Part 37

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. GDP: exchange rate conversion - $2.7 billion, per capita $440; real growth rate - 3.0% (1990 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 20% (1990 est.) Unemployment rate: 25-50% (1990 est.) Budget: revenues $300 million; expenditures $416 million, including capital expenditures of $145 million (1990 est.) Exports: $169 million (f.o.b., 1990 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: $348 million (c.i.f., 1990 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 0.3% (FY88); accounts for 15% of GDP Electricity: 217,000 kW capacity; 468 million kWh produced, 74 kWh per capita (1991) Industries: sugar refining, textiles, flour milling, cement manufacturing, tourism, light assembly industries based on imported parts Agriculture: accounts for 28% of GDP and employs 74% of work force; mostly small-scale subsistence farms; commercial crops - coffee, mangoes, sugarcane and wood; staple crops - rice, corn, sorghum; shortage of wheat flour Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (1970-89), $700 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $770 million Currency: gourde (plural - gourdes); 1 gourde (G) = 100 centimes Exchange rates: gourdes (G) per US$1 - 5.0 (fixed rate) Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September

:Haiti Communications

Railroads: 40 km 0.760-meter narrow gauge, single-track, privately owned industrial line Highways: 4,000 km total; 950 km paved, 900 km otherwise improved, 2,150 km unimproved Inland waterways: negligible; less than 100 km navigable Ports: Port-au-Prince, Cap-Haitien Civil air: 12 major transport aircraft Airports: 13 total, 10 usable; 3 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 3 with runways 1,220-2,439 m 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 15-49, 1,313,044; 706,221 fit for military service; 59,060 reach military age (18) annually Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $34 million, 1.5% of GDP (1988 est.)

:Heard Island and McDonald Islands Geography

Total area: 412 km2 Land area: 412 km2 Comparative area: slightly less than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: none Coastline: 101.9 km Maritime claims: Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Territorial sea: 3 nm Disputes: none Climate: antarctic Terrain: Heard Island - bleak and mountainous, with an extinct volcano; McDonald Islands - small and rocky Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 100% Environment: primarily used as research stations Note: located 4,100 km southwest of Australia in the southern Indian Ocean

:Heard Island and McDonald Islands People

Population: uninhabited

:Heard Island and McDonald Islands Government

Long-form name: Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands Type: territory of Australia administered by the Antarctic Division of the Department of Science in Canberra (Australia) Capital: none; administered from Canberra, 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

Total area: 0.438 km2 Land area: 0.438 km2 Comparative area: about 0.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Land boundaries: 3.2 km; Italy 3.2 km Coastline: none - landlocked Maritime claims: none - landlocked 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% Environment: urban Note: 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: 802 (July 1992), growth rate 1.2% (1992) Nationality: no noun or adjectival forms Ethnic divisions: primarily Italians but also Swiss and other nationalities Religions: Roman Catholic Languages: Italian, Latin, and various other languages Literacy: 100% (male NA%, female NA%) Labor force: high dignitaries, priests, nuns, guards, and 3,000 lay workers who live outside the Vatican Organized labor: Association of Vatican Lay Workers, 1,800 members (1987)

:Holy See (Vatican City) Government

Long-form name: State of the Vatican City; note - the Vatican City is the physical seat of the Holy See, which is the central government of the Roman Catholic Church Type: monarchical-sacerdotal state Capital: Vatican City Independence: 11 February 1929 (from Italy) Constitution: Apostolic Constitution of 1967 (effective 1 March 1968) National holiday: Installation Day of the Pope (John Paul II), 22 October (1978); note - Pope John Paul II was elected on 16 October 1978 Executive branch: pope Legislative branch: unicameral Pontifical Commission Judicial branch: none; normally handled by Italy Leaders: Chief of State: Pope JOHN PAUL II (Karol WOJTYA; since 16 October 1978) Head of Government: Secretary of State Archbishop Angelo SODANO Political parties and leaders: none Suffrage: limited to cardinals less than 80 years old Elections: Pope: last held 16 October 1978 (next to be held after the death of the current pope); results - Karol WOJTYA was elected for life by the College of Cardinals 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: Apostolic Pro-Nuncio Archbishop Agostino CACCIAVILLAN; 3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 333-7121 US: Ambassador Thomas P. MELADY; Embassy at Villino Pacelli, Via Aurelia 294, 00165 Rome (mailing address is APO AE 09624); telephone [396] 639-0558 Flag: two vertical bands of yellow (hoist side) and white with the crossed keys of Saint Peter and the papal tiara 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 $92 million; expenditures $178 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992) Electricity: 5,000 kW standby capacity (1990); power supplied by Italy Industries: printing and production of a small amount of mosaics and staff uniforms; worldwide banking and financial activities Currency: Vatican lira (plural - lire); 1 Vatican lira (VLit) = 100 centesimi Exchange rates: Vatican lire (VLit) per US$1 - 1,248.4 (March 1992), 1,240.6 (1991), 1,198.1 (1990), 1,372.1 (1989), 1,301.6 (1988), 1,296.1 (1987); 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

Total area: 112,090 km2 Land area: 111,890 km2 Comparative area: slightly larger than Tennessee Land boundaries: 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 Disputes: dispute with El Salvador over several sections of the land boundary; dispute over Golfo de Fonseca maritime boundary because of disputed sovereignty of islands; unresolved maritime boundary with Nicaragua 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%; includes irrigated 1% Environment: subject to frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; damaging hurricanes and floods along Caribbean coast; deforestation; soil erosion

:Honduras People

Population: 5,092,776 (July 1992), growth rate 2.8% (1992) Birth rate: 37 births/1,000 population (1992) Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1992) Net migration rate: -2 migrants/1,000 population (1992) Infant mortality rate: 54 deaths/1,000 live births (1992) Life expectancy at birth: 65 years male, 68 years female (1992) Total fertility rate: 4.8 children born/woman (1992) Nationality: noun - Honduran(s); adjective - Honduran Ethnic divisions: mestizo (mixed Indian and European) 90%, Indian 7%, black 2%, white 1% Religions: Roman Catholic about 97%; small Protestant minority Languages: Spanish, Indian dialects Literacy: 73% (male 76%, female 71%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) Labor force: 1,300,000; agriculture 62%, services 20%, manufacturing 9%, construction 3%, other 6% (1985) Organized labor: 40% of urban labor force, 20% of rural work force (1985)

:Honduras Government

Long-form name: Republic of Honduras 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) 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 National holiday: Independence Day, 15 September (1821) Executive branch: president, Council of Ministers (cabinet) Legislative branch: unicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional) Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justica) Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government: President Rafael Leonardo CALLEJAS Romero (since 26 January 1990) Political parties and leaders: Liberal Party (PLH) - faction leaders, Carlos FLORES Facusse (leader of Florista Liberal Movement), Carlos MONTOYA (Azconista subfaction), Ramon VILLEDA Bermudez and Jorge Arturo REINA (M-Lider faction); National Party (PNH), Jose Celin DISCUA, party president; PNH faction leaders - Oswaldo RAMOS Soto and Rafael Leonardo CALLEJAS Romero (Monarca faction); National Innovation and Unity Party - Social Democrats (PINU-SD), Enrique AGUILAR Cerrato Paz; Christian Democratic Party (PDCH), Jorge ILLESCAS; Democratic Action (AD), Walter LOPEZ Reyes Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18 Elections: National Congress: last held on 26 November 1989 (next to be held November 1993); results - PNH 51%, PLH 43%, PDCH 1.9%, PINU-SD 1.5%, other 2.6%; seats - (128 total) PNH 71, PLH 55, PINU-SD 2 President: last held on 26 November 1989 (next to be held November 1993); results - Rafael Leonardo CALLEJAS (PNH) 51%, Carlos FLORES Facusse (PLH) 43.3%, other 5.7% 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)

:Honduras Government

Member of: BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Jorge Ramon HERNANDEZ Alcerro; Chancery at 3007 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 966-7702; there are Honduran Consulates General in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco, and Consulates in Baton Rouge, Boston, Detroit, Houston, and Jacksonville US: Ambassador S. Crescencio ARCOS; Embassy at Avenida La Paz, Tegucigalpa (mailing address is APO AA 34022); telephone [504] 32-3120 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 nearly 20% of the labor force. Basic problems facing the economy include rapid population growth, high unemployment, sharply increased inflation, 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. Despite government efforts at reform and large-scale foreign assistance, the economy still is unable to take advantage of its sizable natural resources. GDP: exchange rate conversion - $5.2 billion, per capita $1,050; real growth rate - 0.3% (1991 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 26% (1991 est.) Unemployment rate: 15% unemployed, 30-40% underemployed (1989) Budget: revenues $1.4 billion; expenditures $1.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $511 million (1990 est.) Exports: $1.0 billion (f.o.b., 1991) commodities: bananas, coffee, shrimp, lobster, minerals, lumber partners: US 52%, Germany 11%, Japan, Italy, Belgium Imports: $1.3 billion (c.i.f. 1991) commodities: machinery and transport equipment, chemical products, manufactured goods, fuel and oil, foodstuffs partners: US 39%, Japan 9%, CACM, Venezuela, Mexico External debt: $2.8 billion (1990) Industrial production: growth rate 2.9% (1989); accounts for 15% of GDP Electricity: 575,000 kW capacity; 1,850 million kWh produced, 374 kWh per capita (1991) Industries: agricultural processing (sugar and coffee), textiles, clothing, wood products Agriculture: most important sector, accounting for more than 25% of GDP, over 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: illicit producer of cannabis, cultivated on small plots and used principally for local consumption; transshipment point for cocaine Economic aid: 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: lempira (plural - lempiras); 1 lempira (L) = 100 centavos

:Honduras Economy

Exchange rates: lempiras (L) per US$1 - 5.4 (fixed rate); 5.70 parallel black-market rate (November 1990) Fiscal year: calendar year

:Honduras Communications

Railroads: 785 km total; 508 km 1.067-meter gauge, 277 km 0.914-meter gauge Highways: 8,950 km total; 1,700 km paved, 5,000 km otherwise improved, 2,250 km unimproved earth Inland waterways: 465 km navigable by small craft Ports: Puerto Castilla, Puerto Cortes, San Lorenzo Merchant marine: 201 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 629,134 GRT/939,289 DWT; includes 2 passenger-cargo, 127 cargo, 17 refrigerated - cargo, - 7 - container, - 2 - roll-on/roll-off cargo, 19 petroleum tanker, 2 chemical tanker, 3 specialized tanker, 1 vehicle carrier, 18 bulk, 2 passenger, 1 short-sea passenger; note - a flag of convenience registry; Republics of the former USSR own 10 ships under the Honduran flag Civil air: 6 major transport aircraft Airports: 171 total, 133 usable; 8 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 12 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: improved, but still inadequate; connection into Central American Microwave System; 35,100 telephones; broadcast stations - 176 AM, no FM, 28 TV, 7 shortwave; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations

:Honduras Defense Forces

Branches: Army, Navy (including Marines), Air Force, Public Security Forces (FUSEP) Manpower availability: males 15-49, 1,148,376; 684,375 fit for military service; 57,028 reach military age (18) annually Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $43.4 million, about 1% of GDP (1992 est.)

:Hong Kong Geography

Total area: 1,040 km2 Land area: 990 km2 Comparative area: slightly less than six times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 30 km; China 30 km Coastline: 733 km Maritime claims: Exclusive fishing zone: 3 nm Territorial sea: 3 nm 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%; includes irrigated 3% Environment: more than 200 islands; occasional typhoons

:Hong Kong People

Population: 5,889,095 (July 1992), growth rate 0.6% (1992) Birth rate: 13 births/1,000 population (1992) Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1992) Net migration rate: - 2 migrants/1,000 population (1992) Infant mortality rate: 7 deaths/1,000 live births (1992) Life expectancy at birth: 76 years male, 83 years female (1992) Total fertility rate: 1.4 children born/woman (1992) Nationality: adjective - Hong Kong Ethnic divisions: Chinese 98%, other 2% Religions: eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10% Languages: Chinese (Cantonese), English Literacy: 77% (male 90%, female 64%) age 15 and over having ever attended school (1971) Labor force: 2,800,000 (1990); manufacturing 28.5%, wholesale and retail trade, restaurants, and hotels 27.9%, services 17.7%, financing, insurance, and real estate 9.2%, transport and communications 4.5%, construction 2.5%, other 9.7% (1989) Organized labor: 16% of labor force (1990)

:Hong Kong Government