Central America () 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.
Physical geography
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.
Managua, the capital of
Nicaragua, was devastated by earthquakes in 1931 and 1972, the last one killed about 10,000 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.
[http://www.webng.com/jerbarker/home/eia-toolkit/downloads/Van04/RojasVancouver.pdf] 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:
Human geography
Geopolitically, Central America has traditionally consisted of the following countries:
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
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
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.
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.
["". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2006. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.] Mexico, in whole or in part, is sometimes included. Some geographers include the five states of Campeche, Chiapas, Tabasco, Quintana Roo, and Yucatán,
- 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.
- 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
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