Central America and the Caribbean are physically diverse regions connected by similar histories of European colonization. Central America consists of 7 countries situated on an isthmus between North and South America, featuring volcanic mountains and rainforests. The Caribbean is comprised of hundreds of islands, divided into the Greater Antilles, Lesser Antilles, and Bahamas. These areas have warm climates suitable for agriculture, though limited resources have constrained development. Culturally, the regions show influences from indigenous, European, and African peoples and languages. Economies today rely on tourism, agriculture, and foreign investment and trade.

1. Central America & the Caribbean

3. Physical Geography

4. Physical Features
 Sandy beaches, volcanic mts., rain forests, & clear blue
water

5. Central America
 Actually the southern part of North America
 7 countries
 Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa
Rica, & Panama
 Is an isthmus
 Narrow strip of land that connects two larger land areas
 Not more than 125 miles from Pacific Ocean to Caribbean Sea
 Chain of mts. & volcanoes separate Pacific & Caribbean
coastal plains
 Has a few short rivers
 Rugged land & lack of water routes makes travel difficult

6. Caribbean Islands
 Comprised of hundreds of islands
 Make up an archipelago or large group of islands
 Divide Caribbean Sea from Atlantic Ocean
 Two main island groups
 Greater Antilles (4 large islands):
Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, & Puerto Rico
 Lesser Antilles: other smaller islands; stretch from
Virgin Islands to Trinidad and Tobago
 Bahamas: 3rd group of islands; includes 700 islands &
thousands of reefs

7.  Many islands are the tops of underwater mts. &
volcanoes
 Some began as coral reefs that gradually pushed up
 Tectonic plates have also created some of the islands
 Earthquakes & volcanic eruptions occur frequently

8. Climate & Vegetation
 Both areas are generally sunny & warm
 Humid tropical & tropical savanna climates are common
 Along Pacific coast original savanna vegetation has been cleared
& replaced w/ plantations & ranches
 Caribbean coast has areas of tropical rain forest
 Inland mt. areas contain cool, humid climates
 Cloud forests: a moist, high elevation tropical forest where low
clouds are common
 Temps generally do not change much from day to night or from
summer to winter
 Change is marked by rainfall
 winters = dry
 summers = rains daily
 summer to fall = hurricane season

9. Resources
 Land & climate are best resources
 Tourism
 Agriculture
 Profitable where volcanic ash has enriched the soil
 Coffee, bananas, sugarcane, & cotton
 Timber exported form rain forests
 Few mineral resources
 Energy resources also limited
 Rely on energy imports
 Limits devlopment

10. Central America

11. Early250
 A.D.
History
 Maya were building large cities w/ pyramids & temples
 Abandoned cities around A.D. 900, but ruins remain today
 People of Maya descent still live in Guatemala & Belize &
customs still influence modern life
 1500s
 Europeans control
 Claimed mostly by Spain
 Est. plantations & grew tobacco & sugarcane
 Made Indians work on plantations & gold mines
 Enslaved Africans also brought to region
 Britain claimed Belize & part of Nicaragua

12. Central America Since
Independence
 1821
 Colonies declared independence
 Region remained together as United Provinces of
Central America
 Separated in 1838-1839
 Panama remained part of Colombia until 1903
 Belize remained part of Britain 1981
 Independence brought little change
 Wealthy landowners continued to run the countries &
the economies
 Bananas & coffee supported economy

13.  Mid-1900s
 U.S. based United Fruit Company developed railroads &
port facilities to help its business in Central America
 This helped w/ transportation & communication in region
 Many people resented foreign companies for owning
so much while others struggled to make a living
 Led to armed struggles in many countries

14. Culture
 Influenced by colonial history
 Reflect Spanish and native practices
 People and Languages
 Most people are mestizos (of mixed European and
Indian ancestry)
 Mostly live in places like the Guatemalan Highlands
 African ancestry
 Live mostly along Caribbean coast
 In some countries native Indian languages are still
spoken
 English & Spanish are main languages spoken

15. Religion, Festivals, & Food
 Many practice a religion brought by Europeans
 Roman Catholic & Protestant Christians
 Religion has influenced celebrations in towns
 Celebrate special saints’ feast days; Easter
 During festivals people eat traditional foods
 Corn, tomatoes, hot peppers, and cacao

16. Central America Today
 Have similar histories and cultures
 Have own economic & political challenges
 2005 Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, el
Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, & Nicaragua signed
Central American Free Trade Agreement with U.S.
 Goal is to increase trade among countries

17. Guatemala
 Most populous (12 million people)
 Although most are mestizos, half are Central American
Indians & speak Maya languages
 Most live in small villages in the highlands
 1960-1996
 Fighting between rebels and gov’t forces (200,000 people were
killed)
 Still recovering from conflict
 Coffee grown in highlands
 Major producer of cardamom (spice used in Asian foods)

18. Belize
 Smallest population
 Not much land for agriculture
 Ecotourism has become popular
 Practice of using an area’s natural environment to attract
tourists
 Come to see coral reefs, Maya ruins, & coastal resorts

19. Honduras
 Mountainous country
 Most people live in mt. valleys & along northern coast
 Rugged land makes transportation difficult
 Little land to grow crops
 Bananas & citrus fruits are important exports

20. El Salvador
 A few rich families own much of the best land while
most people live in poverty
 1980s
 Civil war resulted from land disputes
 Many people were killed & economy suffered
 People are working to rebuild their country since end
of civil war in 1992
 Country has fertile soil
 Grow & export coffee and sugarcane

21. Nicaragua
 Rebuilding after civil war
 1979
 A group called the Sandinistas overthrew a dictator
 Many supported this group, but rebel forces (aided by U.S.)
fought Sandinistas for power
 1990
 Civil war ended w/ elections
 Now a democracy

22. Costa Rica
 Has a history of peace
 Has stable, democratic gov’t
 Does not have an army
 Progress made in reducing poverty
 Coffee & bananas are important to economy
 Tourism also important

23. Panama
 Most people live near Panama Canal
 Canal fees & local industries make area most
prosperous in country
 1914
 Panama Canal was built by U.S. as a link from Pacific
Ocean to Caribbean Sea
 U.S. controlled canal until 1999

24. The Caribbean Islands

25. Early History
 1492
 Columbus sailed for Spain & was 1st to sail into
Caribbean Sea
 Thought he had reached the Indies
 Called islands the West Indies & people Indians
 Spain had little interest in smaller islands
 English, French, Dutch, & Danish did
 Est. colonies & built huge sugarcane plantations
 Most Caribbean Indians had died from disease so African
slaves were brought in to work plantations
 Soon Africans & people of African descent outnumbered
Europeans on many islands

26. Independence
 Toussaint-L’Ouverture
 Led a slave revolt
 Helped Haiti win independence from France in 1804
 Idea of independence spread
 Mid-1800s
 Dominican Republic gained independence
 U.S. won Cuba from Spain
 Cuba gained independence in 1902
 Other countries had to wait about 40 years for
independence
 After WWII; Europeans transferred political power peacefully
 Some are still not independent
 Some are provinces or territories of other countries

27. Culture
 Signs of past colonialism & slavery
 People, Languages, & Religion
 Most people are descended from Europeans or from
African slaves
 Or a mixture
 Spanish, French, English, or European and African
languages
 Creole: spoken by Haitians; a dialect or a regional variety of a
language
 Catholic, blend of Catholicism and traditional African
religions

28. Festivals and Food
 Variety of holidays celebrated
 Carnival: time of feasts & celebration before Lent
 Often include great music
 Food & cooking also reflects past
 Food from Africa like yams & okra
 Curry

29. The Caribbean Islands Today
 Have similar history & culture
 Economies differ as well as gov’t & cultural landscapes

30. Puerto Rico
 Was a Spanish colony
 Today U.S. commonwealth
 self-governing territory associated w/ another country
 Are U.S. citizens, but no voting representation in
Congress
 Debate to remain commonwealth or U.S. state or
independent country
 U.S. aid & investment have helped develop economy
 Wages are lower & unemployment is higher than in U.S.

31. Haiti
 Mountainous western third of island of Hispaniola
 Has limited industry
 Agricultural products like coffee and sugarcane are main
exports
 Most farm small plots of land
 Is the poorest country in the Americas
 Has had corrupt gov’t
 Violence, political unrest, & poverty have created many
political refugees
 Someone who flees to another country, usually for political or
economic resasons

32. Dominican Republic
 Occupies eastern half of Hispaniola
 Capital of Santo Domingo was the 1st permanent
European settlement in the Western Hemisphere
 Not a rich country
 Economy, health care, & housing are more developed
than Haiti
 Agriculture is basis of economy
 Tourism is growing

33. Cuba & most populous in Caribbean
 Largest
 92 miles from Florida
 Run by Communist since 1959 when Fidel Castro came to power
 Took over banks, plantations, & other businesses (many owned by
U.S. companies)
 U.S. banned trade with Cuba & restricted travel there by U.S.
citizens
 Today
 Gov’t still controls economy
 Farms are organizes as cooperatives or gov’t owned plantations
 Cooperative: an organization owned by its members and operated for
their mutual benefit
 Gov’t also controls all newspapers, television, and radio stations
 Some support gov’t policies & other have become refugees in the U.S.

34. Other Islands
 Jamaica
 Largest remaining Caribbean country
 Saint Kitts and Nevis
 Smallest country
 Many are not countries but territories
 U.S. & British Virgin Islands
 Netherlands and France also have territories
 Some islands have enough land to grow
coffee, sugarcane, or spices
 Most economies are based on tourism
 Good for economy, but sometimes harms environment