Location and Boundaries
Honduras, located at the widest part of the isthmus of Central
America, is the second largest Central American republic. The
triangular-shaped country has a total area of about 112,000 square
kilometers. The 735-kilometer northern boundary is the Caribbean coast
extending from the mouth of the R�o Motagua on the west to the mouth of
the R�o Coco on the east, at Cabo Gracias a Dios. The 922-kilometer
southeastern side of the triangle is the land border with Nicaragua; it
follows the R�o Coco near the Caribbean Sea and then extends
southwestward through mountainous terrain to the Golfo de Fonseca on the
Pacific Ocean. The southern apex of the triangle is a 153- kilometer
coastline at the Golfo de Fonseca, which opens onto the Pacific Ocean.
The western land boundary consists of the 342-kilometer border with El
Salvador and the 256-kilometer border with Guatemala.
Honduras controls a number of islands as part of its offshore
territories. In the Caribbean Sea, the islands of Roat�n (Isla de Roat�n),
Utila, and Guanaja together form Islas de la Bah�a (Bay Islands), one
of the eighteen departments into which Honduras is divided. Roat�n, the
largest of the three islands, is fifty kilometers long by five
kilometers wide. The Islas de la Bah�a archipelago also has a number of
smaller islands, among them the islets of Barbareta (Isla Barbareta),
Santa Elena (Isla Santa Elena), and Morat (Isla Morat). Farther out in
the Caribbean are the Islas Santanillas, formerly known as Swan Islands.
A number of small islands and keys can be found nearby, among them Cayos
Zapotillos and Cayos Cochinos. In the Golfo de Fonseca, the main islands
under Honduran control are El Tigre, Zacate Grande (Isla Zacate Grande),
and Exposici�n (Isla Exposici�n).
<>Boundary Disputes
A two-centuries-old border dispute between El Salvador and Honduras
appears to have been resolved in 1993. At issue in this territorial
dispute was ownership of six contested bolsones (pockets) of
land encompassing a total area of 436.9 square kilometers as well as two
islands (Meanguera and El Tigre) in the Golfo de Fonseca, and right of
passage for Honduras to the Pacific Ocean from its southern coast.
The origins of the boundary dispute date back to the eighteenth
century when colonial boundaries were ill defined. In the late
nineteenth century, numerous attempts at mediation failed to settle the
dispute. The issue continued to fester in the twentieth century and was
a contributing factor in the outbreak of war between the two countries
in 1969. The General Peace Treaty, signed by El
Salvador and Honduras on October 30, 1980, in Lima, Peru, represented
the first real breakthrough on this border dispute. The peace treaty
stated that the two parties agreed to submit the boundary dispute to the
International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague if they failed to
reach a border agreement after five years of negotiations. By 1985 the
two countries had not reached an agreement. In 1986 the case reached the
ICJ, which handed down a ruling on September 11, 1992. Both countries
accepted the ICJ decision, and a commission was established to decide
the citizenship of residents of the bolsones.
Of the 436.9 square kilometers in dispute, 300.6 square kilometers
were granted to Honduras, and 136.3 were granted to El Salvador. Of the
six bolsones, Honduras was awarded complete control of one and
approximately 80 percent of another. The remaining four were split with
El Salvador. El Salvador was awarded possession of the island of
Meanguera, and Honduras was awarded control of the island of El Tigre.
More importantly for Honduras, the ICJ ruling assured Honduras's free
passage to the Pacific Ocean. The ICJ also decided that the Golfo de
Fonseca does not represent international waters because of the two
countries' shared history as provinces of the same colonial power and
subsequent membership in the United Provinces of Central America. The
court ruled, rather, that the Golfo de Fonseca is a condominium, with
control being shared by El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. The latter
country also has a coastline on the gulf. The decision allowed for the
possibility that the three nations could divide the waters at a later
date if they wished to do so.
Honduras - Topography
Honduras has three distinct topographical regions: an extensive
interior highland area and two narrow coastal lowlands. The interior,
which constitutes approximately 80 percent of the country's terrain, is
mountainous. The larger Caribbean lowlands in the north and the Pacific
lowlands bordering the Golfo de Fonseca are characterized by alluvial
plains.
Interior Highlands
The interior highlands are the most prominent feature of Honduran
topography. Composing approximately 80 percent of the country's total
area, these mountain areas are home to the majority of the population.
Because the rugged terrain has made the land difficult to traverse and
equally difficult to cultivate, this area has not been highly developed.
The soil here is poor; Honduras lacks the rich volcanic ash found in
other Central American countries. Until the early part of the twentieth
century, the highlands economy consisted primarily of mining and
livestock.
In the west, Honduras's mountains blend into the mountain ranges of
Guatemala. The western mountains have the highest peaks, with the Pico
Congol�n at an elevation of 2,500 meters and the Cerro de Las Minas at
2,850 meters. These mountains are woodland covered with mainly pine
forests.
In the east, the mountains merge with those in Nicaragua. Although
generally not as high as the mountains near the Guatemalan border, the
eastern ranges possess some high peaks, such as the Monta�a de la Flor
at 2,300 meters, El Boquer�n (Monte El Boquer�n) at 2,485 meters, and
Pico Bonito at 2,435 meters.
One of the most prominent features of the interior highlands is a
depression that runs from the Caribbean Sea to the Golfo de Fonseca.
This depression splits the country's cordilleras into eastern and
western parts and provides a relatively easy transportation route across
the isthmus. Widest at its northern end near San Pedro Sula, the
depression narrows as it follows the upper course of the R�o Humuya.
Passing first through Comayagua and then through narrow passes south of
the city, the depression widens again as it runs along the border of El
Salvador into the Golfo de Fonseca.
Scattered throughout the interior highlands are numerous flatfloored
valleys, 300 to 900 meters in elevation, which vary in size. The floors
of the large valleys provide sufficient grass, shrubs, and dry woodland
to support livestock and, in some cases, commercial agriculture.
Subsistence agriculture has been relegated to the slopes of the valleys,
with the limitations of small-sized holdings, primitive technology, and
low productivity that traditionally accompany hillside cultivation.
Villages and towns, including the capital, Tegucigalpa, are tucked in
the larger valleys.
Vegetation in the interior highlands is varied. Much of the western,
southern, and central mountains are open woodland-- supporting pine
forest interspersed with some oak, scrub, and grassy clearings. The
ranges toward the east are primarily continuous areas of dense,
broad-leaf evergreen forest. Around the highest peaks, remnants of dense
rain forest that formerly covered much of the area are still found.
Honduras - The Caribbean Lowlands
This area of river valleys and coastal plains, which most Honduras
call "the north coast," or simply "the coast," has
traditionally been Honduras's most exploited region. The central part of
the Caribbean lowlands, east of La Ceiba, is a narrow coastal plain only
a few kilometers wide. To the east and west of this section, however,
the Caribbean lowlands widen and in places extend inland a considerable
distance along broad river valleys. The broadest river valley, along the
R�o Ul�a near the Guatemalan border, is Honduras's most developed
area. Both Puerto Cort�s, the country's largest port, and San Pedro
Sula, Honduras's industrial capital, are located here.
To the east, near the Nicaraguan border, the Caribbean lowlands
broaden to an extensive area known as the Mosquitia. Unlike the western
part of the Caribbean lowlands, the Mosquitia is Honduras's
least-developed area. Underpopulated and culturally distinct from the
rest of the country, the area consists of inland savannah with swamps
and mangrove near the coast. During times of heavy rainfall, much of the
savannah area is covered by shallow water, making transportation by
means other than a shallow-draft boat almost impossible.
Honduras - Pacific Lowlands
The smallest physiographic region of Honduras, the Pacific lowlands,
is a strip of land averaging twenty-five kilometers wide on the north
shore of the Golfo de Fonseca. The land is flat, becoming swampy near
the shores of the gulf, and is composed mostly of alluvial soils washed
down from the mountains. The gulf is shallow and the water rich in fish
and mollusks. Mangroves along the shore make shrimp and shellfish
particularly abundant by providing safe and abundant breeding areas amid
their extensive networks of underwater roots.
Several islands in the gulf fall under Honduras's jurisdiction. The
two largest, Zacate Grande and El Tigre, are eroded volcanoes, part of
the chain of volcanoes that extends along the Pacific coast of Central
America. Both islands have volcanic cones more than 700 meters in
elevation that serve as markers for vessels entering Honduras's Pacific
ports.
Honduras - Climate
Although all of Honduras lies within the tropics, the climatic types
of each of the three physiographic regions differ. The Caribbean
lowlands have a tropical wet climate with consistently high temperatures
and humidity, and rainfall fairly evenly distributed throughout the
year. The Pacific lowlands have a tropical wet and dry climate with high
temperatures but a distinct dry season from November through April. The
interior highlands also have a distinct dry season, but, as is
characteristic of a tropical highland climate, temperatures in this
region decrease as elevation increases.
Unlike in more northerly latitudes, temperatures in the tropics vary
primarily with elevation instead of with the season. Land below 1,000
meters is commonly known as tierra caliente (hot land), between
1,000 and 2,000 meters tierra templada (temperate land), and
above 2,000 meters tierra fr�a (cold land). Both the Caribbean
and Pacific lowlands are tierra caliente, with daytime highs
averaging between 28� C and 32� C throughout the year. In the Pacific
lowlands, April, the last month of the dry season, brings the warmest
temperatures; the rainy season is slightly cooler, although higher
humidity during the rainy season makes these months feel more
uncomfortable. In the Caribbean lowlands, the only relief from the
year-round heat and humidity comes during December or January when an
occasional strong cold front from the north (a norte) brings
several days of strong northwest winds and slightly cooler temperatures.
The interior highlands range from tierra templada to tierra
fr�a. Tegucigalpa, in a sheltered valley and at an elevation of
1,000 meters, has a pleasant climate, with an average high temperature
ranging from 30� C in April, the warmest month, to 25� C in January,
the coolest. Above 2,000 meters, temperatures can fall to near freezing
at night, and frost sometimes occurs.
Rain falls year round in the Caribbean lowlands but is seasonal
throughout the rest of the country. Amounts are copious along the north
coast, especially in the Mosquitia, where the average rainfall is 2,400
millimeters. Nearer San Pedro Sula, amounts are slightly less from
November to April, but each month still has considerable precipitation.
The interior highlands and Pacific lowlands have a dry season, known
locally as "summer," from November to April. Almost all the
rain in these regions falls during the "winter," from May to
September. Total yearly amounts depend on surrounding topography;
Tegucigalpa, in a sheltered valley, averages only 1,000 millimeters of
precipitation.
Honduras lies within the hurricane belt, and the Caribbean coast is
particularly vulnerable to hurricanes or tropical storms that travel
inland from the Caribbean. Hurricane Francelia in 1969 and Tropical
Storm Alleta in 1982 affected thousands of people and caused extensive
damage to crops. Hurricane Fifi in 1974 was the worst natural disaster
in recent Honduran history; more than 8,000 people were killed, and
nearly the entire banana crop was destroyed. Hurricanes occasionally
form over the Pacific and move north to affect southern Honduras, but
Pacific storms are generally less severe and their landfall rarer.
Honduras - Rivers
Honduras is a water-rich country. The most important river in
Honduras is the Ul�a, which flows 400 kilometers to the Caribbean
through the economically important Valle de Sula. Numerous other rivers
drain the interior highlands and empty north into the Caribbean. These
other rivers are important, not as transportation routes, but because of
the broad fertile valleys they have produced.
Rivers also define about half of Honduras's international borders.
The R�o Goascor�n, flowing to the Golfo de Fonseca, and the R�o Lempa
define part of the border between El Salvador and Honduras. The R�o
Coco marks about half of the border between Nicaragua and Honduras.
Despite an abundance of rivers, large bodies of water are rare. Lago
de Yojoa, located in the west-central part of the country, is the sole
natural lake in Honduras. This lake is twenty-two kilometers long and at
its widest point measures fourteen kilometers. Several large, brackish
lagoons open onto the Caribbean in northeast Honduras. These shallow
bodies of water allow limited transportation to points along the coast.
