Location: | Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Nicaragua and bordering the Gulf of Fonseca (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 sq km
land: 111,890 sq km
water: 200 sq km |
| Area - comparative: | slightly larger than Tennessee |
| Land boundaries: | total: 1,520 km
border countries: Guatemala 256 km, El Salvador 342 km, Nicaragua 922 km |
| Coastline: | 820 km |
| Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: natural extension of territory or to 200 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 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: 9.55%
permanent crops: 3.22%
other: 87.23% (2001) |
| Irrigated land: | 760 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Natural hazards: | frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; extremely susceptible to damaging hurricanes and floods along the 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 |
| Environment - international agreements: | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - note: | has only a short Pacific coast but a long Caribbean shoreline, including the virtually uninhabited eastern Mosquito Coast
Source: CIA World Factbook
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