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 as a region of the Americas in its own right.^[3][4] Most of Central America is considered to be part of the Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot.^[5] PPP of GDP for the countries of the world (2003). ... PPP of GDP for the countries of the world (2003). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Belizean Creole, also called Belizean Kriol or Kriol , is closely related to Miskito Coastal Creole, Rio Abajo Creole, Colón Creole, and San Andrés and Providencia Creole. ... “Maya language” redirects here. ... European languages are the object of Eurolinguistics. ... Genealogy Areal Uto-Aztecan —5000 BP* Soshonean (N Uto-Aztecan) —3500 BP Numic (Plateau group) —2000 BP C Plateau Soshoni [SHH] Comanche [COM] Paramint [PAR] S Plateau Ute-Chemehuevi (S Paiute) [UTE] Kawaiisu [KAW] W Plateau Mono [MON] Paiute (Northern Paiute) [PAO] Takic ( Southern Californian) —2400 BP Hopi Tubatulabal Sonoran... Tegucigalpa IPA: (Tegus for short), population 1,200,000 (2006) (metro area), is the capital of Honduras (together with Comayagüela), and the countrys largest city. ... This article is about the capital city of Nicaragua. ... Guatemala City (in full, La Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción; locally known as Guatemala or Guate) is the capital and largest city of the nation of Guatemala. ... For other uses, see San Salvador (disambiguation). ... Nickname: Country Department Foundation June 1536 Government  - Alcalde (Mayor) Rodolfo Padilla Sunseri Area  - Urban 136 km² (52. ... This article is about the capital city of Panama. ... Nickname: Location of San José Canton between provinces Coordinates: , Country Province Canton San José Canton Founded circa. ... Santa Ana is the second most important city in El Salvador, located at 64 kilometers west from San Salvador, the capital city. ... León is a city in Nicaragua, Central America, located at 12. ... San Miguel is an important city in El Salvador. ... For the books called Geography by Ancient Greek authors, see Geographia (Ptolemy) and Geographica (Strabo) For the magazine of the Royal Geographical Society, see Geographical (magazine) Geography is the study of the earth and its features, inhabitants, and phenomena. ... Look up Region in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... World map showing the Americas CIA political map of the Americas in an equal-area projection The Americas are the lands of the New World, consisting of the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions. ... North American redirects here. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... This article is about the culture area. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

Physical geography

Central America and the Caribbean Plate.

Physiographically, Central America is a very 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. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3000x2250, 1130 KB) I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3000x2250, 1130 KB) I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Detail of tectonic plates from: Tectonic plates of the world. ... True-color image of the Earths surface and atmosphere Physical geography (also know as geosystems or physiography) is a subfield of geography that focuses on the systematic study of patterns and processes within the hydrosphere, biosphere, atmosphere, and lithosphere. ... For other uses, see Isthmus (disambiguation). ... The Isthmus of Tehuantepec is an isthmus in Mexico. ... The Isthmus of Panama. ... Main article: Colombia The Geography of Colombia is characterized by containing five main natural regions which present their own unique characteristics, from the Andes mountain range region shared with Ecuador and Venezuela, the Pacific Ocean coastal region shared with Panama and Ecuador, the Caribbean Sea coastal region shared with Venezuela... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... The Trans-Mexican volcanic belt (Eje Volcánico Transversal) is a mountain range that extends 900 km from west to east across central Mexico. ... Square kilometre (U.S. spelling: square kilometer), symbol km², is a decimal multiple of SI unit of surface area square metre, one of the SI derived units. ... Map of Central America and the Caribbean The Caribbean Sea (pronounced or ) is a tropical sea in the Western Hemisphere, part of the Atlantic Ocean, southeast of the Gulf of Mexico. ... Gulf of Mexico in 3D perspective. ...

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.. Detail of tectonic plates from: Tectonic plates of the world. ... This article is about volcanoes in geology. ... This article is about the natural seismic phenomenon. ...

Human geography

Geopolitically, Central America has traditionally consisted of the following countries: Geopolitics is the study that analyzes geography, history and social science with reference to spatial politics and patterns at various scales (ranging from home, city, region, state to international and cosmopolitics). ...

Name of territory, with flag	Area (km²)[1]	Population (July 2007 est.)[1]	Population density (per km²)	Capital
Belize	&&&&&&&&&&022966.&&&&&022,966	&&&&&&&&&0294385.&&&&&0294,385	&&&&&&&&&&&&&013.&&&&&013	Belmopan
Costa Rica	&&&&&&&&&&051100.&&&&&051,100	&&&&&&&&04133884.&&&&&04,133,884	&&&&&&&&&&&&&081.&&&&&081	San José
El Salvador	&&&&&&&&&&021040.&&&&&021,040	&&&&&&&&06948073.&&&&&06,948,073	&&&&&&&&&&&&0330.&&&&&0330	San Salvador
Guatemala	&&&&&&&&&0108890.&&&&&0108,890	&&&&&&&012728111.&&&&&012,728,111	&&&&&&&&&&&&0117.&&&&&0117	Guatemala City
Honduras	&&&&&&&&&0112090.&&&&&0112,090	&&&&&&&&07483763.&&&&&07,483,763	&&&&&&&&&&&&&067.&&&&&067	Tegucigalpa
Nicaragua	&&&&&&&&&0129494.&&&&&0129,494	&&&&&&&&05675356.&&&&&05,675,356	&&&&&&&&&&&&&044.&&&&&044	Managua
Panama	&&&&&&&&&&078200.&&&&&078,200	&&&&&&&&03242173.&&&&&03,242,173	&&&&&&&&&&&&&041.&&&&&041	Panama City
Total	&&&&&&&&&0523780.&&&&&0523,780	&&&&&&&040545745.&&&&&040,545,745	&&&&&&&&&&&&&077.&&&&&077

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. For other uses, see Flag (disambiguation). ... This is a list of the countries of the world sorted by area. ... Not to be confused with capitol. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Belize. ... Belmopan, estimated population 12,300, is the capital of Belize. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Costa_Rica. ... Nickname: Location of San José Canton between provinces Coordinates: , Country Province Canton San José Canton Founded circa. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_El_Salvador. ... For other uses, see San Salvador (disambiguation). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Guatemala. ... Guatemala City (in full, La Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción; locally known as Guatemala or Guate) is the capital and largest city of the nation of Guatemala. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Honduras. ... Tegucigalpa IPA: (Tegus for short), population 1,200,000 (2006) (metro area), is the capital of Honduras (together with Comayagüela), and the countrys largest city. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Nicaragua. ... This article is about the capital city of Nicaragua. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Panama. ... This article is about the capital city of Panama. ... Flag Capital Guatemala City¹ Language(s) Spanish Government Republic History  - Established 1823  - Disestablished May 31, 1838 Currency Central American Republic real ¹ Moved to San Salvador in 1834. ... An anachronous map of the overseas Spanish Empire (1492-1898) in red, and the Spanish Habsburg realms in Europe (1516-1714) in orange. ... Guatemala is divided into 22 [1] departments (departamentos): Alta Verapaz Baja Verapaz Chimaltenango Chiquimula Petén El Progreso Quiché Escuintla Guatemala Huehuetenango Izabal Jalapa Jutiapa Quetzaltenango Retalhuleu Sacatepéquez San Marcos Santa Rosa Sololá Suchitepequez Totonicapán Zacapa In addition, Guatemala has in the past claimed that all or part... Location of the British Overseas Territories The British Overseas Territories are fourteen[1] territories which the United Kingdom considers to be under its sovereignty, but not as part of the United Kingdom itself. ... Flag Capital Belize City Language(s) English Government Constitutional monarchy History  - Established 1871  - Disestablished 1981 Area 22,966 km2 8,867 sq mi Currency British Honduran dollar Flag of British Honduras British Honduras was the former name of what is now the independent nation of Belize and was a British...

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 post-Columbian history, Panama has been connected 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. The Isthmus of Panama. ... A transcontinental country is a country belonging to more than one continent. ... The Viceroyalty of New Granada was the name given to a group of colonial provinces in northern South America, corresponding mainly to modern Colombia. ... Capital Bogotá Created December 1819 Dissolved November 1831 Demonym Colombian Departments of the Republic Greater Colombia (Gran Colombia in Spanish) is the name given to the Republic of Colombia of 1819-1830, which was a short-lived republic in South America consisting of present-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama. ...

History

Main article: History of Central America

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

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. This is the history of Central America. ... The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents. ... This article is about the culture area. ... For other uses, see Native Americans (disambiguation). ... This article is about the contemporary indigenous peoples and cultures who descend from, or remain, speakers of the Mayan languages of southern Mesoamerica. ... The word Aztec is usually used as a historical term, although some contemporary Nahuatl speakers would consider themselves Aztecs. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ...

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. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Christopher Columbus (1451 – May 20, 1506) was a navigator, colonizer, and explorer and one of the first Europeans to explore the Americas after the Vikings. ... World map showing the Americas CIA political map of the Americas in an equal-area projection The Americas are the lands of the New World, consisting of the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions. ... This article is about the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. ... The Captaincy General of Guatamala (Spanish: Capitania General de Goathemalawa) was an administrative division in Spanish America which covered much of Central America, extending from the Soconusco region - located in what is now the southern part of Mexico (states of Chiapas, Tabasco, Quintana Roo, and Yucatan) - to Costa Rica. ... Flag Capital Belize City Language(s) English Government Constitutional monarchy History  - Established 1871  - Disestablished 1981 Area 22,966 km2 8,867 sq mi Currency British Honduran dollar Flag of British Honduras British Honduras was the former name of what is now the independent nation of Belize and was a British... Combatants Mexico Spain Commanders Miguel Hidalgo José María Morelos Vicente Guerrero Spanish colonial authorities Strength  ?  ? Casualties  ?  ? Mexican War of Independence (1810-1821), was an armed conflict between the people of Mexico and Spanish colonial authorities, which started on September 16, 1810. ...

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), Honduras, El Salvador, 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. Captaincy General (from the Spanish Capitanía General) is a division of a viceroyalty in colonial Spanish-America and the Spanish-Philippines, established in areas under risk of foreign invasion or Indian attack. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Flag Capital Guatemala City¹ Language(s) Spanish Government Republic History  - Established 1823  - Disestablished May 31, 1838 Currency Central American Republic real ¹ Moved to San Salvador in 1834. ... Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principles of popular sovereignty by the peoples representatives. ... Guatemala City (in full, La Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción; locally known as Guatemala or Guate) is the capital and largest city of the nation of Guatemala. ... Los Altos (The Highlands in the Spanish language) was an area of Central America, which was added as a sixth state to the United States of Central America in the 1830s. ... Guanacaste is a province of Costa Rica. ... Soconusco refers to the region of rich lowlands and foothills along the Pacific coast of southeastern Chiapas, Mexico. ... This article is about the definition of the specific type of war. ...

Central American integration

Sistema de Integración Centroamericana
Central American Integration System

Motto: «God, Union and Liberty»
Anthem: La Granadera

Area	560,988 km²
Population	41,753,000 hab.
Countries	Belize  Costa Rica  Guatemala  Honduras  Nicaragua  Panama  El Salvador  Dominican Republic

Countries part of the SICA

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. Image File history File links Flag_of_Belize. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Costa_Rica. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Guatemala. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Honduras. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Nicaragua. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Panama. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_El_Salvador. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Dominican_Republic. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The Central American Court of Justice was an international court established by five Central American states by a treaty signed December 20, 1907 at Washington, D.C. Categories: Law stubs ...

It was until 1991 that the integration agenda was completed with the creation of the SICA, Sistema para la Integración Centroamericana or System of 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. West Indies redirects here. ...

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. The Central American Parliament, also know by the abbreviation Parlacen (from the Spanish Parlamento Centroamericano) is a political institution devoted to the integration of the Central American countries. ... Banco Centralamericano de Integración Economico or BCIE was established in 1960 to promote economic integration and development of nations in Central America. ... The Central American Common Market (abbreviated CACM - in Spanish: Mercado Común Centroamericano, abbreviated MCCA) is an economic trade organization between five nations of Central America. ...

Foreign relations

Until recently all Central American countries (excluding Costa Rica) maintain diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan) instead of the People's Republic of China.^[6]. 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). For the Chinese civilization, see China. ...

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.^[7] Geopolitically, it usually comprises seven countries – Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.^[8] Mexico, in whole or in part, is occasionally included.^[9] Some geographers include the five states of Campeche, Chiapas, Tabasco, Quintana Roo, and Yucatán,^[8] 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.^[10] Geopolitically, Mexico is not considered part of the region.
• 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.^[11][12]

Animated, colour-coded map showing the various continents. ... The United Mexican States are a federation made up by thirty-one free and sovereign states. ... Location within Mexico Country Capital Municipalities 11 Largest City San Francisco de Campeche Government  - Governor Jorge Carlos Hurtado Valdez (PRI)  - Federal Deputies PRI:2  - Federal Senators PRI:2 PAN:1 Area Ranked 18th  - State 50,812 km²  (19,618. ... Location within Mexico Municipalities of Chiapas Country Mexico Capital Municipalities 118 Largest City Tuxtla Gutiérrez Government  - Governor Juan José Sabines Guerrero ( PRD)  - Federal Deputies PRI: 7 PRD: 5  - Federal Senators PRI: 1 PRD: 1 PVEM: 1 Area Ranked 8th  - Total 74,211 km² (28,653 sq mi) Population (2005... This article is about the Mexican state of Tabasco. ... Quintana Roo is a state of Mexico, on the eastern part of the Yucatán Peninsula. ... Location within Mexico Country Capital Municipalities 106 Government  - Governor Ivonne Ortega Pacheco PRI  - Federal Deputies PAN: 4 PRI: 1  - Federal Senators Hugo Laviada (PAN) Alfredo Rodríguez (PAN) Cleominio Zoreda (PRI) Area Ranked 20th  - State 38,402 km²  (14,827. ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ... The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe, and includes modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra and Gibraltar. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... Ibero-America is a term used to refer collectively to the countries in the Americas which were formerly colonies of Spain or Portugal. ... The definition of continental subregions in use by the United Nations for statistical purposes The UN geoscheme divides the world into macro regions[1] and subregions, all in alphabetical order. ...

See also

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

The Central American Parliament, also know by the abbreviation Parlacen (from the Spanish Parlamento Centroamericano) is a political institution devoted to the integration of the Central American countries. ... Central America is a region formed by 7 Hispanic countries and one Anglo-Saxon (Belize). ... North American redirects here. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... The Americas, also known as America, are the lands of the western hemisphere, composed of numerous entities and regions variably defined by geography, politics, and culture. ... Middle America For other uses, see Middle America (disambiguation). ... City rail in La Ceiba, Honduras is one of the few remaining passenger train services in Central America. ...

References