conventional long form: Republic of Honduras
conventional short form: Honduras
local long form: Republica de Honduras
local short form: Honduras

HO

democratic constitutional republic

Tegucigalpa

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

15 September 1821 (from Spain)

Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

11 January 1982, effective 20 January 1982; amended 1995

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

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

chief of state: President Carlos Roberto FLORES Facusse (since 27
January 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and
head of government
head of government: President Carlos Roberto FLORES Facusse (since 27
January 1998); 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 30 November 1997 (next to be held 30 November 2001)
election results: Carlos Roberto FLORES Facusse elected president;
percent of vote - Carlos Roberto FLORES Facusse (PL) 50%, Nora de
MELGAR (PNH) 40%, other 10%

unicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional
(128 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year
terms)
elections: last held on 30 November 1997 (next to be held 30 November
2001)
election results: percent of vote by party - PL 46%, PN 38%, PINU-SD
4%, PDC 2%, PUD 2%; seats by party - PL 67, PN 55, PINU-SD 3, PDC 2,
PUD 1

Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de
Justicia, judges are elected for four-year terms by the National
Congress

Christian Democratic Party or PDC
; Democratic Unification Party or
PUD ; Honduran National Party or PNH
; Liberal Party or PL ; National
Innovation and Unity Party-Social Democratic Party or PINU-SD [Olban
VALLADARES, president]; National Party of Honduras or PN [Porfirio
LOBO Sega, president]

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; United Federation of
Honduran Workers or FUTH

BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO,
G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer),
MINURSO, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO

chief of mission: Ambassador Hugo NOE PINO
chancery: 3007 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:  (202) 966-7702
FAX:  (202) 966-9751
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New
Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico), Tampa
consulate(s): Boston, Detroit, and Jacksonville

chief of mission: Ambassador Frank ALMAGUER
embassy: Avenida La Paz, Apartado Postal No. 3453, Tegucigalpa
mailing address: American Embassy, APO AA 34022, Tegucigalpa
telephone:  238-5114, 326-9320
FAX:  236-9037

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