Central America And The Caribbean

Central AmericaIsthmus – 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 core

1. 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 Islands

Three groups of Islands in the Caribbean1. Lesser Antilles

• Volcanic Islands• Smaller islands in the southeastern part of the

Caribbean (Map)

2. Greater Antilles• Also Volcanic Islands• Larger Islands such as Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti and

Dominican Republic (Map)

3. Bahamas• Coral Islands• Made from the remains of dead sea animals (Map)

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 and his family have ruled since

• Haiti– 1994 the people overthrew the military dictator

with the help of the U.S.– Haiti now has a democracy

The End