(2004 est.)

Military Holy See (Vatican City)

Military branches:
Pontifical Swiss Guard (Corpo della Guardia Svizzera Pontificia)

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

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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@Honduras

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:
15 00 N, 86 30 W

Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 112,090 sq km
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: 9.55%
permanent crops: 3.22%
other: 87.23% (2001)

Irrigated land:
760 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; extremely susceptible to
damaging hurricanes and floods along the Carib