Natural hazards: frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; damaging hurricanes and floods along 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 freshwater) with heavy metals as well as several rivers and streams

Environment - international agreements: party to : Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Desertification

@Honduras:People

Population: 5,751,384 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years : 42% (male 1,237,549; female 1,194,598) 15-64 years: 54% (male 1,549,400; female 1,574,075) 65 years and over: 4% (male 93,695; female 102,067) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.55% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 32.63 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 5.66 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)