Central America
| Area | 521,499 km²
|
| Population | 42,382,000 (2006 est.)
|
| Density | 81 per km²
|
| Countries | 7
|
| 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, Garifuna, Kriol, Mayan languages, European languages, and many others
|
| Time Zones | UTC - 6:00, UTC - 5:00
|
| Largest Cities | Guatemala CitySan SalvadorSan JoséManaguaTegucigalpaPanama 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
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:
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's 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 strictly North American entity.
History
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.
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 now part of Panama, and the
Guanacaste Province which belonged to 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 LA INTEGRACIÓN CENTROAMERICANA
System of the Central American Integration
Motto: «God, Union and Liberty»
Anthem: La Granadera
| Area | 560,988 km²
|
| Population | 41,753,000 hab.
|
| Countries |
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Central America is going through a process of political, economical 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 wasn't 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 of the Central American Integration. The SICA provided a clear legal base to avoid discrepancies between the member states. The SICA membership include the 7 nations of Central America plus
Dominican Republic, a state often linked to the
Caribbean.
Central America already counts with 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 (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, Geopolitically, Mexico isn't 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.
External results
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|
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