Honduras’

MiskitoText and photos by George Stoyle Cays 49 X-RAY MAG : 59 : 2014 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO Diver swims along the edge of a reef covered Miskito Cays travel in marine life, Miskito Cays, Honduras

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Following six flights, two nights and a 30-hour boat trip, I found myself approaching a relatively uncharted group of small coral cays about 60km off the northeast coast of Honduras, not far from the Nicaraguan border. I joined a group of scien- tists from various institutions around the world, assigned to document their activities and photograph the habi- tats and associated wildlife both above and below the water. Embarking on the Pearl II from Utila, one of the Bay Islands a few miles off the north coast of Honduras, we made our way along the coast to an area unknown to the region’s tour- ist diving operations. As we got close to the cays, our crew grew increasingly nervous, perhaps jus- tifiably so. This part of Honduras has long been a major route for cocaine trafficking into the United States from South America, and the region through which we were sailing was well-known for its use were boarded ourselves by five The archipelago islands and sand bars are dis- inhabit communities along the the blood-sucking insects) La by certain cartels who preferred soldiers armed to the teeth, car- The Miskito Cays form an archi- persed across 750 squ km of shal- coast of both countries. The Mosquitia. moving their cargo by sea. rying out a pre-arranged search) pelago spanning both Honduran low seabed. The area is named region is known as the Miskito La Mosquitia is in some ways However, the apparently efficient provided a vague form of com- and Nicaraguan waters. On after the indigenous people of Coast, or more accurately (the the wild west of Central America. military presence in the area (we fort, and so we continued. the Honduran side, 49 tiny coral the region, the Miskitos, who name has nothing to do with The region is tropical rainforest

50 X-RAY MAG : 59 : 2014 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO travel Miskito Cays

September 21 & 22, 2013 (Saturday & Sunday) PhoenixDiveShow.com

October 5 & 6, 2013 (Saturday & Sunday) StlouisDiveShow.com

October 11 & 12, 2013 ( Friday & Saturday) CarolinaDiveShow.com

January 25 & 26, 2014 LEFT TO RIGHT: Christmas tree worms; Social feather-duster worms; Midnight and rainbow parrotfish (Saturday & Sunday) BaltimoreDiveShow.com is scuba diving, 80ft in length are packed with 100 to close the waters surrounding wilderness forming the greatest but this remains men. Divers, assisted by canoeists, the Miskito Cays to industrial fish- continuous expanse of tropi- relatively primi- who follow them from the surface, ing. They are proposing an area cal forest north of the Amazon. tive and danger- make multiple dives to depths of of 1.45 million hectares to be the Sparsely populated the area has ous, relying for 120 feet or more. Incidents result- exclusive use of a locally man- an exceptionally high diversity of the most part ing from incorrect procedures or aged, small-scale artisanal fishing flora and fauna. It is only accessi- on basic, poorly malfunctioning equipment have fleet using improved fishing meth- February 22 & 23, 2014 ble by water or air and much of it maintained become common-place. ods, that don’t include scuba. (Saturday & Sunday) TexasDiveShow.com remains unexplored. equipment with Many divers have lost their lives, In order to realise this ambitious Although tourism exists, the little regard for and many more have permanent, proposal, the relevant Miskito region only attracts a few hardy the safety of debilitating injuries resulting from communities will not only require explorers each year, so there is the diver. As decompression related illness. retraining in new fishing methods no actual tourist infrastructure to the popula- More than 1,000 permanently but also a solid management speak of. The area’s inhabitants tions have been disabled men are left scattered in strategy that combines fishing reg- include four indigenous groups overfished, the remote communities of La Moskitia ulations with marine spatial plans. (the Pech, Tawaka, Garifuna and remaining lobster as a result of diving for these fish- Community leaders have speci- Miskito) with the majority com- Risky fisheries and conch have been driven into eries. fied these plans must identify and www.usdiveshows.com posed of who live For over 40 years these fisheries deeper waters. Human casualties protect critical habitats, nursery facebook.com/usdiveshows on the coast. With few available have continued with exception- from diving associated incidents Proposed protected area grounds and other ecologically livelihoods, many of the men from ally poor management resulting in have risen as a consequence, The effect this is having on many important areas. these remote villages work in the unsustainable exploitation not only and now there are around 120 communities is now becoming As with many remote locations, industrial fisheries for lobster and of the marine resources, but also diving accidents per fishing sea- apparent, and now many of the the environmental impact of sus- conch, and more recently, sea of the fishermen themselves. son with around 20 being fatal. indigenous groups are calling tained exploitation of industrial fish- cucumbers. The primary method of fishing Industrial fishing vessels around on the Honduran government eries around the Miskito Cays have,

51 X-RAY MAG : 59 : 2014 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO Deepwater sea fans; Yellowline arrowcrab travel (below) Miskito Cays to date, largely been ignored. Due Research program to the relative isolation of the area, In collaboration with a team the past and current condition of international research- of the ecosystem and its regional ers from the Smithsonian significance is essentially unknown. Institution, Harbor Branch This lack of information is one of Oceanographic Institute, the largest hurdles preventing University of Queensland these communities from develop- in Australia, University of ing their plans further. Manchester in the United

Kingdom, and a Honduran non- tion to enable the Miskito commu- for the condition of the coral how these reefs are connected governmental organisation—the nities to move forward with their reefs and associated biodiver- to other Honduran and western Centre for Marine Studies—Dr sustainable fisheries and marine sity. Ultimately, the objectives are Caribbean marine ecosystems. Steve Box, a marine biologist management proposal. to assist both local groups and The study will also be used as part from the Smithsonian Institution A central part of this program the government of Honduras of ongoing comparative research has developed a multi-discipli- is to gather essential ecological move towards the sustainable programs across the entire nary research program in order data of the Miskito Cays region use of their marine resources Caribbean. to provide the missing informa- in order to establish a baseline and improve understanding of Yellowline goby peering out from a great star coral colony

52 X-RAY MAG : 59 : 2014 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO Deepwater sea fans travel Miskito Cays

Research activities Combined, this The schedule was rigorous, involv- research will greatly ing both underwater and terres- improve understand- trial surveys. A small team took ing of the physical, the tender vessel and landed on environmental and as many of the cays as possible ecological context to ground-truth various satellite of the proposed imagery and bathymetric charts. Honduran Miskito A team of divers conducted Cays marine area. surveys to assess the abundance of corals, algae and fishes using a Diving standardised reef monitoring pro- Following our tocol, while individual divers were slightly un-nerving responsible for collecting various run-in with the samples for later lab analyses. Honduran Navy, we These were used to assess the approached the severity and prevalence of coral first of the northern diseases along with the diversity group of cays. Some and abundance of sponges and were no more than algal communities. Genetic anal- slightly elevated yses was used to uncover patterns patches of sand, of dispersal for three commercial only just visible fisheries species and an endan- above the water, gered coral species among the while others were reefs of the northern and southern well-established areas. small islands with

dense vegetation providing habi- area were scarce. Although not Although the Miskito Cays are tat for large numbers of breed- thought to be vastly different from known for fishing, they are far ing seabirds. Ringed by thin strips other coral reefs in the Western away from the mainland, which of white sand gently sloping into Caribbean, nobody really knew limits direct land-based human vivid turquoise lagoons, the cays what to expect. impacts. These reefs therefore were almost stereotypically beau- Many reefs throughout the have the potential to be compar- tiful—exactly what one would entire Caribbean have suffered atively healthier than their coun- expect from remote coral islands significant declines over the last terparts in other locations. in the Caribbean. 30 years. This decline, however, is Secretly hoping for crystal clear An air of excitement and mostly described on reefs close to water, whale sharks, manta rays anticipation filled the boat as we areas of human population and and pristine coral reefs like no prepared for our first dive. Due thought to be caused partly by a living soul has seen before, my to its relative inaccessibility, this combination of human-induced descent onto the first reef was region was largely unknown to pressures such as overdevelop- one of mixed emotions. While still divers, and reports describing the ment, pollution and overfishing. excited to be diving this unex- Chain moray eel; Solitary gorgonian hydroid (right)

53 X-RAY MAG : 59 : 2014 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO Diver examines life on cliff face; Knobby sea rod travel (below) Miskito Cays als die, faster growing species tions were a common feature such as algae quickly become on many of the dives, some in established leaving little room for better condition than others. The new corals to settle. Although a last dive of the second day was major problem now affecting all particularly memorable, not so the world’s coral reefs, the lack of much for marine life encountered species diversity, in comparison to but rather the ancient towering reefs of the Indo Pacific, means coral colonies, formed from layer some parts of the Caribbean upon layer of growth, where the have been particularly badly upper surface is alive built on affected. top of previously deposited rock Massive boulder coral forma- skeleton. The pinnacles formed cathedral-like structures creat- ing a labyrinth of pillars, caves and tunnels almost eerie in the fad- ing daylight. Gliding under- neath some of these imposing coral masses, I frequently noticed impres- sive bushes of black coral, a

plored region, my initial reaction Impressive reef structures, at first Reef health lions of years, coral was one of slight disappointment. silhouetted in the gloom, came These highly competitive inter- communities have A storm from a few days earlier into view, covered in myriad forms actions are what make coral been highly resilient, had stirred up the water, and of life. The intricate shapes of reefs among the most biodi- able to recover from the visibility was not as good as black coral bushes and delicate verse ecosystems on the planet. most major environ- expected. The main purpose of wire corals hung from the sides of Conversely, they are also respon- mental disturbances. my visit here was to provide habi- massive colonies of Montastraea, sible for a fundamental, and rela- Nowadays, how- tat images of the coral reefs, so large reef-building corals that tively recent problem. Maybe no ever, much of that my intention was to shoot almost provide a foothold for numerous more than 50 years ago, coral resilience has been exclusively wide-angle. The smaller coral species. Sea whips, mortality on well-established reefs lost, most probably amount of suspended sediment sea fans, sponges, tunicates, was not a major issue. Indeed, due to increasingly in the water column was going to macroalgae, encrusting algae mass mortality as a result of coral frequent and persist- make this task slightly more chal- and fire corals also competed for bleaching or disease is a compar- ent human-induced lenging than anticipated! any available space. atively new phenomenon. For mil- disturbances. As cor- Elkhorn coral

54 X-RAY MAG : 59 : 2014 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO Juvenile parrot- fish on staghorn travel Miskito Cays natural stressors. Due to their was expecting, there were some dramatic decline, Acropora massive formations here, some corals have become some- with branches a metre or so in thing of a rarity, so it’s diameter, perhaps the largest always a pleasure to find I’ve ever seen. Amazingly, many areas where they still thrive. of the colonies here, as I’ve seen Although not as dense in other areas, were growing just a thicket of elkhorn as I beneath the surface. Because

species known as Antipatharia healthy reefs or reefs in a state of I skipped one dive in favour of of the depth, or rather which, despite their name actu- significant growth or recovery are a snorkel in shallow water close to lack of it, I relied on ally look like giant red sea fans. becoming all too scarce. a cay called Caratasca. A small natural light for photog- Unlike other areas I’ve dived in team had gone ashore earlier raphy. Hampered once the Western Caribbean, these Elkhorn and staghorn coral that day and reported a number again by fairly poor vis- striking black coral bushes were A number of fine stands of stag- of elkhorn coral colonies in the ibility and struggling to a regular sight on many of the horn coral (Acropora cervicornis), shallows. Elkhorn coral (Acropora compose shots due to dives here and were reminiscent intricate branching corals that palmata), like its close relative being underweighted, of some of the dense gorgonian were almost completely wiped staghorn, was once an abundant and possibly not as forests I’ve encountered in the out by white band disease in reef-building species common proficient at breath- Pacific. the early 1980s, were seen on throughout Caribbean reefs pro- holding as I used to be, Although we encountered a fair a number of dives. Prior to the viding much of the foundation I managed one or two share of reefs in less than favoura- 1980s, these corals were respon- and structure. Suffering the same acceptable images. ble condition, either besieged by sible for much of the structural fate as staghorn, elkhorn coral algae, soft corals and sponges, or complexity of Caribbean reefs also died off at an alarming rate Heading south deteriorating as a result of disease providing numerous species with and before long 95 percent of After two days diving or bleaching, we also noted some shelter from predation. Loss of this both species had declined. White the northern group of encouraging signs of resilience complexity has profoundly altered band disease, which only affects cays, we made our providing a little optimism that the the biodiversity of many reefs so these two Acropora species, is still way to the group in reefs here could have potential to to see even small, healthy patch- something of a mystery although the south closer to the sustain themselves. In many parts es of Acropora anywhere in the almost certainly has some con- Nicaraguan border, of the Caribbean, indications of Caribbean is reassuring indeed. nection to increased human and much to the consterna- Elkhorn coral (above); Detail of staghorn coral branch (top right)

55 X-RAY MAG : 59 : 2014 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO TOP TO BOTTOM: Shoal of blue tang; Christmas tree travel worms; Hermit crab Miskito Cays number of striking similarities with more isolated reefs found further to the south around Panama. WORKSHOPS & PHOTO TOURS Some of the reefs around Earthinfocus offer a variety of workshops and photo tours. the southern group of cays, One-to-one, or in very small groups, award winning at least the ones we dived, photographers will be your guide, ecologist, and tutor. were markedly different from New to photography or simply want to improve your those in the north in that they technical skills? Try our dedicated tuition days for adhered more to classic ‘spur landscapes, wildlife or underwater, taking you from camera and groove’ formations rather to print. Or combine the above over several days, bespoke than massive boulders and to your individual needs. towering pinnacles. Reef fish abundance also TALKS Telling stories and inspiring others is what Earthinfocus appeared slightly higher, does. Multimedia talks cover a range of subjects - animal although some species such ecology, conservation, photo techniques and stories from as grouper were still noticeably WKH¿HOG absent—not surprising, as they are a valuable fisheries target. PRINTS Another noticeable aspect of $ZLGHUDQJHRIFDQYDVDQG¿QHDUWSULQWVIURPWKH Earthinfocus Collection including limited editions of these southern reefs were the spectacular wildlife and landscapes. Be inspired by sheer number of different spe- remarkable images of the natural cies crammed into relatively ZRUOGDWKRPHRULQWKHRI¿FH small areas. Although this was evident on the reefs to the CALENDAR north, as it generally is in any Stunning art adorns the Earthinfocus calendar making it coral reef community, some of the ideal organiser to brighten the reefs here appeared par- your wall. Each captivating ticularly muddled and chaotic. image is accompanied by a In comparison to their Indo compelling narrative giving you an Pacific counterparts, which, insight into the featured animals and places. It’s a perfect gift. capital, our crew were put slightly Part of the research being undertaken to me, appear neat, tidy and at ease after we were assured here was to assess whether the reefs somewhat well-organised, FOLLOW US that the Honduran Navy was still around the northern and southern Miskito many Caribbean reefs looked on exercises in the area and were Cays are connected, not only to each like they had been haphazardly /earthinfocus nearby should we need them. other but also to the Mesoamerican thrown together by a madman. /earth1nfocus Barrier Reef System (MBRS). The Diversity of sponges on these MBRS stretches all the way from southern reefs was particularly the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico striking with numerous forms apparently ending at the Bay and colours covering many of For the latest news, images, workshops, Islands in Honduras. If data col- the Montastraea colonies in SKRWRWRXUVDQGVWRULHVIURPWKH¿HOG lected during the survey could a tangled profusion of bright show that the Miskito Reefs purple, yellow and red, often Check out www.earthinfocus.com were connected to the MBRS, stretching out into the water tion of our crew who were becoming this boundary could effectively column like ancient wizened more anxious by the day. Reluctant to be extended by about 400km. fingers. go much further due to security con- Interestingly, casual observations Closer inspection on these southern skimming over star corals, purple tipped cerns, we were fortunate that one of during the expedition suggested reefs, and most in the north, revealed the tentacles of giant anemones protruding our team worked for the U.S. Embassy. the northern group of cays may usual array of Caribbean macro species. from crevices, clumps of neon blue and Following a quick call via satellite well be connected, whereas Exquisite feather duster worms gently orange tunicates, tiny, elusive and rather phone to his office in the Honduran the southern group showed a swaying in the current, yellowline bobies alien looking solitary gorgonian hydroids,

56 X-RAY MAG : 59 : 2014 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO Spanish Stoplight parrotfish cleaned dancer by juvenile bluehead wrasse; nudibranch Sea lettuce nudibranch travel (lower right) Miskito Cays mon sight on most was suddenly faced with a roving Caribbean reefs, shoal of 60-70 midnight parrotfish, but others are a little with a number of juvenile rainbows more enigmatic, and amongst them, swooping over the in many locations, reef like a cloak of black, iridescent either completely blue and green. absent or just down- Undeterred by my presence, right rare. the fish were feeding voraciously, Two of the largest scraping algae from rocks and and most strikingly coral heads, circling an area again beautiful parrotfish and again to ensure all food was species are the mid- consumed. This is what makes par- night and the rain- rotfish so crucial on coral reefs. In bow, which fall into sufficient numbers they can keep this category. I had large areas of reef clear of algae seen one or two opening up crucial settlement midnights before, space for new corals. Without but only occasion- these keystone species, many reefs ally and only ever at quickly become overwhelmed by one dive site on an algae, which soon replaces corals island about 400km as the dominant species—a proc- northwest. I had ess known as a phase shift, and one never seen a rainbow which is very difficult to reverse. parrotfish. Imagine Large shoals of midnight parrotfish my surprise then as I were seen on at least three dives.

and the highly appropriately named let- tuce sea slug, to mention but a few. A number of docile nurse sharks were Photographing to minimise my breathing to reduce bub- also seen and, a real treat for me, were them was initially bles and hoping they would swim toward the discovery of two spectacular nudi- fairly exhausting. me. This ambush technique worked with branchs I had not seen before: a purple- I soon realised limited success, as the fish would invari- spotted sea goddess and a Spanish trying to chase ably detect me from a distance and usu- dancer, the latter of which provided them over the ally swim the other way. As ever, the vis- some great photo opportunities, as it reef was futile ibility wasn’t great, but I managed a few twisted and gyrated through the water and so attempt- acceptable images. column. ed something a little more strate- Sea urchins Caribbean parrotfish gic. Another encouraging sign that the reefs Although general reef fish diversity was On each here may have slightly higher resilience not strikingly different to reefs in other encounter, the than those elsewhere in the region with areas of the Western Caribbean, there fish seemed to potential to sustain themselves, were were some unusual and encouraging circle the area a higher than average numbers of long- encounters on a few of the dives. Having number of times. spined sea urchins (Diadema antillarum). spent some time studying Caribbean After watching With a function similar to parrotfish parrotfish and their role in maintaining them at a dis- these urchins are, or rather were, an healthy reefs, I’m always on the lookout tance for a few important herbivore throughout the for this charismatic species, particularly minutes, I would Caribbean, freeing up critical settle- when in large numbers. choose a suit- ment space for new corals by consum- entire Caribbean due to an unidentified Some species, such as the small and able position and ing algae. In 1983, however, the species pathogen. The consequences in some unassuming striped parrotfish, are a com- lie in wait, trying declined by over 97 percent across the areas were devastating, as large areas of Redband parrotfish cleaned by juvenile bluehead wrasse

57 X-RAY MAG : 59 : 2014 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO travel Miskito Cays CLOCKWISE FROM RIGHT: Researcher on Becerros Cay ground-truthing satellite imagery with dive boat in the background; Magnificent frig- atebirds roosting on low branches and coming in to land; Extensive roots of mangroves; Forest clearing on Becerros Cay

On the beach, the decrepit remains of an old fishermen’s hut provided a perch for a few frig- ates while the rest sat on nests or branches among the mangroves at the wider end of the cay. It was nesting season, so the major- ity of birds were tending their young, which sat, dinosaur-like for suitable prey. Although com- they then catch waiting for their next meal. monly using their large talons and consume Frigates, at least when they and hooked beaks to catch fish as it falls. Having reach adulthood (the chicks by skimming the surface of the the opportunity aren’t the most attractive look- water, they are also piratical in to walk among ing creatures), are majestic birds, nature, frequently harassing other this colony with appearing almost spectre-like, birds forcing them to regurgitate my camera and as they circle above scouting their stomach contents, which experience the sights, sounds and smells was a rare treat and an absolute pleas- ure.

coral reef were quickly overgrown diving, I had the opportunity to Afterthoughts by persistent mats of algae. join the terrestrial team on an This was hopefully the first in Communities in achieving their Although still not recovered to exploratory excursion to one of a series of expeditions to the goal of establishing a solid man- anything like their pre-1983 num- the cays. Appropriately named Honduran Miskito Cays. Surveys agement strategy to protect their bers, some recent reports have Stinky Cay by the locals, the tiny will need to be repeated through- fisheries from continued exploita- described a number of local island was a thin strip of sand and out the year in order to build up tion and their fishermen from fur- recoveries and signs of associ- low-level vegetation teeming with a solid picture of the past and ther harm. ■ ated regeneration of coral reefs. seabirds. Magnificent frigatebirds current condition of the area’s It is possible some of the Miskito accounted for most of these ecosystems as well as to identify George Stoyle is a marine ecolo- reefs could be included. but there were also a number of critical habitats, nursery grounds gist, coral reef researcher and brown boobies and masked boo- and other ecologically important underwater photographer based Stinky Cay bies most of which were nesting areas. This information is crucial in the United Kingdom. For more During another brief respite from on the ground. if we are to assist the Miskito information, visit: Earthinfocus.com

58 X-RAY MAG : 59 : 2014 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO nasa Frigatebird chicks in the nest (right and bottom left), Miskito Cays, fact file Honduras Miskito Cays, Honduras 90%, Amerindian 7%, black RIGHT: Location of 2%, white 1%. Religions: Honduras on glo- Roman Catholic 97%, bal map. BELOW: Protestant 3%. Internet Location of Miskito users: 731,700 (2009) Cays on map of Sources: U.S. cia world factbook, XE.COM, 1 Honduras wikipedia.org Language Spanish is the official language, plus History Named for the Miskito as a safe haven. Honduras was clearing of land for there are Amerindian dia- Indians who live in the region, also allied with the Salvadoran agriculture result in de- lects. the Miskito Cays are found on government against leftist guer- forestation; uncontrolled Health the Caribbean rillas. In the late 90’s, Hurrican development and farm- SWAN Travellers Caribbean Sea ISLANDS (or Miskito Coast), which histori- Mitch hit Honduras causing vast ing of marginal lands further should talk cally comprised an area on the devastation and killing 5,600 degrade the land and erode the BELIZE with a doc- east coast of today’s Honduras people. The Honduras economy soil; mining operations are pollut- Guanaja tor for latest ISLAS DE LA BAHIA and . Long dominated has made a slow recovery since ing the country’s largest freshwater foreign Puerto Roatán inoculation Cortes Utila by British interests, it wasn’t until then. Government: Democratic source, Lago de Yojoa, and many direct investment. Puerto recommen- in 1894 that the Mosquito Coast constitutional republic. Capital: rivers and streams, with heavy met- However, political GUAT. Tela La Castilla dations and was incorporated into Nicaragua. Tegucigalpa als. and physical insecu- San Ceiba anti-malaria Pedro Finally, in 1960, the northern part rity, crime and the Santa Rosa advice. de Copán Sula was granted to Honduras by the Geography Honduras is Economy With 65% of its popu- perception of cor- Juticalpa MISKITO International Court of Justice.1 located in Central America. lation living in poverty, Honduras ruption, may scare Comayagua CAYS Miskito Cerro Las Honduras was itself part of the On the east side, it borders is one of the poorest countries in off potential inves- Minas TEGUCIGALPA Cays area vast Spanish empire in the New the Caribbean Sea, between Latin America. It also has the high- tors. Modest eco- At the World, and finally gained its Guatemala and Nicaragua. est murder rate in the world. Rural nomic growth from San Danlí moment, the independence in 1821. It wasn’t On the west side, it borders the and indigenous people in the 2010 to 2012 was not EL SALVADOR Lorenzo area has not until 1982 that there was a freely Gulf of Fonseca, leading to the south, west, and along the east- enough to improve Choluteca established elected government following North Pacific Ocean, between El ern border suffer higher poverty living standards of a Golfo de NICARAGUA any tourism over 20 years of military rule. The Salvador and Nicaragua. Terrain rates than those in the north and majority of the coun- Fonseca diving, so no country experienced conflict in is comprised of narrow coastal central areas, where the majority try’s poor. A growing stated limits the 80’s, as anti-Sandinista contras plains, with mountains in the inte- of the country’s infrastructure and budget deficit, weak are in place. fighting the Marxist government rior. Coastline: Caribbean Sea industries are based. Education, current account per- NORTH In the Miskitia in Nicaragua used Honduras 669km; Gulf of Fonseca 163km. while enjoying nearly 100 percent formance, unpaid PACIFIC itself, there Lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0m. enrollment, is poor in quality, and salaries of public OCEAN are no dive Highest point: Cerro Las Minas hence, slow to improve the situ- sector workers, and facilities, so 2,870m. ation for the poor. Unequal distri- several hundred million in unpaid Decompression chamber guests go by liveabord from the bution of income is extreme, and contracts to suppliers continue to Roatán has the closest chamber Bay Islands. When the area is Climate Lowlands are subtropi- there is high underemployment. plague the government. at Anthony’s Cay Resort. There zoned for Miskitu use, authorities cal while mountainous areas have Honduras has diversified its export are also chambers at the main may charge a user fee for divers, a temperate climate. Natural base beyond coffee and banan- Currency Honduran lem- hospitals in La Ceiba, San Pedro as a way of generating revenue, hazards include earthquakes that as to include automobile wire har- piras (HNL). Exchange rates: Sula and Tegucigalpa. and then specify dive sites and are frequent but mild, for the most nessing and apparel. Almost half 1EUR=27.25HNL, 1USD=20HNL, other things as part of their marine part, as well as hurricanes and of the country’s economic activ- 1GBP=32.80HNL, 1AUD=17.87HNL, Travel/Visa spatial plan, but that is a way off. floods on the Caribbean coast. ity is tied directly to the United 1SGD=15.74HNL Free tourist visa granted on entry States. In 2006, the U.S.-Central for 90 days. Renewable for a fur- Websites Environmental issues Chal- America-Dominican Republic Free Population 8,448,465 (July ther 90 days in country. There is a Honduras Tourism lenges stem from the expansion Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) 2013 est.) Ethnic groups: Tmestizo US$40 departure tax paid in cash www.letsgohonduras.com of urban population; logging and came into effect helping to foster (Amerindian and European mix) on exit.

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