Central American & The Caribbean Introduction

Central American & The Caribbean Introduction

• Southernmost region of North America

• Made up of 7 countries

• Central America is an isthmus that separates the Pacific Ocean from Caribbean Sea​.

• Connect North & South America

• Volcanoes and Earthquakes are common

• Tropical Climate​

​

Central America

• Former British Colony - gained independence in the 1980s

• Tourism is becoming increasingly more common

• English is the national language

​

​

​

Belize is home to more the 900 Mayan ruins

Belize

Guatemala's land is dotted with active volcanoes​

Mayan culture plays an important part in the culture

Guatemala has suffered through authoritarian rulers and civil wars

Known for coffee and chocolat​e

​

Guatemala

The mountains of Honduras can isolate people from one another

Crippling hurricanes have hurt the economy of Honduras​

​

Honduras is home to many Mayan ruins - like Copan

Honduras is a developing nation.

Honduras' economy depends heavily on banana production

​Honduras

Smallest and most densly populated in Central America

​El Salvador has been plagued with civil war

El Salvadors main export is coffee​

​

​

El Salvador is the only Central American country that lacks a coastline on the Caribbean Sea

El Salvador

Largest country in Central America

Almost all major cities are on the western half of the country.

Hurricanes, earthquakes, and volcanoes all impact the country​

​

​

Lake Managua is the only freshwater lake where sharks live

Nicaragua

Costa Rica has no military and a stable government​

​

Peaceful Country

​Costa Rica has a higher standard of living compared to its neighbors

Costa Rican people are considered some of the happiest on earth​

Happy People

Costa Rica is home to a diverse population of plants and animals, especiallly exotic birds.

​

Plants and Animals

​

​Costa Rica

Panama connects North and South America - it is an isthmus

Panama Canal connects the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean

Panama is know for its natural beauty, gorwing economy, and pleasant climate

​

PANAMA

​The Caribbean Islands are divided into three main groups: The Greater Antilles, The Lesser Antilles, and the Bahamas

The larger islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico make of the Great Antilles

The smaller islands, including the Bahamas make up the Lesser Antilles ​

​Caribbean Islands

First place that Christopher Columbas landed​

Heavily depended on tourism

​Islands are made up of sand and limestone

You can swim with the pigs in the Bahamas​

Bahamas

Cuba has been a communist country since Fidel Castro overthrew the government in the 1950s

Puerto Rico is officially a part of the United States

Both countriies have long and complicated histories with the U.S.

​​Cuba, Puerto Rico

Jamaica is known for its music, especially reggae, ska, and calypso

Hispaniola is an island that shares the countries of Haiti and Dominican Republic

​

​​Jamaica, Hispaniola

​Greater Antilles

St. Kitts & Nevis is the smallest nation in the western hiemisphere

​​St. Kitts & Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda

​

St. Lucia is a volcanic island and a popular vacation getaway

​

​​Dominica, St. Lucia, Barbados

​

Grenada is a spice island - known for nutmeg

​St. Vincent & the Grenadines is a volcanic island

​​St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Grenada

​

Trinidad & Tobago is home to many Indians from India

They also have a large suppply of oil​

​​Trinidad and Tobago

​

​Lesser Antilles