Roatán

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Roatan is an island of the Islas de la Bahia in the Caribbean. It lies about 65 km north off the coast of Honduras. To the east lies the island of Guanaja, in the southwest Útila.

Roatan is 125 km ² the largest of the Islas de la Bahía - its length is 60 km and its width is 8 km away. A covered by tropical vegetation ridge dominates the island. There are few sandy beaches around the island are coral reefs. To the east close some small islands, called cays, to: Morat, Barbaretta, Pigeon Cay and Barefoot Cay.

The capital of the island is Coxen Hole. More cities are French Harbour, West End, and Oak Ridge. The island has about 30,000 inhabitants, most of whom speak both Spanish and English.

The main source of income is tourism - In 2006, 250,000 tourists to the island, which is located near the Belize Barrier Reef, one of the largest coral reef in the Northern Hemisphere. In addition, fisheries play a role.

Scuba divers will love the large variety of corals around Roatan. The crystal clear warm water and spectacular, colored walls, small canyons and caves complement the diving experience. One can regularly see large groupers, moray eels, turtles, rays, and in the spring months now and then a whale shark.

The population consists, inter alia, of Garifuna, which were originally relocated from the Caribbean island of St. Vincent to arise in 1797 by the British from the island of Roatan Baliceaux after; further from Caracol, descendants of immigrants since 1830, English immigrants who came from the Cayman Islands.

1850 declared the British islands to their colonial territory, but in 1860 they withdrew again.

In 1998 the island by Hurricane Mitch has been greatly affected.