Mosquito Coast

Caribbean coast of Honduras and Nicaragua, characterized by swamp, lagoons, and tropical rainforest. The territory is inhabited by Miskito Indians, Garifunas, and Zambos, many of whom speak English. Between 1823 and 1860 Britain maintained a protectorate over the Mosquito Coast which was ruled by a succession of ‘Mosquito Kings’.

The area was designated a biosphere reserve by the United Nations in 1992, but the government sold the rights to exploit it (energy, road-building) to a US packaging giant (the Stone Container Corporation). The project threatens local people, whose numbers are diminishing.