Central America

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, in Darién (Panama), the isthmus is only about 30 miles (50 km) wide, and there is no ... (100 of 6884 words)

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Articles from Britannica encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

Central America - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)

Central America is a narrow strip of land that lies at the southern end of North America. It connects that continent with South America. The region consists of seven countries: Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.

Central America - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Central America extends for a distance of 1,200 miles (1,900 kilometers) southeastward from Mexico to South America. Long but narrow, it covers an area of about 202,000 square miles (523,000 square kilometers). The region faces the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east. Its wider northern half, which extends up to 125 miles (200 kilometers) across, is occupied by the nations of Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Costa Rica and Panama occupy the narrower southern half, which is less than 30 miles (50 kilometers) across at one point. Geographically the region is part of North America, but from a cultural perspective it is part of Latin America along with Mexico, most of the countries of South America, and the Caribbean.

National Geographic - Travel and Cultures - Central America

Fact Monster - Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean

Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History - Central America

Abya Yala - Native Web - Resources for Indigenous Cultures around the World