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: Area - comparative: Land boundaries: Coastline: Maritime claims: Climate: Terrain: Elevation extremes: Natural resources: Land use: Irrigated land: Total renewable water resources: Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): Natural hazards: Environment - current issues: Environment - international agreements: Geography - note:
total: 112,090 sq km
country comparison to the world: 102
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
land:
111,890 sq km
[see also: Area - land country ranks ]
water:
200 sq km
[see also: Area - water country ranks ]
slightly larger than Tennessee
total: 1,520 km
[see also: Land boundaries - total country ranks ]
border countries:
Guatemala 256 km, El Salvador 342 km, Nicaragua 922 km
820 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone:
24 nm
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
continental shelf:
natural extension of territory or to 200 nm
subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains
More Climate Details
mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
[see also: Elevation extremes - lowest point country ranks ]
highest point:
Cerro Las Minas 2,870 m
[see also: Elevation extremes - highest point country ranks ]
timber, gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore, antimony, coal, fish, hydropower
arable land: 9.53%
[see also: Land use - arable land country ranks ]
permanent crops:
3.21%
[see also: Land use - permanent crops country ranks ]
other:
87.26% (2005)
[see also: Land use - other country ranks ]
800 sq km (2003)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]
95.9 cu km (2000)
[see also: Total renewable water resources country ranks ]
total: 0.86 cu km/yr (8%/12%/80%)
[see also: Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) - total country ranks ]
per capita:
119 cu m/yr (2000)
[see also: Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) - per capita country ranks ]
frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; extremely susceptible to damaging hurricanes and floods along the Caribbean coast
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
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
has only a short Pacific coast but a long Caribbean shoreline, including the virtually uninhabited eastern Mosquito Coast