Gracias a Dios is one of the 18 departments (departamentos) into which the Central America

Central America

Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...

n nation of Honduras

Honduras

Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...

 is divided. The departmental capital is Puerto Lempira

Puerto Lempira

Puerto Lempira is the 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 region....

; until 1975 it was Brus Laguna

Brus Laguna

Brus Laguna is a municipality in the Honduran department of Gracias a Dios. The municipality's population is about 11.000 inhabitants....

. Once a part of the Mosquito Coast

Mosquito Coast

The Caribbean Mosquito Coast historically consisted of an area along the Atlantic coast of present-day Nicaragua and Honduras, and part of the Western Caribbean Zone. It was named after the local Miskito Indians and long dominated by British interests...

, 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

Cape Camarón

Cape Camarón , is a cape located on the Caribbean coast of Honduras at . It is notable as the territory that Diego López de Salcedo of Trujillo contracted to conquer for Spain, and as the focus of territorial waters disputes for access to the fishing....

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

Gracias a Dios department covers a total surface area of 16,630 km² and, in 2005, had an estimated population of 76,278. Though 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.

Municipalities

Municipalities of Honduras

The 18 departments of Honduras are divided into 299 municipalities . Municipalities have elected mayors , as opposed to the appointed governors of departments. For statistical purposes, the municipalities are further subdivided into 3731 aldeas, and those into 27969 caserios...

1. Ahuas
   Ahuas
   Ahuas is a municipality in the Honduran department of Gracias a Dios....
   
   
2. Brus Laguna
   Brus Laguna
   Brus Laguna is a municipality in the Honduran department of Gracias a Dios. The municipality's population is about 11.000 inhabitants....
   
   
3. Juan Francisco Bulnes
   Juan Francisco Bulnes
   Juan Francisco Bulnes is a municipality in the Honduran department of Gracias a Dios. The total population of the municipality was 8,343 in 2010....
   
   
4. Puerto Lempira
5. Ramón Villeda Morales
   Ramón Villeda Morales
   Ramón Villeda Morales is a municipality in the Honduran department of Gracias a Dios....
   
   
6. Wampusirpi
   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 :...