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Central America is a central geographic region of the Americas . It is variably defined either as the southern portion of North America , which connects with South America on the southeast, or as a region of the Americas in its own right. Most of Central America is considered to be part of the Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot . |
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| Útila is the third largest of Honduras' Bay Islands, after Roatán and Guanaja, in a region that marks the south end of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, the second-largest in the world. The eastern end of the island is capped by a thin veneer of basaltic volcanic rocks, erupted from several pyroclastic cones including 74 m (243 ft) Pumpkin Hill which forms the highest point on the island. It has been documented in history since Columbus' fourth voyage, and currently enjoys growing tourism with emphasis on recreational diving.
The Bay Islands have faced many major changes in recent years. Fishing has always been the mainstay of this former British Colony, but, tourism is seen as the future. Environmental changes and an increased population on the islands has caused a decrease in fish stocks and now sustenance fishing is in conflict with the Bay Islands' number one tourist draw, diving. This has caused many problems between the fishermen and dive conservation and ecological groups, as areas that were once prime fishing grounds are now marine reserves.
Útila is now starting to undergo the same commercialization that neighbour island Roatán experienced in the mid to late 1990s. With favourable diving conditions, the island increasingly attracts general tourists, along with more traditional international backpacker visitors. More than sixty diving sites are located around the island among its extensive reefs teeming with marine life, including the elusive whale shark.
Unique local cuisine includes white bread made with coconut oil, mango jam, iguana, lizard and crab. Interestingly, grated coconut, such as is used to decorate pastries in many countries is considered not fit for human consumption and fed to chickens and hogs.
On the 29th of November, 2006 The National Congress signed The Law declaring the Bay Islands a Tax Free Zone.The spirit of this law is to promote the touristic development on the Bay Islands and to create an environmentally sustainable socioeconomic framework for the future. With the creation of the Tax Free Zone, Islanders will have a greater chance of making a successful transition to the Bay Islands Future by removing tax barriers and creating a business environment that will promote national and foreign tourism and investment. The Municipalities will benefit through the collection of entry fees. Each visitor to The Islands will now pay a fee to enter. Foreigners will pay a fee of US$6 if arriving by air, US$2 if arriving by sea, and Hondurans will pay US$1. These fees, combined with the 2% property certification fee already in effect, will provide the Municipality the finances needed to improve the quality of education and life of the Bay Islanders.
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