Central America

Central America
Land area	507,966 km2 (196,127 sq mi)
Population	46,761,485 (2015–2016 estimate)
Density	92/km2 (240/sq mi)
Countries	Belize  Costa Rica  El Salvador  Guatemala  Honduras  Nicaragua  Panama
Demonym	Central American
GDP	$203.73 billion (exchange rate) (2013) $370.52 billion (purchasing power parity) (2013).
GDP per capita	$4,783 (exchange rate) (2013) $8,698 (purchasing power parity) (2013).
Languages	Spanish, English, Mayan languages, Garifuna, Kriol, and other languages of Mesoamerica
Time Zones	UTC – 6:00, UTC – 5:00
Largest cities (2010)[1]	Guatemala City San Salvador Managua Tegucigalpa Panama City San Pedro Sula San José San Miguelito Santa Ana Quetzaltenango San Miguel

Part of a series on
Central America
Countries Belize Costa Rica El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Nicaragua Panama
Culture Central American Spanish Cuisine Mesoamerica Music Ethnic groups Ethnic groups List of indigenous peoples Visual arts by indigenous peoples Religion Anglican Church Bahá'í Faith Buddhism Roman Catholicism Sport Central American Games Central American and Caribbean Games Football Union By country Belize Costa Rica El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Nicaragua Panama
Demographics By country Belize Costa Rica El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Nicaragua Panama
Economy By country Belize Costa Rica El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Nicaragua Panama
Education By country Belize Costa Rica El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Nicaragua Panama
Environment Bioregion Deforestation List of mammals Montane forests Mountain peaks Pine-oak forests
History Central American crisis Federal Republic Federal Republic heads of state Greater Republic Maya civilization Trade By country Belize Costa Rica El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Nicaragua Panama
Geography Central Highlands Cities Geology Islands Mountains (Extreme summits Ultra-prominent summits) Rivers Volcanoes Middle America Middle America Trench By country Belize Costa Rica El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Nicaragua Panama
Politics and government Integration System Parliament Elections by country Belize Costa Rica El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Nicaragua Panama Foreign relations by country Belize Costa Rica El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Nicaragua Panama
Transportation List of busiest airports List of largest airlines Rail transport
Related topics Index of articles Americas (terminology) Central Time Zone Latin America
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Central America (Spanish: América Central, Centroamérica) is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with the South American continent on the southeast. Central America is bordered by Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Central America consists of seven countries: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. The combined population of Central America is between 41,739,000 (2009 estimate)^[2] and 42,688,190 (2012 estimate).^[3]

Central America is a part of the Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot, which extends from northern Guatemala through to central Panama. Due to the presence of several active geologic faults and the Central America Volcanic Arc, there is a great deal of seismic activity in the region. Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur frequently; these natural disasters have resulted in the loss of many lives and much property.

In the Pre-Columbian era, Central America was inhabited by the indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica to the north and west and the Isthmo-Colombian peoples to the south and east. Soon after Christopher Columbus's voyages to the Americas, the Spanish began to colonize the Americas. From 1609 until 1821, most of the territory within Central America—except for the lands that would become Belize and Panama—was governed by the Viceroyalty of New Spain from Mexico City as the Captaincy General of Guatemala. After New Spain achieved independence from Spain in 1821, some of its provinces were annexed to the First Mexican Empire, but soon seceded from Mexico to form the Federal Republic of Central America, which lasted from 1823 to 1838. The seven states finally became independent autonomous states: beginning with Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Guatemala (1838); followed by El Salvador (1841); then Panama (1903); and finally Belize (1981). Even today, people in Central America sometimes refer to their nations as if they were provinces of a Central American state. For example, it is not unusual to write "C.A." after the country names in formal and informal contexts and the automobile licence plates of many of the countries in the region show the legend "Centroamerica" in addition to the country name.