The Chortis Highlands is a large dissected plateau which extends across most of Honduras and El Salvador, along with a portion of western Guatemala and north-central Nicaragua. The Chortis Block is bounded on the north by the
Motagua-Polochic Fault Zone in Guatemala. The valley of the
Motagua River, which follows the fault, forms the northwestern boundary of the Highlands. The Highlands is composed of several mountain ranges, or
cordilleras, separated by intermontane valleys and plains. These ranges include: • Sierra Nombre de Dios • Sierra de Omoa • Sierra de Espíritu Santo • Sierra de Joconal •
Montaña de Santa Bárbara • Montañas de Meámbar • Sierra de Montecillos • Sierra de Comayagua • Sierra de Sulaco • Cordillera de La Flor-La Muralla • Sierra de Agalta • Sierra de Botaderos • Sierra Punta Piedra • Montañas de Patuca •
Montecristo Massif or Sierra de Montecristo •
Sierra del Merendón • Sierra de Celaque • Sierra de Erandique • Sierra de Puca-Opalaca • Montaña de la Sierra • Sierra de Lepaterique • Sierra de Dipilto • Montaña de Colón • Cordillera Dariense • Cordillera Chontaleña The northern, central, and eastern, and southern highlands are drained by rivers that empty into the Caribbean. These include the
Motagua in Guatemala, the
Ulúa,
Aguán, and
Patuca rivers in Honduras, the
Coco which forms the Honduras-Nicaragua border, and the
Wawa,
Kukalaya,
Prinzapolka,
Río Grande de Matagalpa, and
San Juan in Nicaragua. The western portion of the highlands is drained by rivers that empty into the Pacific, including the
Lempa in El Salvador, the
Choluteca in Honduras, and the
Negro in Nicaragua. ==Climate==