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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 Río Ulúa near the
Guatemalan
border, is Honduras's most developed area. Both Puerto
Cortés, 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.
Data as of December 1993
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