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Central America:

The Countriesand People

Created byMr. Raponi

Influence on the People

Central America is a mixture of many cultures.

The ____________ settled throughout Central America about 240 to 400 B.C.

After A.D. 800 these people mysteriously left their cities and scattered throughout the area.

Lost City of Mirador in Central America

Continued Influences

After the Native Americans, the

____________________ settled in Central America.

For the next 300 years, Spanish landowners forced Native Americans to work on

_____________________.

Native Americans eventually accepted the language and religion of Spain.

Independence Most Central America

countries gained their independence by

____________________.

Waves of government problems, dictatorships and revolutions have been occurring in Central America from the mid-1800s until today.

There is still fighting going on in Central America today.

Population

TodayNearly __________ million people live in Central America.

Almost ______ million people live in

_________________, the most heavily populated country in the region.

Only 300,000 people live in

__________________, the

regions least populated area.

More Populatio

n

Rural living is most common in Central America with about

____________ of all the people living on farms or in small towns.

People in urban areas hold manufacturing or service industry jobs.

People in coastal areas harvest shrimp and lobster to sell overseas or in marketplaces.

Guatemala

Most Guatemalans live in

the ____________________

area.

The culture is both Native American and Spanish.

A group of Guatemalans who speak Spanish and practice European ways are known as

__________________.

For many years, a civil war has been fought between the government and the peasants.

Another Central American Snake

Costa Rica

Costa Rica offers one of the highest standards of living in the world.

It also has one of the highest

________________________ in the world. (Which is the percentage of people that can read and write.)

A well-developed democracy, Costa Rica has been a peaceful place for many years.

Costa Rica’s capital is

________________________.

Panama

The southernmost country of Central America lies on

an _______________________, a narrow piece of land connecting two larger pieces of land.This narrow piece of land separates the

____________________ and the

________________________.

In 1903, the U.S. helped Panama win its independence from

______________________.

Panama II

A canal was built to shorten shipping times between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

The canal was completed in

____________ and made the journey between the oceans much quicker.

Nearly ½ of Panama’s ________ million people live and work near the canal.

Panama’s capital,

_____________________, is the leading center of culture and industry.

Canal and Animals of Panama