Nation at a Glance - Honduras

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. Since then, the economy has slowly rebounded.

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

Border Countries: Guatemala 244 km, El Salvador 391 km, Nicaragua 940 km

Total Area: 112,090 sq km Land: 111,890 sq km Water: 200 sq km

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, hydropower

Land use: Agricultural land: 28.8% arable land 9.1%; permanent crops 4%; permanent pasture 15.7% Forest: 45.3% Other: 25.9% (2011 est.)

Ethnic groups: Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and European) 90%, Amerindian 7%, Black 2%, White 1%

Languages: Spanish (official), Amerindian dialects

Religions: Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant 3%

Population: 8,893,259

Literacy: 88.5%; Male: 88.4%; Female: 88.6% (2015 est.)

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

Economy: Honduras, the second poorest country in Central America, suffers from extraordinarily unequal distribution of income, as well as high underemployment. While historically dependent on the export of bananas and coffee, Honduras has diversified its export base to include apparel and automobile wire harnessing.Honduras’s economy depends heavily on US trade and remittances. The US-Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement came into force in 2006 and has helped foster foreign direct investment, but physical and political insecurity, as well as crime and perceptions of corruption, may deter potential investors; about 15% of foreign direct investment is from US firms.The economy registered modest economic growth of 2.6%-4.0% from 2010 to 2015, insufficient to improve living standards for the nearly 65% of the population in poverty. In 2015, Honduras faced rising public debt but its economy has performed better than expected due to low oil prices and improved investor confidence. The IMF continues to monitor the three-year standby arrangement signed in December 2014, aimed at easing Honduras’s poor fiscal position.

Agriculture - products: Bananas, coffee, citrus, corn, African palm; beef; timber; shrimp, tilapia, lobster, sugar, oriental vegetables

Industries: Sugar, coffee, woven and knit apparel, wood products, cigars