Background Notes: Honduras
PA/PC
Source: Office of Public Communication, Bureau of Public
Affairs
Date: May 15, 19925/15/92
Category: Country Data
Region: Central America
Country: Honduras
Subject: Military Affairs, Cultural Exchange, Travel,
History, International Organizations
[TEXT]
Official Name: Republic of Honduras
PROFILE
Geography
Area: 112,088 sq. km. (43,277 sq. mi.); about the size of Tennessee.
Cities: Capital--Tegucigalpa (642,500--1988); San Pedro Sula
metropolitan area (327,000). Terrain: Mountainous.
Climate: Tropical to subtropical depending on elevation.
People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Honduran(s). Population (1991): 4.8
million. Population growth rate: 3%. Ethnic groups: 90% mestizo
(mixed Indian and European); others of European, Arab, African,
Asian descent; and indigenous Indians. Religions: Roman Catholic,
fast-growing Protestant minority. Language: Spanish.
Education: Years compulsory--6. Attendance--70% overall, but less
than 16% at junior high level. Literacy--68%. Health: Infant
mortality rate--60/1,000. Life expectancy--63 yrs. Work force
(20% of the work force is organized in urban unions and rural
federations). GDP (1990): Services-- 42%. Natural resources--29%.
Manufactures--16%. Construction/Housing--10%.
Government
Type: Democratic constitutional republic. Independence: September
15, 1821. Most recent constitution: 1982.
Branches: Executive--president, directly elected to 4-yr.
term. Legislative--unicameral National Congress, elected for 4-
year term. Judicial--Supreme Court of Justice (appointed by
Congress and confirmed by the President), several courts of original
jurisdiction.
Registered political parties: Liberal Party, National Party,
Innovation and Unity Party, and Christian Democratic Party.
Suffrage: Universal adult.
Administrative subdivisions: 18 departments.
Flag: Two blue horizontal bands separated by a white center
stripe with five blue stars.
Economy
GDP (1991): $2.5 billion. Real growth rate (1991): 2%. Real Per
capita GDP (1991): $516. Inflation rate (1991): 23%.
Natural resources: Arable land, hydroelectric power, forests,
minerals, fisheries.
Agriculture (26% of GDP): Main products--bananas, coffee,
shrimp, sugar, fruits, basic grains, livestock.
Industry (15% of GDP): Types--textiles and apparel, cement,
wood products, cigars, foodstuffs.
Trade (1990): Exports--$915 million (f.o.b.): bananas, citrus
fruits, coffee, lead/zinc concentrates, shrimp, beef, lumber, and
sugar. Major market--US (50%). Imports--$1 billion: petroleum,
manufactured goods, machinery, chemicals. Major supplier--US
(40%).
Official exchange rate (1992): 5.40 Lempira=US$1.
Fiscal year: Calendar year.
PEOPLE
About 90% of the population is mestizo. There also are small
minorities of European, African, Oriental, and American Indian
descent. Most Hondurans are Roman Catholic. Spanish is the
predominant language, although some English is spoken along the
northern coast and on the Caribbean Bay Islands. Native Indian
dialects and Garifuna are also spoken.
Honduras offers some of the most impressive examples of
Mayan culture, especially the Copan ruins near the Guatemalan
border, and artifacts in the National Museum in Tegucigalpa.
Several Honduran authors achieved international prominence
in the early 20th century, notably the modernist Juan Ramon Molina,
and the poets Roberto Sosa and Daniel Lainez. Recent years have
seen notable achievement in the plastic arts. The painter Jose
Antonio Velasquez is famous for his brightly colored primitives, as
is Roque Zelaya.
There are small but active cultural communities that sponsor
poetry readings, art exhibits, and musical events at the National
University and at the Manuel Bonilla National Theater in Tegucigalpa
and in the Cultural Center of San Pedro Sula.
HISTORY
Honduras has obvious similarities in language, culture, customs, and
religion with its Central American neighbors. However, its
historical and evolutionary pattern of development has been quite
different. Since the Spanish colonists based their empire in Central
America on the Meso-American Indian civilizations and their
trading partners to the south, they tended to neglect Honduras.
This neglect caused difficulties long after the five Central
American republics gained independence from Spain on September
15, 1821. The disparity between the socio-political and economic
development of Honduras and its regional neighbors exacerbated
harsh partisan battles among provincial leaders, resulting in the
collapse of the Central American Federation in 1838. The Honduran
national hero, Gen. Francisco Morazan, was a leader in unsuccessful
efforts to maintain this federation. Until 1922, the chief aim of
Honduran foreign policy was to restore Central American unity.
Honduras has had difficulty establishing a stable government.
Since independence, the country has been plagued with nearly 300
internal rebellions, civil wars, and changes of government, more
than half occurring during this century. Moreover, with a severe
lack of economic infrastructure and socio-political integration,
Honduras did not enjoy the social or economic advantages of
nationalism, central decision making, or substantial private
investment.
During the relatively stable but austere years of the Great
Depression, Honduras was controlled by a harsh authoritarian, Gen.
Tiburcio Carias Andino, whose ties to dictators in neighboring
countries and to the US banana companies on the North Coast
enabled him to maintain power until 1948. By then, provincial
military leaders had begun to gain control of the two major parties,
the Nationalists and the Liberals. After two more authoritarian
civilian administrations controlled by the National Party and a
general strike by banana workers on the North Coast in 1954, young
military reformists staged a palace coup in October 1955 that
installed a provisional junta and paved the way for constituent
assembly elections in 1957.
This assembly, led by the opposition Liberal Party, appointed
Dr. Ramon Villeda Morales as president and transformed itself into
a national legislature for a 6-year term. The Liberal Party and its
tenets flourished during this time.
Simultaneously, the military took steps for the first time to
become a professional institution independent of leadership from
any one political party. The newly created military academy
graduated its first class in 1960. These changes were particularly
striking during the civilian presidency of Ramon Villeda Morales
(1957-63). However, in October 1963, conservative military
officers preempted constitutional elections and deposed Villeda in
a bloody coup. The military officers exiled Liberal Party members
and took control of the national police, which they organized into a
special security force. The armed forces, led by Gen. Lopez Arellano
and supported by the National Party, governed until 1982. A civilian
president, Ramon Cruz (National Party), took power briefly in 1970,
but proved unable to manage the government. Popular discontent
had continued to rise after the 1969 border war with El Salvador,
and, in December 1972, Lopez staged another coup. After 1972, Gen.
Lopez adopted more progressive policies, including land reform.
Nonetheless, his regime was finally brought down in the mid-1970s
by successive scandals. The government reportedly misused
international emergency aid after Hurricane Fifi ravaged the North
Coast in 1974 and government officials were accused of accepting a
large bribe in 1974 from the United Brands Company in exchange for
reduced taxes on banana exports. This scandal, known as
"Bananagate" in the United States, led to the suicide of United
Brands President Eli Black.
Gen. Lopez' proteges continued armed forces modernization
programs in the ensuing years, building army and security forces
and concentrating on an air force superior to its neighbors. The
successive regimes of Gen. Melgar Castro (1975-78) and Gen. Paz
Garcia (1978-83) largely built the current physical infrastructure
and telecommunications system of Honduras. The country also
enjoyed its most rapid economic growth during this period, due to
buoyant international demand conditions and the availability of
foreign commercial lending.
During this time, the military moved slowly toward returning
the country to civilian rule. However, following the overthrow of
Anastasio Somoza in Nicaragua in 1979 and the generalized
instability in El Salvador during the same period, culminating in the
October 1979 reformist coup there, military plans to return the
country to civilian rule were accelerated. A constituent assembly
was popularly elected in April 1980, and general elections were
held in November 1981. A new constitution was approved in 1982,
and the Government of President Roberto Suazo Cordoba (Liberal
Party) assumed power. Suazo relied on US support to confront the
challenges of a severe economic recession, the threat posed by the
new revolutionary Marxist government in Nicaragua, and civil war in
El Salvador. Close cooperation on political and military issues with
the United States was complemented by ambitious social and
economic development projects sponsored by the US Agency for
International Development (USAID). Honduras became host to the
largest Peace Corps mission in the world, and nongovernmental and
international voluntary agencies proliferated.
Most important, with strong endorsement and support from
the Honduran military, the Suazo Administration ushered in the
first peaceful transfer of power between civilian presidents in
more than 30 years when newly elected Jose Azcona Hoyo (also a
Liberal) assumed the presidency in January 1986. The Liberal Party
gained power through an idiosyncrasy of the electoral law, which
gave the presidency to the candidate with the most votes from the
party with the highest combined number of votes rather than the
single candidate with the greatest plurality. National Party
candidate Rafael Callejas (with 42% of the vote) peacefully
conceded defeat to Azcona, whose Liberal Party won more than 50%
of the vote with several candidates running (Azcona himself had
won only 27% of the national vote).
President Rafael Leonardo Callejas took office in January
1990, following election to a 4-year term of office in November
1989. Callejas' National Party won a majority in the unicameral
National Congress, which also serves a 4-year term. One of
Callejas' first acts as President was to have the Congress enact an
economic reform package intended to reduce the deficit and effect
widespread structural reforms. The government also took steps to
address the over-valued exchange rate and major structural
barriers to investment and the development of new exports. In
1990 and 1991, these needed reforms produced higher rates of
inflation, while the uneven administration of the reform program
resulted in lower rates of economic growth. However, the
expectations for 1992 and 1993 are for modest levels of growth and
lower levels of inflation.
Politically, the Callejas Administration has maintained good
relations with the armed forces, still a powerful institution in
Honduras. Meanwhile, the National Congress has become more
independent, expressing views on both domestic and external policy.
There are no known political prisoners, and the privately owned
media frequently exercises its right to criticism (even of the most
sensational sort) without fear of reprisals. Organized labor
represents less than 20% of the work force but has considerable
economic and political influence. Reinforced by the media and
several political watchdog organizations, human rights and civil
liberties such as freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and
freedom of labor and political organization are reasonably well
protected. While the historically dominant military now plays a less
intrusive role in the country's civilian government, it still operates
with a great deal of institutional and legal autonomy, particularly
in the realm of security and military affairs. Although the Callejas
Administration has taken some initiatives to improve the human
rights situation, it has yet to ensure that human rights violations
are fully investigated and that perpetrators of those violations,
whether members of the military or civilians, are prosecuted in a
court of law.
GOVERNMENT
The 1982 constitution continues the Honduran tradition of a strong
executive, a unicameral legislature (the National Congress), and a
judiciary appointed by the National Congress. The president is
elected to a 4-year term directly by popular vote. Congressional
seats are assigned proportionally to the parties' candidates
according to the number of votes each party receives. The judiciary
includes a Supreme Court of Justice, courts of appeal, and several
courts of original jurisdiction, such as labor, tax, and criminal
courts.
For administrative purposes, Honduras is divided into 18
departments, with departmental and municipal officials elected for
2-year terms. The president, members of Congress, mayors, and
other municipal officials are elected to 4-year terms.
Principal Government Officials
President--Rafael Leonardo Callejas Romero
Minister of Foreign Relations--Mario Carias Zapata
Ambassador to the US--Jorge Ramon Hernandez Alcerro
Ambassador to the UN--Roberto Flores Bermudez
Ambassador to the OAS--Juan Cueva Membreno
Honduras maintains an embassy in the United States at 4301
Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 100, Washington, DC 20008 (tel. 202-
966-7700).
POLITICAL CONDITIONS
The two major parties (Liberal and National), run active campaigns
throughout the country. Their ideologies are primarily centrist,
particularly regarding national security issues and foreign policy.
On domestic policy, the diverse factions within the Liberal Party
tend to pull the party leftward from the center-right Nationalists,
offering more populist rhetoric--if not concrete programs--than
their conservative opponents. The coalition-style Liberal/National
government pact of 1986 has since disappeared in the politics
which have preceded the upcoming election year. Nevertheless, the
two major parties in the legislature continue to cooperate on many
national issues.
The two smaller registered parties, the Christian Democrats
and the Innovation and Unity Party, remain marginal left-of-center
groupings with few campaign resources and little organization.
Despite significant progress in training and installing more skillful
advisers at the top of each party ladder, electoral politics in
Honduras remain traditionalist and paternalistic.
Leftist leaders who recently returned from exile now pursue
their political objectives via legitimate avenues. Rigoberto Padilla
Rush, the repatriated head of the Honduran Communist Party, is
involved in an effort to form the left-leaning "Patriotic Renovation
Party" as a vehicle for his continuing political ambitions.
ECONOMY
Honduras is one of the poorest and least developed countries in
Latin America. The economy is based primarily on agriculture, but
there are extensive forest, marine, and mineral resources. Although
unemployment officially is estimated at 12%, actual
underemployment is perhaps as high as 30-40%.
During the 1980s, Honduras' economy was battered by regional
instability, unfavorable terms of trade, and the unwillingness of
successive governments to adopt appropriate economic policies.
After the severe recession of the early 1980s, Honduras achieved
moderate but steady economic growth, partly due to sizable US
economic assistance. During the late 1980s, the economy
experienced strong growth, sparked by the mining, construction, and
service sectors and was supported by large transfers of foreign
assistance, particularly from the United States.
In 1990, the Callejas Administration undertook a far-reaching
economic adjustment program with structural reforms geared to
the restoration of balance-of-payments equilibrium, control of
inflationary pressures, clearance of outstanding arrears with
multilateral creditors, and the establishment of a solid productive
base to enhance sustainable economic growth, through the active
participation of the private sector.
The government deregulated restrictive pricing and marketing
mechanisms, liberalized trade, reduced the fiscal deficit, and
sharply devalued the Lempira. These dramatic reforms have created
a stronger foundation for long-term economic growth. However, the
short-term effects, particularly a reduction in disposable income
and increased urban unemployment, have been painful for the
majority of Hondurans.
After a decline in 1990, the economy grew by 2% in 1991.
Inflation, which has traditionally been low by Latin America
standards, surged to 35% in 1990 but dropped to 23% in 1991.
Honduras is also moving from protectionism to greater openness in
trade and from import substitution to an export orientation.
Agriculture, which is expected to provide the motor for this
country's export-led growth, grew by 4% in real terms, despite
serious late year flooding and a prolonged strike against the
Chiquita Banana Company. Manufacturing grew 3%, while other
major categories experienced declines.
Honduras paid some $250 million in arrears to international
financial institutions (IFIs) in June 1990, with the help of a bridge
loan from the US and financing from the World Bank, IMF, Japan, and
Venezuela.
The United States is Honduras' chief trading partner, supplying
about 40% of its imports and purchasing about half of its exports.
Leading Honduran exports to the United States include coffee,
bananas, other fruits and vegetables, seafood, and beef. Coffee and
bananas alone contribute 62% of Honduran export revenues. The
United States accounts for about 85% of total direct foreign
investment in Honduras, worth about $230 million. The largest US
investments in Honduras are in fruit (particularly banana and
citrus) production, petroleum refining/marketing, and mining. In
addition, US corporations have invested in tobacco, shrimp culture,
beef, poultry and animal-feed production, insurance, leasing, food
processing, brewing, and furniture manufacturing.
Environmentally, slash-and-burn agricultural methods
continues to destroy Honduran forests. There is a growing
awareness on the part of Hondurans of the need to confront the
problem. The armed forces has become more involved in
environmental issues ranging from reforestation projects to forest
fire-fighting.
FOREIGN RELATIONS
President Callejas is considered one of the leaders of regional
integration efforts. Hondurans view regional political harmony as a
prerequisite for meaningful economic integration. The government
proposed in July 1991 a plan to revitalize the stalled Central
American Security Commission (CASC) treaty on arms control in
Central America. Honduras also played an active role in launching
the Partnership for Democracy and Development and can be expected
to support and benefit from its initiatives.
Honduras and El Salvador signed a treaty in 1980 ending the
state of war that had existed since the 1969 "Soccer War." The two
countries agreed to litigation in the International Court of Justice
at The Hague over the final boundary between their countries. The
decision is expected in early 1992.
Despite indications it may do so, Nicaragua has yet to drop its
International Court of Justice suit against Honduras for support of
the Nicaraguan Resistance. Virtually all refugees from Nicaragua,
El Salvador, and Guatemala have been repatriated.
DEFENSE
Honduras traditionally has sought to protect itself by maintaining a
strong air force. The dramatic increase in the size and capability of
the Nicaraguan military in the 1980s increased Honduran concern
with security on its southern border. Honduras' opposition to radical
leftist forces in the area made the country a target for subversive
and terrorist attacks. In response to these threats, Honduras
concentrated on developing a mobile deterrent force with a strong
counter terrorism capability.
The 24,000-strong Honduran Armed Forces, which include the
army, navy, air force and police, moved toward acceptance of
civilian authority in the 1980s. In 1990, the armed forces accepted
severe budget cuts as a part of the government's economic reform
program. With the resolution of the Nicaraguan civil war and the
signing of the peace accords in El Salvador, it is likely that the
military will see its budget further reduced. Honduras has
submitted a draft regional arms control treaty for consideration by
its neighbors.
US-HONDURAN RELATIONS
Honduras has been a staunch friend of the United States in times of
great regional tensions. Throughout the tumultuous 1980s,
Honduras shared US policy objectives of resisting the threats posed
by a revolutionary Marxist government in neighboring Nicaragua and
an active leftist insurgency in El Salvador. The Honduran
Government played a key role in negotiations which culminated in
the 1990 Nicaraguan elections. Both the United States and Honduras
have expressed a desire to maintain these ties of friendship and
common purpose.
The United States cooperates with Honduras in efforts to
achieve sustained economic, political, and social development and
to combat drug trafficking throughout the region. It encourages the
responsible participation of US investment that contributes to
Honduran development and bilateral trade. The United States favors
stable, peaceful relations between Honduras and its Central
American neighbors. Facing various economic needs and growing
security concerns, Honduras attaches significant importance to US
material assistance and political support--the most visible
manifestation being the conduct of joint military exercises.
During 1991, official US assistance to Honduras fell to
$144.8 million from $192 million in 1989, a trend which is
expected to continue. In September 1991, the US announced its
decision to forgive $434 million in bilateral debt under USAID and
PL-480 programs. This forgiveness, the largest to date in Latin
America, eliminated 96% of Honduras' bilateral debt to the US. To
make up for falling levels of bilateral economic aid, Honduras is
also exploring opportunities to increase its exports to the US and
elsewhere. USAID and the US Information Agency are active in
Honduras. The Peace Corps has some 260 volunteers, with programs
primarily in health, education, and forestry.
Principal US Officials
Ambassador--Cresencio S. Arcos
Deputy Chief of Mission--James C. Cason
Consul General--Fernando Sanchez
USAID Director--Marshall Brown
US Information Service--Terry Kneebone
US Defense Attache--Col. Charles Hogan
US Military Group Commander--Col. Larry Gragg
The US Embassy in Honduras is located on Avenida La Paz,
Tegucigalpa. Tel. (504) 32-3120, Fax: (504) 32-0027.
TRAVEL NOTES
Climate and clothing: Tegucigalpa's climate is fresh and spring-
like--tropical during the day and cool at night--except from mid-
November to February, when the days are cooler. March, April, and
May are hot and dry, with considerable smoke in the air from slash-
and-burn agriculture. The rainy season begins in mid-May and
continues through mid-October. Heavy showers fall once or twice a
day, with rains which tend to be heavier toward the end of the rainy
season.
Customs: Americans must have a passport. Visas are not required
for bearers of US diplomatic, official, or regular passports for
tourist or business visits of under 60 days. The Honduran Embassy
or consulates issue visas and answer queries regarding tourism in
Honduras. In general, no immunizations are required for entry.
Health: Water must be boiled and filtered and often is in short
supply during the dry season. Fruits and vegetables must be cleaned
carefully and meats cooked well. The main health hazards include
rabies and various intestinal diseases, including typhoid, hepatitis,
parasites, and dysentery. There have been reports of cholera as
well, although not in epidemic proportions. Take a malaria
suppressant if traveling outside Tegucigalpa.
Tourist attractions: Honduras offers pre-Columbian Mayan ruins at
Copan, pristine beaches on the North shore, scenery with volcanoes
and mountains, and sailing and scuba diving in the coral reef off the
Bay Islands.
Published by the United States Department of State -- Bureau of
Public Affairs -- Office of Public Communication -- Washington, DC
-- April 1992 -- Editor: Peter A. Knecht.
Department of State Publication 7798. Background Notes Series --
This material is in the public domain and may be reprinted without
permission; citation of this source is appreciated.
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