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.
Population:
6,406,052
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 and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2001 est.)
Currency:
lempira (HNL)
Languages:
Spanish, Amerindian dialects
Elevation:
highest point: Cerro Las Minas 2,870 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
Natural hazards:
frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; damaging hurricanes and floods along Caribbean coast
Climate:
subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains
Agricultural:
bananas, coffee, citrus; beef; timber; shrimp.
Economy:
Honduras, one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, 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 reconstruction from 1998's Hurricane Mitch is at an advanced stage, and the country has met most of its macroeconomic targets, it failed to meet the IMF's goals to liberalize its energy and telecommunications sectors. Economic growth has rebounded nicely since the hurricane and should continue in 2001.
Industry:
sugar, coffee, textiles, clothing, wood products
Ethnicgroups:
mestizo (mixed Amerindian and European) 90%, Amerindian 7%, black 2%, white 1%
Yellow fever:
A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers coming from infected areas.
Malaria:
Malaria risk—predominantly due to P. vivax—is high throughout the year in 223 municipalities. Transmission risk is low in the other 71 municipalities, including San Pedro Sula and the city of Tegucigalpa. P. falciparum risk is the highest in Sanitary Region VI, including in the Islas de la Bahía.
