c Ocean,
between Guatemala and Honduras

Geographic coordinates: 13 50 N, 88 55 W

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 21,040 sq km
land: 20,720 sq km
water: 320 sq km

Area--comparative: slightly smaller than Massachusetts

Land boundaries:
total: 545 km
border countries: Guatemala 203 km, Honduras 342 km

Coastline: 307 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 200 nm

Climate: tropical; rainy season (May to October); dry season
(November to April)

Terrain: mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central
plateau

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Cerro El Pital 2,730 m

Natural resources: hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum

Land use:
arable land: 27%
permanent crops: 8%
permanent pastures: 29%
forests and woodland: 5%
other: 31% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 1,200 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and
sometimes very destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity

Environment--current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; water
pollution; contamination of soils from disposal of toxic wastes;
Hurricane Mitch damage

Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography--note: smallest Central American country and only one
without a coastline on Caribbean Sea

People

Population: 5,839,079 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 37% (male 1,091,500; female 1,044,658)
15-64 years: 58% (male 1,612,847; female 1,786,318)
65 years and over: 5% (male 138,052; female 165,704) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.53% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 26.19 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 6.2 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -4.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 28.38 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.02 years
male: 66.7 years
female: 73.5 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.99 children bor