country comparison to the world: 76
$1.6 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$5.574 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 63
$5.239 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$7.172 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 79
$6.298 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Agriculture - products:
bananas, coffee, citrus; beef; timber; shrimp, tilapia, lobster;
corn, African palm
Industries:
sugar, coffee, textiles, clothing, wood products
Industrial production growth rate:
4.4% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 60
Electricity - production:
6.05 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 106
Electricity - consumption:
4.696 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 109
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
11.8 million kWh (2007 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 187
Oil - consumption:
52,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 96
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 195
Oil - imports:
46,130 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 91
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 161
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 177
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 173
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008)
country comparison to the world: 67
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 169
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 169
Current account balance:
-$1.977 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 138
-$1.274 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$6.046 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 103
$5.642 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
coffee, shrimp, bananas, gold, palm oil, fruit, lobster, lumber
Exports - partners:
US 62.1%, Guatemala 5.2%, El Salvador 5%, Mexico 4.1% (2008)
Imports:
$10.39 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 92
$8.82 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, industrial raw materials,
chemical products, fuels, foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
US 50%, Guatemala 7.6%, El Salvador 5.3%, Mexico 4.7%, Costa Rica
4.2% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$2.492 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 103
$2.546 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$3.209 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 120
$3.411 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
lempiras (HNL) per US dollar - 18.983 (2008 est.), 18.9 (2007),
18.895 (2006), 18.92 (2005), 18.206 (2004)
Communications ::Honduras
Telephones - main lines in use:
825,800 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 86
Telephones - mobile cellular:
6.211 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 78
Telephone system:
general assessment: the number of fixed-line connections are
increasing but still limited; competition among multiple providers
of mobile-cellular services is contributing to a sharp increase in
the number of subscribers
domestic: beginning in 2003, private sub-operators allowed to
provide fixed-lines in order to expand telephone coverage
contributing to an increase in fixed-line teledensity to roughly 10
per 100 persons; mobile-cellular subscribership exceeded 80 per 100
persons in 2008
international: country code - 504; landing point for both the
Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) and the MAYA-1 fiber
optic submarine cable system that together provide connectivity to
South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US;
satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to
Central American Microwave System
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 241, FM 53, shortwave 12 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
11 (plus 17 repeaters) (1997)
Internet country code:
.hn
Internet hosts:
15,691 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 106
Internet users:
658,500 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 102
Transportation ::Honduras
Airports:
106 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 54
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 12
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 3 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 94
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 15
under 914 m: 77 (2009)
Railways:
total: 699 km
country comparison to the world: 104
narrow gauge: 279 km 1.067-m gauge; 420 km 0.914-m gauge (2008)
Roadways:
total: 13,600 km
country comparison to the world: 126
paved: 2,775 km
unpaved: 10,825 km (2000)
Waterways:
465 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2008)
country comparison to the world: 84
Merchant marine:
total: 123
country comparison to the world: 47
by type: bulk carrier 10, cargo 57, chemical tanker 6, container 1,
liquefied gas 1, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker
25, refrigerated cargo 7, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 1
foreign-owned: 42 (Bangladesh 1, Canada 1, China 3, Egypt 3, Greece
4, Hong Kong 1, Israel 1, Japan 4, South Korea 6, Lebanon 1, Mexico
1, Singapore 12, Taiwan 2, Tanzania 1, Vietnam 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
La Ceiba, Puerto Cortes, San Lorenzo, Tela
Military ::Honduras
Military branches:
Army, Navy (includes Naval Infantry), Honduran Air Force (Fuerza
Aerea Hondurena, FAH) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary 2 to 3-year military service (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,868,940
females age 16-49: 1,825,770 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,397,938
females age 16-49: 1,402,398 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 92,638
female: 88,993 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
0.6% of GDP (2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 154
Transnational Issues ::Honduras
Disputes - international:
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
Illicit drugs:
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
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Hong Kong (East & Southeast Asia)
Introduction ::Hong Kong
Background:
Occupied by the UK in 1841, Hong Kong was formally ceded by China
the following year; various adjacent lands were added later in the
19th century. Pursuant to an agreement signed by China and the UK on
19 December 1984, Hong Kong became the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China on 1
July 1997. In this agreement, China promised that, under its "one
country, two systems" formula, China's socialist economic system
would not be imposed on Hong Kong and that Hong Kong would enjoy a
high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign and defense
affairs for the next 50 years.
Geography ::Hong Kong
Location:
Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China
Geographic coordinates:
22 15 N, 114 10 E
Map references:
Southeast Asia
Area:
total: 1,104 sq km
country comparison to the world: 183
land: 1,054 sq km
water: 50 sq km
Area - comparative:
six times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
total: 30 km
regional border: China 30 km
Coastline:
733 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 3 nm
Climate:
subtropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from
spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall
Terrain:
hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Tai Mo Shan 958 m
Natural resources:
outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar
Land use:
arable land: 5.05%
permanent crops: 1.01%
other: 93.94% (2001)
Irrigated land:
20 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
occasional typhoons
Environment - current issues:
air and water pollution from rapid urbanization
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Marine Dumping (associate member), Ship Pollution
(associate member)
Geography - note:
more than 200 islands
People ::Hong Kong
Population:
7,055,071 (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 100
Age structure:
0-14 years: 12.2% (male 450,833/female 411,997)
15-64 years: 74.6% (male 2,551,256/female 2,713,532)
65 years and over: 13.1% (male 434,090/female 493,363) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 42.3 years
male: 41.9 years
female: 42.6 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.504% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 155
Birth rate:
7.42 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 223
Death rate:
6.76 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 142
Net migration rate:
4.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 24
Urbanization:
urban population: 100% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 2.92 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 220
male: 3.1 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 2.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 81.86 years
country comparison to the world: 6
male: 79.16 years
female: 84.79 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.02 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 222
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2003 est.)
country comparison to the world: 156
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
2,600 (2003 est.)
country comparison to the world: 134
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 200 (2003 est.)
country comparison to the world: 113
Nationality:
noun: Chinese/Hong Konger
adjective: Chinese/Hong Kong
Ethnic groups:
Chinese 95%, Filipino 1.6%, Indonesian 1.3%, other 2.1% (2006 census)
Religions:
eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10%
Languages:
Chinese (Cantonese) 89.2% (official), other Chinese dialects 6.4%,
English 3.2% (official), other 1.2% (2001 census)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 93.5%
male: 96.9%
female: 89.6% (2002)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 14 years
male: 14 years
female: 13 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
3.9% of GDP (2006)
country comparison to the world: 112
Government ::Hong Kong
Country name:
conventional long form: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
conventional short form: Hong Kong
local long form: Xianggang Tebie Xingzhengqu
local short form: Xianggang
abbreviation: HK
Dependency status:
special administrative region of China
Government type:
limited democracy
Administrative divisions:
none (special administrative region of China)
Independence:
none (special administrative region of China)
National holiday:
National Day (Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic
of China), 1 October (1949); note - 1 July 1997 is celebrated as
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day
Constitution:
Basic Law, approved in March 1990 by China's National People's
Congress, is Hong Kong's "mini-constitution"
Legal system:
based on English common law
Suffrage:
direct election - 18 years of age for half the legislature and a
majority of seats in 18 district councils; universal for permanent
residents living in the territory of Hong Kong for the past seven
years; indirect election - limited to about 220,000 members of
functional constituencies and an 800-member election committee drawn
from broad regional groupings, central government bodies, and
municipal organizations
Executive branch:
chief of state: President of China HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003)
head of government: Chief Executive Donald TSANG Yam-kuen (since 24
June 2005)
cabinet: Executive Council or ExCo consists of 15 official members
and 14 non-official members
elections: chief executive elected for five-year term by 800-member
electoral committee; last held on 25 March 2007 (next to be held in
2012)
election results: Donald TSANG elected chief executive receiving
84.1% of the vote of the election committee; Alan LEONG Kah-kit
received 15.9%
Legislative branch:
unicameral Legislative Council or LegCo (60 seats; 30 seats
indirectly elected by functional constituencies, 30 elected by
popular vote; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 7 September 2008 (next to be held in September
2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - pro-democracy 57%;
pro-Beijing 40%, independent 3%; seats by parties - (pro-Beijing 35)
DAB 13, Liberal Party 7, FTU 1, others 14; (pro-democracy 23)
Democratic Party 8, Civic Party 5, CTU 3, League of Social Democrats
3, ADPL 2, The Frontier 1, NWSC 1; others 11; independents and
non-voting LegCo president 2
Judicial branch:
Court of Final Appeal in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Political parties and leaders:
Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood or ADPL [Frederick
FUNG Kin-kee]; Civic Party [KUAN Hsin-chi]; Democratic Alliance for
the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong or DAB [TAM Yiu Cheng];
Democratic Party [Albert HO Chun-yan]; League of Social Democrats
[Raymond WONG Yuk-man]; Liberal Party [Miriam LAU Kin-yee]
note: political blocs include: pro-democracy - ADPL, Civic Party;
Democratic Party, League of Social Democrats; pro-Beijing - DAB,
Liberal Party, The Professional Forum (an informal group of three
generally pro-government and pro-business LegCo members from
functional constituencies and one independent elected from a
geographic constituency); there is no political party ordinance, so
there are no registered political parties; politically active groups
register as societies or companies
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Chinese General Chamber of Commerce (pro-China); Chinese
Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong; Confederation of Trade
Unions or CTU (pro-democracy) [LAU Chin-shek, president; LEE
Cheuk-yan, general secretary]; Federation of Hong Kong Industries;
Federation of Trade Unions or FTU (pro-China) [CHENG Yiu-tong,
executive councilor]; Hong Kong Alliance in Support of the Patriotic
Democratic Movement in China [Szeto WAH, chairman]; Hong Kong and
Kowloon Trade Union Council (pro-Taiwan); Hong Kong General Chamber
of Commerce; Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union [CHEUNG
Man-kwong, president]; Neighborhood and Workers' Service Center or
NWSC [LEUNG Yiu-chung, LegCo member] (pro-democracy); Civic Act-up
[Cyd HO Sau-lan, LegCo member] (pro-democracy)
International organization participation:
ADB, APEC, BIS, ICC, IHO, IMF, IMO (associate), IOC, ISO
(correspondent), ITUC, UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WMO,
WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (special administrative region of China); Hong Kong Economic
and Trade Office in Washington, New York, and San Francisco carries
out normal liaison and communication with the US Government and
other US entities
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Acting Consul General Christopher J. MARUT
consulate(s) general: 26 Garden Road, Hong Kong
mailing address: PSC 461, Box 1, FPO AP 96521-0006
telephone: [852] 2523-9011
FAX: [852] 2845-1598
Flag description:
red with a stylized, white, five-petal bauhinia flower in the center
Economy ::Hong Kong
Economy - overview:
Hong Kong has a free market economy highly dependent on
international trade and finance, which has left it heavily exposed
to the global economic slowdown that began in 2008. The total value
of goods and services trade, including the sizable share of
reexports, was equivalent to 404% of GDP in 2007. The territory has
become increasingly integrated with mainland China over the past few
years through trade, tourism, and financial links. The mainland has
long been Hong Kong's largest trading partner, accounting for nearly
49% of Hong Kong's exports trade by value in 2008. As a result of
China's easing of travel restrictions, the number of mainland
tourists to the territory has surged from 4.5 million in 2001 to
16.9 million in 2008, when they outnumbered visitors from all other
countries combined. Hong Kong has also established itself as the
premier stock market for Chinese firms seeking to list abroad. More
than one-third of the firms listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange
are now mainland Chinese companies. They account for 60% of the
Exchange's market capitalization. During the past decade, as Hong
Kong's manufacturing industry moved to the mainland, its service
industry has grown rapidly and now accounts for more than 90% of the
territory's GDP. Hong Kong's natural resources are limited, and food
and raw materials must be imported. GDP growth averaged a strong 5%
from 1989 to 2007, but the global financial crisis caused a sharp
slowdown in the second half of 2008, pushing the territory into
recession. Hong Kong continues to link its currency closely to the
US dollar, maintaining an arrangement established in 1983.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$307.3 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 40
$300.1 billion (2007 est.)
$282.1 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$215.4 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
2.4% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 147
6.4% (2007 est.)
7% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$43,800 (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 15
$43,000 (2007 est.)
$40,600 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 0%
industry: 7.4%
services: 92.7% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
3.66 million (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 91
Labor force - by occupation:
manufacturing 6.1%, construction 1.9%, wholesale and retail trade,
restaurants, and hotels 42.9%, financing, insurance, and real estate
21.4%, transport and communications 7.9%, community and social
services 19.7%
note: above data exclude public sector (2008 est.)
Unemployment rate:
3.5% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 41
4% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
53.3 (2007)
country comparison to the world: 17
Investment (gross fixed):
19.7% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 111
Budget:
revenues: $39.04 billion
expenditures: $39.76 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
13.9% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 107
2.1% of GDP (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.3% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 71
2% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
0.5% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 77
5.75% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
5% (31 December 2008)
Stock of money:
$63.03 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 18
$51.25 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$352.4 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 10
$578.1 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$259.7 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$1.32 trillion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 15
$1.163 trillion (31 December 2007)
$895.2 billion (31 December 2006 est.)
Agriculture - products:
fresh vegetables; poultry, pork; fish
Industries:
textiles, clothing, tourism, banking, shipping, electronics,
plastics, toys, watches, clocks
Industrial production growth rate:
-1.2% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 146
Electricity - production:
38.4 billion kWh (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 55
Electricity - consumption:
44.6 billion kWh (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 48
Electricity - exports:
3.553 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
11 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 188
Oil - consumption:
366,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 36
Oil - exports:
19,480 bbl/day (2008)
country comparison to the world: 91
Oil - imports:
334,900 bbl/day (2008)
country comparison to the world: 33
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 162
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 178
Natural gas - consumption:
3.36 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 72
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008)
country comparison to the world: 68
Natural gas - imports:
3.36 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 39
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 170
Current account balance:
$30.52 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 16
$25.53 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$365.2 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14
$345.9 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
electrical machinery and appliances, textiles, apparel, footwear,
watches and clocks, toys, plastics, precious stones, printed material
Exports - partners:
China 48.5%, US 12.8%, Japan 4.3% (2008)
Imports:
$388.4 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 13
$365.6 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
raw materials and semi-manufactures, consumer goods, capital goods,
foodstuffs, fuel (most is re-exported)
Imports - partners:
China 46.6%, Japan 9.8%, Singapore 6.4%, US 5% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$182.5 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 8
$152.7 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$659.9 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 16
$711.1 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$1.241 trillion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 3
$1.178 trillion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$776 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 6
$1.011 trillion (31 December 2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
Hong Kong dollars (HKD) per US dollar - 7.751 (2008), 7.802 (2007),
7.7678 (2006), 7.7773 (2005), 7.788 (2004)
Communications ::Hong Kong
Telephones - main lines in use:
4.108 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 38
Telephones - mobile cellular: