Honduras Sections Getting There Where To Stay Activities Area Guides Visitor Tips Getting Married Calendar Weather Maps Information Request Honduras Main CTW Main Mainland Bay Islands	Description Honduras with it's Bay Islands is a stunningly beautiful country, with marvelous beaches, lush green mountains, the idyllic Bay Islands, and the ancient Mayan city of Copan - just to scratch the surface. Honduras is located in Central America bordered by Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua. Most visitors arrive by air. Whether you are exploring the Mayan ruins, diving and snorkeling in the Bay Islands or relaxing on the North Coast at Tela or La Ceiba, there are great places to visit and things to do. The people of Honduras are very friendly and visitors and travellers are most welcome. If you have a spirit of adventure, make Honduras your next vacation spot. Off the northern coast of Honduras, from 12 to 35 miles offshore, you will find the Bay Islands. They are located along the largest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere. The Bay Islands are Honduras' main tourism attraction and remain today as some of the Caribbean’s most beautiful, pristine and tranquil islands. This exotic archipelago is a divers paradise, boasting clear waters and unspoiled reefs that are among the healthiest in the Caribbean. These virgin reefs teem with a myriad of unique reef creatures and 95% of all species of the Caribbean’s coral can be found in these alluring waters. Roatan is the largest island, with the most infrastructure and the most developed for tourism. It is a long, thin island, measuring almost 40 miles in length and with a total land mass of 49 square miles. The island has a mountainous backbone and is totally surrounded by coral reefs, offering superb diving. Utila is just 11 km long and 4 km at the widest point. It is truly a tropical paradise surrounded by a beautiful beaches and a diverse coral reef system. The approximately 2500 residents are friendly and helpful and many operate the local hotels, restaurants and other local businesses. Don't look for any chain restaurants or stores, they are'nt there. The tallest of the islands, Guanaja has become the most elite-oriented, with many of the better hotels on the Islands located here. Guanaja is a unique island, as it does not have any roads, and the largest community, known as Bonaca is not even on the island itself, but on a small cay a short distance from Guanaja. Guanaja has a paved runway as an airport, and is forested with the unique Caribbean pine that distinguishes it very much from its sister islands. History Part of Spain's vast empire in the New World, Honduras became an independent nation in 1821. After two and one-half decades of mostly military rule, a freely elected civilian government came to power in 1982. During the 1980s, Honduras proved a haven for anti-Sandinista contras fighting the Marxist Nicaraguan Government and an ally to Salvadoran Government forces fighting against leftist guerrillas. The country was devastated by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, which killed about 5,600 people and caused approximately $2 billion in damage. Honduras & the Bay Islands At A Glance - Language: Spanish, Amerindian dialects. English is spoken in the Bay Islands and in most tourist areas. Government: Democratic constitutional republic Capital: Tegucigalpa Size: 112,090 sq km - Coastline: 820 km Location: Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Nicaragua and bordering the Gulf of Fonseca (North Pacific Ocean), between El Salvador and Nicaragua Climate: Subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains Electricity: 110/220V, 60Hz Currency: Lempira (HNL) Driving: Roads in the city and on the highways are in fairly good condition but not so in the rural areas. Driving is to the right. Car Rentals: There are car rental agencies at the airports and in the larger towns. An international or foreign driving license is all you need.
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