| Geographical Information |
| Map Location |
Central America and the Caribbean |
| Geographical Location |
15° 00' North Latitude
86° 30' West Longitude |
| Surface Area |
112,090 sq km |
| Climate |
Subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains |
| Natural Resources |
Timber, gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore, antimony, coal, fish, hydropower |
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| Political Information |
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| Country Name |
Republic of Honduras |
| Capital City |
Tegucigalpa |
| Government Type |
Democratic constitutional republic |
| 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 Day |
15 September 1821 (from Spain) |
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| Demographical Information |
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| Population |
6,975,204 (July 2005 est.) |
| Nationality |
Honduran |
| Ethnic Groups |
Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and European) 90%, Amerindian 7%, black 2%, white 1% |
| Religion |
Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant 3% |
| Languages |
Spanish, Amerindian dialects |
| Population Growth Rate |
2.16% (2005 est.) |
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| Economical Information |
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| Currency |
Lempira (HNL) |
| Industries |
Sugar, coffee, textiles, clothing, wood products |
| Labor Force |
2.47 million (2004 est.) |
| Labor Force by Sectors |
Agriculture 34%, industry 21%, services 45% (2001 est.) |
| Agriculture Products |
Bananas, coffee, citrus; beef; timber; shrimp |
| Export Commodities |
Coffee, shrimp, bananas, gold, palm oil, fruit, lobster, lumber |
| Export Partners |
US 63.3%, El Salvador 2.8%, Guatemala 2.6% (2004) |
| Import Commodities |
Machinery and transport equipment, industrial raw materials, chemical products, fuels, foodstuffs (2000) |
| Import Partners |
US 51.3%, El Salvador 3.3%, Mexico 2.9% (2004) |
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| Transportation |
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| Railways |
699 km |
| Highways |
13,603 km |
| Pipelines |
- |
| Airports |
115 (2004 est.) |
| Ports and Harbors |
La Ceiba, Puerto Castilla, Puerto Cortes, San Lorenzo, Tela, Puerto Lempira |
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| Communication |
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| Phone Code |
+504 |
| Internet Abbreviation |
.hn |
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| Other |
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| Short History |
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. |
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