1. Central America and The
Caribbean
Chapter 11 sec. 1and 2

2. Central America Belize Guatemala Honduras El Salvador Nicaragua
Costa Rica
Panama

3. Central America
Central America is an isthmus-”narrow strip of land surrounded by water, connecting two larger bodies of land”
Three physical regions
Mountainous core (like Mexico)
Caribbean Lowlands (eastern coast) dense rainfall
Pacific Coastal Plain –grasslands like a savanna
Climate Hazards
Tropical storms and Hurricanes- during Summer and early Fall
Hurricane Mitch

4. Central America-Econ Activity
50% of people of C.A. employed in agriculture
Most subsistence farming
Plantations- grow coffee, bananas, sugar or cotton
Large separation of rich and poor
Rich-own plantations
Poor-work on plantations
Banana
plantation

5. Central America- Politics
Political instability p.240
Nicaragua-1990’s
El Salvador free elections
Guatemala- 1980’s-
Harsh military governments-regimes
Organized guerrilla movements- armed forces
outside of regular army. 1990’s

6. Earthquakes

7. The Caribbean Islands

8. Caribbean- Island Groups
Lesser Antilles
Greater Antilles
Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico,
Haiti and Dom.Rep (Hispaniola)
Aurba, Trinidad,US Virgin Islands,
Barbados etc.
3rd Island Group The Bahamas

9. The Bahamas

10. Caribbean Nations Today
Many Caribbean islands still politically linked to
European countries or the U.S.
Great Britain
British Virgin Islands
Cayman Islands
Montserrat
Independent under GB
Jamaica
Bahamas
United States
U.S. Virgin Islands
Puerto Rico

11. Political Unrest
Cuba
1959 Fidel Castro led revolution…toppled dictatorial government
Castro set up a Communist dictatorship supported by USSR
Many Cubans emigrated to the United States, primarily Florida
U.S. President Kennedy limits travel and imposes strict embargo
1991 USSR fell…Cuba lost financial support
Country plunged deep into poverty, causing more immigrants to flee.
Resigned from presidential position February 2009…succeeded by brother Raul Castro.

12. Cuba
Fidel Castro

13. Cuban Missile Crisis Tension between US and USSR at all time high 1962
USSR Missiles cannot reach US…US missiles can reach USSR.
USSR secretly sets up missiles on island of Cuba…80 miles off Florida
“14 Days in October”…The closest we’ve come to Nuclear War.
Kennedy and Khrushchev come to agreement
USSR removes missiles.

15. Haiti 1957-1986 Haiti ruled by a military dictatorship
Thousands fled to the U.S. to escape cruelty
Military gained control in 1986
1994 U.S. backed Jean-Bertrand Aristide, in democratic elections
Few reforms have taken place since 1994
Questioned elections in 2000-Aristide wins
Widespread poverty and crime in capital city Port-au-Prince