Official Name: Roatan Capital: Coxen Hole Flag: Population: 30,000 Language: English Currency: Lempira (HNL) Government Website: Chamber of Commerce: www.amchamhonduras.org Emergency Info:

About Roatan Island

Roatán, located between the islands of Utila and Guanaja (16.34° N 86.33° W), is the largest of Honduras' Bay Islands. The island was formerly known as Ruatan and Rattan. It is approximately 60 kilometers long, and less than 8 kilometers wide at its widest point.

The Pre-Columbian residents of the Bay Islands are believed to have been related to Paya, Maya, Lenca or Jicaque, which were the cultures present on the mainland. Christopher Columbus, on his fourth voyage (1502-1504) came to the islands as he visited the neighboring Bay Island of Guanaja. The Spanish soon after began using the Islands for purposes of slave raiding, and no original Native American communities survived.

Although Spanish is spoken in mainland Honduras, the main language on the island is (creole) English, because the first modern population originated from parts of the British Caribbean. In general, the history of the Bay Islands was driven by the various larger political, economic and cultural forces throughout the entire Caribbean and Central American region.

Roatan Island Map