History of Central America
Central America
Is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent. Central America consists of the states of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. Central America is part of the Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot, which extends from Northern Guatemala through central Panama. It is bordered on the north by the country of Mexico, on the east by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific Ocean; South America lies to the south.
Central America has an area of 524,000 square kilometers (202,000 sq mi), or almost 0.1% of the Earth's surface. As of 2009, its population was estimated at 41,739,000. It has a density of 77 people per square kilometer or 206 people per square mile
A skinny bridge dividing oceans and connecting far larger Americas, beach-lined and volcano-dotted Central America is the "new" great destination for activities and fun in Latin America. Many trips start with Costa Rica's upscale eco-lodges or Guatemala's Mayan ruins (despite the hype, Tikal still feels lost in the jungle) and highlands towns with moonshine-drinking saints. The Caribbean side of the region boasts white-sand shores and the English-speaking cultures of Belize, the Bay Islands (Honduras) and the Corn Islands (Nicaragua) - great places for cheap dives with sharks and stingrays. The best surfing is over on the rougher Pacific side - particularly Costa Rica's Peninsula de Nicoya, the "surf villages" in El Salvador's La Libertad, and the breaks near Leon, Nicaragua. Colonial towns like Grenada (Nicaragua) or Antigua (Guatemala) make great kick-back spots with hacienda-style B&Bs, traditional handicrafts, and local coffee brews to sip. Meanwhile, national parks and the untamed jungle - most notably the Darien Gap (Panama)_and the Mosquito Coast (Honduras) - make for untamed adventures. Buses zip from country to country, but if you hope to make any sense of the region, slow down. It's the Central American way.
In pre-Columbian times, the north-western areas of modern Central America were part of the Mesoamericancivilization. The Native American societies of Mesoamerica occupied the land ranging from central Mexico in the north to Costa Rica in the south. Most notable among these were the Maya, who had built numerous cities throughout the region, and the Aztecs, who created a vast empire. The pre-Columbian cultures of Panama traded with both Mesoamerica and South America, and can be considered transitional between those two cultural areas.
Following Christopher Columbus's discovery of the Americas for Spain, the Spanish sent numerous expeditions to the region, and they began their conquest of Maya lands in the 1520s. In 1540, Spain established theCaptaincy General of Guatemala, which extended from southern Mexico to Costa Rica, and thus encompassed most of what is currently known as Central America, with the exception of British Honduras (present-day Belize). This lasted nearly three centuries, until a rebellion (which followed closely on the heels of the Mexican War of Independence) in 1821.
After the dissolution of Spanish authority, the former Captaincy General remained intact as part of the short-lived First Mexican Empire, then turned into the Federal Republic of Central America, which was a representative democracy with its capital at Guatemala City. This union consisted of the present day nations of Guatemala (which included the former state of Los Altos), El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica (which included a region which is now part of Panama, and the Guanacaste Province which was once part of Nicaragua), and Soconusco, a portion of the modern Mexican state of Chiapas. The Republic lasted from 1823 to 1838, when it began to disintegrate due to civil wars.
Is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent. Central America consists of the states of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. Central America is part of the Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot, which extends from Northern Guatemala through central Panama. It is bordered on the north by the country of Mexico, on the east by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific Ocean; South America lies to the south.
Central America has an area of 524,000 square kilometers (202,000 sq mi), or almost 0.1% of the Earth's surface. As of 2009, its population was estimated at 41,739,000. It has a density of 77 people per square kilometer or 206 people per square mile
A skinny bridge dividing oceans and connecting far larger Americas, beach-lined and volcano-dotted Central America is the "new" great destination for activities and fun in Latin America. Many trips start with Costa Rica's upscale eco-lodges or Guatemala's Mayan ruins (despite the hype, Tikal still feels lost in the jungle) and highlands towns with moonshine-drinking saints. The Caribbean side of the region boasts white-sand shores and the English-speaking cultures of Belize, the Bay Islands (Honduras) and the Corn Islands (Nicaragua) - great places for cheap dives with sharks and stingrays. The best surfing is over on the rougher Pacific side - particularly Costa Rica's Peninsula de Nicoya, the "surf villages" in El Salvador's La Libertad, and the breaks near Leon, Nicaragua. Colonial towns like Grenada (Nicaragua) or Antigua (Guatemala) make great kick-back spots with hacienda-style B&Bs, traditional handicrafts, and local coffee brews to sip. Meanwhile, national parks and the untamed jungle - most notably the Darien Gap (Panama)_and the Mosquito Coast (Honduras) - make for untamed adventures. Buses zip from country to country, but if you hope to make any sense of the region, slow down. It's the Central American way.
In pre-Columbian times, the north-western areas of modern Central America were part of the Mesoamericancivilization. The Native American societies of Mesoamerica occupied the land ranging from central Mexico in the north to Costa Rica in the south. Most notable among these were the Maya, who had built numerous cities throughout the region, and the Aztecs, who created a vast empire. The pre-Columbian cultures of Panama traded with both Mesoamerica and South America, and can be considered transitional between those two cultural areas.
Following Christopher Columbus's discovery of the Americas for Spain, the Spanish sent numerous expeditions to the region, and they began their conquest of Maya lands in the 1520s. In 1540, Spain established theCaptaincy General of Guatemala, which extended from southern Mexico to Costa Rica, and thus encompassed most of what is currently known as Central America, with the exception of British Honduras (present-day Belize). This lasted nearly three centuries, until a rebellion (which followed closely on the heels of the Mexican War of Independence) in 1821.
After the dissolution of Spanish authority, the former Captaincy General remained intact as part of the short-lived First Mexican Empire, then turned into the Federal Republic of Central America, which was a representative democracy with its capital at Guatemala City. This union consisted of the present day nations of Guatemala (which included the former state of Los Altos), El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica (which included a region which is now part of Panama, and the Guanacaste Province which was once part of Nicaragua), and Soconusco, a portion of the modern Mexican state of Chiapas. The Republic lasted from 1823 to 1838, when it began to disintegrate due to civil wars.