]! ^! 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 $2 billion in damage. 
]" ^" Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Nicaragua and bordering the Gulf of Fonseca (North Pacific Ocean), between El Salvador and Nicaragua ^# 15 00 N, 86 30 W ^$ Central America and the Caribbean ^% `! 112,090 sq km `" 111,890 sq km `# 200 sq km ^& slightly larger than Tennessee ^' `! 1,520 km `Y Guatemala 256 km, El Salvador 342 km, Nicaragua 922 km ^( 820 km ^) `$ 12 nm `M 24 nm `N 200 nm `O natural extension of territory or to 200 nm ^* subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains ^+ mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains ^, `% Caribbean Sea 0 m `& Cerro Las Minas 2,870 m ^- timber, gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore, antimony, coal, fish, hydropower ^. `' 9.53% `( 3.21% `) 87.26% (2005) ^/ 800 sq km (2003) ^0 frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; extremely susceptible to damaging hurricanes and floods along the Caribbean coast ^1 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 _P `P 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 `Q none of the selected agreements ^2 has only a short Pacific coast but a long Caribbean shoreline, including the virtually uninhabited eastern Mosquito Coast 
]# ^3 7,483,763 `* 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 and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.) ^4 `+ 39.3% (male 1,500,949/female 1,439,084) `, 57.2% (male 2,142,953/female 2,140,432) `- 3.5% (male 117,774/female 142,571) (2007 est.) ^5 `! 19.7 years `. 19.4 years `/ 20.1 years (2007 est.) ^6 2.091% (2007 est.) ^7 27.59 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^8 5.32 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^9 -1.36 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^: `0 1.05 male(s)/female `1 1.043 male(s)/female `, 1.001 male(s)/female `- 0.826 male(s)/female `2 1.011 male(s)/female (2007 est.) ^; `! 25.21 deaths/1,000 live births `. 28.3 deaths/1,000 live births `/ 21.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) ^< `2 69.35 years `. 67.78 years `/ 70.99 years (2007 est.) ^= 3.48 children born/woman (2007 est.) ^> 1.8% (2003 est.) ^? 63,000 (2003 est.) ^@ 4,100 (2003 est.) ^A `3 Honduran(s) `4 Honduran ^B mestizo (mixed Amerindian and European) 90%, Amerindian 7%, black 2%, white 1% ^C Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant 3% ^D Spanish, Amerindian dialects ^E `5 age 15 and over can read and write `2 76.2% `. 76.1% `/ 76.3% (2003 est.) 
]$ ^F `6 Republic of Honduras `7 Honduras `Z Republica de Honduras `[ Honduras ^H democratic constitutional republic ^I `8 Tegucigalpa `9 14 06 N, 87 13 W `: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) `p +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November; note - these dates become effective in 2007 ^J 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 ^K 15 September 1821 (from Spain) ^L Independence Day, 15 September (1821) ^M 11 January 1982, effective 20 January 1982; amended many times ^N rooted in Roman and Spanish civil law with increasing influence of English common law; recent judicial reforms include abandoning Napoleonic legal codes in favor of the oral adversarial system; accepts ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations ^O 18 years of age; universal and compulsory ^P `; President Manuel ZELAYA Rosales (since 27 January 2006); Vice President Elvin Ernesto SANTOS Ordonez (since 27 January 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government `< President Manuel ZELAYA Rosales (since 27 January 2006); Vice President Elvin Ernesto SANTOS Ordonez (since 27 January 2006) `= Cabinet appointed by president `> president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 27 November 2005 (next to be held in November 2009) `? Manuel ZELAYA Rosales elected president - 49.8%, Porfirio "Pepe" LOBO Sosa 46.1%, other 4.1% ^Q unicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional (128 seats; members are elected proportionally to the number of votes their party's presidential candidate receives to serve four-year terms) `> last held 27 November 2005 (next to be held in November 2009) `? percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PL 62, PN 55, PUD 5, PDC 4, PINU 2 ^R Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges are elected for seven-year terms by the National Congress) ^S Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Felicito AVILA]; Democratic Unification Party or PUD [Cesar HAM]; Liberal Party or PL [Patricia RODAS]; National Innovation and Unity Party or PINU [Jorge AQUILAR Paredes]; National Party of Honduras or PN [Porfirio LOBO] ^T Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Honduras or CODEH; Confederation of Honduran Workers or CTH; Coordinating Committee of Popular Organizations or CCOP; General Workers Confederation or CGT; Honduran Council of Private Enterprise or COHEP; National Association of Honduran Campesinos or ANACH; National Union of Campesinos or UNC; Popular Bloc or BP; United Confederation of Honduran Workers or CUTH ^U BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO ^V `R Ambassador Roberto FLORES Bermudez `S Suite 4-M, 3007 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 `T [1] (202) 966-7702 `U [1] (202) 966-9751 `V Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco honorary consulate(s): Boston, Detroit, Jacksonville ^W `R Ambassador Charles A. FORD `_ Avenida La Paz, Apartado Postal No. 3453, Tegucigalpa `` American Embassy, APO AA 34022, Tegucigalpa `T [504] 236-9320, 238-5114 `U [504] 236-9037 ^X 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 
]% ^Y Honduras, the second poorest country in Central America and one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, with an extraordinarily unequal distribution of income and massive unemployment, is banking on expanded trade under the US-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and on debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. The country has met most of its macroeconomic targets, and began a three-year IMF Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) program in February 2004. The economy relies heavily on a narrow range of exports, notably bananas and coffee, making it vulnerable to natural disasters and shifts in commodity prices, but in recent years has experienced a rapid rise in exports of light manufacturers. Growth remains dependent on the economy of the US, its largest trading partner, and on reduction of the high crime rate, as a means of attracting and maintaining investment. ^Z $22.13 billion (2006 est.) ^[ $8.414 billion (2006 est.) ^\ 5.2% (2006 est.) ^] $3,000 (2006 est.) ^^ `@ 13.6% `A 31.4% `B 55% (2006 est.) ^_ 2.589 million (2006 est.) ^` `@ 34% `A 23% `B 43% (2003 est.) ^a 27.9% (2006 est.) _! 53% (1993 est.) _" `C 0.6% `D 42.7% (1998) _d 55 (1999) _# 5.7% (2006 est.) _V 23.7% of GDP (2006 est.) _$ `E $2.002 billion `F $2.028 billion; including capital expenditures of $106 million (2006 est.) _% 67.1% of GDP (2006 est.) _& bananas, coffee, citrus; beef; timber; shrimp _' sugar, coffee, textiles, clothing, wood products _( 7.7% (2003 est.) _) 4.805 billion kWh (2004) _* 4.824 billion kWh (2004) _+ 0 kWh (2004) _, 356 million kWh (2004) _- 0 bbl/day (2004 est.) _. 37,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) _/ NA bbl/day _0 NA bbl/day _1 0 cu m (2004 est.) _2 0 cu m (2004 est.) _Q $-160 million (2006 est.) _3 $1.947 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) _4 coffee, shrimp, bananas, gold, palm oil, fruit, lobster, lumber _5 US 73.3%, Guatemala 2.9%, El Salvador 2.9% (2005) _6 $4.86 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) _7 machinery and transport equipment, industrial raw materials, chemical products, fuels, foodstuffs _8 US 52.6%, Guatemala 6.4%, El Salvador 4.1% (2005) _[ $2.778 billion (2006 est.) _9 $5.587 billion (2006 est.) _: $557.8 million (1999) _; lempira (HNL) _< lempiras per US dollar - 18.895 (2006), 18.92 (2005), 18.206 (2004), 17.345 (2003), 16.433 (2002) _= calendar year 
]& _> 494,400 (2005) _? 1.282 million (2005) _@ `G inadequate system `H NA `I country code - 504; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to Central American Microwave System _A AM 241, FM 53, shortwave 12 (1998) _B 11 (plus 17 repeaters) (1997) _C .hn _D 3,973 (2006) _E 223,000 (2005) 
]' _F 116 (2006) _G `! 11 `J 3 `b 2 `c 3 `W 3 (2006) _R `! 105 `b 2 `c 19 `W 84 (2006) _e `! 699 km `n 279 km 1.067-m gauge; 420 km 0.914-m gauge (2005) _H `! 13,603 km `K 2,775 km `L 10,828 km (1999) _b 465 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2005) _S `! 136 ships (1000 GRT or over) 405,984 GRT/557,179 DWT by type: bulk carrier 11, cargo 61, chemical tanker 5, container 1, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 1, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 9, petroleum tanker 29, refrigerated cargo 8, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 1 `X 43 (Canada 1, China 3, Egypt 4, Greece 3, Hong Kong 2, Israel 1, Japan 4, South Korea 6, Lebanon 1, Mexico 1, Qatar 1, Singapore 11, Taiwan 2, Tanzania 1, US 1, Vietnam 1) (2006) _I Puerto Castilla, Puerto Cortes, San Lorenzo, Tela 
]( _J Army, Navy (includes Naval Infantry), Honduran Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Hondurena, FAH) (2007) _T 18 years of age for voluntary 2 to 3-year military service (2004) _K males age 18-49: 1,537,232 females age 18-49: 1,515,120 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,100,991 females age 18-49: 1,121,649 (2005 est.) _L males age 18-49: 82,105 females age 18-49: 78,971 (2005 est.) _U 0.6% (2006 est.) 
]) _N International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled on the delimitation of "bolsones" (disputed areas) along the El Salvador-Honduras border in 1992 with final settlement by the parties in 2006 after an Organization of American States (OAS) survey and a further ICJ ruling in 2003; the 1992 ICJ ruling advised a tripartite resolution to a maritime boundary in the Gulf of Fonseca with consideration of Honduran access to the Pacific; El Salvador continues to claim tiny Conejo Island, not mentioned in the ICJ ruling, off Honduras in the Gulf of Fonseca; Honduras claims the Belizean-administered Sapodilla Cays off the coast of Belize in its constitution, but agreed to a joint ecological park around the cays should Guatemala consent to a maritime corridor in the Caribbean under the OAS-sponsored 2002 Belize-Guatemala Differendum; memorials and countermemorials were filed by the parties in Nicaragua's 1999 and 2001 proceedings against Honduras and Colombia at the ICJ over the maritime boundary and territorial claims in the western Caribbean Sea - final public hearings are scheduled for 2007 _O transshipment point for drugs and narcotics; illicit producer of cannabis, cultivated on small plots and used principally for local consumption; corruption is a major problem; some money-laundering activity 