The department is named in honor of Christopher Columbus's landing in 1521. He is reported to have said"gracias a Dios hemos salido de esas Honduras" when he departed this part of Honduras for the Nicaraguan coast.
Once a part of theMosquito Coast, it was formed in 1957 from all of Mosquitia territory and parts of Colón and Olancho departments, with the boundary running along 85° W fromCape Camarón south. The department is rather remote and inaccessible by land, although local airlines fly to the main cities.[citation needed]
Gracias a Dios department covers a total surface area of 16,997 km2 and, in 2015, had an estimated population of 94,450.[citation needed]
Although it is the second largest department in the country, it is sparsely populated, and contains extensive pine savannas, swamps, andrainforests. However, the expansion of the agricultural frontier is a perennial threat to the natural bounty of the department.[citation needed]
Gracias a Dios is known to be a place of relatively high crime. Due to its remoteness and the Honduran government having a relatively low ability to fight crime, trafficking of narcotics is common in Gracias a Dios. Criminal organizations are also common in the area.[5]