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Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is variably defined either as being a region of the Americas in its own right or as the southern portion of North America.

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. Central America has an area of some 523,000 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. In 1931 and 1972 earthquakes devastated Managua the capital of Nicaragua, as also in 2001 two earthquakes devastated El Salvador entirely. 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:

Those in the left column were the five original countries of the Federal Republic of Central America. Additionally, most modern definitions include Belize and Panama, neither of which were independent countries at the time of the Federal Republic.

The combined population of these countries is 39,267,000 in 2006. Of these, Guatemala is the most populated country with approximately 11 million people; Belize, with only about 300,000 people, is the least populated country.

Mexico is sometimes included in Central America, e.g. the UN geoscheme includes it in Central America, defined as all states of North America south of the United States. In contrast, the European Union excludes Belize and Mexico from its definition of the region.

* The Panama Canal, a 77-kilometre bypass across the Isthmus of Panama, connects the Caribbean Sea (a mediterranean 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.

History

There was a nation of Central America in the early 19th century, consisting of the present day nations of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica (which included a region which is nowadays part of Panama), and a portion of the modern Mexican state of Chiapas. This was sometimes known as the United Provinces of Central America or the Federal Republic of Central America.

See also

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

References

• "Central America". The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. 2001-6. New York: Columbia University Press.
• "Central America". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2006. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
• "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.

1. Burchfield, R. W. 2004. "America". Fowler's Modern English Usage (ISBN 0-19-861021-1) New York: Oxford University Press, p. 48.

• Central America