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Compare Sri Lanka (2003) - Honduras (2003)

Compare Sri Lanka (2003) z Honduras (2003)

 Sri Lanka (2003)Honduras (2003)
 Sri LankaHonduras
Administrative divisions 8 provinces; Central, North Central, North Eastern, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western; note - North Eastern province may have been divided in two - Northern and Eastern 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, Yoro
Age structure 0-14 years: 25.2% (male 2,543,336; female 2,431,223)


15-64 years: 67.9% (male 6,518,145; female 6,890,424)


65 years and over: 6.9% (male 641,708; female 717,603) (2003 est.)
0-14 years: 41.6% (male 1,414,791; female 1,357,537)


15-64 years: 54.8% (male 1,811,757; female 1,843,456)


65 years and over: 3.6% (male 114,791; female 127,457) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, spices, tea, rubber, coconuts; milk, eggs, hides, beef bananas, coffee, citrus; beef; timber; shrimp
Airports 15 (2002) 115 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways total: 14


over 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 7


914 to 1,523 m: 6 (2002)
total: 12


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 4 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2002)
total: 103


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 18


under 914 m: 83 (2002)
Area total: 65,610 sq km


land: 64,740 sq km


water: 870 sq km
total: 112,090 sq km


land: 111,890 sq km


water: 200 sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than West Virginia slightly larger than Tennessee
Background The Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka late in the 6th century B.C., probably from northern India. Buddhism was introduced beginning in about the mid-third century B.C., and a great civilization developed at the cities of Anuradhapura (kingdom from circa 200 B.C. to circa 1000 A.D.) and Polonnaruwa (from about 1070 to 1200). In the 14th century, a south Indian dynasty seized power in the north and established a Tamil kingdom. Occupied by the Portuguese in the 16th century and by the Dutch in the 17th century, the island was ceded to the British in 1796, became a crown colony in 1802, and was united under British rule by 1815. As Ceylon, it became independent in 1948; its name was changed to Sri Lanka in 1972. Tensions between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil separatists erupted in violence in the mid-1980s. Tens of thousands have died in an ethnic war that continues to fester. After two decades of fighting, the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam began a ceasefire in December 2001, with Norway brokering peace negotiations. Part of Spain's vast empire in the New World, Honduras became an independent nation in 1821. After two and one-half decades of mostly military rule, a freely elected civilian government came to power in 1982. During the 1980s, Honduras proved a haven for anti-Sandinista contras fighting the Marxist Nicaraguan Government and an ally to Salvadoran Government forces fighting against leftist guerrillas. The country was devastated by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, which killed about 5,600 people and caused almost $1 billion in damage.
Birth rate 16.12 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) 31.67 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget revenues: $2.8 billion


expenditures: $4.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)
revenues: $607 million


expenditures: $411.9 million, including capital expenditures of $106 million (1999 est.)
Capital Colombo; note - Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte is the legislative capital Tegucigalpa
Climate tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October) subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains
Coastline 1,340 km 820 km
Constitution adopted 16 August 1978 11 January 1982, effective 20 January 1982; amended 1995
Country name conventional long form: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka


conventional short form: Sri Lanka


former: Serendib, Ceylon
conventional long form: Republic of Honduras


conventional short form: Honduras


local long form: Republica de Honduras


local short form: Honduras
Currency Sri Lankan rupee (LKR) lempira (HNL)
Death rate 6.46 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) 6.44 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external $9.8 billion (2002) $5.4 billion (2002)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador E. Ashley WILLS


embassy: 210 Galle Road, Colombo 3


mailing address: P. O. Box 106, Colombo


telephone: [94] (1) 448007


FAX: [94] (1) 437345
chief of mission: Ambassador Larry Leon PALMER


embassy: Avenida La Paz, Apartado Postal No. 3453, Tegucigalpa


mailing address: American Embassy, APO AA 34022, Tegucigalpa


telephone: [504] 238-5114, 236-9320


FAX: [504] 236-9037
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Devinda R. SUBASINGHE



chancery: 2148 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 483-4025 (through 4028)


FAX: [1] (202) 232-7181


consulate(s) general: Los Angeles


consulate(s): New York
chief of mission: Ambassador Mario Miguel CANAHUATI


chancery: Suite 4-M, 3007 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 966-2604


FAX: [1] (202) 966-9751


consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico), Tampa


honorary consulate(s): Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Jacksonville
Disputes - international none in 1992, ICJ ruled on the delimitation of "bolsones" (disputed areas) along the El Salvador-Honduras border, but they still remain largely undemarcated; in 2002, El Salvador filed an application to the ICJ to revise the decision on a section of bolsones; the ICJ also advised a tripartite resolution to a maritime boundary in the Golfo de Fonseca with consideration of Honduran access to the Pacific; El Salvador claims tiny Conejo Island, not mentioned by the ICJ, off Honduras in the Golfo de Fonseca; Honduras claims Sapodilla Cays off the coast of Belize but agreed to creation of a joint ecological park and Guatemalan corridor in the Caribbean in the 2002 Belize-Guatemala Differendum; Nicaragua filed a claim against Honduras in 1999 and against Colombia in 2001 at the ICJ over a complex maritime dispute in the Caribbean Sea
Economic aid - recipient $577 million (1998) $557.8 million (1999)
Economy - overview In 1977, Colombo abandoned statist economic policies and its import substitution trade policy for market-oriented policies and export-oriented trade. Sri Lanka's most dynamic sectors now are food processing, textiles and apparel, food and beverages, telecommunications, and insurance and banking. By 1996 plantation crops made up only 20% of exports (compared with 93% in 1970), while textiles and garments accounted for 63%. GDP grew at an average annual rate of 5.5% in the early 1990s until a drought and a deteriorating security situation lowered growth to 3.8% in 1996. The economy rebounded in 1997-2000 with average growth of 5.3%, but 2001 saw the first contraction in the country's history, -1.4%, due to a combination of power shortages, severe budgetary problems, the global slowdown, and continuing civil strife. Growth recovered to 3.2% in 2002. About 800,000 Sri Lankans work abroad, 90% in the Middle East. They send home about $1 billion a year. Honduras, one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere with an extraordinarily unequal distribution of income, is banking on expanded trade privileges under the Enhanced Caribbean Basin Initiative and on debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. While the country has met most of its macroeconomic targets, it failed to meet the IMF's goals to liberalize its energy and telecommunications sectors. Growth remains dependent on the status of the US economy, its major trading partner, on commodity prices, particularly coffee, and on reduction of the high crime rate.
Electricity - consumption 5.915 billion kWh (2001) 3.822 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2001) 308 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 6.36 billion kWh (2001) 3.778 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 51.7%


hydro: 48.3%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2001)
fossil fuel: 50.2%


hydro: 49.8%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m


highest point: Pidurutalagala 2,524 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Cerro Las Minas 2,870 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by poaching and urbanization; coastal degradation from mining activities and increased pollution; freshwater resources being polluted by industrial wastes and sewage runoff; waste disposal; air pollution in Colombo 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
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups Sinhalese 74%, Tamil 18%, Moor 7%, Burgher, Malay, and Vedda 1% mestizo (mixed Amerindian and European) 90%, Amerindian 7%, black 2%, white 1%
Exchange rates Sri Lankan rupees per US dollar - 95.66 (2002), 89.38 (2001), 77.01 (2000), 70.64 (1999), 64.45 (1998) lempiras per US dollar - 16.43 (2002), 15.47 (2001), 14.84 (2000), 14.21 (1999), 13.39 (1998)
Executive branch chief of state: President Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (since 12 November 1994); note - Ranil WICKREMASINGHE (since 9 December 2001) is the prime minister; the president is considered both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (since 12 November 1994); note - Ranil WICKREMASINGHE (since 9 December 2001) is the prime minister; the president is considered both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president in consultation with the prime minister


elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held 21 December 1999 (next to be held NA December 2005)


election results: Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA reelected president; percent of vote - Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (PA) 51%, Ranil WICKREMASINGHE (UNP) 42%, other 7%
chief of state: President Ricardo (Joest) MADURO (since 27 January 2002); First Vice President Vicente WILLIAMS Agasse (since 27 January 2002); Second Vice President Armida Villela Maria DE LOPEZ Contreras (since 27 January 2002); Third Vice President Alberto DIAZ Lobo (since 27 January 2002); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Ricardo (Joest) MADURO (since 27 January 2002); First Vice President Vicente WILLIAMS Agasse (since 27 January 2002); Second Vice President Armida Villela Maria DE LOPEZ Contreras (since 27 January 2002); Third Vice President Alberto DIAZ Lobo (since 27 January 2002); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by president


elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 25 November 2001 (next to be held NA November 2005)


election results: Ricardo (Joest) MADURO (PN) elected president - 52.2%, Raphael PINEDA Ponce (PL) 44.3%, others 3.5%
Exports NA (2001) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities textiles and apparel, tea, diamonds, coconut products, petroleum products coffee, bananas, shrimp, lobster, meat; zinc, lumber (2000)
Exports - partners US 39.1%, UK 12.9%, Belgium 4.7%, Germany 4.5% (2002) US 69.5%, El Salvador 3%, Guatemala 2% (2002)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description yellow with two panels; the smaller hoist-side panel has two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and orange; the other panel is a large dark red rectangle with a yellow lion holding a sword, and there is a yellow bo leaf in each corner; the yellow field appears as a border around the entire flag and extends between the two panels 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
GDP purchasing power parity - $73.7 billion (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $16.29 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 20%


industry: 26%


services: 54% (2001)
agriculture: 14%


industry: 32%


services: 54% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $3,700 (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $2,500 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 3.2% (2002 est.) 2.5% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 7 00 N, 81 00 E 15 00 N, 86 30 W
Geography - note strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes has only a short Pacific coast but a long Caribbean shoreline, including the virtually uninhabited eastern Mosquito Coast
Highways total: 96,695 km


paved: 91,860 km


unpaved: 4,835 km (1999)
total: 13,603 km


paved: 2,775 km


unpaved: 10,828 km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 3.5%


highest 10%: 28% (1995)
lowest 10%: 0.6%


highest 10%: 42.7% (1998)
Illicit drugs - transshipment point for drugs and narcotics; illicit producer of cannabis, cultivated on small plots and used principally for local consumption; corruption is a major problem; some money-laundering activity
Imports NA (2001) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities textiles, mineral products, petroleum, foodstuffs, machinery and equipment machinery and transport equipment, industrial raw materials, chemical products, fuels, foodstuffs (2000)
Imports - partners India 11%, Hong Kong 7.6%, Singapore 7.1%, China 6.3%, Taiwan 5.9%, South Korea 5.7%, Japan 5.3%, Iran 4.2% (2002) US 55.3%, El Salvador 4.3%, Mexico 4.2% (2002)
Independence 4 February 1948 (from UK) 15 September 1821 (from Spain)
Industrial production growth rate 1.1% (2002) 4% (1999 est.)
Industries rubber processing, tea, coconuts, and other agricultural commodities; clothing, cement, petroleum refining, textiles, tobacco sugar, coffee, textiles, clothing, wood products
Infant mortality rate total: 15.22 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 16.45 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 13.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
total: 29.96 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 33.6 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 26.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 9.6% (2002 est.) 7.7% (2002 est.)
International organization participation AsDB, C, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 5 (2000) 8 (2000)
Irrigated land 6,510 sq km (1998 est.) 760 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court; Court of Appeals; judges for both courts are appointed by the president Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges are elected for seven-year terms by the National Congress)
Labor force 6.6 million (1998) 2.3 million (1997 est.)
Labor force - by occupation services 45%, agriculture 38%, industry 17% (1998 est.) agriculture 34%, industry 21%, services 45% (2001 est.)
Land boundaries 0 km total: 1,520 km


border countries: Guatemala 256 km, El Salvador 342 km, Nicaragua 922 km
Land use arable land: 13.43%


permanent crops: 15.78%


other: 70.79% (1998 est.)
arable land: 15.15%


permanent crops: 3.13%


other: 81.72% (1998 est.)
Languages Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18%, other 8%


note: English is commonly used in government and is spoken competently by about 10% of the population
Spanish, Amerindian dialects
Legal system a highly complex mixture of English common law, Roman-Dutch, Muslim, Sinhalese, and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction rooted in Roman and Spanish civil law with increasing influence of English common law; recent judicial reforms include abandoning Napoleonic legal codes in favor of the oral adversarial system; accepts ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Legislative branch unicameral Parliament (225 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of a modified proportional representation system by district to serve six-year terms)


elections: last held 7 December 2001 (next to be held NA December 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party or electoral alliance - UNP, SLMC and CWC 46.8%, PA and EPDP 38%, JVP 9.1%, TNA 3.89%, PLOTE 0.19%; seats by party or electoral alliance - UNP, SLMC and CWC 114, PA and EPDP 79, JVP 16, TNA 15, PLOTE 1
unicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional (128 seats; members are elected proportionally to the number of votes their party's presidential candidate receives to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 25 November 2001 (next to be held NA November 2005)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PN 61, PL 55, PUD 5, PDC 4, PINU-SD 3
Life expectancy at birth total population: 72.62 years


male: 70.09 years


female: 75.29 years (2003 est.)
total population: 66.65 years


male: 65.31 years


female: 68.06 years (2003 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 92.3%


male: 94.8%


female: 90% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 76.2%


male: 76.1%


female: 76.3% (2003 est.)
Location Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Nicaragua and bordering the Gulf of Fonseca (North Pacific Ocean), between El Salvador and Nicaragua
Map references Asia Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims contiguous zone: 24 NM


continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin


exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
contiguous zone: 24 NM


continental shelf: natural extension of territory or to 200 NM


exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine total: 15 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 62,157 GRT/84,898 DWT


ships by type: cargo 13, container 1, petroleum tanker 1


note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Germany 9, Hong Kong 1, UAE 1 (2002 est.)
total: 250 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 680,784 GRT/765,815 DWT


ships by type: bulk 18, cargo 140, chemical tanker 4, container 7, livestock carrier 2, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 55, refrigerated cargo 10, roll on/roll off 4, short-sea passenger 4, specialized tanker 1


note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Argentina 1, Bahrain 1, Belize 1, British Virgin Islands 1, Bulgaria 1, China 8, Costa Rica 1, Cyprus 1, Egypt 6, El Salvador 1, Germany 1, Greece 18, Hong Kong 3, Indonesia 2, Italy 1, Japan 7, Lebanon 4, Liberia 4, Maldives 2, Marshall Islands 1, Mexico 1, Nigeria 1, Norway 1, Panama 14, Philippines 1, Romania 2, Russia 1, Saint Kitts and Nevis 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Singapore 24, South Korea 12, Spain 1, Syria 1, Taiwan 4, Tanzania 1, Trinidad and Tobago 1, Turkey 2, Turks and Caicos Islands 1, United Arab Emirates 6, UK 1, US 5, Vanuatu 1, Vietnam 1, Virgin Islands (UK) 1 (2002 est.)
Military branches Army, Navy, Air Force, Police Force Army, Navy (including marines), Air Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure $719 million (FY98) $35 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 4.2% (FY98) 0.6% (FY99)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 5,383,661 (2003 est.) males age 15-49: 1,594,266 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 4,172,921 (2003 est.) males age 15-49: 948,957 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age (2003 est.) 18 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 186,691 (2003 est.) males: 74,895 (2003 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 4 February (1948) Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Nationality noun: Sri Lankan(s)


adjective: Sri Lankan
noun: Honduran(s)


adjective: Honduran
Natural hazards occasional cyclones and tornadoes frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; extremely susceptible to damaging hurricanes and floods along the Caribbean coast
Natural resources limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay, hydropower timber, gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore, antimony, coal, fish, hydropower
Net migration rate -1.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) -2.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines crude oil and petroleum products 62 km (1987) -
Political parties and leaders All Ceylon Tamil Congress or ACTC [KUMARGURUPARAM]; Ceylon Workers Congress or CWC [Arumugam THONDAMAN]; Communist Party or CP [D. GUNASEKERA]; Democratic United National (Lalith) Front or DUNLF [Shrimani ATULATHMUDALI]; Eelam People's Democratic Party or EPDP [Douglas DEVANANDA]; Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front or EPRLF [Suresh PREMACHANDRAN]; Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna or JVP [Tilvan SILVA]; National Unity Alliance or NUA [Ferial ASHRAFF]; People's Alliance or PA [Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA]; People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam or PLOTE [leader NA]; Sihala Urumaya or SU [Tilak KARUNARATNE]; Sri Lanka Freedom Party or SLFP [Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA]; Sri Lanka Muslim Congress or SLMC [Rauff HAKEEM]; Sri Lanka Progressive Front or SLPF [P. Nelson PERERA]; Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization or TELO [SABARATNAM]; Tamil National Alliance or TNA [Nadarajah RAVIRAJ]; Tamil United Liberation Front or TULF [R. SAMPATHAN]; United National Party or UNP [Ranil WICKREMASINGHE]; Upcountry People's Front or UPF [P. CHANDRASEKARAN]; several ethnic Tamil and Muslim parties, represented in either Parliament or provincial councils Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Dr. Hernan CORRALES Padilla]; Democratic Unification Party or PUD [leader NA]; Liberal Party or PL [Roberto MICHELETTI Bain]; National Innovation and Unity Party-Social Democratic Party or PINU-SD [Olban F. VALLADARES]; National Party of Honduras or PN [Raphael CALLEJAS]
Political pressure groups and leaders Buddhist clergy; labor unions; Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or LTTE [Velupillai PRABHAKARAN](insurgent group fighting for a separate state); radical chauvinist Sinhalese groups such as the National Movement Against Terrorism; Sinhalese Buddhist lay groups Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Honduras or CODEH; Confederation of Honduran Workers or CTH; Coordinating Committee of Popular Organizations or CCOP; General Workers Confederation or CGT; Honduran Council of Private Enterprise or COHEP; National Association of Honduran Campesinos or ANACH; National Union of Campesinos or UNC; Popular Bloc or BP; United Federation of Honduran Workers or FUTH
Population 19,742,439 (2003 est.)


note: since the outbreak of hostilities between the government and armed Tamil separatists in the mid-1980s, several hundred thousand Tamil civilians have fled the island; as of yearend 2000, approximately 65,000 were housed in 131 refugee camps in south India, another 40,000 lived outside the Indian camps, and more than 200,000 Tamils have sought refuge in the West (July 2003 est.)
6,669,789


note: 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 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line 22% (1997 est.) 53% (1993 est.)
Population growth rate 0.83% (2003 est.) 2.32% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors Colombo, Galle, Jaffna, Trincomalee La Ceiba, Puerto Castilla, Puerto Cortes, San Lorenzo, Tela, Puerto Lempira
Radio broadcast stations AM 26, FM 45, shortwave 1 (1998) AM 241, FM 53, shortwave 12 (1998)
Railways total: 1,508 km


broad gauge: 1,449 km 1.676-m gauge


narrow gauge: 59 km 0.762-m gauge (2002)
total: 699 km


narrow gauge: 279 km 1.067-m gauge; 420 km 0.914-m gauge (2002)
Religions Buddhist 70%, Hindu 15%, Christian 8%, Muslim 7% (1999) Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant minority
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female


total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female


total population: 1 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Telephone system general assessment: very inadequate domestic service, particularly in rural areas; likely improvement with privatization of national telephone company and encouragement to private investment; good international service (1999)


domestic: national trunk network consists mostly of digital microwave radio relay; fiber-optic links now in use in Colombo area and two fixed wireless local loops have been installed; competition is strong in mobile cellular systems; telephone density remains low at 2.6 main lines per 100 persons (1999)


international: submarine cables to Indonesia and Djibouti; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (1999)
general assessment: inadequate system


domestic: NA


international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to Central American Microwave System
Telephones - main lines in use 494,509 (1998) 234,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 228,604 (1999) 14,427 (1997)
Television broadcast stations 21 (1997) 11 (plus 17 repeaters) (1997)
Terrain mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains
Total fertility rate 1.9 children born/woman (2003 est.) 4.07 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate 8% (2002) 28% (2002 est.)
Waterways 430 km (navigable by shallow-draft craft) 465 km (navigable by small craft)
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