Central America
1
Central America
Central America
Area
523,780 km²[1]
Population
41,739,000 (2009 est.)[1]
Density
77 per km²
Countries
7
Demonym
Central American, American
GDP
$107.7 billion (exchange rate) (2006)
$ 226.3 billion (purchasing power parity) (2006).
GDP per capita
$2,541 (exchange rate) (2006)
$5,339 (purchasing power parity) (2006).
Languages
Spanish, English, Mayan languages, Garifuna, Kriol, European languages, and many others
Time Zones
UTC - 6:00, UTC - 5:00
Largest cities (2002) Tegucigalpa
Managua
Guatemala City
San Salvador
San Pedro Sula
Panama City
San José, Costa Rica
Santa Ana, El Salvador
León
San Miguel[2]
Central America (Spanish: Centroamérica or América Central) 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.[3] [4] Most of Central America is considered to be part of the Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot.[5]
Central America
2
Physical geography
Central America and the Caribbean Plate.
Physiographically, Central America is the tapering isthmus of southern
North America, extending from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in
southern Mexico southeastward to the Isthmus of Panama where it
connects to the Colombian Pacific Lowlands in northwestern South
America. Alternatively, the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt delimits the
region on the north. Central America has an area of some 592,000
square kilometres. 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. Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, was devastated by earthquakes in 1931
and 1972, the last one killed about 10,000 people; three earthquakes devastated El Salvador, one in 1986 and two in
2001; one earthquake devastated northern and central Costa Rica in 2009 killin