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CENTRAL AMERICA
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Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. Variably defined, the region constitutes the southern portion of the North American continent.
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. Having an area of some 523,000 square kilometres, it includes the portion of Mexico east of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec—namely the Mexican states of Campeche, Chiapas, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, and Yucatán. 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. Fertile soils from weathered volcanic lavas have made it possible to sustain dense populations in the agriculturally productive highland areas.
Human geography
Geopolitically and historically Central America has traditionally consisted of the following countries:
Some geographers also include 5 states of Mexico in their definition of the region (Campeche, Chiapas, Quintana Roo, Tabasco and Yucatán).
The 7 countries of Central America had a combined total population 39,267,000 in 2006.
* 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.
**Mexico is included in the UN subregion of Central America (defined as all mainland states of North America south of the United States). The European Union excludes Belize and Mexico from its definition of the region.
Source: Enciclopaedia Britannica [1]
History
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There was a nation of Central America in the early 19th century, consisting of the present day nations of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica (and a portion of the modern Mexican state of Chiapas). This was sometimes known as the United Provinces of Central America or the United States of Central America.
Sources
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