HONDURAS: MAJOR TOWNS AND OTHER IMPORTANT FEATURES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83B00231R000200150002-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 14, 2007
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: May 1, 1982
• Content Type: REPORT

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Secret
f
Directorate o
Intelligence
Honduras: Major Towns and
Other Important Features
Secret
G182-10113
May 1982
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Directorate of
Intelligence
Other Important Features
Honduras: Major Towns and
Information available as of 18 May 1982
has been used in the preparation of this report.
25:
25
This reference aid was prepared b
I Dffice of Global Issues. Co
mments and
25.
queries are welcome and may be directed
Chief, Geography Division, OGI
Secret
G! 82-10113
May 1982
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Honduras: Major Towns and
Other Important Features
With 112,150 square kilometers, Honduras is the
second-largest country in Central America following
Nicaragua and is comparable in size to Tennessee. It
has a smaller population than tiny El Salvador-less
than a fifth its size. Although most of its 4,000,000
inhabitants are located in the western part of the
country, especially in and around Tegucigalpa and
San Pedro Sula, some growth has taken place in the
east in the past decade. Spanish-speaking mestizos
make up the bulk of the population, but a consider-
able number of Indians and blacks live along the
Caribbean coast where English is widely spoken in
addition to Spanish. Despite considerable agricultural
and forest potential, Honduras has lagged behind its
neighbors in many respects: it has the lowest literacy
rate, the lowest road network density, and the lowest
per capita gross domestic product in Central America.
Nevertheless, large numbers of Salvadorans and
Nicaraguans still flee to Honduras seeking refuge
from violence in their own countries.
Rio Choluteca. The area is noted for coffee and cattle.
Industries include food-processing plants, a sugar
refinery, and a sawmill. An airfield southeast of town
is home base for several crop-dusting companies. The
population of Choluteca is expanding rapidly and
poverty is widespread.
Comayagua -E4- (23,000) is located on the North-
South Road between Tegucigalpa and San Pedro
Sula, in a valley largely dedicated to cattle ranching
and citrus farming. A principal industry of the town is
the manufacture of fireworks. During colonial times
Honduras was divided into two separate administra-
tive units-one ruled from Tegucigalpa, the other
from Comayagua. After independence there was
strong rivalry between the two cities. The title of
national capital was frequently transferred from one
city to the other until 1880. Comayagua is now simply
the capital of its department. Many of the old colonial
buildings remain; the Army still uses a fortress built
when Comayagua was the national capital.
The 18 departmental capitals and four other signifi-
cant towns listed below are the most important urban
centers in Honduras. The population figures, shown in
parentheses, are projections for 1982 made by the
Honduran Central Planning Office and are consid-
ered the most accurate estimates available. The map
grid reference follows each place name.
Amapala -G4- (2,000) is a lighter port on Isla del
Tigre, a small volcanic island in the center of the
Golfo de Fonseca. At one time the island was ceded to
the United States to guard against possible English
control of a route across Central America via the Rio
Coco and the Rio Choluteca; it was also once notori-
ous as a refuge for pirates. Amapala acts as the
gateway to the rivers that service the agricultural
lands of the southwest. Ships offload their goods by
lighters, which bring them to Amapala customs; the
goods are then reshipped by lighter to the mainland
town of San Lorenzo. Handling costs are high.
Charter boats go to La Union, El Salvador, and a
ferry connects the island to the mainland. Honduran
naval patrol boats operate out of a small base on Isla
del Tigre. A small airfield is located on the northeast
side of the island.
Choluteca -G5- (47,000), capital of the department of
the same name, is a commercial center located at the
point where the Inter-American highway crosses the
Gracias -E2- (4,100), capital of Lempira Department,
is one of the oldest, most historic settlements in the
country. It was the base from which a great Indian
revolt was put down in early colonial times, and, for a
short period, was the administrative center for all of
Central America. Some coffee is grown in the area,
but access to markets is difficult because of the
rugged terrain and poor roads. Lempira Department
occupies the most mountainous land in Honduras.
Juticalpa -E7- (20,000), capital of Olancho Depart-
ment, is located in a rich agricultural area of cattle,
cereals, and sugarcane. Timber, now the country's
third-largest export, is expected to gain importance
with the development of paper and pulp complexes in
Olancho; these projects, costing some $200 million,
are scheduled for completion in 1985. A newly paved
road from Tegucigalpa continues on from Juticalpa
northeastward to Catacamas; plans call for paving the
route all the way to the Caribbean coast.
La Ceiba -C6- (80,000), a major Caribbean port and
capital of Atlantida Department, serves as an outlet
for bananas, pineapples, and timber. The port, an
open, exposed roadstead, is connected to coastal set-
tlements to the east and west by paved roads and rail.
Standard Fruit Company headquarters are located
here. Goloson International Airport, west-southwest
of La Ceiba, has direct jet service to New Orleans and
Miami as well as to Mexico and domestic destinations.
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The airport also serves as headquarters for the
Honduran Second Tactical Air Force and has support
facilities for jet fighters.
Puerto Lempira-Dll-(1,000), capital of sparsely in-
habited Gracias a Dios Department, is a fishing
village situated on the mangrove-fringed shores of
Laguna de Caratasca in the extreme northeastern
portion of Honduras. Most of the people of the town
are mestizos and blacks; the surrounding area in-
cludes practically all of Honduras's approximately
25,000 Miskito Indians. (The regional name "Mosqui-
tia" is derived from the name of the Indian group.)
Except for the road that stretches 100 kilometers to
Leimus on the Nicaraguan border and a few other
roads and unimproved tracks, land surface transport
is practically nonexistent in the Honduran Mosquitia.
Travel is mostly by air or boat. On the west edge of
town is a small airfield used by domestic airlines and
military aircraft.
La Esperanza -E3- (4,800), the capital of Intibuca
Department, is situated in a valley at almost 1,500
meters above sea level amid forest-covered mountains.
Lenca Indians from nearby villages sell blankets and
other wares in the local market on Sundays. A
surfaced road leads northeastward to connect with the
North-South Road between Tegucigalpa and San
Pedro Sula. The high elevation and resulting temper-
ate climate of the area permit the cultivation of
potatoes as well as such fruits as peaches and apples.
La Paz -E4- (14,000), capital of the department of
the same name, is located about 15 kilometers south-
southwest of Comayagua, to which it is connected by
a dirt road. A shorter dirt road runs east to connect
with the North-South Road to Tegucigalpa. Nearby,
in the mountainous region to the southwest, is one of
the few pure Indian communities in Honduras and
also one of its finest coffee-producing areas.
Nacaome -G4- (10,000), capital of Valle Department,
is situated on the Inter-American Highway by the Rio
Nacaome, which flows into the Golfo de Fonseca. A
small airport is located a short distance west of town.
Cotton and cattle are important in the local economy.
Nueva Ocotepeque -El- (8,700), capital of Ocotepe-
que Department, is located on the upper reaches of
the Rio Lempa in the highlands near the triborder
point of Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.
Significant deposits of coal have been discovered in
nearby Valle Sensenti, and planning is under way for
a 40-MW thermal power plant that will meet the
electricity needs of a large section of Western Hondu-
ras. Roads lead northeast from Nueva Ocotepeque to
San Pedro Sula, northwest- to Guatemala, and south
to El Salvador; the town is reportedly used as a transit
point for supplies going to insurgents in El Salvador.
Puerto Cortes -B4- (45,000), on the Caribbean coast
with a good natural harbor near the mouth of the Rio
Ulua, is the country's principal port, handling more
than half the total exports (principally bananas, cof-
fee, and lumber) and imports (general cargo, and
crude and refined petroleum). It is the northern
terminus of the National Railway and has railroad
repair facilities and a classification yard. The small oil
refinery, owned by Texaco, is the only one in
Honduras.
Roatan -B6- (2,000), known locally as Coxen's Hole, is
the capital of Islas de la Bahia (Bay islands) Depart-
ment. The islands once served as bases for English,
French, and Dutch buccaneers. They were under
British control for more than a century and were not
ceded to Honduras until 1859. The majority of the
inhabitants are of British descent, but there are also
many blacks and Black Caribs (of mixed black and
Indian ancestry). English, as well as Spanish, is
spoken. Coconuts, bananas, and plantains are the
most important products; boatbuilding, for which the
islands were once noted, is now a dying industry. The
islands are popular with American tourists and may
be reached by boat from La Ceiba and Trujillo. Small
airfields are located at Roatan and on two other
islands.
Santa Barbara -D3- (13,000), capital of the depart-
ment of the same name, is located in a valley to the
west of Lago de Yojoa. It is on a road that connects
the North-South Road with the Western Highway.
The principal industrial activities of the town include
sugar processing and the manufacture of Panama
hats. Nearby, on the western side of Lago de Yojoa,
are the El Mochito lead, zinc, and silver mines owned
by the New York and Honduras Rosario Mining
Company.
San Lorenzo -G4- (16,000) is a small port situated on
an inlet that opens to the Golfo de Fonseca. Construc-
tion of new docking facilities has allowed San Lorenzo
to replace Amapala as the country's chief Pacific port.
The port's location on the Inter-American Highway
provides good access to Tegucigalpa via the North-
South Road. A small airfield is located northwest of
town.
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San Pedro Sula -C3- (300,000), capital of Cortes De-
partment, is the industrial heart of Honduras. It is the
second-largest city in the country and one of the
fastest growing urban areas in Central America. A
commercial center for bananas, coffee, sugar, and
timber, it also serves as the principal distribution
point for northern and western Honduras. Industrial
facilities include textile mills, lumber mills, furniture
factories, food-processing plants, breweries, an anti-
mony extraction plant, and a steel rolling mill. San
Pedro Sula is connected by road and rail to Puerto
Cortes. La Mesa International Airport, 12 kilometers
southeast of town, is the country's only airfield that
can accommodate the largest commercial jets; it is
used by the Honduran Air Force as a dispersal base
for combat aircraft.
Santa Rosa de Copan -D2- (20,000), capital of Copan
Department, is the center of a rich agricultural and
cattle-raising region. Maize and tobacco are grown in
the area, and Panama hats are manufactured in this
old Colonial town. Most of the population is Indian; a
festival is held in the last 10 days of August. Located
on the Western Highway from San Pedro Sula to El
Salvador, the town has reportedly been a key link in
the arms supply network serving Salvadoran insur-
gents. The famous ruins of Copan, southernmost of
the great Maya cities, are located to the west of Santa
Rosa de Copan near the Guatemalan border.
Trujillo -B7- (7,000), capital of Colon Department, is
a small port on the Caribbean that has been revital-
ized after a long period of stagnation. Shrimping is
important in the area, and a meat-packing station
operates in Puerto Castilla to the north. Puerto
Castilla is the site of an early landing by Columbus
(or in Spanish, Colon, for whom the department is
named) and plans for a major tourist complex there
are under way. The entire area is also scheduled for
further development in support of the Olancho paper
and pulp complexes.
Yoro -D5- (8,000) is the capital of Yoro Department,
which is noted for its extensive banana and sugarcane
plantations. The town is connected to the valley of the
Rio Ulua and San Pedro Sula by a road running
westward through mountainous terrain and to the
upper valley of the Rio Aguan by one extending
northward.
Yuscaran -F5- (2,000), capital of El Paraiso Depart-
ment, is a typical Spanish colonial village with cob-
bled streets and old houses situated on steep hillsides.
It was once an important mining center. A short road
connects the village to the highway leading from
Tegucigalpa to Nicaragua.
Tegucigalpa -F5- (470,000), capital of Honduras and Major Transport Routes
also of Francisco Morazan D
epartment, sits in a
highland basin just under 1,000 meters above sea
level. Textile plants, food-processing plants, and brew-
eries serve local needs; there are no heavy industries.
No rail line reaches anywhere close to the capital. It
is, however, connected to the southern port area via
the North-South Road and the Inter-American High-
way and to the industrial center of San Pedro Sula
and Puerto Cortes. Tocontin International Airport on
the south side of the city cannot accommodate the
largest jets because of its relatively short runway
length and the high surrounding mountains.
Tela -C4- (40,000), a banana port on the Caribbean,
is connected by road and rail to La Ceiba and San
Pedro Sula. It serves as a transshipment point con-
necting Standard Fruit Company's narrow-gauge rail
line from La Ceiba to the (somewhat broader) narrow-
gauge United Brands line extending to the west. An
airport west of town, built by United Brands, is
controlled by the government and is used for domestic
flights. Exxon has petroleum storage facilities in Tela.
Railroads. The only railroads in Honduras consist of
less than 600 route-kilometers of single track, narrow-
guage, nonelectrified lines that make up three inter-
connected systems, all located in the north. There are
no international rail connections. The state-owned
Honduran National Railroad (FNH), with a total of
170 route-kilometers, runs southward from Puerto
Cortes to San Pedro Sula and El Llano. The other two
rail systems are owned and operated by US fruit
companies. United Brands has a 155-route-kilometer
system with a line extending from Baracoa to Bufalo
(with connections at both places to the FNH) and
another line following the east bank of the Rio Ulua
to join Tela with Santa Rita. Standard Fruit operates
a 250-route-kilometer line linking Tela, La Ceiba,
and San Lorenzo; it is of a narrower gauge than the
other railroads and necessitates a transloading plat-
form at Tela.
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Highways. The basic highway network is made up of
four main paved routes that connect the most produc-
tive agricultural areas with the capital, the commer-
cial centers; and the ports. The Inter-American High-
way extends through the southern 'part of the country
from El Salvador to Nicaragua. Branching off the
Inter-American Highway is the North-South Road
which goes to Tegucigalpa and to San Pedro Sula and
Puerto Cortes on the Caribbean. Just south of San
Pedro Sula, the North-South Road is joined by the
Western Highway and extends to Nueva Ocotepeque,
from which roads lead to Guatemala and El Salvador.
The North Coast Highway connects San Pedro Sula
and, El Progreso to the ports of Tela and La Ceiba.
Other than these highways and a few others, such as
the one from Tegucigalpa to Catacamas, most of the
other roads are unpaved. During the wet season (May
through October) many of the roads in low-lying areas
are flooded while those in the highlands are subject to
washouts and frequent blockage by landslides.
Supply Routes for Salvadoran Insurgents. Many
routes through Honduras have been used for the
clandestine shipment of arms, ammunition, equip-
ment, and medicine to insurgents in El Salvador.
Deposits of these supplies have been discovered at
sites scattered throughout the country. The map
includes a generalized depiction of the major routes
reportedly used over the past few years.
Golfo de Fonseca -G4- is a relatively shallow gulf
opening to the Pacific Ocean and shared by Honduras
with El Salvador and Nicaragua. It contains numer-
ous islands, islets, reefs, and shoals, and its low-lying
shores are fringed by extensive tidal flats, marshes,
and mangrove swamps. There are no beaches suitable
for large-scale landings, but a labyrinth of tidal
passages provides excellent routes for the clandestine
introduction of small parties of men and supplies.
Rio Coco -Dl I- , also known as the Rio Segovia or
Wanks, rises in the highlands of western Nicaragua
and flows northeastward to form a long (600 kilome-
ter) segment of the border between Honduras and
Nicaragua before emptying into the Caribbean at
Cabo Gracias a Dios. The banks on both sides of the
lower course of the river were long inhabited by
Miskito Indians, but the Nicaraguan Government, for
security reasons, has destroyed most of the Miskito
villages on the Nicaraguan side and moved Nicara-
guan Miskitos away from the border zone.
Cerro Las Minas -E2-, a short distance southwest of
Gracias in the western part of the country, is the
highest peak (2,848 meters) in Honduras.
Refugees
Because of widespread violence in neighboring coun-
tries, Honduras is host to thousands of refugees. The
UN High Commission on Refugees, with support
from the World Relief Organization, has set up camps
at a number of locations. In the remote northeastern
part of the country, a camp at Mocoron shelters some
8,000 Miskito Indians who fled from repression in
Nicaragua; smaller numbers of Nicaraguan Miskitos
live in temporary camps, one near Auca and one near
the coast in the vicinity of the border. Besides the
Miskitos, some 600 other Nicaraguan exiles have
sought refuge in Honduras. They have been given
resident status. Most reside in Tegucigalpa, but about
100 still live in and around El Paraiso on the Hon-
duran-Nicaraguan border.
Refugees from El Salvador are even more numerous
than those from Nicaragua. There are perhaps 13,000
Salvadoran refugees housed in two large UN camps in
Honduras: the camp at Mesa Grande north of San
Marcos houses from 7,500 to 8,000 refugees; the
other camp immediately north at Colomoncagua has
5,000. Mesa Grande received refugees from a string
of smaller camps near the border that were closed by
Honduran authorities in mid-April 1982. Plans are
being made to move the refugees from the Colomon-
cagua camp to an as-yet-undetermined location far-
ther from the border. Many of the Salvadoran refu-
gees are sympathetic to the insurgents in their
homeland and provide them with an effective sup-
port/safehaven infrastructure in Honduras. The refu-
gees also represent a potential threat of subversion to
Honduras itself.
Comparatively, there are few Guatemalan refugees in
Honduras. About 700 or 800 Guatemalans, probably
including a large percentage of guerrillas, are housed
in a camp called Las Navidades northeast of Copan.
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