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Central America 108-
LIKE LINKS IN A CHAIN, the seven Central American countries seem to tie
together the continents of North and South America. The climate is hot and
steamy; trees, plants, and jungle animals thrive around the marshy coasts
and in the high mountains. More than 2,500 years ago, Native Americans made
Central America their home. Some of the people who live there today are
direct descendants of these early inhabitants. Many are mestizos: people with
both Native American and European ancestors. European people first came
to Central America around 1500, and the Spanish Empire ruled the
area for more than three centuries. By 1823, many of the countries
had gained independence, but this did not bring peace
and prosperity to their people. Most Central
Americans are still very poor and have
no land. There are too few jobs and
not enough food. Governments
in the region have been
unable to solve these
problems, and wars
and revolutions
are common.MAYA
Between 250 and 900 ce, Native American people called the
Maya lived in Central America, where they created a vast empire.
They built great cities at Palenque and Tikal (in present-day
Mexico and Guatemala) and constructed huge stone temples
and palaces in the shape of pyramids. To feed the people in the
cities, the Maya became skilled at cultivating food. They used
ingenious farming methods to grow plentiful crops on the small
areas of suitable land. EDUCATION
Civil wars and other armed
conflicts have disrupted normal
life in Central America. One
result is that many people are
illiterate. However, in Nicaragua
there is a major campaign to
teach people to read.Bananas
grown in
Honduras are
eaten all
over the
world.
Nicaragua was
an important
cotton producer
until civil war
disrupted
farming.Coffee is
Guatemala’s most
important export.INDUSTRY
Agriculture is the major
industry in Central America;
many of the countries
depend on one main crop
for their income. Both Belize
and El Salvador also make
textiles and light industrial
products. Guatemala
produces oil for export.Belize
processes
grapefruit and
exports juice.PEOPLE
More than 44 million people live in Central America,
mostly in the countryside and in small towns. The biggest
city is Guatemala City, which has a population of close to
3 million. Most people speak either Spanish or one of the
local Native American languages. In Belize, many people
speak English. Many Central Americans are Christians, and
the Roman Catholic Church is an important influence in
everyday life and culture.In Panama, sugar
is extracted from
sugar cane, which
grows rapidly
in the hot,
humid climate.The soil in
the valleys
is very fertile.Jungle covers
the eastern
coastal plain
and many
mountains.Central America forms an isthmus,
or narrow land bridge, from
Mexico in the north, to
Colombia in the south.Find out more
Aztecs
Caribbean
Conquistadors
MexicoThere are
many active
volcanoes in
Central America.
The largest is
Tajumulco in
Guatemala.