Guatemala vs. Honduras
Geography
| Guatemala | Honduras | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between El Salvador and Mexico, and bordering the Gulf of Honduras (Caribbean Sea) between Honduras and Belize | 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 30 N, 90 15 W | 15 00 N, 86 30 W |
| Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Central America and the Caribbean |
| Area | total: 108,889 sq km land: 107,159 sq km water: 1,730 sq km | total: 112,090 sq km land: 111,890 sq km water: 200 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Pennsylvania | slightly larger than Tennessee |
| Land boundaries | total: 1,667 km border countries (4): Belize 266 km, El Salvador 199 km, Honduras 244 km, Mexico 958 km | total: 1,575 km border countries (3): Guatemala 244 km, El Salvador 391 km, Nicaragua 940 km |
| Coastline | 400 km | 823 km (Caribbean Sea 669 km, Gulf of Fonseca 163 km) |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: natural extension of territory or to 200 nm |
| Climate | tropical; hot, humid in lowlands; cooler in highlands | subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains |
| Terrain | two east-west trending mountain chains divide the country into three regions: the mountainous highlands, the Pacific coast south of mountains, and the vast northern Peten lowlands | mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Volcan Tajumulco (highest point in Central America) 4,220 m lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 759 m | highest point: Cerro Las Minas 2,870 m lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m mean elevation: 684 m |
| Natural resources | petroleum, nickel, rare woods, fish, chicle, hydropower | timber, gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore, antimony, coal, fish, hydropower |
| Land use | agricultural land: 41.2% (2018 est.) arable land: 14.2% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 8.8% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 18.2% (2018 est.) forest: 33.6% (2018 est.) other: 25.2% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 28.8% (2018 est.) arable land: 9.1% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 4% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 15.7% (2018 est.) forest: 45.3% (2018 est.) other: 25.9% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 3,375 sq km (2012) | 900 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | numerous volcanoes in mountains, with occasional violent earthquakes; Caribbean coast extremely susceptible to hurricanes and other tropical storms volcanism: significant volcanic activity in the Sierra Madre range; Santa Maria (3,772 m) has been deemed a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Pacaya (2,552 m), which erupted in May 2010 causing an ashfall on Guatemala City and prompting evacuations, is one of the country's most active volcanoes with frequent eruptions since 1965; other historically active volcanoes include Acatenango, Almolonga, Atitlan, Fuego, and Tacana; see note 2 under "Geography - note" | frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; extremely susceptible to damaging hurricanes and floods along the Caribbean coast |
| Environment - current issues | deforestation in the Peten rainforest; soil erosion; water pollution | 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: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - note | note 1: despite having both eastern and western coastlines (Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean respectively), there are no natural harbors on the west coast note 2: Guatemala is one of the countries along the Ring of Fire, a belt of active volcanoes and earthquake epicenters bordering the Pacific Ocean; up to 90% of the world's earthquakes and some 75% of the world's volcanoes occur within the Ring of Fire | has only a short Pacific coast but a long Caribbean shoreline, including the virtually uninhabited eastern Mosquito Coast |
| Total renewable water resources | 127.91 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 92.164 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | the vast majority of the populace resides in the southern half of the country, particularly in the mountainous regions; more than half of the population lives in rural areas | most residents live in the mountainous western half of the country; unlike other Central American nations, Honduras is the only one with an urban population that is distributed between two large centers - the capital of Tegucigalpa and the city of San Pedro Sula; the Rio Ulua valley in the north is the only densely populated lowland area |
Source: CIA Factbook
