Street gangs in the northern triangle also fight deadly battles often unrelated to the drug trade.

BBC: Central America��s shift in safety

But violent crime in the northern triangle is not entirely owed to drug trafficking.

BBC: Central America��s shift in safety

Although it is the least safe part of Central America, the northern triangle does receive tourists seeking Mayan ruins, volcanoes, beaches and jungles.

BBC: Central America��s shift in safety

Nevertheless, income per head in the northern triangle, plus Nicaragua, rose by 1.6% a year between 1995 and 2009, barely above the Latin American average of 1.5%.

ECONOMIST: Central America

U.S. forces nicknamed northern Babil and surrounding areas the 'Triangle of Death' due to the amount of combat the area experienced earlier in the Iraq war.

CNN: Part of Iraq 'Triangle of Death' back in Iraqi control