Almost all of the major rivers flow into the Caribbean Sea, reflecting the distribution of the highest mountains in the west and the origins of the moisture-laden winds from the east coast. They are the Ulua, Aguan, Negro, Platano, Patuca, and, on the Nicaragua border, the Rio Coco, the largest in Central America. The downstream portions of these rivers are navigable to shallow-draft vessels, but upstream from the first rapids only dugout canoes can be used for local travel and commerce. Honduras can be partitioned into three grand regions according to physical geography, population composition, and local attitude. A second large zone in the east is Costa de Mosquitos, or Mosquito Coast, also known as La Mosquitia, which is a region of pine savannas, coastal lowlands, and shallow lagoons.
Minority cultures make up a considerable proportion of the population.
In spite of serious deforestation from the mid-1960s, Honduras remains a wooded land. The central and western highlands are pine covered, and the eastern lowlands and the north coast grow tropical hardwoods. A vibrant forest products industry and the desire to clear lands for pasture often produce conflicts over the best policy for forestry developments. A government agency has the responsibility of overseeing the exploitation and conservation of this major renewable resource. As might be expected in such a lush tropical environment, variation in habitats, as well as plant and animal communities, is enormous.