conventional long form:
Republic of Haiti
conventional short form:
Haiti
local long form:
Republique d'Haiti
local short form:
Haiti
Digraph:
HA
Type:
republic
Capital:
Port-au-Prince
Administrative divisions:
9 departments, (departements, singular - departement); Artibonite,
Centre, Grand'Anse, Nord, Nord-Est, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Est
Independence:
1 January 1804 (from France)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 1 January (1804)
Constitution:
constitution approved March 1987, suspended June 1988, most articles
reinstated March 1989; October 1991, government claims to be observing
the Constitution
Legal system:
based on Roman civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
President Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE (since 7 February 1991), ousted in a
coup in September 1991, but still recognized by international
community as Chief of State; election last held 16 December 1990 (next
to be held by December 1995); results - Rev. Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE
67.5%, Marc BAZIN 14.2%, Louis DEJOIE 4.9%
head of government:
acting Prime Minister Robert MALVAL (since August 1993)
cabinet:
Cabinet; chosen by prime minister in consultation with the president
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)
Senate:
elections last held 18 January 1993, widely condemned as illegitimate
(next to be held December 1994); results - percent of vote NA; seats -
(27 total) FNCD 12, ANDP 8, PAIN 2, MRN 1, RDNP 1, PNT 1, independent
2
Chamber of Deputies:
elections last held 16 December 1990, with runoff held 20 January 1991
(next to be held by December 1994); results - percent of vote NA;
seats - (83 total) FNCD 27, ANDP 17, PDCH 7, PAIN 6, RDNP 6, MDN 5,
PNT 3, MKN 2, MODELH 2, MRN 1, independents 5, other 2
Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal (Cour de Cassation)
Political parties and leaders:
National Front for Change and Democracy (FNCD), including National
Congress of Democratic Movements (CONACOM), Victor BENOIT, and
National Cooperative Action Movement (MKN), Volvick Remy JOSEPH;
Movement for the Installation of Democracy in Haiti (MIDH), Marc
BAZIN; National Progressive Revolutionary Party (PANPRA), Serge
GILLES; National Patriotic Movement of November 28 (MNP-28), Dejean
BELIZAIRE; National Agricultural and Industrial Party (PAIN), Louis
DEJOIE; Movement for National Reconstruction (MRN), Rene THEODORE;
Haitian Christian Democratic Party (PDCH), Joseph DOUZE; Assembly of
Progressive National Democrats (RDNP), Leslie MANIGAT; National Party
of Labor (PNT), Thomas DESULME; Mobilization for National Development
(MDN), Hubert DE RONCERAY; Democratic Movement for the Liberation of
Haiti (MODELH), Francois LATORTUE; Haitian Social Christian Party
(PSCH), Gregoire EUGENE; Movement for the Organization of the Country
(MOP), Gesner COMEAU and Jean MOLIERE
Other political or pressure groups:
Democratic Unity Confederation (KID); Roman Catholic Church;
Confederation of Haitian Workers (CTH); Federation of Workers Trade
Unions (FOS); Autonomous Haitian Workers (CATH); National Popular
Assembly (APN); Revolutionary Front for Haitian Advancement and
Progress (FRAPH)
Member of:
ACCT, ACP, CARICOM (observer), CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
IOC, ITU, LAES, LORCS, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Jean CASIMIR
chancery:
2311 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
(202) 332-4090 through 4092
FAX:
(202) 745-7215
consulate(s) general:
Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador William Lacy SWING
embassy:
Harry Truman Boulevard, Port-au-Prince
mailing address:
P. O. Box 1761, Port-au-Prince
telephone:
[509] 22-0354, 22-0368, 22-0200, or 22-0612
FAX:
[509] 23-1641
Flag:
two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a centered white
rectangle bearing the coat of arms, which contains a palm tree flanked
by flags and two cannons above a scroll bearing the motto L'UNION FAIT
LA FORCE (Union Makes Strength)
@Haiti, Economy
Overview:
About 75% of the population live in abject poverty. Agriculture is
mainly small-scale subsistence farming and employs nearly
three-fourths of the work force. The majority of the population does
not have ready access to safe drinking water, adequate medical care,
or sufficient food. Few social assistance programs exist, and the lack
of employment opportunities remains one of the most critical problems
facing the economy, along with soil erosion and political instability.
Trade sanctions applied by the Organization of American States in
response to the September 1991 coup against President ARISTIDE have
further damaged the economy. Output continued to drop in 1993 although
not as sharply as in 1992.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $5.2 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
-13% (FY92 est.)
National product per capita:
$800 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
20% (FY92 est.)
Unemployment rate:
25%-50% (1991)
Budget:
revenues:
$300 million
expenditures:
$416 million, including capital expenditures of $145 million (1990
est.)
Exports:
$135 million (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
commodities:
light manufactures 65%, coffee 19%, other agriculture 8%, other 8%
partners:
US 84%, Italy 4%, France 3%, other industrial countries 6%, less
developed countries 3% (1987)
Imports:
$423 million (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
commodities:
machines and manufactures 34%, food and beverages 22%, petroleum
products 14%, chemicals 10%, fats and oils 9%
partners:
US 64%, Netherlands Antilles 5%, Japan 5%, France 4%, Canada 3%,
Germany 3% (1987)
External debt:
$838 million (December 1990)
Industrial production:
growth rate -2% (1991 est.); accounts for 15% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
217,000 kW
production:
480 million kWh
consumption per capita:
75 kWh (1992)
Industries:
sugar refining, textiles, flour milling, cement manufacturing,
tourism, light assembly industries based on imported parts
Agriculture:
accounts for 28% of GDP and employs around 70% of work force; mostly
small-scale subsistence farms; commercial crops - coffee, mangoes,
sugarcane, wood; staple crops - rice, corn, sorghum; shortage of wheat
flour
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana en route to the US and
Europe
Economic aid:
recipient:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (1970-89), $700 million; Western
(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $770
million
Currency:
1 gourde (G) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates:
gourdes (G) per US$1 - 12.00 (1 July 1993), 8.4 (December 1991), fixed
rate of 5.000 through second quarter of 1991
Fiscal year:
1 October - 30 September
@Haiti, Communications
Railroads:
40 km 0.760-meter narrow gauge, single-track, privately owned
industrial line
Highways:
total:
4,000 km
paved:
950 km
unpaved:
otherwise improved 900 km; unimproved earth 2,150 km
Inland waterways:
negligible; less than 100 km navigable
Ports:
Port-au-Prince, Cap-Haitien; six minor ports
Airports:
total:
14
usable:
11
with permanent-surface runways:
3
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
1
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
3
Telecommunications:
domestic facilities barely adequate, international facilities slightly
better; 36,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 33 AM, no FM, 4 TV, 2
shortwave; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
@Haiti, Defense Forces
Branches:
Army (including Police), Navy, Air Force
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 1,313,265; fit for military service 709,712; reach
military age (18) annually 62,488 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $34 million, 1.5% of GDP (1988 est.)
@Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Header
Affiliation:
(territory of Australia)
@Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Geography
Location:
Southern Africa, in the Indian Ocean, 4,100 km southwest of Australia
Map references:
Antarctic Region
Area:
total area:
412 sq km
land area:
412 sq km
comparative area:
slightly less than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
101.9 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
3 nm
International disputes:
none
Climate:
antarctic
Terrain:
Heard Island - bleak and mountainous, with an quiescent volcano;
McDonald Islands - small and rocky
Natural resources:
none
Land use:
arable land:
0%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
0%
forest and woodland:
0%
other:
100%
Irrigated land:
0 sq km
Environment:
current issues:
NA
natural hazards:
NA
international agreements:
NA
Note:
primarily used for research stations
@Heard Island and McDonald Islands, People
Population:
uninhabited
@Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands
conventional short form:
Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Digraph:
HM
Type:
territory of Australia administered by the Ministry for Environment,
Sport, and Territories
Capital:
none; administered from Canberra, Australia
Independence:
none (territory of Australia)
@Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Economy
Overview:
no economic activity
@Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Communications
Ports:
none; offshore anchorage only
@Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Defense Forces
Note:
defense is the responsibility of Australia
@Holy See (Vatican City), Geography
Location:
Southern Europe, an enclave of Rome - central Italy
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total area:
0.44 sq km
land area:
0.44 sq km
comparative area:
about 0.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
total 3.2 km, Italy 3.2 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none; landlocked
International disputes:
none
Climate:
temperate; mild, rainy winters (September to mid-May) with hot, dry
summers (May to September)
Terrain:
low hill
Natural resources:
none
Land use:
arable land:
0%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
0%
forest and woodland:
0%
other:
100%
Irrigated land:
0 sq km
Environment:
current issues:
NA
natural hazards:
NA
international agreements:
signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution, Environmental Modification
Note:
urban; landlocked; enclave of Rome, Italy; world's smallest state;
outside the Vatican City, 13 buildings in Rome and Castel Gandolfo
(the pope's summer residence) enjoy extraterritorial rights
@Holy See (Vatican City), People
Population:
821 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.15% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
NA
Death rate:
NA
Net migration rate:
NA
Infant mortality rate:
NA
Life expectancy at birth:
NA
Total fertility rate:
NA
Nationality:
noun:
none
adjective:
none
Ethnic divisions:
Italians, Swiss
Religions:
Roman Catholic
Languages:
Italian, Latin, various other languages
Literacy:
total population:
NA%
male:
NA%
female:
NA%
Labor force:
NA
by occupation:
dignitaries, priests, nuns, guards, and 3,000 lay workers who live
outside the Vatican
@Holy See (Vatican City), Government
Names:
conventional long form:
The Holy See (State of the Vatican City)
conventional short form:
Holy See (Vatican City)
local long form:
Santa Sede (Stato della Citta del Vaticano)
local short form:
Santa Sede (Citta del Vaticano)
Digraph:
VT
Type:
monarchical-sacerdotal state
Capital:
Vatican City
Independence:
11 February 1929 (from Italy)
National holiday:
Installation Day of the Pope, 22 October (1978) (John Paul II)
note:
Pope John Paul II was elected on 16 October 1978
Constitution:
Apostolic Constitution of 1967 (effective 1 March 1968)
Legal system:
NA
Suffrage:
limited to cardinals less than 80 years old
Executive branch:
chief of state:
Pope JOHN PAUL II (Karol WOJTYLA; since 16 October 1978); election
last held 16 October 1978 (next to be held after the death of the
current pope); results - Karol WOJTYLA was elected for life by the
College of Cardinals
head of government:
Secretary of State Archbishop Angelo Cardinal SODANO (since NA 1991)
cabinet:
Pontifical Commission; appointed by Pope
Legislative branch:
unicameral Pontifical Commission
Judicial branch:
none; normally handled by Italy
Political parties and leaders:
none
Other political or pressure groups:
none (exclusive of influence exercised by church officers)
Member of:
CSCE, IAEA, ICFTU, IMF (observer), INTELSAT, IOM (observer), ITU, OAS
(observer), UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNHCR, UPU, WIPO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Apostolic Pro-Nuncio Archbishop Agostino CACCIAVILLAN
chancery:
3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
(202) 333-7121
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Raymond L. FLYNN
embassy:
Villino Pacelli, Via Aurelia 294, 00165 Rome
mailing address:
PSC 59, APO AE 09624
telephone:
[396] 46741
FAX:
[396] 638-0159
Flag:
two vertical bands of yellow (hoist side) and white with the crossed
keys of Saint Peter and the papal miter centered in the white band
@Holy See (Vatican City), Economy
Overview:
This unique, noncommercial economy is supported financially by
contributions (known as Peter's Pence) from Roman Catholics throughout
the world, the sale of postage stamps and tourist mementos, fees for
admission to museums, and the sale of publications. The incomes and
living standards of lay workers are comparable to, or somewhat better
than, those of counterparts who work in the city of Rome.
Budget:
revenues:
$86 million
expenditures:
$178 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1993 est.)
Electricity:
capacity:
5,000 kW standby
production:
power supplied by Italy
consumption per capita:
NA (1992)
Industries:
printing and production of a small amount of mosaics and staff
uniforms; worldwide banking and financial activities
Currency:
1 Vatican lira (VLit) = 100 centesimi
Exchange rates:
Vatican lire (VLit) per US$1 - 1,700.2 (January 1994), 1,573.7 (1993),
1,232.4 (1992), 1,240.6 (1991), 1,198.1 (1990), 1,372.1 (1989); note -
the Vatican lira is at par with the Italian lira which circulates
freely
Fiscal year:
calendar year
@Holy See (Vatican City), Communications
Railroads:
850 m, 750-mm gauge (links with Italian network near the Rome station
of Saint Peter's)
Highways:
none; all city streets
Telecommunications:
broadcast stations - 3 AM, 4 FM, no TV; 2,000-line automatic telephone
exchange; no communications satellite systems
@Holy See (Vatican City), Defense Forces
Note:
defense is the responsibility of Italy; Swiss Papal Guards are posted
at entrances to the Vatican City
@Honduras, Geography
Location:
Middle 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 sq km
land area:
111,890 sq km
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 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
urban population expanding; deforestation results from logging and the
clearing of land for agricultural purposes; further land degradation
and soil erosion hastened by uncontrolled development and improper
land use practices such as farming of marginal lands; mining
activities polluting Lago de Yojoa (the country's largest source of
freshwater) with heavy metals as well as several rivers and streams
natural hazards:
subject to frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; damaging
hurricanes and floods along Caribbean coast
international agreements:
party to - Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear
Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified -
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Tropical Timber
@Honduras, People
Population:
5,314,794 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.73% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
34.97 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
6.22 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
-1.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
45.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
67.6 years
male:
65.23 years
female:
70.08 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.71 children born/woman (1994 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 est.)
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)
@Honduras, Government
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)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
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
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government:
President Carlos Roberto REINA Idiaquez (since 27 January 1994);
election last held on 28 November 1993 (next to be held November
1997); results - Carlos Roberto REINA Idiaquez (PLH) 53%, Oswaldo
RAMOS Soto (PNH) 41%, other 6%
cabinet:
Cabinet
Legislative branch:
unicameral
National Congress (Congreso Nacional):
elections last held on 27 November 1993 (next to be held November
1997); results - PNH 53%, PLH 41%, PDCH 1.0%, PINU-SD 2.5%, other
2.5%; seats - (134 total) PNH 55, PLH 77, PINU-SD 2
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justica)
Political parties and leaders:
Liberal Party (PLH), 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), Olban VALLADARES, 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)
Member of:
BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES,
LAIA (observer), LORCS, MINURSO, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Rene Arturo BENDANA
chancery:
3007 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
(202) 966-7702, 2604, 5008, 4596
FAX:
(202) 966-9751
consulate(s) general:
Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San
Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)
consulate(s):
Boston, Detroit, and Jacksonville
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador William PRYCE
embassy:
Avenida La Paz, Tegucigalpa
mailing address:
American Embassy, 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
@Honduras, Economy
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 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 former
President CALLEJAS in 1990 is beginning to take hold. In 1993 the
large fiscal deficit emerged as a key economic problem, the result of
improvident state spending.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $10 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
3.7% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
$1,950 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
13% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
10%; underemployed 30%-40% (1992)
Budget:
revenues:
$1.4 billion
expenditures:
$1.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $511 million (1990
est.)
Exports:
$850 million (f.o.b., 1993 est)
commodities:
bananas, coffee, shrimp, lobster, minerals, meat, lumber
partners:
US 53%, Germany 11%, Belgium 8%, UK 5%
Imports:
$1.1 billion (c.i.f. 1993 est)
commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, chemical products, manufactured
goods, fuel and oil, foodstuffs
partners:
US 50%, Mexico 8%, Guatemala 6%
External debt:
$2.8 billion (1990)
Industrial production:
growth rate 0.8% (1990 est.); accounts for 15% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
575,000 kW
production:
2 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
390 kWh (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:
transshipment point for cocaine; illicit producer of cannabis,
cultivated on small plots and used principally for local consumption
Economic aid:
recipient:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.4 billion; Western
(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1.1
billion
Currency:
1 lempira (L) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates:
lempiras (L) per US$1 - 7.2600 (December 1993), 7.2600 (1993), 5.8300
(1992), 5.4000 (1991); 2.0000 (fixed rate until 1991) 5.70 parallel
black-market rate (November 1990); the lempira was allowed to float in
1992
Fiscal year:
calendar year
@Honduras, Communications
Railroads:
785 km total; 508 km 1.067-meter gauge, 277 km 0.914-meter gauge
Highways:
total:
8,950 km
paved:
1,700 km
unpaved:
otherwise improved 5,000 km; unimproved earth 2,250 km
Inland waterways:
465 km navigable by small craft
Ports:
Puerto Castilla, Puerto Cortes, San Lorenzo
Merchant marine:
270 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 831,856 GRT/1,248,186 DWT, bulk
25, cargo 177, chemical tanker 2, combination bulk 1, container 7,
liquified gas 1, oil tanker 22, passenger 2, passenger-cargo 2,
refrigerated cargo 20, roll-on/roll-off cargo 6, short-sea passenger
2, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 1
note:
a flag of convenience registry; Russia owns 14 ships under the
Honduran flag
Airports:
total:
160
usable:
133
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 earth
stations and the Central American microwave radio relay system;
broadcast stations - 176 AM, no FM, 7 SW, 28 TV
@Honduras, Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Navy (including Marines), Air Force, Public Security Forces
(FUSEP)
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 1,229,777; fit for military service 732,866; reach
military age (18) annually 60,445 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $42.8 million, about 1.3% of GDP (1993
est.)
@Hong Kong
Header
Affiliation:
(dependent territory of the UK)
@Hong Kong, Geography
Location:
Eastern Asia, on the southeast coast of China bordering the South
China Sea
Map references:
Asia, Southeast Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
1,040 sq km
land area:
990 sq km
comparative area:
slightly less than six times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
total 30 km, China 30 km
Coastline:
733 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone:
3 nm
territorial sea:
3 nm
International disputes:
none
Climate:
tropical 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
Natural resources:
outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar
Land use:
arable land:
7%
permanent crops:
1%
meadows and pastures:
1%
forest and woodland:
12%
other:
79%
Irrigated land:
20 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues:
air and water pollution from rapid urbanization
natural hazards:
occasional typhoons
international agreements:
NA
Note:
more than 200 islands
@Hong Kong, People