Geography of Honduras – The Ultimate Free Guide 2021
Learn facts and Geography of Honduras including Major Geographical Features, Natural resources, Region, area, Capital, Border countries, rivers in Honduras.
- Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America.
- The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, and to the north by the Gulf of Honduras, a large inlet of the Caribbean Sea.
- Its capital and largest city is Tegucigalpa.
- Honduras was home to several important Mesoamerican cultures, most notably the Maya, before the Spanish Colonization in the sixteenth century.
- The nation’s economy is primarily agricultural, making it especially vulnerable to natural disasters such as Hurricane Mitch in 1998.
- Honduras has a Human Development Index of 0.625, classifying it as a nation with medium development.
- Honduras was organized as a province of the Kingdom of Guatemala and the capital was fixed, first at Trujillo on the Atlantic coast, and later at Comayagua, and finally at Tegucigalpa in the central part of the country.
- The north coast of Honduras borders the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean lies south through the Gulf of Fonseca. Honduras consists mainly of mountains, with narrow plains along the coasts.
- A large undeveloped lowland jungle, La Mosquitia lies in the northeast, and the heavily populated lowland Sula valley in the northwest.
- In La Mosquitia lies the UNESCO world-heritage site Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve, with the Coco River which divides Honduras from Nicaragua.
- Honduras has a 700-kilometer (430-mile) Caribbean coastline extending from the mouth of the Río Motagua in the west to the mouth of the Río Coco in the east, at Cape Gracias a Dios.
Geography of Honduras
Region:
Central America
Area:
Ranked 101st
Capital:
Tegucigalpa
Population:
9,587,522
Bordering Countries:
It is situated between Guatemala and El Salvador to the west and Nicaragua to the south and east. The Caribbean Sea washes its northern coast, the Pacific Ocean its narrow coast to the south.
Total Size:
43,433 sq mi
Geographical Coordinates:
15°00′N 86°30′W
World Region or Continent:
North America
General Terrain:
Mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains
Geographical Low Point:
Caribbean Sea
Geographical High Point:
Cerro Las Minas
Climate:
- Honduras has a Tropical climate and Temperate climate in the highlands.
- 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.
Major cities:
- Tegucigalpa
- San Pedro Sula
- Choloma
- La Ceiba
- El Progreso
- Choluteca
- Comayagua
- Puerto Cortés
- La Lima
- Danlí
- Siquatepeque
- Catacamas
- Juticalpa
- Tocoa
- Villanueva
- Tela
- Olanchito
- Santa Rosa de Copán
- San Lorenzo
- Cofradía
Major Land forms:
Honduras has four distinct regions:
- The central highlands,
- Pacific lowlands,
- Eastern Caribbean lowlands, and
- Northern coastal plains and mountains
Major Rivers and Lakes:
Major rivers:
- Coco River
- Cruta River
- Nakunta River
- Mocorón River
- Warunta River
- Patuca River
- Wampú River
- Guayambre River
- Guayape River
- Tinto River
- Talgua River
- Telica River
- Jalan River
- Sigre River
- Plátano River
Major Lakes:
Lake Yojoa (Lago de Yojoa) is the only large natural lake in Honduras.
Natural Resources:
Natural Resources are timber, gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore, antimony, coal, fish, hydropower
Major Geographical Features:
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 Gulf of Fonseca are characterized by alluvial plains.
Oceans:
The Caribbean Sea and The North Pacific Ocean.
Islands:
- The Honduras.
- Cayos Cochinos.
- Guanaja.
- Isla del Tigre.
- Isla Zacate Grande.
- Little Swan Island.
Departments of Honduras:
- Atlántida
- Choluteca
- Colón
- Comayagua
- Copán
- Cortés
- El Paraíso
- Francisco Morazán
- Gracias a Dios
- Intibucá
- Islas de la Bahía
- La Paz
- Lempira
- Ocotepeque
- Olancho
- Santa Bárbara
- Valle
- Yoro
See Also:
References:
- Wikipedia – Geography of Honduras
- countryreports.org – Geography of Honduras
- thoughtco.com – Geography of Honduras
- kids.nationalgeographic.com – Geography of Honduras
- adventure-life.com – Geography of Honduras
