HONDURAS

HONDURAS.

Map of Caratasca Lagoon (Laguna de Caratasca).
50th Anniversary of the Pan American Institute of Geography and History.
"1928-1978. Homenaje al Instituto Panamericano de Geografía e Historia".
Airmail. First stamp in a set of 4, issued on 15.09.1979.
Face value: 0.05 Honduran lempira.
Printing by Lito Maia, Porto, Portugal.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 954.
- Scott No. C676.
- StampWorld No. 987.

The Caratasca Lagoon is located in the department of Gracias a Dios, in northeastern Honduras. It covers an area of ​​1110 km² (430 sq mi) along the coast of the Caribbean Sea. In reality, the lagoon is made up of several lagoons interconnected by natural channels, including the Tara lagoon, which empties into the sea.

This lagoon and the region where it is located, the Mosquitia (Moskitia, or Mosquito Coast), caused a border conflict with Nicaragua at the end of the 19th century, and both countries agreed to resort to arbitration by King Alfonso XIII of Spain. The award agreed with Honduras; Nicaragua did not accept the ruling, but again lost the litigation in the Court of Justice of The Hague, which determined in 1928 that “the government of the Republic of Nicaragua is under an obligation to give effect to the award made on 23 december 1906 by his majesty the king of Spain and in particular to comply with any measures for this purpose which it will be for the Court to determine ”. (Great Britain and Colombia, which also claimed the territory, were also involved in the conflict.)