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Gracias a Dios Department

Departamento de Gracias a Dios
Gracias a Dios Department Departamento de Gracias a Dios
department
	Location of Gracias a Dios in Honduras
	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)
• 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; medium · 17th of 18
	Statistics derived from Consult INE online database: Population and Housing Census 2013

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]}

History

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]}

Geography

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]}

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 (79.70% Miskito, 0.95% Mayangna), 16.30% Mestizo, 1.58% Black or Afro-Honduran, 0.82% White and 0.15% others.^[4]

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.^[5]