Portal:Central America

The Central America Portal

Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually defined as consisting of seven countries: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. Within Central America is the Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot, which extends from southern Mexico to southeastern Panama. Due to the presence of several active geologic faults and the Central America Volcanic Arc, there is a high amount of seismic activity in the region, such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, which has resulted in death, injury, and property damage.

Most of Central America falls under the Isthmo-Colombian cultural area. Before the Spanish expedition of Christopher Columbus' voyages to the Americas, hundreds of indigenous peoples made their homes in the area. From the year 1502 onwards, Spain began their colonization. From 1609 to 1821, the majority of Central American territories (except for what would become Belize and Panama and including the modern Mexican state of Chiapas) were governed by the viceroyalty of New Spain from Mexico City as the Captaincy General of Guatemala. On 24 August 1821, Spanish Viceroy Juan de O'Donojú signed the Treaty of Córdoba, which established New Spain's independence and autonomy from mainland Spain. On 15 September, the Act of Independence of Central America was enacted to announce Central America's separation from the Spanish Empire. Some of New Spain's provinces in the Central American region were invaded and annexed to the First Mexican Empire; however in 1823 they seceded from Mexico to form the Federal Republic of Central America until 1838. (Full article...)

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Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest country in Central America, comprising 130,370 km² (50,340 sq mi). With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America after Guatemala and Honduras.

Nicaragua is bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean and shares maritime borders with El Salvador to the west and Colombia to the east. The country's largest city and national capital is Managua, the fourth-largest city in Central America, with a population of 1,055,247 as of 2020. Nicaragua is known as "the breadbasket of Central America" due to having the most fertile soil and arable land in all of Central America. Nicaragua's multiethnic population includes people of mestizo, indigenous, European, and African heritage. The country's most spoken language is Spanish, though indigenous tribes on the Mosquito Coast speak their own languages and English. The mixture of cultural traditions has generated substantial diversity in folklore, cuisine, music, and literature, including contributions by Nicaraguan poets and writers such as Rubén Darío. (Full article...)

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Belize Costa Rica El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Panama Mesoamerica Potbelly sculpture El Salvador national football team Mayan languages Maya stelae Hurricane Gert Maya civilization Maya peoples Central American squirrel monkey Final Offensive of 1981 (El Salvador) Mantled howler Convict cichlid Spanish American wars of independence Honduran white bat

Did you know...

... that Marcos G. McGrath, the Catholic archbishop of Panama, was allowed to enter Manuel Noriega's "witch house" and other residences, and found evidence of torture, devil worship, and voodoo?
... that the Central American government voted for annexation to the First Mexican Empire after a request from Regent Agustín de Iturbide?
... that the government of El Salvador, the Catholic Church, and street gangs negotiated a truce to reduce homicides from 2012 to 2014?
... that goalkeeper Daniela Solera had the most touches of any Costa Rican player in their opening match of the 2023 World Cup?
... that Panama cross-banded tree frog males synchronize their mating calls to confuse predators that locate them by sound?
... that footballer Alexandra Pinell scored the Costa Rica U20 team's only goal at the FIFA tournament hosted by their country?
... that Alfredo Frohlich formed an award-winning collection of Panamanian postal history that included items from as early as 1777?
... that composer Gonzalo Brenes was a politician in the National Assembly of Panama and served for seven years as Panama's secretary of culture?

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General images

The following are images from various Central America-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1San Andres (from Mesoamerica)
Image 220th century political map of Central America (from History of Central America)
Image 3Anthropomorphic figure from the Proto-Lencan culture found at Los Naranjos, Honduras. An example of Mesomerican art during the preclassic Period. (from Mesoamerica)
Image 4Berta Caceres, Lencan environmental activist. -Honduran (from Ethnic groups in Central America)
Image 5Young Costa Ricans in San José. (from Ethnic groups in Central America)
Image 6Ballgame marker from the classic Lowland Maya site of Chinkultic, Mexico depicting a ballplayer in full gear (from Mesoamerica)
Image 7Flag of Central America (from History of Central America)
Image 8Art with ideological and political meaning: depiction of an Aztec tzompantli (skull-rack) from the Ramirez Codex (from Mesoamerica)
Image 9A small ceremonial ballcourt at Tikal. (from Mesoamerica)
Image 10Kʼinich Kan Bahlam II, the Classic period ruler of Palenque, as depicted on a stele (from Mesoamerica)
Image 11Rigoberta Menchú, Human rights activist. K'iche'-Guatemalan (from Ethnic groups in Central America)
Image 12José Matías Delgado y de León listed as the intellectual leader of the independence movement; Delgado was defined as influential, skillful, and intelligent, he started the revolutionary movements against the Spanish crown. (from History of Central America)
Image 13Celebration of the Chinese year in Costa Rica (from Ethnic groups in Central America)
Image 14Countries and capitals of Central America (from Ethnic groups in Central America)
Image 15Joya de Cerén (from Mesoamerica)
Image 16El Mirador flourished from 600 BCE to 100 CE, and may have had a population of over 100,000. (from Mesoamerica)
Image 17Heroes of Central American Independence (from History of Central America)
Image 18Mesoamerica and Central America in the 16th century before Spanish arrival ^{[according to whom?]} (from Mesoamerica)
Image 19Nery Brenes Costa Rican Athlete (from Ethnic groups in Central America)
Image 20"Head Variant" or "Patron Gods" glyphs for Maya days (from Mesoamerica)
Image 21José Matías Delgado At the time of signing the Central American act of independence, in a representation of the meeting of September 15, 1821 of the Chilean painter Luis Vergara Ahumada. (from History of Central America)
Image 22Mesoamerica and its cultural areas (from Mesoamerica)
Image 23Olmec Colossal Head No. 3 1200–900 BCE (from Mesoamerica)
Image 24Examples of the diversity of maize (from Mesoamerica)
Image 25Illustration that recreates the structures of the archaeological site of Yarumela or El Chircal in Honduras, this place reflects the Olmec influence that existed in Central America in the pre-classic period. (from Mesoamerica)
Image 26Zapotec mask of the Bat God. (from Mesoamerica)
Image 27Xochicalco, Temple of the Feathered Serpent, 650–900 CE (from Mesoamerica)
Image 28Harry Shum, Jr Asian-Costa Rican – Glee Actor/Dancer (from Ethnic groups in Central America)
Image 29Tazumal (from Mesoamerica)
Image 30Nicarao community in Rivas, Nicaragua. (from Ethnic groups in Central America)
Image 31Yojoa Lake in Honduras. (from Mesoamerica)
Image 32Cihuatán (from Mesoamerica)
Image 33Casa Blanca (from Mesoamerica)
Image 34The emblem glyph of Tikal (Mutal) (from Mesoamerica)
Image 35Indigenous Salvadoran women dancing in the traditional "Procession of Palms" a custom celebrated in the town of Panchimalco in El Salvador. (from Ethnic groups in Central America)
Image 36The Avenue of the Dead in Teotihuacan, an example of a Mesoamerican settlement planned according to concepts of directionality (from Mesoamerica)
Image 37Salvadoran School Children from Metapan (from Ethnic groups in Central America)
Image 38Pyramid of the Moon viewed from atop of the Pyramid of the Sun. (from Mesoamerica)
Image 39Tikal is one of the largest archaeological sites, urban centers, and tourist attractions of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. It is located in the archaeological region of the Petén Basin in what is now northern Guatemala. (from Mesoamerica)
Image 40The xoloitzcuintle is one of the naguales of the god Quetzalcoatl. In this form, it helps the dead cross the Chicnahuapan, a river that separates the world of the living from the dead. (from Mesoamerica)
Image 41One of the earliest examples of the Mesoamerican writing systems, the Epi-Olmec script on the La Mojarra Stela 1 dated to around 150 CE. Mesoamerica is one of the five places in the world where writing has developed independently. (from Mesoamerica)
Image 42Detail of the Nunnery Quadrangle at Uxmal, 10th century (from Mesoamerica)
Image 43Central America until 1860, showing the Kingdom of Mosquitia. (from History of Central America)
Image 44Holy Spirit Grotto (from Mesoamerica)
Image 45Landscape of the Mesoamerican highlands (from Mesoamerica)
Image 46The Aztec Empire in 1512 (from Mesoamerica)
Image 47Ritual human sacrifice portrayed in Codex Laud (from Mesoamerica)

In the news

17 April 2025 – Tropic Air Flight 711: A hijacker is killed and three others are injured when a U.S. citizen hijacks a Tropic Air Cessna 208 Caravan and attacks passengers with a knife before being fatally shot by a passenger with a firearm at Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport in Belize City, Belize. (ABC News) (Airways)
17 April 2025 – Deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia: U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen meets with Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvador to push for his release after being denied a meeting hours earlier by the Salvadoran government. (Politico)
14 April 2025 – Democratic backsliding in the United States, El Salvador–United States relations: U.S. President Donald Trump suggests deporting United States citizens to the controversial Terrorism Confinement Center prison in El Salvador, despite the unconstitutionality of the proposal. (NBC News)
11 April 2025 – Panama–United States relations: An agreement is signed by top security officials from Panama and the U.S. allowing U.S. military personnel to deploy to Panama-controlled facilities. (France24)
4 April 2025 – Deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia: United States federal judge for the District Court of Maryland Paula Xinis orders the Trump administration to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national from Maryland who was mistakenly deported and sent to the Terrorism Confinement Center in Tecoluca, El Salvador. (AP)

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v t e Central American volcanoes
Guatemala	Acatenango Agua Almolonga Atitlán Chicabal Cuilapa-Barbarena Fuego Jumay Moyuta Pacaya Santa María/Santiaguito San Pedro Santo Tomás Siete Orejas Tacaná Tajumulco Tecuamburro Tolimán
El Salvador	Chinameca Chingo Conchagua Izalco Santa Ana San Miguel San Salvador San Vicente Usulután
Nicaragua	Apoyeque Cerro Negro Concepción Cosigüina Maderas Masaya Mombacho Momotombo San Cristóbal Telica
Costa Rica	Arenal Irazú Miravalles Platanar Poás Rincón de la Vieja Tenorio Turrialba
Panama	Barú La Yeguada El Valle
Note: volcanoes are ordered from north-west to south-east.

v t e Central American and Caribbean Games
Central American and Caribbean Games	1926 Mexico City 1930 Havana 1935 San Salvador 1938 Panama City 1946 Barranquilla 1950 Guatemala City 1954 Mexico City 1959 Caracas 1962 Kingston 1966 San Juan 1970 Panama City 1974 Santo Domingo 1978 Medellín 1982 Havana 1986 Santiago 1990 Mexico City 1993 Ponce 1998 Maracaibo 2002 San Salvador 2006 Cartagena 2010 Mayagüez 2014 Veracruz 2018 Baranquilla 2023 San Salvador 2026 Santo Domingo 2030 TBD
Central American and Caribbean Beach Games	2022 Santa Marta 2025 Puntarenas
Central American and Caribbean Junior Games	2024

v t e Cuisine of Latin America and the Caribbean
Caribbean	Antigua and Barbuda Aruba Bahamas Barbados Cuba Curaçao Dominica Dominican Republic Grenada Haiti Jamaica Puerto Rico Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Sint Maarten Trinidad and Tobago
Central America	Belize Costa Rica El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Nicaragua Panama
North America	Mexico
South America	Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador French Guiana Guyana Paraguay Peru Suriname Uruguay Venezuela
Dependencies not included. Semi-autonomous territories are in italics.

v t e Culture of Latin America and the Caribbean
Caribbean	Antigua and Barbuda Aruba Bahamas Barbados Cuba Curaçao Dominica Dominican Republic Grenada Haiti Jamaica Puerto Rico Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Sint Maarten Trinidad and Tobago
Central America	Belize Costa Rica El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Nicaragua Panama
North America	Mexico
South America	Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador French Guiana Guyana Paraguay Peru Suriname Uruguay Venezuela
Dependencies not included. Semi-autonomous territories are in italics.