Geography |
The Republic of Honduras, located in Central America, is bounded on the north and east by the Caribbean Sea, on the south by Nicaragua, on the south-west by the Pacific Ocean and El Salvador and on the west by Guatemala. It has an area of 112 090 km2.
About 60 percent of Honduras is an upland plateau with broad, fertile plains broken by deep valleys and mountain ranges. The country´s highest point is 2 849 m above sea level in the Cerros de Celaque mountain range, but most Honduran mountains are much lower.
The coastal plain the north-west is an agricultural area, largely devoted to the production of bananas. The central coastal plain is largely undeveloped with grasslands, swamps, and palm and pine forests. The north-eastern plain, or Mosquito Coast (Mosquitia), is the least developed, largely covered with tropical rain forests, grasslands and pine and palm forests.
A narrow plain lies along the southern coast on the Gulf of Fonseca. Stands of mangroves line the shore, with mostly agricultural land inland.
Navigable Atlantic rivers include the Ulúa, which drains approximately one-third of the country, and the Coco.
The climate of Honduras is tropical, but temperatures in the interior are relatively cool due to the elevation. The coastal lowlands have an average yearly temperature of 31° C, with high humidity and little seasonal change, while Tegucigalpa, at 936 m above sea level, has an average of 23° C. The capital´s temperature rarely rises above 32° C in May, the warmest month, and seldom falls below 10° C in December, the coolest month.
Average annual rainfall ranges from 1 000 mm in some mountain valleys to 2 500 mm along the north-eastern coast. There is a dry season from November to May, although precipitation occurs throughout the year in the north-east. The northern coast is subject to hurricanes.
The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.