Geography of Honduras: Difference between revisions

One of the most prominent features of the interior highlands is a depression that runs from the Caribbean Sea to the Gulf of Fonseca.<ref name=":1" /> This depression splits the country's [[cordillera]]s into eastern and western parts and provides a relatively easy transportation route across the isthmus.<ref name=":1" /> Widest at its northern end near [[San Pedro Sula]], the depression narrows as it follows the upper course of the Río Humuya.<ref name=":1" /> Passing first through Comayagua and then through narrow passes south of the city, the depression widens again as it runs along the border of El Salvador into the Gulf of Fonseca.<ref name=":1" />

[[Image:Honduras land 1983.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|A land use map of Honduras, 1983.]]

Scattered throughout the interior highlands are numerous flat-floored valleys, at {{convert|300|to|900 |meters}} in elevation, which vary in size.<ref name=":1" /> The floors of the large valleys provide sufficient grass, shrubs, and dry woodland to support livestock and, in some cases, commercial agriculture.<ref name=":1" /> [[Subsistence agriculture]] has been relegated to the slopes of the valleys, with the limitations of small-sized holdings, primitive technology, and low productivity that traditionally accompany hillside cultivation.<ref name=":1" /> Villages and towns, including the capital, Tegucigalpa, are tucked in the larger valleys.<ref name=":1" />

The ground in deforested areas is absorbing all the water as well. The largest source of freshwater in Honduras, [[Lake Yojoa]], is on the verge of turning into a swamp. This is due to the high rate of pollution and logging as well. Lake Yojoa is also being polluted by heavy metals from local mining activities. Lake Yojoa is home to more than 400 species of birds, but the area surrounding the lake is suffering from deforestation and water pollution. However, not only Lake Yojoa is being polluted with heavy metals, nearby rivers and streams are also being polluted.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Tucker |first1=Christine |title=Comparative Spatial Analyses of Forest Conservation and Change in Honduras and Guatemala |journal=Conservation & Society |date=January–June 2005 |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=174–200|url=http://www.conservationandsociety.org/article.asp?issn=0972-4923;year=2005;volume=3;issue=1;spage=174;epage=200;aulast=Tucker}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bass |first1=Joby |title=Message in the Plaza: Landscape, Landscaping, and Forest Discourse in Honduras |journal=Geographical Review |date=October 2005 |volume=95 |issue=4 |pages=556–577|doi=10.1111/j.1931-0846.2005.tb00381.x|s2cid=161952241 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Honduras: Environmental Profile |url=https://rainforests.mongabay.com/20honduras.htm |website=rainforests.mongabay.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Southworth |first1=Jane |title=The Influence of Accessibility, Local Institutions, and Socioeconomic Factors on Forest Cover Change in the Mountains of Western Honduras |journal=Mountain Research and Development |date=August 2001 |volume=21 |issue=3|pages=276–283 |url=https://bioone.org/journals/Mountain-Research-and-Development/volume-21/issue-3/0276-4741(2001)021[0276:TIOALI]2.0.CO;2/The-Influence-of-Accessibility-Local-Institutions-and-Socioeconomic-Factors-on/10.1659/0276-4741(2001)021[0276:TIOALI]2.0.CO;2.pdf|doi=10.1659/0276-4741(2001)021[0276:TIOALI]2.0.CO;2 |s2cid=130401536 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/search?searchCode=LCCN&searchArg=90210308&searchType=1&permalink=y|title=El clima e historia de ciudades y pueblos de Honduras|last=Zúniga Andrade|first=Edgardo|date=1990|publisher=Graficentro Editores|location=Tegucigalpa}}</ref>

==See also==

* {{portal-inline|Honduras}}

==References==