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Central America

Americas

The tapering isthmus joining North and South America, comprising Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, separating the Pacific Ocean from the Caribbean Sea. Its volcanic spine and land-bridge position between two continents and two oceans have made it a corridor for both human migration and biological exchange since the Isthmus of Panama closed a few million years ago.

Facts
Area (sq km)
522,129 2
Seven-country isthmus definition.
Population
53,200,000 2
2026 estimate.
Classification
Region Type
Cultural Region 1
Region Type
Cultural Region 1
FAQs

Is Mexico part of Central America?

Usually not: Mexico is in North America geographically, though the United Nations statistical grouping places it with Central America.

Usually not. In the common geographic sense, Central America is the isthmus made up of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, and Mexico lies to the north of it as part of North America. The confusion comes from the United Nations M49 geoscheme, which lists Mexico in its Central America group alongside those seven countries. That scheme states that its groupings are made for statistical convenience and do not imply any assumption about political or other affiliation, so it is a reporting convention rather than a statement about where the isthmus begins.
Connections

Associated With

Belize, Countries
Costa Rica, Countries
El Salvador, Countries
Guatemala, Countries
Honduras, Countries
Nicaragua, Countries
Source North America (Wikipedia)
Panama, Countries
Tijuana, Cities
Zapopan, Cities

Shaped By

Source Central America (Wikipedia)
Source Central America (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases

Origin Of

Also in Food and Drink Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Also in Food and Drink Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Wikipedia: Bell pepper

Also in Food and Drink Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Also in Food and Drink Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Gallo pinto (Wikipedia)tier 3

Also in Food and Drink Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Also in Food and Drink Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Horchata (Wikipedia)tier 2

Also in Food and Drink Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Cooks Info: JicamaEncyclopaedia entry text
Quote, Encyclopaedia entry text
Native to Central America.

Also in Food and Drink Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source CooksInfo: Mamey SapoteEncyclopaedia entry text
Quote, Encyclopaedia entry text
Native to Central America.

Also in Food and Drink Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Papaya - Wikipedia

Also in Food and Drink Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Cooks Info: Runner BeanEncyclopaedia entry text
Quote, Encyclopaedia entry text
Runner beans are native to Central America.

Also in Food and Drink Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Also in Nature Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Location Of

Also in War and Military Atlas: which took place in this subject.

Source Banana Wars (Wikipedia)Lead
Quote, Lead
The Banana Wars (Spanish: Guerras bananeras, Haitian Creole: Lagè Bannann) were a series of conflicts that consisted of military occupation, police action, and intervention by the United States in Central America and the Caribbean between the end of the Spanish–American War in 1898 and the inception of the Good Neighbor policy in 1934.

Found There

Also in Agriculture and Farming Atlas: found in this subject.

Also in Agriculture and Farming Atlas: found in this subject.

Source Bursaphelenchus cocophilus (Wikipedia)Article body
Quote, Article body
This nematode is distributed in Central and South America

Also in Agriculture and Farming Atlas: found in this subject.

Also in Agriculture and Farming Atlas: found in this subject.

Also in Agriculture and Farming Atlas: found in this subject.

Also in Agriculture and Farming Atlas: found in this subject.

Also in Agriculture and Farming Atlas: found in this subject.

Source Papaya, Wikipedia

Also in Agriculture and Farming Atlas: found in this subject.

Source Sweet Potato (Wikipedia)

Also in Agriculture and Farming Atlas: found in this subject.

Source Tomato (Wikipedia)

Also in Agriculture and Farming Atlas: found in this subject.

Also in Health and Wellness Atlas: found in this subject.

Also in Language Atlas: found in this subject.

Source Wikipedia: Chibchan LanguagesLead sentence 1tier 2
Quote, Lead sentence 1
The Chibchan languages (also known as Chibchano) are a language family indigenous to the Isthmo-Colombian Area, a geo-cultural region extending from Mosquitia in eastern Central America to northern Colombia, and encompassing parts of Costa Rica and Panama.

Also in Language Atlas: found in this subject.

Also in Language Atlas: found in this subject.

Source Wikipedia: Lencan LanguagesLead sentence 1tier 2
Quote, Lead sentence 1
The Lencan languages are a small language family native to Central America, whose speakers lived throughout El Salvador and Honduras during the Pre-Columbian era.

Also in Language Atlas: found in this subject.

Also in Language Atlas: found in this subject.

Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.

Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.

Source Howler Monkey (Wikipedia)Article text (intro)tier 2
Quote, Article text (intro)
The monkeys are native to South and Central American forests.

Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.

Source Amatitlania siquia (Wikipedia)Lead
Quote, Lead
is a species of cichlid native to Central America

Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.

Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.

Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.

Source Atelopus (Wikipedia)Lead paragraph
Quote, Lead paragraph
Atelopus is a large genus of Bufonidae, commonly known as harlequin frogs or toads, from Central and South America, ranging as far north as Costa Rica and as far south as Bolivia.

Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.

Source Blue-eye cichlid (Wikipedia)Lead
Quote, Lead
It is native to Central America.

Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.

Source Wikipedia: BothropsSection: Geographic range
Quote, Section: Geographic range
Bothrops species are found in northeastern Mexico (Tamaulipas) southward through Central and South America to Argentina.

Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.

Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.

Source Wikipedia: Gracile capuchin monkeyArticle text (sections)
Quote, Article text (sections)
Gracile capuchin monkeys have a wide range over Central America and north and north-west South America.

Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.

Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.

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Source Wikipedia: GeoemydidaeSection: Ecologytier 2
Quote, Section: Ecology
Geoemydidae live in tropics and subtropics of Asia, Europe and North Africa; the only genus in Central and South America is Rhinoclemmys.

Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.

Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.

Source Greater grison (Wikipedia)Lead
Quote, Lead
The greater grison (Galictis vittata) is a species of mustelid native to southern Mexico, Central America, and South America.

Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.

Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.

Source Howler Monkey (Wikipedia)Article texttier 2
Quote, Article text
The monkeys are native to South and Central American forests.

Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.

Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.

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Source Long-tailed weasel (Wikipedia)Lead
Quote, Lead
The long-tailed weasel (Neogale frenata), also known as the bridled weasel, masked ermine, or big stoat, is a species of weasel found in North, Central, and South America.

Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.

Source MacConnell's bat (Wikipedia)Lead, range region
Quote, Lead, range region
from South and Central America

Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.

Source Microsciurus (Wikipedia)Lead paragraph
Quote, Lead paragraph
Microsciurus or dwarf squirrels is a genus of squirrels from the tropical regions of Central and South America.

Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.

Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.

Source Perissodactyla (Wikipedia)Article text (sections)
Quote, Article text (sections)
Members of this group are now found only in Central and South America, eastern and southern Africa, and central, southern, and southeastern Asia.

Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.

Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.

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Source Sciurus (Wikipedia)Lead paragraph
Quote, Lead paragraph
The genus Sciurus ( or ) contains most of the common, bushy-tailed squirrels in North America, Europe, temperate Asia, Central America and South America.

Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.

Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.

Source Eira barbara article (Wikipedia)Lead, where it lives
Quote, Lead, where it lives
Tayras are also known as the tolomuco or perico ligero in Central America, motete in Honduras, irara in Brazil, san hol or viejo de monte in the Yucatan Peninsula, and high-woods dog (or historically chien bois) in Trinidad.

Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.

Source Two-toed sloth (Wikipedia)Lead section
Quote, Lead section
Choloepus is a genus of xenarthran mammals from Central and South America within the monotypic family Choloepodidae, consisting of two-toed sloths, sometimes also called two-fingered sloths.

Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.

Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.

Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Animal Diversity Web: Wuchereria bancroftiGeographic Range
Quote, Geographic Range
This nematode is found in Central Africa and the Nile delta, South and Central America, and the tropical regions of Asia including southern China and the Pacific.

Showing 1 to 50 of 51 in Found There, page 1 of 2.

Sources
1. Central America (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Introduction
    Central America includes portions of two recognized cultural areas: the Isthmo-Colombian cultural area, which encompasses modern Panama, Costa Rica, and the eastern portions of Nicaragua and Honduras, along with regions to the east; and the Mesoamerican cultural area, encompassing Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, and the western portions of Honduras and Nicaragua, along with the southern part of Mexico.
  • Shaped By: Volcanism, Lead
    Due to the presence of several active geologic faults and the Central America Volcanic Arc, seismic activity in the region, such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, is high
  • Shaped By: Faulting, Lead
    Due to the presence of several active geologic faults and the Central America Volcanic Arc, seismic activity in the region, such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, is high
View the Source
2. Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.Central AmericaView the Source
Wikidata: Central America
Wikidata Q27611, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
North America (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: North America, Opening section, subregions
Quote, Associated With: North America, Opening section, subregions
The continent includes the subregions of Northern America (comprising Canada, Greenland, and the continental United States as well as the insular territories of Bermuda and Saint Pierre and Miquelon) and Middle America (comprising Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean).
View the Source
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