landlocked; enclave in Rome, Italy; world's smallest state; beyond the territorial boundary of Vatican City, the Lateran Treaty of 1929 grants the Holy See extraterritorial authority over 23 sites in Rome and five outside of Rome, including the Pontifical Palace at Castel Gandolfo (the Pope's summer residence)
People ::Holy See (Vatican City)
Population:
826 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 235
Population growth rate:
0.003% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 199
Urbanization:
urban population: 100% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 0.1% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Nationality:
noun: none
adjective: none
Ethnic groups:
Italians, Swiss, other
Religions:
Roman Catholic
Languages:
Italian, Latin, French, various other languages
Literacy:
definition: NA
total population: 100%
male: 100%
female: 100%
Government ::Holy See (Vatican City)
Country name:
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)
Government type:
ecclesiastical
Capital:
name: Vatican City
geographic coordinates: 41 54 N, 12 27 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
none
Independence:
11 February 1929 (from Italy); note - the three treaties signed with Italy on 11 February 1929 acknowledged, among other things, the full sovereignty of the Vatican and established its territorial extent; however, the origin of the Papal States, which over the years have varied considerably in extent, may be traced back to the 8th century
National holiday:
Election Day of Pope BENEDICT XVI, 19 April (2005)
Constitution:
Fundamental Law promulgated by Pope JOHN PAUL II on 26 November 2000, effective 22 February 2001 (replaced the first Fundamental Law of 1929)
Legal system:
based on Code of Canon Law and revisions to it
Suffrage:
limited to cardinals less than 80 years old
Executive branch:
chief of state: Pope BENEDICT XVI (since 19 April 2005)
head of government: Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio BERTONE (since 15 September 2006)
cabinet: Pontifical Commission for the State of Vatican City appointed by the pope
elections: pope elected for life by the College of Cardinals; election last held 19 April 2005 (next to be held after the death of the current pope); secretary of state appointed by the pope
election results: Joseph RATZINGER elected Pope BENEDICT XVI
Legislative branch:
unicameral Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State
Judicial branch:
there are three tribunals responsible for civil and criminal matters within Vatican City; three other tribunals rule on issues pertaining to the Holy See
note: judicial duties were established by the Motu Proprio of Pope PIUS XII on 1 May 1946
Political parties and leaders:
none
Political pressure groups and leaders:
none (exclusive of influence exercised by church officers)
International organization participation:
CE (observer), IAEA, Interpol, IOM (observer), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, NAM (guest), OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNHCR, Union Latina (observer), UNWTO (observer), UPU, WFTU, WIPO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Pietro SAMBI
chancery: 3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 333-7121
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Julieta NOYES
embassy: Villa Domiziana, Via delle Terme Deciane 26, 00153 Rome
mailing address: PSC 833, Box 66, APO AE 09624
telephone: [39] (06) 4674-3428
Flag description:
two vertical bands of yellow (hoist side) and white with the arms of the Holy See, consisting of the crossed keys of Saint Peter surmounted by the three-tiered papal tiara, centered in the white band
Economy ::Holy See (Vatican City)
Economy - overview:
The Holy See is supported financially by a variety of sources, including investments, real estate income, and donations from Catholic individuals, dioceses, and institutions; these help fund the Roman Curia (Vatican bureaucracy), diplomatic missions, and media outlets. The separate Vatican City State budget includes the Vatican museums and post office and is supported financially by the sale of stamps, coins, medals, and tourist mementos; by fees for admission to museums; and by publications sales. Moreover, an annual collection taken up in dioceses and direct donations go to a non-budgetary fund known as Peter's Pence, which is used directly by the Pope for charity, disaster relief, and aid to churches in developing nations. The incomes and living standards of lay workers are comparable to those of counterparts who work in the city of Rome.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
Labor force:
Labor force - by occupation:
note: essentially services with a small amount of industry; nearly all dignitaries, priests, nuns, guards, and the approximately 3,000 lay workers live outside the Vatican
Population below poverty line:
Budget:
revenues: $374 million
expenditures: $388 million (2007)
Industries:
printing; production of coins, medals, postage stamps; mosaics and staff uniforms; worldwide banking and financial activities
Electricity - production:
NA kWh
Electricity - consumption:
NA kWh
Electricity - imports:
NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Italy; a small portion of electricity is self-produced from solar panels
Exchange rates:
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6827 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
Communications ::Holy See (Vatican City)
Telephones - main lines in use:
5,120 (2005) country comparison to the world: 212
Telephone system:
general assessment: automatic digital exchange
domestic: connected via fiber optic cable to Telecom Italia network
international: country code - 39; uses Italian system
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 5, FM 3, shortwave 5 (2008)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (2008)
Internet country code:
.va
Internet hosts:
63 (2009) country comparison to the world: 205
Military ::Holy See (Vatican City)
Military branches:
Pontifical Swiss Guard Corps (Corpo della Guardia SvizzeraPontificia) (2009)
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of Italy; ceremonial and limited security duties performed by Pontifical Swiss Guard
Transnational Issues ::Holy See (Vatican City)
Disputes - international:
none
page last updated on October 28, 2009
======================================================================
@Honduras (Central America and Caribbean)
Introduction ::Honduras
Background:
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.
Geography ::Honduras
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
Geographic coordinates:
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 112,090 sq km country comparison to the world: 102 land: 111,890 sq km
water: 200 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Tennessee
Land boundaries:
total: 1,520 km
border countries: Guatemala 256 km, El Salvador 342 km, Nicaragua 922 km
Coastline:
820 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: natural extension of territory or to 200 nm
Climate:
subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains
Terrain:
mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Cerro Las Minas 2,870 m
Natural resources:
timber, gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore, antimony, coal, fish, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 9.53%
permanent crops: 3.21%
other: 87.26% (2005)
Irrigated land:
800 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
95.9 cu km (2000)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.86 cu km/yr (8%/12%/80%)
per capita: 119 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; extremely susceptible to damaging hurricanes and floods along the Caribbean coast
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 fresh water), as well as several rivers and streams, with heavy metals
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
has only a short Pacific coast but a long Caribbean shoreline, including the virtually uninhabited eastern Mosquito Coast
People ::Honduras
Population:
7,792,854 country comparison to the world: 93 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2009 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 38.1% (male 1,514,544/female 1,451,862)
15-64 years: 58.3% (male 2,278,508/female 2,267,527)
65 years and over: 3.6% (male 125,991/female 154,422) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 20.3 years
male: 20 years
female: 20.7 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.956% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 62
Birth rate:
26.27 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 61
Death rate:
5.41 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 180
Net migration rate:
-1.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 130
Urbanization:
urban population: 48% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 2.9% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 24.03 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 91 male: 26.97 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 20.94 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.4 years country comparison to the world: 147 male: 67.86 years
female: 71.02 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.27 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 62
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.7% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 65
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
28,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 71
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,900 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 60
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
water contact disease: leptospirosis (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Honduran(s)
adjective: Honduran
Ethnic groups:
mestizo (mixed Amerindian and European) 90%, Amerindian 7%, black 2%, white 1%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant 3%
Languages:
Spanish, Amerindian dialects
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 80%
male: 79.8%
female: 80.2% (2001 census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 11 years
male: 11 years
female: 12 years (2004)
Education expenditures:
3.8% of GDP (1991) country comparison to the world: 121
Government ::Honduras
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Honduras
conventional short form: Honduras
local long form: Republica de Honduras
local short form: Honduras
Government type:
democratic constitutional republic
Capital:
name: Tegucigalpa
geographic coordinates: 14 06 N, 87 13 W
time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November
Administrative divisions:
18 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Atlantida,Choluteca, Colon, Comayagua, Copan, Cortes, El Paraiso, FranciscoMorazan, 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; amended many times
Legal system:
rooted in Roman and Spanish civil law with increasing influence of English common law; recent judicial reforms include abandoning Napoleonic legal codes in favor of the oral adversarial system; accepts ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Jose Manuel ZELAYA Rosales (since 27 January 2006); Vice President Commissioner Aristides MEJIA Carranza (since 1 February 2009); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government; because the president and vice president are elected on the same ticket, the position of "vice president commissioner" was created after Vice President Elvin SANTOS resigned in late 2008 to run for president in the November 2009 election
head of government: President Jose Manuel ZELAYA Rosales (since 27 January 2006); Vice President Commissioner Aristides MEJIA Carranza (since 1 February 2009)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 27 November 2005 (next to be held in November 2009)
election results: Jose Manuel ZELAYA Rosales elected president - 49.8%, Porfirio "Pepe" LOBO Sosa 46.1%, other 4.1%
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional (128 seats; members are elected proportionally by department to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 27 November 2005 (next to be held in November 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PL 62, PN 55, PUD 5, PDC 4, PINU 2
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (15 judges are elected for seven-year terms by the National Congress)
Political parties and leaders:
Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Felicito AVILA]; DemocraticUnification Party or PUD [Cesar HAM]; Liberal Party or PL [PatriciaRODAS]; National Innovation and Unity Party or PINU [Jorge AQUILARParedes]; National Party of Honduras or PN [Porfirio LOBO]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Honduras or CODEH;Confederation of Honduran Workers or CTH; Coordinating Committee ofPopular Organizations or CCOP; General Workers Confederation or CGT;Honduran Council of Private Enterprise or COHEP; NationalAssociation of Honduran Campesinos or ANACH; National Union ofCampesinos or UNC; Popular Bloc or BP; United Confederation ofHonduran Workers or CUTH
International organization participation:
BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO(subscriber), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO,NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, SICA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Eduardo Enrique REINA Garcia
chancery: Suite 4-M, 3007 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 966-2604
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco
honorary consulate(s): Jacksonville
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Hugo LLORENS
embassy: Avenida La Paz, Apartado Postal No. 3453, Tegucigalpa
mailing address: American Embassy, APO AA 34022, Tegucigalpa
telephone: [504] 236-9320, 238-5114
Flag description:
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
Economy ::Honduras
Economy - overview:
Honduras, the second poorest country in Central America, has an extraordinarily unequal distribution of income and high unemployment. The economy relies heavily on a narrow range of exports, notably bananas and coffee, making it vulnerable to natural disasters and shifts in commodity prices; however, investments in the maquila and non-traditional export sectors are slowly diversifying the economy. Economic growth remains dependent on the US economy its largest trading partner, and will decline in 2009 as a result of reduction in export demand and tightening global credit markets. Remittances represent over a quarter of GDP or nearly three-quarters of exports. The US-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) came into force in 2006 and has helped foster investment. Despite improvements in tax collections, the government's fiscal deficit is growing due to increases in current expenditures and financial losses from the state energy and telephone companies.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$33.8 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 102 $32.5 billion (2007 est.)
$30.57 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$14 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
4% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 104 6.3% (2007 est.)
6.6% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$4,400 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 152 $4,300 (2007 est.)
$4,200 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 13.1%
industry: 30%
services: 56.9% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
2.991 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 99
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 39.2%
industry: 20.9%
services: 39.8% (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate:
3.5% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 40 note: high level of underemployment with up to a third of the labor force seeking more work.
Population below poverty line:
50.7% (2004)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 0.7%
highest 10%: 42.2% (2006)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
53.8 (2003) country comparison to the world: 16 56.3 (1998)
Investment (gross fixed):
33.4% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 12
Budget:
revenues: $2.754 billion
expenditures: $3.09 billion; including capital expenditures of $106 million (2008 est.)
Public debt:
20.4% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 93 74.1% of GDP (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
11.4% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 164 6.9% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
17.94% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 33 16.61% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$1.633 billion (31 December 2008) 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:
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 (FuerzaAerea 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:
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'sCongress, 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