Gracias a Dios Department
Departamento de Gracias a Dios | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 15°16′N 83°46′W / 15.267°N 83.767°W | |
Country | Honduras |
Municipalities | 6 |
Villages | 69 |
Founded | 21 February 1957 |
Capital city | Puerto Lempira |
Government | |
• Type | Departmental |
• Governor | Alberto Samuel Haylock (2014–2022) ( PNH) |
Area | |
• Total | 15,876 km2 (6,130 sq mi) |
Population (2015) | |
• Total | 94,450 |
• Density | 5.9/km2 (15/sq mi) |
GDP (Nominal, 2015 US dollar) | |
• Total | $100 million (2023) [1] |
• Per capita | $800 (2023) |
GDP (PPP, constant 2015 values) | |
• Total | $200 million (2023) |
• Per capita | $1,800 (2023) |
Time zone | UTC-6 ( CDT) |
Postal code | 33101 |
ISO 3166 code | HN-GD |
HDI (2021) | 0.550
[2] medium · 17th of 18 |
Statistics derived from Consult INE online database: Population and Housing Census 2013 [3] |
Gracias a Dios (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈɡɾasjas a ˈðjos]; "Thanks to God" or "Thank God") is one of the 18 departments (departamentos) into which Honduras is divided. The departmental capital is Puerto Lempira; until 1975 it was Brus Laguna.[ citation needed]
Once a part of the Mosquito Coast, 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 south. The department is rather remote and inaccessible by land, although local airlines fly to the main cities.[ citation needed]
Gracias a Dios department covers a total surface area of 16,997 km2 and, in 2015, had an estimated population of 94,450. [ citation needed]
Although it is the second largest department in the country, it is sparsely populated, and contains extensive pine savannas, swamps, and rainforests. However, the expansion of the agricultural frontier is a perennial threat to the natural bounty of the department.[ citation needed]
The department contains the Caratasca Lagoon, the largest lagoon in Honduras.[ citation needed]
At the time of the 2013 Honduras census, Gracias a Dios Department had a population of 90,795. Of these, 81.15% were Indigenous (79.70% Miskito, 0.95% Mayangna), 16.30% Mestizo, 1.58% Black or Afro-Honduran, 0.82% White and 0.15% others. [4]
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. [5]