The Caratasca Lagoon is a large lagoon

Lagoon

A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...

 in the department of Gracias a Dios in northeastern 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...

. 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....

, the capital of the department, lies on its shores.

The lagoon extends approximately 25 miles inland from the Caribbean Sea

Caribbean Sea

The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....

, and is fed by rivers including the Mocorón

Mocorón River

-References:*Rand McNally, The New International Atlas, 1993.*CIA map: :Image:Honduras rel 1985.jpg*UN map: :Image:Un-honduras.png...

, Warunta

Warunta River

The Warunta River is a river in the Gracias a Dios Department of Honduras that flows into the Warunta Lagoon adjoining the larger Caratasca Lagoon.-References:*Rand McNally, The New International Atlas, 1993.*CIA map: :Image:Honduras rel 1985.jpg...

, and Nakunta

Nakunta River

The Nakunta River is a river in the Gracias a Dios Department of Honduras that exits into the Caratasca Lagoon a few miles south of Puerto Lempira. It is in length....

. The largest island

Island

An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...

 in the lagoon is Tansin. The region has been proclaimed a wildlife sanctuary.

The Caratasca Lagoon was the site of the landfall of Hurricane Mitch

Hurricane Mitch

Hurricane Mitch was the most powerful hurricane and the most destructive of the 1998 Atlantic hurricane season, with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph . The storm was the thirteenth tropical storm, ninth hurricane, and third major hurricane of the season. Along with Hurricane Georges, Mitch...

in 1988. Much ecological damage was caused by that event.