Central America

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Image:CentAmerica.jpg Central America is a central region of the Americas. Variably defined, the geographic region constitutes the southern portion of the North American continent.

1 Physical geography
2 Human geography
3 History
4 Sources
5 See also
6 External links

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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. Having an area of some 523,000 square kilometres, it includes the portion of Mexico east of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec—namely the Mexican states of Campeche, Chiapas, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, and Yucatán. The North Pacific Ocean lies to the southwest, the Caribbean Sea lies to the northeast, and the Gulf of Mexico lies to the north.

Image:Tectonic plates Caribbean.pngMost of Central America rests atop the Caribbean Plate. The region is geologically active, with volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occurring from time to time. In 1931 and 1972 earthquakes devastated Managua, the capital of Nicaragua. Fertile soils from weathered volcanic lavas have made it possible to sustain dense populations in the agriculturally productive highland areas.

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Human geography

Geopolitically, Central America is usually reckoned to consist of the following countries: Template:Col-begin Template:Col-break

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* The Panama Canal, a 77-kilometre bypass across the Isthmus of Panama, connects the Caribbean Sea (a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean) to the Pacific. Though physiographically a transcontinental nation, all of Panama—including the segment east of the Panama Canal—is often considered a part of North America alone.

The UN subregion of Central America includes all mainland states of North America south of the United States—including Mexico—while the European Union excludes Belize and Mexico from its definition of the region.

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History

Template:Main There was a nation of Central America in the early 19th century, consisting of the present day nations of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica (and a portion of the modern Mexican state of Chiapas). This was sometimes known as the United Provinces of Central America or the United States of Central America.

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