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Location:
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Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Nicaragua and bordering the Gulf of Fonseca (North Pacific Ocean), between El Salvador and Nicaragua
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Geographic coordinates:
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15 00 N, 86 30 W
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Map references:
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central america and the caribbean
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Area:
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total: 112,090 sq km
land: 111,890 sq km
water: 200 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly larger than Tennessee
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Land boundaries:
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total: 1,520 km
border countries: Guatemala 256 km, El Salvador 342 km, Nicaragua 922 km
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Coastline:
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820 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: natural extension of territory or to 200 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
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Climate:
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subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains
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Terrain:
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mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Cerro Las Minas 2,870 m
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Natural resources:
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timber, gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore, antimony, coal, fish, hydropower
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Land use:
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arable land: 9.55%
permanent crops: 3.22%
other: 87.23% (2001)
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Irrigated land:
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760 sq km (1998 est.)
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Natural hazards:
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frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; extremely susceptible to damaging hurricanes and floods along the Caribbean coast
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Environment - current issues:
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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
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Environment - international agreements:
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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
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Geography - note:
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has only a short Pacific coast but a long Caribbean shoreline, including the virtually uninhabited eastern Mosquito Coast
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