Situated in Central America, Honduras has a total area of 112,090 sq km (43,278 sq mi), with a length of 663 km (412 mi) ene–wsw and 317 km (197 mi) nnw–sse. Comparatively, the area occupied by Honduras is slightly larger than the state of Tennessee. It is bounded on the n and e by the Caribbean Sea, on the s by Nicaragua and the Gulf of Fonseca, on the sw by El Salvador, and on the w by Guatemala, with a total boundary length of 2,340 km (1,454 mi), of which 820 km (509 mi) is coastline.
Under the terms of an arbitration award made by Alfonso XIII of Spain
in 1906, Honduras received a portion of the Mosquito (Miskito) Coast,
or La Mosquitia, north and west of the Coco (Segovia) River. Citing
Honduras's failure to integrate the territory, Nicaragua renewed its
claim to the entire Mosquito Coast in the 1950s and brought the case to
the International Court of Justice (ICJ). In February 1957, Honduras
created the new Department of Gracias a Dios, made up of the former
Mosquitia territory. The ICJ determined in 1960 that Nicaragua was
obligated to accept the 1906 arbitration ruling concerning that
country's boundary with Honduras. The judges ruled, by a vote of 14–1,
that once a valid arbitration award was made in an international
dispute, it became effective, and remained so, despite any lapse of time
in carrying it out.
The two tiny Swan Islands (Islas del Cisne), lying at 17°23′ n and 83°56′ w in the west Caribbean Sea some 177 km (110 mi) nne of Patuca Point, were officially ceded by the United States to Honduras on 20 November 1971. For administrative purposes, they are included under the Department of Islas de la Bahía, whose capital is Roatán on Roatán
Island. The Swan Islands had been effectively held by the United
States, which asserted a claim in 1863 to exploit guano, and had housed a
weather station and an aviation post.
The capital city of Honduras, Tegucigalpa, is located in the south central part of the country.
TOPOGRAPHY
Honduras is mountainous, with the exception of the northern Ulúa and Aguán
river valleys on the Caribbean Sea and the southern coastal area. There
are four main topographic regions: the eastern lowlands and lower
mountain slopes, with 20% of the land area and no more than 5% of the
population; the northern coastal plains and mountain slopes, with 13% of
the land and about 20% of the population; the central highlands, with
65% of the area and 70% of the population; and the Pacific lowlands and
their adjacent lower mountain slopes, with 2% of the area and 5% of the
population.
The width of the Caribbean coastal plain varies from practically no
shore to about 120 km (75 mi), and the coastal plain of the Gulf of
Fonseca is generally narrow. The highest elevations are in the northwest
(almost 3,000 m/10,000 ft) and in the south (over 2,400 m/8,000 ft).
Many intermontane valleys, at elevations of 910 to 1,370 m (3,000 to
4,500 ft), are settled. The old capital city, Comayagua, lies in a deep
rift that cuts the country from north to south. Tegucigalpa, the modern
capital, is situated in the southern high-lands at about 910 m (3,000
ft). There are two large rivers in the north, the Patuca and the Ulúa. Other important features include the Choluteca, Nacaome, and Goascorán rivers in the south, Lake Yojoa in the west, and Caratasca Lagoon in the northeast.
CLIMATE
The northern Caribbean area and the southern coastal plain have a
wet, tropical climate, but the interior is drier and cooler. Temperature
varies with altitude. The coastal lowlands average 31°c (88°f); from 300 to 760 m (1,000 to 2,500 ft) above sea level the average is 29°c (84°f); and above 760 m (2,500 ft) the average temperature is 23°c (73°f).
There are two seasons: a rainy period, from May through October, and a
dry season, from November through April. Average annual rainfall varies
from over 240 cm (95 in) along the northern coast to about 84 cm (33 in)
around Tegucigalpa in the south. The northwest coast is vulnerable to
hurricanes, of which the most destructive, Hurricane Fifi in September
1974, claimed some 12,000 lives, caused $200 million in property damage,
and devastated the banana plantations.
FLORA AND FAUNA
Honduras has a rich and varied flora and fauna. Tropical trees,
ferns, moss, and orchids abound, especially in the rain forest areas.
Mammal life includes the anteater, armadillo, coyote, deer, fox,
peccary, pocket gopher, porcupine, puma, tapir, and monkeys in several
varieties. Fish and turtles are numerous in both fresh water and marine
varieties. Among the reptiles are the bushmaster, coral snake,
fer-de-lance, horned viper, rattlesnake, and whip snake, caiman,
crocodile, and iguana. Birds include the black robin, hummingbird,
macaw, nightingale, thrush, partridge, quail, quetzal, toucanet, wren,
and many others. As of 2002, there were at least 173 species of mammals,
232 species of birds, and over 5,600 species of plants throughout the
country.
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