
Honduras consists mainly of mountains, with narrow plains along the coasts. A large, undeveloped lowland jungle, La Mosquitia, lies in the northeast, and the heavily populated lowland Sula valley lies in the northwest. La Mosquitia contains the UNESCO world-heritage site Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve and the Coco River, which divides Honduras from Nicaragua. Honduras is known for its rich natural resources, including minerals, coffee, tropical fruit, and sugar cane, as well as for its growing textiles industry, which serves the international market. The climate varies from tropical in the lowlands to temperate in the mountains. The central and southern regions are relatively hotter and less humid than the northern coast. The region is considered a biodiversity hotspot because of the many plant and animal species found there. It has rain forests, cloud forests (which can rise up to nearly 3,000 m above sea level), mangroves, savannas and mountain ranges with pine and oak trees, and the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System. Deforestation resulting from logging and clearing of land for agriculture is prevalent, causing land degradation and soil erosion. (Wikipedia)