Central America

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Central America

Q: What is Central America?

Central America is the southernmost region of North America . It lies between Mexico and South America , and it includes the countries Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Belize.

Q: Is Central America a continent?

Central America is not a continent. Continents are large landmasses embedded in major tectonic plates , which are sections of Earth’s rigid outer layer that overlie a partially molten layer and move relative to one another. Central America is embedded in a tectonic plate, but both the landmass and the plate are much smaller than those of the continents it bridges, North America and South America, so it is not considered to be a continent.

Q: Why does Central America experience earthquakes and volcanic eruptions?

Central America experiences frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions because it lies where several tectonic plates meet and exert pressure on one another. These plates can suddenly rupture and slip, releasing energy as earthquakes. Volcanoes are also common at these plate boundaries.

Q: When was Central America colonized?

Several conquistadores traveled to Central America in the early 16th century, but they made no settlements. One such conquistador was Rodrigo de Bastidas , who established Spain’s claim to Central America in 1501. The first stable Spanish settlement in Central America was established in 1510, when Vasco Núñez de Balboa and his crew settled near what is now the Colombia-Panama border.

Q: Why do Central Americans speak Spanish?

Spanish is the most widely spoken language in Central America because of the Spanish colonization of the region beginning in the late 15th century. The only Central American country whose official language isn’t Spanish is Belize —mainly because British settlers long outnumbered Spanish ones there, and, in the 19th century, Britain formally replaced Spain as the territory’s governing authority.

Written by Ralph Lee Woodward, David Bushnell•All

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Jan 13, 2025 • Article History

What is Central America?

Is Central America a continent?

Why does Central America experience earthquakes and volcanic eruptions?

When was Central America colonized?

Why do Central Americans speak Spanish?

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Central America, southernmost region of North America, lying between Mexico and South America and comprising Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Belize. (Geologists and physical geographers sometimes extend the northern boundary to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Mexico.) Central America makes up most of the tapering isthmus that separates the Pacific Ocean, to the west, from the Caribbean Sea. It extends in an arc roughly 1,140 miles (1,835 km) long from the northwest to the southeast. At its narrowest point the isthmus is only about 30 miles (50 km) wide, and there is no location in Central ...(100 of 6412 words)

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