Central America

For other uses, see Central America (disambiguation).

Central America

Area	522,000 km²
Population	40,000,000
Density	77 per km²
Countries	7
GDP	$98,000 billion (exchange rate) $ 214 billion (purchasing power parity)
GDP per capita	$2,250 (exchange rate) $5,351(purchasing power parity)
Languages	Spanish, English, Garifuna, Kriol, Mayan languages, European languages, and many others
Time Zones	UTC - 6:00
Largest Cities	Guatemala City San Salvador San José Managua Tegucigalpa Panama City

Central America (Spanish: Centroamérica or América Central) is a central geographic region of the Americas. It is variably defined either as the southern portion of North America, which connects with South America on the southeast, or a region of the Americas in its own right.

Physical geography

Central America and the Caribbean Plate.

Physiographically, Central America is a narrow isthmus of southern North America extending from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in 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. Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, was devastated by earthquakes in 1931 and 1972, and in 2001 two earthquakes devastated El Salvador. Fertile soils from weathered volcanic lavas have made it possible to sustain dense populations in the agriculturally productive highland areas.

Human geography

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

Name of territory, with flag	Area (km²)	Population (1 July 2005 est.)	Population density (per km²)	Capital
Belize	22,966	291,000	14	Belmopan
Costa Rica	51,100	4,327,000	85	San José
El Salvador	21,040	6,881,000	327	San Salvador
Guatemala	108,890	12,599,000	116	Guatemala City
Honduras	112,492	7,205,000	64	Tegucigalpa
Nicaragua	129,494	5,487,000	42	Managua
Panama	75,517	3,232,000	43	Panama City
Total	521,499	40,001,000	77

Many modern definitions of Central America include Belize and Panama, neither of which existed 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 the 19th century. 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. Today, it is often considered a part of North America alone; however, for much of its history Panama has been connected to South America. Panama was originally 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 strictly North American entity.

History

Main article: History of Central America

In pre-Columbian times, most of modern Central America was 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 turns 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), Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica (which included a region which is nowadays part of Panama, and the Guanacaste Province which belonged to Nicaragua), and 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.

Foreign relations

Until recently all Central American countries (including Panama, excluding Costa Rica) maintain 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, 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 occasionally 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 not considered part of the region. In Central America itself Belize and Panama are often not considered to be in Central America.
• The UN geoscheme defines the region as all states of North America south of the United States; conversely, the European Union excludes Belize and Mexico from its definition of the region.

See also

• Central American Parliament
• Ethnic groups in Central America
• North America
• South America
• Americas (terminology)
• Middle America
• Rail transport in Central America

References

• "Central America". The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. 2001-6. New York: Columbia University Press.
• "Central America". 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.