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Geography of Honduras
Honduras_sm04.png
Map Of Honduras
Location:
Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Nicaragua and bordering the 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 km²
- land: 111,890 km²
- water: 200 km²
- Area - comparative: slightly larger than Tennessee
Land boundaries:
- border countries:
- 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
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: 15%
- permanent crops: 3%
- permanent pastures: 14%
- forests and woodland: 54%
- other: 14% (1993 est.)
- Irrigated land: 740 km² (1993 est.)
Natural hazards:
frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; damaging hurricanes and floods along Caribbean coast
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 fresh water) as well as several rivers and streams with heavy metals; severe Hurricane Mitch damage
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
- See also : Honduras, List of places in Honduras
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