Honduras vs. Nicaragua
Geography
| Honduras | Nicaragua | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras |
| Geographic coordinates | 15 00 N, 86 30 W | 13 00 N, 85 00 W |
| Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Central America and the Caribbean |
| Area | total: 112,090 sq km land: 111,890 sq km water: 200 sq km | total: 130,370 sq km land: 119,990 sq km water: 10,380 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly larger than Tennessee | slightly larger than Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than New York state |
| Land boundaries | total: 1,575 km border countries (3): Guatemala 244 km, El Salvador 391 km, Nicaragua 940 km | total: 1,253 km border countries (2): Costa Rica 313 km, Honduras 940 km |
| Coastline | 823 km (Caribbean Sea 669 km, Gulf of Fonseca 163 km) | 910 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: natural extension of territory or to 200 nm | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: natural prolongation |
| Climate | subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains | tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands |
| Terrain | mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains | extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Cerro Las Minas 2,870 m lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m mean elevation: 684 m | highest point: Mogoton 2,085 m lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 298 m |
| Natural resources | timber, gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore, antimony, coal, fish, hydropower | gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish |
| Land use | 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.) | agricultural land: 42.2% (2018 est.) arable land: 12.5% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 2.5% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 27.2% (2018 est.) forest: 25.3% (2018 est.) other: 32.5% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 900 sq km (2012) | 1,990 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; extremely susceptible to damaging hurricanes and floods along the Caribbean coast | destructive earthquakes; volcanoes; landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes volcanism: significant volcanic activity; Cerro Negro (728 m), which last erupted in 1999, is one of Nicaragua's most active volcanoes; its lava flows and ash have been known to cause significant damage to farmland and buildings; other historically active volcanoes include Concepcion, Cosiguina, Las Pilas, Masaya, Momotombo, San Cristobal, and Telica |
| 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 | deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; drought |
| Environment - international 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 | 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, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling 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 | largest country in Central America; contains the largest freshwater body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua |
| Total renewable water resources | 92.164 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 164.52 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | 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 | the overwhelming majority of the population resides in the western half of the country, with much of the urban growth centered in the capital city of Managua; coastal areas also show large population clusters |
Source: CIA Factbook
