CENTRAL AMERICA
AND THE
CARIBBEAN
COUNTRIES OF
CENTRAL AMERICA
• Belize
• Costa Rica
• El Salvador
• Guatemala
• Honduras
• Nicaragua
• Panama
USED TO BE A COUNTRY
ALL BY ITSELF….
LOCATION
• Isthmus connecting
Mexico/North America
to Colombia/South
America
• Borders both Pacific
and Atlantic
(Caribbean Sea)
• In the tropics along
the “Ring of Fire
HISTORICAL
SIGNIFICANCE
• Home for much of the Mayan
civilization,
•
found in Belize, Guatemala,
Honduras, and El Salvador
GEOGRAPHY
• Rainforests
• Panama, Costa Rica,
Honduras, and Belize
• Tropical Climate
•
Why?
• Ring of Fire
• Over 70 volcanoes (30 active)
• Plants and Animal Biodiversity –
the range of organisms in a
region
• Species from both continents
MAJOR FEATURES
• Highest point: Tajumulco
• Guatemalan volcano
• Largest City: Guatemala City (3.7 mill)
• Pan American Highway
• From Canada to the tip of Chile
• 99 mile break between Panama and
Colombia
•
Rainforest section known as the
Darian Gap
• Panama Canal
PEOPLE
• Total population approx. 42.6 million
• Spanish = official language for all
countries
• Except Belize = English
• Regional languages differ in each
country
• Over 10 Mill tourists every year
• Most publicized spot being Tikal,
Guatemala
• El Salvador and Panama use the US
Dollar
• Panama also uses “ Balboa”
GUATEMALA
Capital – Guatemala City
Has the largest Central
American population
(about 15 million)
2/3 of land is
mountainous and
volcanic
Coffee is main export
BELIZE
Capital – Belmopan
Central America’s smallest
population
Only Central American
country where English is the
official language
HONDURAS
Capital – Tegucigalpa
Contains the largest pine
forest in the world
Only Central American
country without
volcanoes
EL SALVADOR
Capital – San Salvador
Smallest Central American
country in size (8,000 sq.
miles)
Called the “Land of the
Volcanoes” for its 200
extinct volcanoes
NICARAGUA
Capital – Managua
Largest Central American
country in size (about
50,000 sq. miles)
COSTA RICA
Capital – San Jose
One of the largest
banana producers in the
world
PANAMA
Capital – Panama City
Declared its independence
from Colombia in 1903
Southernmost country in
Central America
Bridge to South America
PANAMA CANAL
• Allows ships to cross Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean.
• 50 miles vs. 8,000 miles
• Average of 20 hours
• Built by the USACOE – commissioned by Teddy Roosevelt
• Panama split from Colombia – gave US 10 miles by 50 miles to
build Canal
• 1904-1914 = built; 1999 = given to the Government of Panama
• Led to medical research on Malaria
• Tons of Mosquitoes….
THE WEST INDIES
• Large group of islands
• Separate the Caribbean
Sea from the Atlantic
Ocean.
• Three main island groups:
• Bahamas (north)
• Greater Antilles (central)
• Lesser
Antilles (southeast)
• Antilles – archipelago
WHY CALLED “WEST
INDIES?”
• Natives were the first inhabitants,
•
in 1492, Columbus called these islands the Indies
•
he thought he had finally reached Asia (and the East
Indies).
• Spain renamed them the West Indies
• to distinguish them from the Spice Islands
• Indonesia
BAHAMAS
• Over 3,000 individual islands and reefs
• Believed to be where Columbus landed in 1492
• One of the wealthiest nations in America (based on GDP)
• Tourism
GREATER ANTILLES
• Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.
• Island containing Haiti and the D.R also known as Hispaniola
• Haiti considered the poorest country in the western hemisphere
CUBA
• Home of many Amerindians before Columbus
• Lots of slaves imported for sugarcane plantations
• Independence from Spain during Spanish American War
• Then from US in 1902
• History dominated by Fidel Castro
• Communist Dictator for almost 50 years
• Many illegal aliens cross into Florida every year
PUERTO RICO
• Was populated mostly by aboriginal people
• Aboriginal – people native to an area
• Population almost wiped out by slavery and Columbus
• Slaves brought over for sugarcane plantations
• Given to the US after the Spanish American War
• Citizens of Puerto Rico are citizens of the US
LESSER ANTILLES
• Much smaller islands to
the southeast,
• Divided into two groups,
•
Leeward
Islands and Windward
Islands
Popular tourist
destinations