Aminet 6/Aminet 6 - June 1995.iso/Aminet/docs/misc/wfbook93_texi.lha/texi/106.data

Text File | 1995-03-27 | 11.1 KB | 380 lines

@node Geography (Honduras)
@section Geography (Honduras)

@display

Location:
  Central America, between Guatemala and Nicaragua
Map references:
  Central America and the Caribbean, North America, Standard Time Zones of the
  World
Area:
 total area:
  112,090 km2
 land area:
  111,890 km2
 comparative area:
  slightly larger than Tennessee
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:   200 m depth or to depth of exploitation
 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; ICJ referred the maritime
  boundary in the Golfo de Fonseca 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 km2 (1989 est.)
Environment:
  subject to frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; damaging hurricanes
  and floods along Caribbean coast; deforestation; soil erosion



@end display

@node People (Honduras)
@section People (Honduras)

@display

Population:
  5,170,108 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
  2.8% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
  35.82 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
  6.44 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
  -1.43 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  47.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
 total population:
  67.17 years
 male:
  64.82 years
 female:   69.62 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  4.87 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
 noun:
  Honduran(s)
 adjective:
  Honduran
Ethnic divisions:
  mestizo (mixed Indian and European) 90%, Indian 7%, black 2%, white 1%
Religions:
  Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant minority
Languages:
  Spanish, Indian dialects
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
 total population:
  73%
 male:
  76%
 female:
  71%
Labor force:
  1.3 million
 by occupation:
  agriculture 62%, services 20%, manufacturing 9%, construction 3%, other 6%
  (1985)



@end display

@node Government (Honduras)
@section Government (Honduras)

@display

Names:
 conventional long form:
  Republic of Honduras
 conventional short form:
  Honduras
 local long form:
  Republica de Honduras
 local short form:
  Honduras
Digraph:
  HO
Type:
  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)
Constitution:
  11 January 1982, effective 20 January 1982
Legal system:
  rooted in Roman and Spanish civil law; some influence of English common law;
  accepts ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
National holiday:
  Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Political parties and leaders:
  Liberal Party (PLH), Carlos Roberto REINA, presidential candidate, Rafael
  PINEDA Ponce, president; National Party (PN) has two factions: Movimiento
  Nacional de Reivindication Callejista (Monarca), Rafael Leonardo CALLEJAS,
  and Oswaldista, Oswaldo RAMOS SOTO, presidential candidate; National
  Innovation and Unity Party (PINU), German LEITZELAR, president; Christian
  Democratic Party (PDCH), Efrain DIAZ Arrivillaga, president
Other political or pressure groups:
  National Association of Honduran Campesinos (ANACH); Honduran Council of
  Private Enterprise (COHEP); Confederation of Honduran Workers (CTH);
  National Union of Campesinos (UNC); General Workers Confederation (CGT);
  United Federation of Honduran Workers (FUTH); Committee for the Defense of
  Human Rights in Honduras (CODEH); Coordinating Committee of Popular
  Organizations (CCOP)
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Elections:
 President:
  last held on 26 November 1989 (next to be held November 1993); results -
  Rafael Leonardo CALLEJAS (PNH) 51%, Carlos FLORES Facusse (PLH) 43.3%, other
  5.7%
 National Congress:
  last held on 26 November 1989 (next to be held November 1993); results - PNH
  51%, PLH 43%, PDCH 1.9%, PINU-SD 1.5%, other 2.6%; seats - (128 total) PNH
  71, PLH 55, PINU-SD 2
Executive branch:
  president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch:
  unicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional)



@end display

@node Government (Honduras 2. usage)
@section Government (Honduras 2. usage)

@display

Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justica)
Leaders:
 Chief of State and Head of Government:
  President Rafael Leonardo CALLEJAS Romero (since 26 January 1990)
Member of:
  BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO,
  IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), LORCS,
  OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
 chief of mission:
  Ambassador Rene Arturo BENDANA-VALENZUELA
 chancery:
  3007 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
 telephone:
  [phone]
 consulates general:   Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco
 consulates:
  Baton Rouge, Boston, Detroit, Houston, and Jacksonville
US diplomatic representation:
 chief of mission:
  Ambassador William Bryce (since 28 May 1993)
 embassy:
  Avenida La Paz, Tegucigalpa
 mailing address:
  APO AA 34022, Tegucigalpa
 telephone:
  [504] 32-3120
 FAX:
  [504] 32-0027
Flag:
  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



@end display

@node Economy (Honduras)
@section Economy (Honduras)

@display

Overview:
  Honduras is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere.
  Agriculture, the most important sector of the economy, accounts for more
  than 25% of GDP, employs 62% of the labor force, and produces two-thirds of
  exports. Productivity remains low. Industry, still in its early stages,
  employs nearly 9% of the labor force, accounts for 15% of GDP, and generates
  20% of exports. The service sectors, including public administration,
  account for 50% of GDP and employ nearly 20% of the labor force. Basic
  problems facing the economy include rapid population growth, high
  unemployment, a lack of basic services, a large and inefficient public
  sector, and the dependence of the export sector mostly on coffee and
  bananas, which are subject to sharp price fluctuations. A far-reaching
  reform program initiated by President CALLEJAS in 1990 is beginning to take
  hold.
National product:
  GDP - exchange rate conversion - $5.5 billion (1992 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  3.6% (1992 est.)
National product per capita:
  $1,090 (1992 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  8% (1992 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  15% (30-40% underemployed) (1989)
Budget:
  revenues $1.4 billion; expenditures $1.9 billion, including capital
  expenditures of $511 million (1990 est.)
Exports:
  $1.0 billion (f.o.b., 1991)
 commodities:
  bananas, coffee, shrimp, lobster, minerals, meat, lumber
 partners:
  US 65%, Germany 9%, Japan 8%, Belgium 7%
Imports:
  $1.3 billion (c.i.f. 1991)
 commodities:
  machinery and transport equipment, chemical products, manufactured goods,
  fuel and oil, foodstuffs
 partners:
  US 45%, Japan 9%, Netherlands 7%, Mexico 7%, Venezuela 6%
External debt:
  $2.8 billion (1990)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 0.8% (1990 est.); accounts for 15% of GDP
Electricity:
  575,000 kW capacity; 2,000 million kWh produced, 390 kWh per capita (1992)
Industries:
  agricultural processing (sugar and coffee), textiles, clothing, wood
  products
Agriculture:
  most important sector, accounting for more than 25% of GDP, more than 60% of
  the labor force, and two-thirds of exports; principal products include
  bananas, coffee, timber, beef, citrus fruit, shrimp; importer of wheat
Illicit drugs:
  illicit producer of cannabis, cultivated on small plots and used principally
  for local consumption; transshipment point for cocaine
Economic aid:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.4 billion; Western (non-US)
  countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1.1 billion



@end display

@node Economy (Honduras 2. usage)
@section Economy (Honduras 2. usage)

@display

Currency:
  1 lempira (L) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates:
  lempiras (L) per US$1 - 5.4 (fixed rate); 5.70 parallel black-market rate
  (November 1990); the lempira was allowed to float in 1992; current rate
  about US$1 - 5.65
Fiscal year:
  calendar year



@end display

@node Communications (Honduras)
@section Communications (Honduras)

@display

Railroads:
  785 km total; 508 km 1.067-meter gauge, 277 km 0.914-meter gauge
Highways:
  8,950 km total; 1,700 km paved, 5,000 km otherwise improved, 2,250 km
  unimproved earth
Inland waterways:   465 km navigable by small craft
Ports:
  Puerto Castilla, Puerto Cortes, San Lorenzo
Merchant marine:
  252 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 819,100 GRT/1,195,276 DWT; includes 2
  passenger-cargo, 162 cargo, 20 refrigerated cargo, 10 container, 6
  roll-on/roll-off cargo, 22 oil tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 2 specialized
  tanker, 22 bulk, 3 passenger, 2 short-sea passenger; note - a flag of
  convenience registry; Russia owns 10 ships under the Honduran flag
Airports:
 total:
  165
 usable:
  137
 with permanent-surface runways:
  11
 with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
 with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  4
 with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  14
Telecommunications:
  inadequate system with only 7 telephones per 1,000 persons; international
  services provided by 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earch stations and the
  Central American microwave radio relay system; broadcast stations - 176 AM,
  no FM, 7 SW, 28 TV



@end display

@node Defense Forces (Honduras)
@section Defense Forces (Honduras)

@display

Branches:
  Army, Navy (including Marines), Air Force, Public Security Forces (FUSEP)
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 1,185,072; fit for military service 706,291; reach military
  age (18) annually 58,583 (1993 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $45 million, about 1% of GDP (1993 est.)



@end display