Gracias a Dios (; "Thanks to

God In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...

", or "Thank God") is one of the 18 departments (''departamentos'') into which

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...

is divided. The departmental capital is

Puerto Lempira Puerto Lempira or Auhya Yari is the Miskito capital of the Gracias a Dios department in northeastern Honduras, located on the shores of the Caratasca Lagoon. Though it does not have paved roads, it is the largest town in the La Mosquitia regio ...

; until 1975 it was

Brus Laguna Brus Laguna () is a municipality in the Honduran department of Gracias a Dios. The municipality's population is about 13,200 inhabitants. It is served by Brus Laguna Airport, a gravel airstrip south of town. Demographics At the time of the ...

History

Once a part of the

Mosquito Coast The Mosquito Coast, also known as the Mosquitia or Mosquito Shore, historically included the area along the eastern coast of present-day Nicaragua and Honduras. It formed part of the Western Caribbean Zone. It was named after the local Miskit ...

, it was formed in 1957 from all of Mosquitia territory and parts of Colón and Olancho departments, with the boundary running along 85° W from

Cape Camarón A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck. History Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. Th ...

south. The department is rather remote and inaccessible by land, although local airlines fly to the main cities.

Geography

Gracias a Dios department covers a total surface area of 16,997 km² and, in 2015, had an estimated population of 94,450. Although it is the second largest department in the country, it is sparsely populated, and contains extensive pine savannas, swamps, and

rainforests Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainforest ...

. However, the expansion of the agricultural frontier is a perennial threat to the natural bounty of the department. The department contains the

Caratasca Lagoon The Caratasca Lagoon ( es, Laguna de Caratasca) is a large lagoon in the department of Gracias a Dios in northeastern Honduras. Puerto Lempira, the capital of the department, lies on its shores. The lagoon covers and extends approximately 25 mile ...

, the largest lagoon in Honduras.

Demographics

At the time of the 2013 Honduras census, Gracias a Dios Department had a population of 90,795. Of these, 81.15% were

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

(79.70%

Miskito Miskito may refer to: * Miskito people, ethnic group in Honduras and Nicaragua ** Miskito Sambu, branch of Miskito people with African admixture ** Tawira Miskito, branch of Miskito people of largely indigenous origin * Miskito language, original ...

, 0.95%

Mayangna The Mayangna (also known as Sumu or Sumo) are a people who live on the eastern coasts of Nicaragua and Honduras, an area commonly known as the Mosquito Coast. Their preferred autonym is Mayangna, as the name "Sumo" is a derogatory name historicall ...

), 16.30%

Mestizo (; ; fem. ) is a term used for racial classification to refer to a person of mixed Ethnic groups in Europe, European and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous American ancestry. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also r ...

, 1.58% Black or Afro-Honduran, 0.82%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

and 0.15% others.

Crime

Gracias a Dios is known to be a place of relatively high crime. Due to its remoteness and the Honduran government having a relatively low ability to fight crime, trafficking of narcotics is common in Gracias a Dios. Criminal organizations are also common in the area.U.S. Department of State (2016-08-04). Honduras Travel Warning. 4 August 2016. Retrieved on 2016-09-15 from https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/alertswarnings/honduras-travel-warning.html .

Municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Ahuas Ahuas () is a municipality in the Honduran department of Gracias a Dios. It is served by Ahuas Airport. Demographics At the time of the 2013 Honduras census, Ahuas municipality had a population of 8,095. Of these, 94.46% were Indigenous (94 ...

Juan Francisco Bulnes Juan Francisco Bulnes () is a municipality in the Honduran department of Gracias a Dios. The total population of the municipality was 6,407 in 2015. The rivers Abajo and Platano along with the lagoon of Ibans form the major water systems of ...

Ramón Villeda Morales José Ramón Adolfo Villeda Morales (November 26, 1909 – October 8, 1971) served as President of Honduras from 1957 to 1963. He was also known by the nickname, "Pajarito". Biography Trained as a physician, his specialty was pediatrics ...

Wampusirpi Wampusirpi () is a municipality in the Honduran department of Gracias a Dios. The municipality has 26 different localities with the largest being Wampusirpi, which is also the municipal head. Geographic Location The municipality is located ...

References

External links

U.S. Government Travel AdvisoryU.S. Passports & International Travel
Departments of Honduras States and territories established in 1957 {{Honduras-geo-stub