Colón is one of the 18 departments into which Honduras is divided. It was created in 1881. The departmental capital is Trujillo, and the other main city is Tocoa. Trujillo was the site of the first Catholic mass on the American mainland, held when Christopher Columbus (Cristóbal Colón) reached the Honduran shore in 1502.
Colón harbors a substantial Garifuna population and has pristine beaches and rainforested national parks. The Fort of Santa Barbara, built by the Spaniards in the colonial era, was the site of the execution of US filibuster William Walker in Trujillo, and his remains are buried in the city's graveyard.
The department covers a total surface area of 8,875 km2 and, in 2007, had an estimated population of 284,900 people.