Central America And

The Caribbean

Early History AD 250–900: Maya built large

cities with pyramids and temples.

Maya descendents live in Guatemala and Belize.

Early 1500s: Europeans controlled most of Central America.

Britain: Belize and Nicaragua’s coast

Spain: Large plantations of tobacco and sugarcane

Forced Indians and enslaved Africans to work in mines and plantations

Independence 1821: Independence from

Spain Remained joined as the

United Provinces of Central America

1838-1839: Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatamala separated.

1903: Panama and Columbia separated.

1981: Belize independence

The History of Central America

1492: Christopher Columbus discovered the Caribbean islands, believing them to be the Indies.

The islands are now 13 independent countries.

These countries show the influence of the first European colonizers.

The History of The Caribbean Islands

Isthmus – A narrow strip of land, with water on both sides, that connects two larger bodies of land

Central America’s GeographyThree major landforms in Central

America1. Mountainous Core

• Mountains run down the center of the area

• Two climate zones in the core1. Spring like year round temperatures

(3,000 to 6,000 feet of elevation)2. Cold climates above that

2. Caribbean lowlands• Eastern side of Central America• Tropical Wet climate

3. Pacific Coastal Plains• West side of Central America• Savanna Climate with grassland

vegetation

Caribbean IslandsThree groups of Islands in the Caribbean1. Lesser Antilles

• Volcanic Islands• Smaller islands in the southeastern part of

the Caribbean2. Greater Antilles

• Also Volcanic Islands• Larger Islands such as Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti

and Dominican Republic3. Bahamas

• Coral Islands• Made from the remains of dead sea

animals

LesserAntilles

Greater Antilles

Bahamas

People of Central America

Indians Mayan empire spread throughout this area Largest number live in Guatemala

Europeans and Mestizos Largest European settlement today is in

Costa Rica Mestizos mostly live in El Salvador and

Nicaragua African Descent

Came over to work on the banana plantations and build the Panama Canal

People of the Caribbean Colonialism

Europeans came to profit from the sugar trade They brought Africans to be slaves

Mixture of races Natives Africans Europeans (French, British, Danish and Dutch) Mestizos

Culture of Central America and the Caribbean

Central American Culture Mostly Spanish speaking Roman Catholic Most cultural traits are a result of Spanish

Colonialism Caribbean Culture

Culture is based on the Colonizing country Large African influence as a result of the

slave trade

Where do they live? Caribbean

Caribbean islands are crowded Most live in cities

Central America Most are Farmers Live in rural areas

Economy Tourism Agriculture

Sugar Fruit

Informal economy Street vendors, shoe shiners and many

more Drug trafficking

Levels of Society Small group of wealthy (mostly

descendents of Europeans) Small middle class Large lower class

Political Unrest In Central America

Causes Shortage of available farmland Unequal distribution of wealth Government mainly serves the interest of

the wealthy Nicaragua

Contras Fighting against the Sandinista government that favored the wealthy

In 1990 a new president was elected for the first time.

Political Unrest In Central America

El Salvador Wealthy land owners hired death squads

to eliminate their political opponents 1992 a peace agreement lead by the UN

ended the war Guatemala

In 1960 a civil war erupted against the militarily backed dictator

After the war the military was still a powerful force in the government

In 1993 Ramiro de Leon Carpio was elected by their congress and is a respected leader

Political Unrest In The Caribbean

Cuba 1959 Fidel Castro lead a successful

military revolution He has Ruled ever since (Communist

Government) Haiti

1994 the people overthrew the military dictator with the help of the U.S.

Haiti now has a democracy

Panama•The southernmost of the Central American nations•The Panama Canal bisects the isthmus at its narrowest and lowest point, allowing passage from the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean. •It is marked by a chain of mountains in the west, moderate hills in the interior, and a low range on the east coast. There are extensive forests in the fertile Caribbean area.

Panama Canal•The 48 mile-long (77 km) international waterway known as the Panama Canal allows ships to pass between the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean, saving about 8000 miles (12,875 km) from a journey around the southern tip of South America, Cape Horn.

•A class of ships known as "Panamax,“ where built to the maximum capacity of the Panama canal and its locks.

Panama Canal•It takes approximately fifteen hours to traverse the canal through its three sets of locks (about half the time is spent waiting due to traffic).

•Ships passing through the canal from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean actually move from the northwest to the southeast, due to the east-west orientation of the Isthmus of Panama.