Central America

Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica,

Panama

Central America

ClimateCentral America has a tropical humid climate. It has no real winter; even the coldest month averages above 64 °F, with summers of 81°. Rainfall at 43” to 79” is high and regular.

Facts• Size: 185,607 mi², More than 1000 miles North to South, 300

miles wide, largest: Nicaragua (50,336), smallest: El Salvador (8124)

• Special Landforms/waters: Panama Canal, isthmus (small piece of land that connects two larger pieces of land)

• Arable land: 12% (using irrigation) • largest: El Salvador (31%), smallest: Belize (3%)

• Population: 41,829,265 • (largest: Guatemala, smallest: Belize )

• Birth Rate: 23 Death Rate: 5• Life Expectancy: Total: 73 Males: 71, Females: 75

Panama Canal• US President Theodore Roosevelt started project through a

treaty that gave the US control over a strip of land 10 miles wide and 50 miles long on either side of the Panama Canal Zone. In the zone, the US would build a canal, administer it, fortify it, and defend it.

• It was built by the US Army Corps of Engineers between 1904 and 1914.

• 56,307 people worked on it• It is located at the narrowest passage of the isthmus• It connects the Caribbean Sea (Atlantic Ocean) and the Pacific

Ocean• The 50 miles takes 8-10 hours to pass through• The canal is made up of locks. These locks raise and lower the

water level by gravity for the ships.

• The builders dealt with tremendous rain, heat, diseases, landslides and mudslides.• During the construction over 25,000 died due to disease.• The cost was $375,000,000 (at the time the most expensive project ever) (roughly

equivalent to $8,600,000,000 now)• The canal saved ships traveling from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific coast 7,872 miles• Ships from all over the world use the canal. 13-14,000 each year.• The Canal provides approximately $1 billion dollars a year in revenue• Work force is approximately 9,000 a day and operates 24 hours, 365 days year• Only certain sizes of ships can pass, many ships are too large to pass• The US signed a 99 year lease. (1903 - 2002)• President Jimmy Carter gave the control to Panama in 1977

The Panama Canal

The Panama Canal Operation

Canal Expansion

• Oct. 2006 Panama voted to build a 3rd lane for larger ships. The lane will cost an estimated $15-25 Billion.

• It will be paid for in 10 years.• It provides 35,000- 40,000 new jobs.• Expected to open 2014.

Facts• Nationality: Indigenous• Ethnic Groups: mestizo , Creole (a person of

European descent born in the West Indies)• Religion: Christian: Catholic, Protestant • Language: Spanish (official in 6), English (official

in Belize), indigenous languages• Literacy Rate: 80% Males 81% and Females 79% • Government Type: Democracy: presidential and

parliamentary, * Belize is commonwealth of England

Economy• Economy: Per capita Income: $7900

• Largest: Panama ($14,300) Smallest: Nicaragua ($3200) 42% below poverty level: Best: Costa Rica (24%) Worst: Honduras (60%)

• Mixed economy (more market)• Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua are members of

CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement) Who isn’t and why?• Natural Resources: copper, timber, shrimp, hydroelectric power, chicle

(substance from trees used in early gum making)• Agriculture: 25%, Industry: 19%, Service: 56%• Tourism and the canal are largest industry and service

Economy:

• Agr. products: Farming: plantations and subsistence farms (most exports are from the plantations) coffee, bananas (these two are grown mostly), sugarcane, cacao, livestock, timber, resources from the tropical rain forest (teak, mahogany, balsa)

• Money: Belizean (Belize) (2/$1), Cordoba (Nicaragua) (25/$1), Colon (Costa Rica) (500/$1), El Salvador and Panama primarily uses the US dollar

• Over ½ of the regions population lives in rural areas and as many as 2/3 survive on less than $2 per day

Movement and Human/Environment Interaction:

• 58% urban• Deforestation: largely a result of

the clearing of land for cattle ranching and agriculture

• fisheries protection, solid waste management, air pollution, water pollution

Other Facts:• Home to some of the world’s poorest and most densely

populated nations• Numerous volcanoes, with occasional violent earthquakes• Central American coast (Caribbean side) extremely susceptible

to hurricanes and other tropical storms• Food or waterborne diseases• In Guatemala, 43% of children under 5 are chronically

malnourished• Civil unrest (term used to describe a disturbance caused by a

group of people)• Illegal drugs: cocaine, heroin, and marijuana (growing and

selling)• All of these countries are developing countries

  El Salvador Belize Nicaragu

a Honduras Panama Costa Rica Guatemala

Literacy Rate % 81 68 68 80 92 95 69

Life Expectancy 73 77 72 71 78 78 71

Per capita Income  $7,600 $8,400 $3,200 $4,400 $14,300 $12,000 $5,100

Agriculture % 19 10 29 39 15 14 50

Industry % 23 18 19 21 18 22 15

Service % 58 72 52 40 67 64 35

Poverty % 38 43 46 60 29 24 54

History of Central America• At one time it was part of Mesoamerica. The tribes traded up and down

the entire region. • After the Spanish conquest in the 16th century, most of the region shared

a similar Spanish history. The exception was Belize which was controlled by the British.

• From the 16th century through 1821 the majority of the area was known as the Kingdom of Guatemala.

• 1821 the newly formed congress of Central America declared their independence from Spain effective September 15, 1821. This is the date most Central American countries celebrate as their independence day.

History of Central America• In 1823 the nation of Central America was formed. It

modeled itself after the USA. Its official name was the United Provinces of Central America. The created a flag that showed two blue stripes (water) surrounding a single white stripe (land).

• Countries began to separate and the union was broken by 1838.

• Over the years many attempts were made to reunite the union. But all have been unsuccessful. Yet today most all of the countries still have the blue and white stripes on their flag.

United Provinces of Central America

• Two oceans surrounding one land

Costa Rica

Guatemala

Belize

El Salvador

Honduras

Nicaragua

Panama

Guatemala: History:• The Mayans settled Guatemala and Belize. • People with Mayan backgrounds made up the 80% of the population and but they

were dominated by the mestizos. • The church began to teach the natives to read and write. They taught them about rights

and government. A Mayan civil rights movement began. • The government began to be alarmed by the civil unrest. The Guatemalan military set

out to stop it by cruelty and force. One example was a small group of Mayan leaders marched to the capital and peacefully (civil disobedience) occupied the Spanish Embassy. The authorities burned the building to the ground killing all inhabitants.

• Overall 200,000 Mayans killed by the government. • Civil unrest lasted until a peace agreement was signed in

1996.

Costa Rica: History: • 1522 Columbus landed in the area during his

final voyage.• Costa Rica was the southern most province of

NEW SPAIN • Very little riches were found here so it was

used for agriculture• Because of its distance from Mexico and the

little wealth found there, it became self sufficient

• It has maintained a democratic government for most of its history

Panama: History:• For much of its history Panama was part of Colombia.

It was called the Department of the Isthmus. • Panama got independence Nov. 3. 1903 and became a

Republic• 1968 Military government (Coup) took over creating a

dictatorship• 1981 The previous leader dies mysteriously in a plane

crash. General Manuel Noriega took control. During his reign weapons and drugs were being flown illegally into the US

• 1988 Noriega was arrested and found guilty of drug trafficking in the US

• Served 17 years in US, 1 in France and currently serving 20 in Panama

• 1989 a new election was held and a democratic president was elected.

Honduras: History:• About 400 years ago, the Spanish

Conquistadors landed on the shores of Honduras.

• Many of the natives were made to be slaves to dig for gold.

• They were told to either convert to Roman Catholicism, or die.

• Honduras became a Roman Catholic country. Every town has a Catholic church in the center of it.

• Most of it’s gold and silver was taken so Honduras is one of the poorest countries in all of Central America.