rports: none

@Holy See (vatican City):Communications

Telephone system: 2,000 telephones; automatic exchange
local: NA
intercity: tied into Italian system
international: uses Italian system

Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 0
radios: NA

Television:
broadcast stations: 0
televisions: NA

@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

@Honduras:Geography

Location: Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between
Guatemala and Nicaragua and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between
El Salvador and Nicaragua

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total area: 112,090 sq km
land area: 111,890 sq km
comparative area: slightly larger than Tennessee

Land boundaries: total 1,520 km, Guatemala 256 km, El Salvador 342 km,
Nicaragua 922 km

Coastline: 820 km

Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: natural extension of territory or to 200 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

International disputes: land boundary dispute with El Salvador mostly
resolved by 11 September 1992 International Court of Justice (ICJ)
decision; with respect to the maritime boundary in the Golfo de
Fonseca, ICJ referred to an earlier agreement in this century and
advised that some tripartite resolution among El Salvador, Honduras
and Nicaragua likely would be required

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%

Irrigated land: 900 sq km (1989 est.)

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 freshwater) with heavy metals as well as several rivers and
streams
natural hazards: frequent, but generally mild