Campesinos or UNC; Popular Bloc or BP; United Federation of Honduran
Workers or FUTH
International organization participation:
ABEDA, BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO
(subscriber), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, NAM, OAS,
OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Mario Miguel CANAHUATI honorary consulate(s): Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Jacksonville consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco FAX: [1] (202) 966–9751 telephone: [1] (202) 966–7702 chancery: Suite 4-M, 3007 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Larry Leon PALMER embassy: Avenida La Paz, Apartado Postal No. 3453, Tegucigalpa mailing address: American Embassy, APO AA 34022, Tegucigalpa telephone: [504] 238–5114, 236–9320 FAX: [504] 236–9037
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, one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere
with an extraordinarily unequal distribution of income and massive
unemployment, is banking on expanded trade privileges under the
Enhanced Caribbean Basin Initiative and on debt relief under the
Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. While the country
has met most of its macroeconomic targets, it has failed to meet the
IMF's goals to liberalize its energy and telecommunications sectors.
Growth remains dependent on the status of the US economy, its major
trading partner, on commodity prices, particularly coffee, and on
reduction of the high crime rate.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $17.55 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $2,600 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 12.8% industry: 31.9% services: 55.3% (2003 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
24% of GDP (2003)
Population below poverty line:
53% (1993 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 0.6% highest 10%: 42.7% (1998)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
56.3 (1998)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
7.7% (2003 est.)
Labor force:
2.41 million (2003 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 34%, industry 21%, services 45% (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate:
27.5% (2003 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $1.342 billion
expenditures: $1.744 billion, including capital expenditures of $106
million (2003)
Public debt:
57.8% of GDP (2003)
Agriculture - products:
bananas, coffee, citrus; beef; timber; shrimp
Industries:
sugar, coffee, textiles, clothing, wood products
Industrial production growth rate:
7.7% (2003 est.)
Electricity - production:
3.778 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
3.822 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
308 million kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
29,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA (2001)
Oil - imports:
NA (2001)
Current account balance:
$-279.6 million (2003)
Exports:
$1.37 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Exports - commodities:
coffee, bananas, shrimp, lobster, meat; zinc, lumber (2000)
Exports - partners:
US 65.5%, El Salvador 3.5%, Guatemala 2.4% (2003)
Imports:
$3.11 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, industrial raw materials,
chemical products, fuels, foodstuffs (2000)
Imports - partners:
US 53.1%, El Salvador 4.5%, Mexico 3% (2003)
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$1.439 billion (2003)
Debt - external:
$5.246 billion (2003)
Economic aid - recipient:
$557.8 million (1999)
Currency:
lempira (HNL)
Currency code:
HNL
Exchange rates:
lempiras per US dollar - 17.3453 (2003), 16.4334 (2002), 15.4737
(2001), 14.8392 (2000), 14.2132 (1999)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Honduras
Telephones - main lines in use:
322,500 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
326,500 (2002)
Telephone system: