1. Central America

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

3. Common Landforms Narrow Coastal Plains along the ocean
Rugged mountains in the interior
Rugged terrain makes communication and transportation difficult.
Few long rivers
Active volcanoes

4. Tectonic Processes
Most Central American mountains are a result of tectonic processes
Plates collide with each other pushing the land upward forming mountains.

5. Climate
Central America found near the tropical latitudes (equator, tropic of cancer)
Both wet and dry tropical climates
Temperature remains stable throughout the year.
Similar to South America climate zones…you have to go up to find cool climate.
Coast is warm, humid
Interior is cooler highland climate

6. Map-Tracing Activity
Working alone, use tracing paper to draw a map of Central America.
You must include:
7 countries with capitol cities
Panama Canal
Gulf of Panama
All oceans and seas

7. History
Just as in South America, Spanish arrived in Central America in the 1500s
Quickly European diseases, slavery, and war decimated indigenous populations.
Large plantations owned by rich families grew coffee and bananas.
Most Central Americans had no rights or wealth.

8. Independence No change for poor Central Americans.
Spanish left in 1820s, but rich families still dominated economy.
Foreign companies from USA, UK replaced Spanish role of colonizers.
Mistreated workers

9. thanks to international
American
companies replace
Spanish; economy
still dominated by
rich families.
Many poor choose
to immigrate to
USA and Europe.
1500s
Central America
colonized by
Spanish
1820s
Spanish left,
but rich families
dominated
economy
Today:
Nothing has changed.
Economy dominated
by corrupt; most are
still poor.
Some improvement
thanks to international
efforts.
Immigration to USA
continues.

10. Panama Canal Built by the USA in early 1900s.
Most important route between Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
USA controlled the canal until 1999.

11. Lock Canals
Panama Canal is a lock canal.

12. Culture Today, Central America’s colonial past continues.
Wealth is controlled by only a few.
Mostly Roman Catholic
Spanish language (except for Belize, English) and many indigenous languages survive

13. People Majority are mestizos Large groups of mulattoes
Small groups of Asians and Africans descended from slaves who worked on plantations
The largest surviving indigenous tribe lives in Guatemala.

14. European
Colonizers
Mulattoes
Africa
Slaves
Indigenous
People
European
Colonizers
Mestizos

15. Costa Rica Costa Rica is an exception
Most Costa Ricans are European decent since few indigenous lived in the area.
Relatively affluent, highest standard of living
History of democracy, education, foreign investment

16. Economy
Most Central American countries depend on coffee, sugar, cotton, and cacao beans (chocolate)
Influence of American companies is strong.
Majority of Central Americans remain poor.

17. Political
As populations grow, the need for land reform and rights for poor causes civil unrest.
Many migrate to the USA to escape.

18. Land Reform: El Salvador, Guatemala & Nicaragua
Rich landowners control most land
Raise crops on large plantations
Poor live on small, subsistence farms
What they don’t eat, they sell at small markets.
Inequalities have fueled civil wars in both countries.

19. Wealthy own
most
of the land
Population
increase
puts pressure on
food supply
Poor don’t
have enough
land to grow
enough food
civil unrest
and
war

20. Panama Diverse regions East: dense forest with few people
Central: dominated by canal-based economy, modern, industrialized
West: rural, large plantations, small farms

21. Honduras Rugged mountains/valleys makes transportation difficult
Considered least developed country