(Puerto Rico)
consulate(s): Boston, Detroit, and Jacksonville

US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador William T. PRYCE
embassy: Avenida La Paz, Apartado Postal No 3453, Tegucigalpa
mailing address: American Embassy, APO AA 34022, Tegucigalpa
telephone: [504] 36-9320, 38-5114
FAX: [504] 36-9037

Flag: 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

Economy
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Economic overview: Honduras is one of the poorest countries in the
Western Hemisphere. Agriculture, the most important sector of the
economy, employs nearly two-thirds of the labor force and produces
two-thirds of exports. Productivity remains low. Manufacturing,
still in its early stages, employs about 9% of the labor force, and
generates 20% of exports. Many basic problems face the economy,
including rapid population growth, high unemployment, inflation, a
lack of basic services, a large and inefficient public sector, and
the dependence of the export sector mostly on coffee and bananas,
which are subject to sharp price fluctuations. A far-reaching reform
program, initiated by former President CALLEJAS in 1990 and scaled
back by President REINA, is beginning to take hold.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $10.8 billion (1995 est.)

GDP real growth rate: 4% (1995 est.)

GDP per capita: $1,980 (1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector:
agriculture: 30%
industry: 20%
services: 50% (1995 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 30% (1994 est.)

Labor force: 1.3 million
by occupation: agriculture 62%, services 20%, manufacturing 9%,
construction 3%, other 6% (1985)

Unemployment rate: 10%; underemployed 30%-40% (1992)

Budget:
revenues: $527 million
expenditures: $668 million, including capital expenditures of $166
million (1993 est.)

Industries: sugar, coffee, textiles, clo