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: natural extension of territory or to 200 nm 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; with respect to the maritime boundary in the Golfo de Fonseca, ICJ referred 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 sq km (1989 est.)
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 freshwater) with heavy metals as well as several rivers and
streams
natural hazards: frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; damaging
hurricanes and floods along Caribbean coast
international agreements: party to - Endangered Species, Law of the
Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity,
Climate Change