripartite resolution among El Salvador, Honduras and
Nicaragua likely would be required
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%
Irrigated land:
900 km2 (1989 est.)
Environment:
subject to frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; damaging hurricanes
and floods along Caribbean coast; deforestation; soil erosion
*Honduras, People
Population:
5,170,108 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.8% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
35.82 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
6.44 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
-1.43 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
47.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
67.17 years
male:
64.82 years
female: 69.62 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.87 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Honduran(s)
adjective:
Honduran
Ethnic divisions:
mestizo (mixed Indian and European) 90%, Indian 7%, black 2%, white 1%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant minority
Languages:
Spanish, Indian dialects
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
total population:
73%
male:
76%
female:
71%
Labor force:
1.3 million
by occupation:
agriculture 62%, services 20%, manufacturing 9%, construction 3%, other 6%
(1985)
*Honduras, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Republic of Honduras
conventional short form:
Honduras
local long form:
Republica de Honduras
local short form:
Honduras
Digraph:
HO
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)
Political parties and leaders:
Liberal Party (PLH), Carlos Roberto REINA, presidential candidate, Rafael
PINEDA Ponce, president; National Party (PN) has two factions: Movimiento
Nacional de Reivindication Callejista (Monarca), Rafael Leonardo CALLEJAS,
and Oswaldista, Oswaldo RAMOS SOTO, presidential candidate; National
Innovation and Unity Party (PINU), German LEITZELAR, president; Christian
Democratic Party (PDCH), Efrain DIAZ Arrivillaga, president
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)
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
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-SD 1.5%, other 2.6%; seats - (128 total) PNH
71, PLH 55, PINU-SD 2
Executive branch:
president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional)
*Honduras, Government
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justica)
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government:
President Rafael Leonardo CALLEJAS Romero (since 26 January 1990)
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 in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Rene Arturo BENDANA-VALENZUELA
chancery:
3007 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
(202) 966-7702
consulates general: Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco
consulates:
Baton Rouge, Boston, Detroit, Houston, and Jacksonville
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador William Bryce (since 28 May 1993)
embassy:
Avenida La Paz, Tegucigalpa
mailing address:
APO AA 34022, Tegucigalpa
telephone:
[504] 32-3120
FAX:
[504] 32-0027
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 word REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on top and AMERICA CENTRAL on
the bottom, centered in the white band