Central America 8 th Grade Geography

Central America  Central America includes:  Guatemala  Belize  Honduras  El Salvador  Nicaragua  Costa Rica & Panama

Central America  Central America forms a land bridge between North and South America.  No place on this isthmus is more than 125 miles from the sea.

Central America-Climate  Central American countries are characterized by humid tropical and tropical savanna climates with some highland climates down the center of the isthmus.

Climate  Much of the original savanna vegetation inland has been cleared for plantations and ranches.

Highlands  Some of Central America’s mountains are covered by cloud forest. This is a high-elevation, very wet tropical forest where low clouds are common.

Guatemala  Guatemala is the most populous country in Central America. Of the nearly 12 million people that live in Guatemala half are Central Indians.

Guatemala  Many Central American Indians speak Mayan Languages.

Guatemala  Coffee is Guatemala’s most important crop. The country is also a major producer of cardamom-used in Asian foods.

El Salvador  El Salvador lies on the Pacific side of Central America. Volcanic ash has made the country’s soils the most fertile in the region.

El Salvador  Regardless of the fertile soil, most people from El Salvador live in pronounced poverty.

Nicaragua  Nicaragua is the largest Central American country. It has coasts on both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean.

Nicaragua-People  Many people in Nicaragua live in poverty.

Costa Rica  The Republic of Costa Rica is a country in Central America of 19,730 square miles (51,100 sq), bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the south-southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, and the Caribbean Sea to the east.

Panama  The Panama Canal links the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The U.S. finished the canal in 1914.

Panama  The canal allowed the U.S. to extend its influence in the area. The United States control of the region declined after the lease elapsed in 1999.

Costa Rica  There are more species of plants and animals per acre in Costa Rica than anywhere in the world. Biodiversity is evident everywhere: 10,000 species of plants, 850 species of birds, 800 species of butterflies, 500 species of mammals, reptiles and amphibians.

Costa Rica  Active volcanoes; cloud and rain forests; waterfalls and tropical jungles; banana, sugar, pineapple, coffee and papaya plantations; mangrove forests and coastal swamps; and beaches and marine environments that support a variety of water fowl, fish and crustaceans.

Ecotourism  Ecotourism – the practice of using and area’s natural environment to attract tourists.