Portal:Central America

The Central America Portal

Map of Central America

Central America is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Central America usually consists of seven countries: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. Within Central America is the Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot, which extends from northern Guatemala to central 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.

In the pre-Columbian era, Central America was inhabited by the Indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica to the north and west and the Isthmo-Colombian peoples to the south and east. Following the Spanish expedition of Christopher Columbus' voyages to the Americas, Spain began to colonize the Americas. 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 from Spain. On 15 September 1821, the Act of Independence of Central America was enacted to announce Central America's separation from the Spanish Empire and provide for the establishment of a new Central American state. Some of New Spain's provinces in the Central American region (i.e. what would become Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica) were 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...)

Selected article

A potbelly sculpture from Monte Alto in Guatemala, on display in the plaza of La Democracia
Potbelly sculptures (Spanish barrigones pl. or barrigón sing.) are in-the-round sculptures of obese human figures carved from boulders. They are a distinctive element of the sculptural tradition in the southern Maya area of Mesoamerica. The precise purpose of potbelly sculptures is unknown, although they appear to have been the focus of public veneration and ritual directed by the ruling elite. Although this sculptural tradition is found within the southern Maya area, it has been recognized that the sculptures themselves are non-Maya. (Full article...)

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In the news

17 May 2023 –
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele deploys 5,000 soldiers and 500 police officers to the northwestern town of Nueva Concepción in order to arrest suspects in connection with the killing of a policeman on Tuesday. (Reuters)
3 May 2023 –
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seize the Panama-flagged oil tanker Niovi in the Strait of Hormuz. (Tasnim News Agency)
26 April 2023 – Salvadoran gang crackdown
El Salvador opens a trial against former president Mauricio Funes for initiating a truce with street gangs during his presidency. Funes, who is currently living in Nicaragua, will not attend the trial. (AP)
25 April 2023 – Foreign relations of Taiwan
Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei pays an official visit to Taiwan to reaffirm support for Taiwan as one of the 13 countries which recognize Taiwan in the One-China policy dispute. China condemns Giammattei's visit. (Reuters)
19 April 2023 – Crime in Costa Rica
President Rodrigo Chaves orders a series of measures to fight increasing crime in Costa Rica, including the deployment of more police, tougher juvenile laws, extradition of foreign criminals, and restrictions on the sale of ammunition. (Reuters)

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