9781422286562

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Honduras—The Knee of Central America

treeless landscape within the next 20 years. However, there are still largely untouched areas, especially in the Mosquitia region. Animals that roam the hidden regions include jaguars, armadillos, wild pigs, monkeys and alliga- tors. Abundant bird life, such as toucans, herons and kingfishers, still can be seen, too. The Land: Three Different Regions Honduras has three different topographical regions—a large interior high- land area and two narrow coastal lowlands. The interior highlands, which make up nearly 80 percent of the country’s terrain, is mountainous. The mountain ranges generally run from west to east, but some valleys wander north and south, such as the large Comayagua Valley of central Honduras. The larger Caribbean lowlands in the north and the Pacific lowlands bor- dering the Golfo de Fonseca are mainly broad, wet plains. Interior Highlands The interior highlands are the chief feature of Honduran topography and are home to most of the population. However, because the rugged terrain has made both travel and farming difficult, this area has not been highly developed. The generally fertile soils, containing lava and volcanic ash, produce coffee, tobacco, wheat, corn, sorghum , beans, fruits, and vegetables. Farmers also raise cattle, poultry, and pigs. In the western area of the interior highlands, Honduras’s mountains blend into the mountain ranges of Guatemala. The western mountains have the highest peaks, with Pico Congolón at an elevation of 8,200 feet (2,500 m)