Central America

For other uses, see Central America (disambiguation).

Central America

Area	523,780 km²
Population	41,739,000 (2009 est.)
Density	77 per km²
Countries	7
Demonym	Central American, American
GDP	$107.7 billion (exchange rate) (2006) $ 226.3 billion (purchasing power parity) (2006).
GDP per capita	$2,541 (exchange rate) (2006) $5,339 (purchasing power parity) (2006).
Languages	Spanish, English, Mayan languages, Garifuna, Kriol, European languages, and many others
Time Zones	UTC - 6:00, UTC - 5:00
Largest cities (2002)	Tegucigalpa Managua Guatemala City San Salvador San Pedro Sula Panama City San José, Costa Rica Santa Ana, El Salvador León San Miguel

Central America (Template:Lang-es) is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. Most of Central America is considered to be part of the Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot.

Geography

Central America has an area of 524,000 square kilometers (202,000 sq mi), or almost 0.1% of the Earth's surface. As of 2009, its population was estimated at 41,739,000. It has a density of 79 people per square kilometer or 206 people per square mile.

Physical geography

Central America and the Caribbean Plate.

Physiographically, Central America is the tapering isthmus of southern North America, extending from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in southern Mexico southeastward to the Isthmus of Panama where it connects to the Colombian Pacific Lowlands in northwestern South America. Alternatively, the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt delimits the region on the north. Central America has an area of some 592,000 square kilometres. The Pacific Ocean lies to the southwest, the Caribbean Sea lies to the northeast, and the Gulf of Mexico lies to the north. Most of Central America rests atop the Caribbean Plate.

The region is geologically active, with volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occurring from time to time. In 1976 Guatemala was hit by a mayor earthquake, killing 23,000 people; Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, was devastated by earthquakes in 1931 and 1972, the last one killed about 5,000 people; three earthquakes devastated El Salvador, one in 1986 and two in 2001; one earthquake devastated northern and central Costa Rica in 2009 killing at least 34 people; in Honduras a powerful earthquake killed 7 people in 2009.

Volcanic eruptions are common in the region. In 1968 the Arenal Volcano, in Costa Rica, erupted and killed 87 people. Fertile soils from weathered volcanic lavas have made it possible to sustain dense populations in the agriculturally productive highland areas.

Central America has many mountain ranges; the longest are the Sierra Madre de Chiapas, the Cordillera Isabelia and the Cordillera de Talamanca. Between the mountain ranges lie fertile valleys that are suitable for the people; in fact most of the population of Honduras, Costa Rica and Guatemala live in valleys. Valleys are also suitable for the production of coffee, beans and other crops.

Biodiversity

Central America is part of the Mesoamerican Biodiversity hotspot. It has 7% of the world's biodiversity. As a bridge between North and South America, Central America has many species from the Nearctic and the Neotropic. However the southern countries (Costa Rica and Panama) of the region have more biodiversity than the northern countries (Guatemala and Belize), meanwhile the central countries (Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador) have least biodiversity. The table shows current statistics for the seven countries:

Country	Amphibians	Birds	Mammals	Reptiles	Wildlife diversity	Vascular Plants	Biodiversity
Belize	46	544	147	140	877	2894	3771
Costa Rica	183	838	232	258	1511	12119	13630
El Salvador	30	434	137	106	707	2911	3618
Guatemala	133	684	193	236	1246	8681	9927
Honduras	101	699	201	213	1214	5680	6894
Nicaragua	61	632	181	178	1052	7590	8642
Panama	182	904	241	242	1569	9915	11484

Human geography

Further information: Ethnic groups in Central America and Demographics of Latin America

Geopolitically, Central America has traditionally consisted of the following countries:

Name of territory, with flag	Area (km²)	Population (July 2009 est.)	Population density (per km²)	Capital	Official language
Belize	22,966	307,000	13	Belmopan	English
Costa Rica	51,100	4,579,000	90	San José	Spanish
El Salvador	21,040	6,163,000	292	San Salvador	Spanish
Guatemala	108,890	14,027,000	129	Guatemala City	Spanish
Honduras	112,090	7,466,000	67	Tegucigalpa	Spanish
Nicaragua	130,373	5,743,000	44	Managua	Spanish
Panama	78,200	3,454,000	44	Panama City	Spanish
Total	523,780	41,739,000	80

Many modern definitions of Central America include Belize, and Panama, which did not exist upon the formation of the Federal Republic of Central America, a short-lived union created after most of the region gained independence from Spain in 1821. The territory now occupied by Belize was originally contested by the United Kingdom and the Spanish Empire and, later, Guatemala (which has considered it, wholly or partially, an eastern department); it became a British colony (British Honduras) in 1871 and gained independence in 1981.

Panama, situated on the Isthmus of Panama, is sometimes regarded as a transcontinental territory. Because of the Panama Canal, it is considered part of both North America and South America. For much of its post-Columbian history, Panama was culturally linked to South America. Panama was a possession of the Viceroyalty of New Granada, and then, following independence, became a part of la Gran Colombia (Greater Colombia). Only after independence from Colombia in 1903 did some begin to regard Panama as a North or Central American entity.

History

Main article: History of Central America

Political Evolution of Central America and the Caribbean from 1700 to present

In pre-Columbian times, the north-western areas of modern Central America were part of the Mesoamerican civilization. The Native American societies of Mesoamerica occupied the land ranging from central Mexico in the north to Costa Rica in the south. Most notable among these were the Maya, who had built numerous cities throughout the region, and the Aztecs, who created a vast empire. The pre-Columbian cultures of Panama traded with both Mesoamerica and South America, and can be considered transitional between those two cultural areas.

Map of the Republic of Central America

Following Christopher Columbus's discovery of the Americas for Spain, the Spanish sent numerous expeditions to the region, and they began their conquest of Maya lands in the 1520s. In 1540, Spain established the Captaincy General of Guatemala, which extended from southern Mexico to Costa Rica, and thus encompassed most of what is currently known as Central America, with the exception of British Honduras (present-day Belize). This lasted nearly three centuries, until a rebellion (which followed closely on the heels of the Mexican War of Independence) in 1821.

After the dissolution of Spanish authority, the former Captaincy General remained intact as part of the short-lived First Mexican Empire, then turned into the Federal Republic of Central America, which was a representative democracy with its capital at Guatemala City. This union consisted of the present day nations of Guatemala (which included the former state of Los Altos), El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica (which included a region which is now part of Panama, and the Guanacaste Province which was once part of Nicaragua), and Soconusco, a portion of the modern Mexican state of Chiapas. The Republic lasted from 1823 to 1838, when it began to disintegrate due to civil wars.

Central American integration

Sistema de Integración Centroamericana
Central American Integration System

Motto: «Peace, Development, Liberty and Democracy»
Anthem: La Granadera

Area	560,988 km²
Population	50,807,778 hab.
Countries	Belize Costa Rica Guatemala Honduras Nicaragua Panama El Salvador Dominican Republic

Countries part of the SICA

Main article: Central American Integration System

Central America is going through a process of political, economic and cultural transformation that started in 1907 with the creation of the Central American Court of Justice. In 1951 the integration process continued with the signature of the San Salvador Treaty that created the ODECA, the Organization of Central American States. Unfortunately, the ODECA was not completely successful due to internal conflicts between several states of the region.

It was until 1991 that the integration agenda was completed with the creation of the SICA, Sistema para la Integración Centroamericana or System for the Central American Integration. The SICA provided a clear legal base to avoid discrepancies between the member states. The SICA membership includes the 7 nations of Central America plus the Dominican Republic, a state that is part of the Caribbean.

On December 6, 2008 SICA announced an agreement to pursue a common currency and common passport for the member nations. No timeline for implementation was discussed.

Central America already has several supranational institutions such as the Central American Parliament, the Central American Bank for Economic Integration and the Central American Common Market.

Foreign relations

Until recently, all Central American countries have maintained diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan) instead of the People's Republic of China. President Oscar Arias of Costa Rica, however, established diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China in 2007, severing formal diplomatic ties with the Republic of China (Taiwan).

Usage

"Central America" may mean different things to different people in the world according to the context:

• In English speaking countries, Central America is considered a region of the North American continent. Geopolitically, it usually comprises seven countries – Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. Mexico, in whole or in part, is sometimes included. Some geographers include the five states of Campeche, Chiapas, Tabasco, Quintana Roo, and Yucatán, together representing 12.1% of the country's total area.
• In Latin America, Iberia, and some other parts of Europe, the Americas are considered to be a single continent, and Central America is considered a region of this continent. In Ibero-America, the region is defined as seven nations – Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama – and may occasionally include Mexico's southernmost region. Geopolitically, Mexico is considered part of North America.
• Occasionally, the term Central America is used synonymously with Middle America. Among some German geographers, Mittelamerika may be used to refer to the territories on the Central American isthmus.
• In German, Zentralamerika may be used to refer to the territories on the Central American isthmus.
• The UN geoscheme defines the region as all states of mainland North America south of the United States; conversely, the European Union excludes Belize and Mexico from its definition of the region.

See also

Main article: Index of Central America-related articles

• Americas (terminology)
• Middle America (Americas)
• Mesoamerica

References

• "Central America". The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. 2001-6. New York: Columbia University Press.
• "Central America" (Archived 2009-10-31). MSN Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2006.
• American Heritage Dictionaries, Central America.
• WordNet Princeton University: Central America.
• "Central America". The Columbia Gazetteer of the World Online. 2006. New York: Columbia University Press.

External links

• Central America Online Discussion Forum and Community
• Photos of Central America
• LANIC Central America country pages