Honduras
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Background: Part of Spain's vast empire in the New World, Honduras became an independent nation in 1821. After two and one-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 against leftist guerrillas. The country was devastated by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, which killed about 5,600 people and caused approximately $2 billion in damage. | |||||
Geography | |||||
Location: Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Nicaragua and bordering the Gulf of Fonseca (North Pacific Ocean), between El Salvador and Nicaragua | |||||
Area: total: 112,090 sq
km land: 111,890 sq km water: 200 sq km |
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Climate: subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains | |||||
Terrain: mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains | |||||
People | |||||
Population: 6,823,568 | |||||
Population growth rate: 2.24% (2004 est.) | |||||
Languages: Spanish, Amerindian dialects | |||||
Government | |||||
Country name: conventional
long form: Republic of Honduras conventional short form: Honduras local short form: Honduras local long form: Republica de Honduras |
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Government type: democratic constitutional 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) | |||||
National holiday: Independence Day, 15 September (1821) | |||||
chief of state: President Ricardo (Joest) MADURO (since 27 January 2002); First Vice President Vicente WILLIAMS Agasse (since 27 January 2002); Second Vice President Armida Villela Maria DE LOPEZ Contreras (since 27 January 2002); Third Vice President Alberto DIAZ Lobo (since 27 January 2002); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government | |||||
Economy | |||||
overview: Honduras, one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere with an extraordinarily unequal distribution of income and massive unemployment, is banking on expanded trade privileges under the Enhanced Caribbean Basin Initiative and on debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. While the country has met most of its macroeconomic targets, it has failed to meet the IMF's goals to liberalize its energy and telecommunications sectors. Growth remains dependent on the status of the US economy, its major trading partner, on commodity prices, particularly coffee, and on reduction of the high crime rate. | |||||
GDP: purchasing power parity
- $17.46 billion (2003 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 2.5% (2003 est.) GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,600 (2003 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 13.5%; industry: 30.7%; services: 55.8% (2002 est.) |
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Currency: lempira (HNL) | |||||
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