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.
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, and Yoro.
Population:
6,560,608 (July 2002 est.) 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
Languages:
Spanish, Amerindian dialects
Geographic coordinates:
15° 00' N, 86° 30' W
Area total:
112,090 sq. km
Land area:
111,890 sq. km
Water area:
200 sq. km
Total land boundaries:
1,520 km
Borders with neighbor countries:
Guatemala 256 km, El Salvador 342 km, Nicaragua 922 km
Coastline:
820 km
Elevation extremes:
Caribbean Sea 0 m - Cerro Las Minas 2,870 m
Internet country code:
.hn
Currency:
lempira (HNL)
Name - conventional long form:
Republic of Honduras
Name - conventional short form:
Honduras
Name - local long form:
Republica de Honduras
Name - local short form:
Honduras
Independence:
15 September 1821 (from Spain)
Constitution:
11 January 1982, effective 20 January 1982, amended 1995