1.
Central America
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Central America is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. Central America is bordered by Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the east, Central America consists of seven countries, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. The combined population of Central America is between 41,739,000 and 42,688,190, Central America is a part of the Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot, which extends from northern Guatemala through to central Panama. Due to the presence of several active faults and the Central America Volcanic Arc. Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur frequently, these disasters have resulted in the loss of many lives. In the Pre-Columbian era, Central America was inhabited by the peoples of Mesoamerica to the north and west. Soon after Christopher Columbuss voyages to the Americas, the Spanish began to colonize the Americas, the seven states finally became independent autonomous states, beginning with Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Guatemala, followed by El Salvador, then Panama, and finally Belize. Middle America is usually thought to comprise Mexico to the north of the 7 states of Central America as well as Colombia, usually the whole of the Caribbean to the north-east and sometimes the Guyanas are also included. According to one source, the term Central America was used as a synonym for Middle America as recently as 1962, in Brazil, Central America comprises all countries between Mexico and Colombia, including those in the Caribbean. Mexico, in whole or in part, is included by British people. For the people living in the 5 countries formerly part of the Federal Republic of Central America there is a distinction between the Spanish language terms América Central and Centroamérica, in the Pre-Columbian era, the northern areas of Central America were inhabited by the indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica. Most notable among these were the Mayans, who had built numerous cities throughout the region, and the Aztecs, following Christopher Columbuss voyages to the Americas, the Spanish sent many expeditions to the region, and they began their conquest of Maya territory in 1523. Soon after the conquest of the Aztec Empire, Spanish conquistador Pedro de Alvarado commenced the conquest of northern Central America for the Spanish Empire. Beginning with his arrival in Soconusco in 1523, Alvarados forces systematically conquered and subjugated most of the major Maya kingdoms, including the Kiche, Tzutujil, Pipil, and the Kaqchikel. By 1528, the conquest of Guatemala was nearly complete, with only the Petén Basin remaining outside the Spanish sphere of influence, the last independent Maya kingdoms – the Kowoj and the Itza people – were finally defeated in 1697, as part of the Spanish conquest of Petén. In 1538, Spain established the Real Audiencia of Panama, which had jurisdiction over all land from the Strait of Magellan to the Gulf of Fonseca. This entity was dissolved in 1543, and most of the territory within Central America then fell under the jurisdiction of the Audiencia Real de Guatemala. This area included the current territories of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Mexican state of Chiapas, the president of the Audiencia, which had its seat in Antigua Guatemala, was the governor of the entire area
2.
Belize
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Belize, formerly British Honduras, is an independent country on the eastern coast of Central America. Belize is bordered on the north by Mexico, on the south and west by Guatemala and its mainland is about 290 km long and 110 km wide. Belize has an area of 22,800 square kilometres and a population of 368,310 and it has the lowest population density in Central America. The countrys population growth rate of 1. 87% per year is the second highest in the region, Belizes abundance of terrestrial and marine species and its diversity of ecosystems gives it a key place in the globally significant Mesoamerican Biological Corridor. Belize has a society, composed of many cultures and languages that reflect its rich history. English is the language of Belize, with Belizean Kriol being the unofficial language. Over half the population is multilingual, with Spanish being the second most common spoken language, Belize is considered a Central American and Caribbean nation with strong ties to both the Latin American and Caribbean regions. Belize is a Commonwealth realm, with Queen Elizabeth II as its monarch, Belize is known for its September Celebrations, its extensive coral reefs, and punta music. The origin of the name Belize remains unclear, the earliest known record of the name appears in the journal of the Dominican priest Fray José Delgado, dating to 1677. Delgado recorded the names of three rivers that he crossed while travelling north along the Caribbean coast, Rio Soyte, Rio Xibum. The names of these waterways, which correspond to the Sittee River, Sibun River and it is likely that Delgados Balis was actually the Mayan word belix, meaning muddy-watered. Others have suggested that the name derives from a Spanish pronunciation of the name of the Scottish buccaneer Peter Wallace, there is no proof that Wallace settled in this area and some scholars have characterized this claim as a myth. Writers and historians have suggested other possible etymologies, including postulated French. Many aspects of this culture persist in the area despite nearly 500 years of European domination, prior to about 2500 BC, some hunting and foraging bands settled in small farming villages, they later domesticated crops such as corn, beans, squash, and chili peppers. A profusion of languages and subcultures developed within the Maya core culture, between about 2500 BC and 250 AD, the basic institutions of Maya civilisation emerged. The peak of this occurred during the classic period, which began about 250 AD. The Maya civilisation spread across what is now Belize around 1500 BC, the recorded history of the middle and southern regions is dominated by Caracol, an urban political centre that may have supported over 140,000 people. North of the Maya Mountains, the most important political centre was Lamanai, in the late Classic Era of Maya civilisation, as many as 1 million people may have lived in the area that is now Belize
3.
Costa Rica
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It has a population of around 4.5 million, of whom nearly a quarter live in the metropolitan area of the capital and largest city, San José. Costa Rica was sparsely inhabited by people before coming under Spanish rule in the 16th century. Since then, Costa Rica has remained among the most stable, prosperous, following a brief civil war, it permanently abolished its army in 1949, becoming one of only a few sovereign nations without a standing army. Costa Rica is a member of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie. The country has consistently performed favourably in the Human Development Index, placing 69th in the world as of 2015 and its rapidly developing economy, once heavily dependent on agriculture, has diversified to include sectors such as finance, pharmaceuticals, and ecotourism. Costa Rica is known for its environmental policies, being the only country to meet all five UNDP criteria established to measure environmental sustainability. Costa Rica officially plans to become a country by 2021. In 2012, it became the first country in the Americas to ban recreational hunting, historians have classified the indigenous people of Costa Rica as belonging to the Intermediate Area, where the peripheries of the Mesoamerican and Andean native cultures overlapped. More recently, pre-Columbian Costa Rica has also described as part of the Isthmo-Colombian Area. The oldest evidence of occupation in Costa Rica is associated with the arrival of various groups of hunter-gatherers about 10,000 to 7,000 years BCE in the Turrialba Valley. The presence of Clovis culture type spearheads and arrows from South America opens the possibility that, in this area, agriculture became evident in the populations that lived in Costa Rica about 5,000 years ago. They mainly grew tubers and roots, for the first and second millennia BCE there were already settled farming communities. These were small and scattered, although the transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture as the livelihood in the territory is still unknown. The earliest use of pottery appears around 2,000 to 3,000 BCE, shards of pots, cylindrical vases, platters, gourds and other forms of vases decorated with grooves, prints, and some modelled after animals have been found. The impact of indigenous peoples on modern Costa Rican culture has been small compared to other nations. Costa Rica was described as the poorest and most miserable Spanish colony in all America by a Spanish governor in 1719, for all these reasons, Costa Rica was, by and large, unappreciated and overlooked by the Spanish Crown and left to develop on its own. Costa Rica became a democracy with no oppressed mestizo or indigenous class. It was not long before Spanish settlers turned to the hills, where they found rich volcanic soil, like the rest of Central America, Costa Rica never fought for independence from Spain
4.
El Salvador
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El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. El Salvadors capital and largest city is San Salvador, as of 2015, the country had a population of approximately 6.38 million, consisting largely of Mestizos of European and Indigenous American descent. El Salvador was for centuries inhabited by several Mesoamerican nations, especially the Cuzcatlecs, as well as the Lenca, in the early 16th century, the Spanish Empire conquered the territory, incorporating it into the Viceroyalty of New Spain ruled from Mexico City. In 1821, the country achieved independence from Spain as part of the First Mexican Empire, from the late 19th to the mid-20th century, El Salvador endured chronic political and economic instability characterized by coups, revolts, and a succession of authoritarian rulers. The conflict ended with a settlement that established a multiparty constitutional republic. El Salvador has since reduced its dependence on coffee and embarked on diversifying the economy by opening up trade and financial links, the colón, the official currency of El Salvador since 1892, was replaced by the U. S. dollar in 2001. As of 2010, El Salvador ranks 12th among Latin American countries in terms of the Human Development Index, however, the country continues to struggle with high rates of poverty, inequality, and crime. Conquistador Pedro de Alvarado named the new province for Jesus Christ – El Salvador, the full name was Provincia De Nuestro Señor Jesus Cristo, El Salvador Del Mundo, which was subsequently abbreviated to El Salvador. Tomayate is a site located on the banks of the river of the same name in the municipality of Apopa. The site has produced abundant Salvadoran megafauna fossils belonging to the Pleistocene epoch, at the same time, it is considered the richest vertebrate paleontological site in Central America and one of the largest accumulations of proboscideans in the Americas. Sophisticated civilization in El Salvador dates to its settlement by the indigenous Lenca people, theirs was the first, the Lenca were succeeded by the Olmecs, who eventually also disappeared, leaving their monumental architecture in the form of the pyramids still extant in western El Salvador. The Maya arrived and settled in place of the Olmecs, the Pipil were the last indigenous people to arrive in El Salvador. They called their territory Kuskatan, a Pipil word meaning The Place of Precious Jewels, backformed into Classical Nahuatl Cōzcatlān, the people of El Salvador today are referred to as Salvadoran, while the term Cuzcatleco is commonly used to identify someone of Salvadoran heritage. In pre-Columbian times, the country was inhabited by various other indigenous peoples, including the Lenca. Cuzcatlan was the domain until the Spanish conquest. Since El Salvador resided on the edge of the Maya Civilization. However, it is agreed that Mayas likely occupied the areas around Lago de Guija. Other ruins such as Tazumal, Joya de Cerén and San Andrés may have built by the Pipil or the Maya or possibly both
5.
Guatemala
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With an estimated population of around 15.8 million, it is the most populated state in Central America. Guatemala is a democracy, its capital and largest city is Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción. The territory of modern Guatemala once formed the core of the Maya civilization, most of the country was conquered by the Spanish in the 16th century, becoming part of the viceroyalty of New Spain. Guatemala attained independence in 1821 as part of the Federal Republic of Central America, from the mid to late 19th century, Guatemala experienced chronic instability and civil strife. Beginning in the early 20th century, it was ruled by a series of dictators backed by the United Fruit Company, in 1944, authoritarian leader Jorge Ubico was overthrown by a pro-democratic military coup, initiating a decade-long revolution that led to sweeping social and economic reforms. A U. S. -backed military coup in 1954 ended the revolution, from 1960 to 1996, Guatemala endured a bloody civil war fought between the US-backed government and leftist rebels, including genocidal massacres of the Maya population perpetrated by the military. As of 2014, Guatemala ranks 31st of 33 Latin American and Caribbean countries in terms of the Human Development Index, Guatemalas abundance of biologically significant and unique ecosystems includes a large number of endemic species and contributes to Mesoamericas designation as a biodiversity hotspot. The country is known for its rich and distinct culture. The name Guatemala comes from the Nahuatl word Cuauhtēmallān, or place of many trees and this was the name the Tlaxcaltecan soldiers who accompanied Pedro de Alvarado during the Spanish Conquest gave to this territory. The first evidence of habitation in Guatemala dates back to 12,000 BC. Evidence, such as obsidian arrowheads found in parts of the country. There is archaeological proof that early Guatemalan settlers were hunters and gatherers, pollen samples from Petén and the Pacific coast indicate that maize cultivation had been developed by 3500 BC. Sites dating back to 6500 BC have been found in the Quiché region in the Highlands, archaeologists divide the pre-Columbian history of Mesoamerica into the Preclassic period, the Classic period, and the Postclassic period. Until recently, the Preclassic was regarded as a period, with small villages of farmers who lived in huts. This period is characterized by urbanisation, the emergence of independent city-states and this lasted until approximately 900 AD, when the Classic Maya civilization collapsed. The Maya abandoned many of the cities of the lowlands or were killed off by a drought-induced famine. The cause of the collapse is debated, but the Drought Theory is gaining currency, supported by such as lakebeds, ancient pollen. A series of prolonged droughts, among other such as overpopulation, in what is otherwise a seasonal desert is thought to have decimated the Maya
6.
Honduras
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Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a republic in Central America. It has at times referred to as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras. Honduras was home to several important Mesoamerican cultures, most notably the Maya, the Spanish introduced Roman Catholicism and the now predominant Spanish language, along with numerous customs that have blended with the indigenous culture. Honduras has the worlds highest murder rate, Honduras spans about 112,492 km2 and has a population exceeding 8 million. Its northern portions are part of the Western Caribbean Zone, as reflected in the areas demographics and culture. Honduras is known for its natural resources, including minerals, coffee, tropical fruit, and sugar cane, as well as for its growing textiles industry. Honduras literally means depths in Spanish, the name could either refer to the bay of Trujillo as an anchorage, fondura in the Leonese dialect of Spanish, or to Columbuss alleged quote that Gracias a Dios que hemos salido de esas Honduras. It was not until the end of the 16th century that Honduras was used for the whole province, prior to 1580, Honduras only referred to the eastern part of the province, and Higueras referred to the western part. Another early name is Guaymuras, revived as the name for the dialogue in 2009 that took place in Honduras as opposed to Costa Rica. In pre-Columbian times, modern Honduras was part of the Mesoamerican cultural area, in the west, the Maya civilization flourished for hundreds of years. The dominant state within Hondurass borders was in Copán, Copán fell with the other Lowland centres during the conflagrations of the Terminal Classic in the 9th century. The Maya of this civilization survive in western Honduras as the Chorti, remains of other Pre-Columbian cultures are found throughout the country. On 30 July 1502 Columbus sent his brother Bartholomew to explore the islands and Bartholomew encountered a Mayan trading vessel from Yucatán, carrying well-dressed Maya and a rich cargo. Bartholomews men stole whatever cargo they wanted and kidnapped the elderly captain to serve as an interpreter in what was the first recorded encounter between the Spanish and the Maya. In March 1524, Gil González Dávila became the first Spaniard to enter Honduras as a conquistador, followed by Hernán Cortés, bringing forces down from Mexico. Much of the conquest was done in the two decades, first by groups loyal to Cristóbal de Olid, and then by those loyal of Francisco Montejo. In addition to Spanish resources, the conquerors relied heavily on armed forces from Mexico—Tlaxcalans, resistance to conquest was led in particular by Lempira, and many regions in the north never fell to the Spanish, notably the Miskito Kingdom. After the Spanish conquest, Honduras became part of Spains vast empire in the New World within the Kingdom of Guatemala, Trujillo and Gracias were the first city-capitals
7.
Nicaragua
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Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the largest country in the Central American isthmus. Nicaraguas capital, Managua, is the countrys largest city and the third-largest city in Central America, the multi-ethnic population of six million includes indigenous peoples, Europeans, Africans, and Asians. Native tribes on the eastern coast speak their own languages, the Spanish Empire conquered the region in the 16th century. Nicaragua gained independence from Spain in 1821, since its independence, Nicaragua has undergone periods of political unrest, dictatorship, and fiscal crisis—the most notable causes that led to the Nicaraguan Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s. Nicaragua is a democratic republic. The biological diversity, warm climate and active volcanoes make Nicaragua an increasingly popular tourist destination. The name Nicaragua was coined by Spanish colonists based on the name Nicarao, when Spaniard Gil González Dávila came to Nicaragua in 1521 he found in the areas between Rivas and San Jorge the first pre-Columbian natives of Nicaragua. At the time the city was called Quauhcapolca and the cacique leaders name was Macuilmiquiztli. The Pipil migrated to Nicaragua from central Mexico after 500 BC, meanwhile, the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua was inhabited by other peoples, mostly Chibcha language groups. They had coalesced in Central America and migrated also to present-day northern Colombia and they lived a life based primarily on hunting and gathering. In 1502, Christopher Columbus became the first European known to have reached what is now Nicaragua as he sailed southeast toward the Isthmus of Panama, on his fourth voyage, Columbus explored the Miskito Coast on the Atlantic side of Nicaragua. The Spanish attempted to convert all three tribes to Christianity, Nicaragua and Nicarao and their people converted, but Dirangen, however, did not, the first attempt to conquer what is now known as Nicaragua was by Gil González Dávila, who arrived in Panama in January 1520. The first Spanish permanent settlements were founded in 1524, conquistador Francisco Hernández de Córdoba founded two of Nicaraguas principal towns in 1524, Granada on Lake Nicaragua was the first settlement, followed by León at a location west of Lake Managua. Córdoba soon built defenses for the cities and fought against incursions by other conquistadors, Córdoba was later publicly beheaded following a power struggle with Pedro Arias Dávila. His tomb and remains were discovered in 2000 in the ruins of León Viejo, the clashes among Spanish forces did not impede their destruction of the indigenous people and their culture. The series of battles came to be known as the War of the Captains, Pedro Arias Dávila was a winner, although he had lost control of Panama, he moved to Nicaragua and successfully established his base in León. Through adroit diplomatic machinations, he became the first governor of the colony, many indigenous people died as a result of new infectious diseases, compounded by neglect by the Spaniards, who controlled their subsistence. In 1610, the Momotombo volcano erupted, destroying the capital and it was rebuilt northwest of what is now known as the ruins of Old León
8.
Panama
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Panama, officially called the Republic of Panama, is a country usually considered to be entirely in North America or Central America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, the capital and largest city is Panama City, whose metropolitan area is home to nearly half of the countrys 4.1 million people. Panama was inhabited by indigenous tribes prior to settlement by the Spanish in the 16th century. Panama broke away from Spain in 1821 and joined a union of Nueva Granada, Ecuador, when Gran Colombia dissolved in 1831, Panama and Nueva Granada remained joined, eventually becoming the Republic of Colombia. With the backing of the United States, Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903, in 1977 an agreement was signed for the total transfer of the Canal from the United States to Panama by the end of the 20th century, which culminated on 31 December 1999. Revenue from canal tolls continues to represent a significant portion of Panamas GDP, although commerce, banking, in 2015 Panama ranked 60th in the world in terms of the Human Development Index. Since 2010, Panama remains the second most competitive economy in Latin America, covering around 40 percent of its land area, Panamas jungles are home to an abundance of tropical plants and animals – some of them to be found nowhere else on the planet. There are several theories about the origin of the name Panama, some believe that the country was named after a commonly found species of tree. Others believe that the first settlers arrived in Panama in August, when butterflies abound, the best-known version is that a fishing village and its nearby beach bore the name Panamá, which meant an abundance of fish. Captain Antonio Tello de Guzmán, while exploring the Pacific side in 1515, in 1517 Don Gaspar De Espinosa, a Spanish lieutenant, decided to settle a post there. In 1519 Pedrarias Dávila decided to establish the Empires Pacific city in this site, the new settlement replaced Santa María La Antigua del Darién, which had lost its function within the Crowns global plan after the beginning of the Spanish exploitation of the riches in the Pacific. Blending all of the above together, Panamanians believe in general that the word Panama means abundance of fish and this is the official definition given in social studies textbooks approved by the Ministry of Education in Panama. However, others believe the word Panama comes from the Kuna word bannaba which means distant or far away, at the time of the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century, the known inhabitants of Panama included the Cuevas and the Coclé tribes. These people have disappeared, as they had no immunity from European infectious diseases. The earliest discovered artifacts of indigenous peoples in Panama include Paleo-Indian projectile points, later central Panama was home to some of the first pottery-making in the Americas, for example the cultures at Monagrillo, which date back to 2500–1700 BC. These evolved into significant populations best known through their spectacular burials at the Monagrillo archaeological site, the monumental monolithic sculptures at the Barriles site are also important traces of these ancient isthmian cultures. Before Europeans arrived Panama was widely settled by Chibchan, Chocoan, the largest group were the Cueva. The size of the population of the isthmus at the time of European colonization is uncertain
9.
Central American Spanish
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Central American Spanish is the general name of the Spanish language dialects spoken in Central America. More precisely, the term refers to the Spanish language as spoken in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, in El Salvador, they are tienda and gaseosa but more commonly called soda now. In Honduras, they are pulpería and fresco, in Nicaragua, they are venta or pulpería and gaseosa. In Costa Rica, they are pulpería and gaseosa although they could also be abastecedor and refresco or fresco, some characteristics of Central American phonology include, /s/ at the end of a syllable or before a consonant is pronounced like, except in Guatemala and in Costa Rica. J, is aspirated except in areas of Costa Rica. Most phonological features of Central American Spanish are similar to Andalusian, Canarian, and Caribbean, the most common form for the second person singular in Central America is vos. However, usted is the dominant second person singular pronoun, vos is used in Spanish-speaking Central America, with the exception of Panama, among family members, close friends, and in informal contexts. When addressing strangers, usted is used, the Panamanian department of Chiriquí and the Mexican state of Chiapas are two regions were vos is commonly heard. People say Vení for Come here or Pedí tu cosa for Order your thing, the imperative is formed by dropping the final -R of the infinitive, and then adding an acute accent to the final vowel to retain the stress. The only irregular conjugation in the imperative is the verb ir, the conjugation of the present tense follows the pattern of replacing the final -R of the infinitive with an -S and adding an acute accent to the previous vowel. Note how the conjugation of vos presents fewer irregularities compared to tú, the main difference of the voseo in Argentina is the conjugation of the subjunctive. Rioplatense Spanish prefers the subjunctive forms of tú, whereas in Central America, in Nicaragua, the pronoun is only used among youth during special or formal occasions or when addressing unfamiliar individuals in a formal manner. Its also used with most, if not all, profanities familiar to the region, as previously mentioned, one of the features of the Central American speaking style is the voseo, the usage of the pronoun vos for the second person singular, instead of tú. In some Spanish-speaking regions where voseo is used, it is considered a non-standard lower-class sociolectic or regional variant. Vos is used with forms of the verb that resemble those of the second person plural in Spanish from Spain. Some people prefer to say tú instead of vos but conjugating the verbs using the vos forms, for instance, tú cantás, tú bailás, tú podés, etc. This is avoid in Southern Central America, especially in Costa Rica, the second person plural pronoun, which is vosotros in Spain, is replaced with ustedes in C. American Spanish, like most other Latin American dialects, while usted is the formal second person singular pronoun, its plural ustedes has a neutral connotation and can be used to address friends and acquaintances as well as in more formal occasions
10.
Latin American cuisine
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Latin American cuisine refers to typical foods, beverages, and cooking styles common to many of the countries and cultures in Latin America. Latin America is a diverse area of land that holds various cuisines that vary from nation to nation. Some items typical of Latin American cuisine include maize-based dishes and various salsas, thus, this leads for a variety across the land. Sofrito, a term that originally referred to a specific combination of sauteed or braised aromatics. It refers to a sauce of tomatoes, roasted peppers, garlic, onions. Latin American beverages are just as distinct as their foods, some of the beverages can even date back to the times of the Native Americans. Some popular beverages include mate, hibiscus tea, horchata, chicha, atole, cacao, desserts in Latin America are generally very sweet in taste. They include dulce de leche, alfajor, rice pudding, tres leches cake, teja, information about Native American cuisine comes from a great variety of sources. Modern day Native peoples retain a body of traditional foods. Foods like cornbread are known to have been adopted into the cuisine of the United States from Native American groups. In other cases, documents from the periods of contact with European, African. The main crops Native Americans used in Mexico & Central America were corn and beans such as Pupusas, Tamales, Pozole, Chuchitos, Corn tortilla and these influence is less seen in the southern cone of South America however. Africans brought and preserved many of their traditions and cooking techniques and they were often given less desired cuts of meat, including shoulder and intestines. Menudo, for example, was derived from the habit of the Spaniards of giving the slaves cows intestines, slaves developed a way to clean the offal and season it to taste. Slaves in the southern United States also did the thing to the pigs intestines given to them. Europeans brought their traditions, but quickly adapted several of the fruits. Europe itself has been influenced by other cultures, such as with the Moors in Spain, the European influence for many Latin American cuisine mainly comes from Spain. A wave of immigrants from Asia, such as China and Japan, the Chinese brought with them their own spices and food-styles, something that the people of Latin America accepted into their tables
11.
Ethnic groups in Central America
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Central America is a region formed by 6 Latin American countries and one Anglo American nation. As an isthmus it connects North America with South America, comprising the countries, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica. The inhabitants of Central America represent a variety of ancestries, ethnic groups, some countries have a predominance of European-Amerindian, or Mestizo, population, some are dominated by inhabitants of European ancestry, and some countries populations are primarily Mixed. Black, Asian, and Afro-Amerindian minorities are also identified regularly, people with mestizo ancestry are the largest single group, and along with people of European or part-European ancestry, they combine to make up approximately 80% of the population, or even more. Central America, has a population of approximately 40 million in 2007 in an area of 523,780 km², for example, Belize is larger than El Salvador in area by 1,924 km², but El Salvador has 30 times the population of Belize. Similarly, the population of Costa Rica is greater than that of Panama, Guatemala has the largest population with 13,276,517, followed by Honduras at 7,792,854. Central American Admixture began with the arrival of the Spaniards to Central America, mestizos are the result of the admixture between Spaniards and two different ethnic groups, Native Americans and Africans. Mestizos are majority in El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, formed by 22,425,257 inhabitants, all the 7 countries have significant Mestizo populations. The white ethnic group, or White Latin Americans, have a population of 7,494,000 inhabitants. Costa Rica, As of 2012 most Costa Ricans are of primarily of African ancestry with minorities of German, Italian, French, Dutch, British, Swedish, whites, castizos and mestizos together comprise 83% of the population. Whites and castizos represent 65. 8% of the total population), European migrants used Costa Rica to get across the isthmus of Central America as well to reach the USA West Coast in the late 19th century and until the 1910s. Other European ethnic groups known to live in Costa Rica include Russians, Danes, Belgians, Portuguese, Croats, Guatemala, 18% of Guatemalans are whites of European descent in their majority Spanish and German. There are also Syrians, Armenians, Palestinian, Jewish, El Salvador 12% of Salvadorans are mostly descendants of the Spaniard dynasty with others descending from French, Italians, Portuguese, British, Germans and some Central Europeans. El Salvador also has a sizable Arab population mostly Palestinians, Syrian, Lebanese, Belize, In 2010 there were 13,964 White people living in Belize, forming 4, 6% of the total population. 10,865 or 3, 6% of them were Mennonites of German/Dutch descend, Honduras, Less than 5% of the Honduran population is estimated to be white. These are people of mainly Spanish ancestry, although a few are descended from other European groups, the only plurality of Native American or Indigenous people located in Central America is in Guatemala. Native Americans are small minorities in the rest of Central American countries, the Amerindian populations in Guatemala include the Kiche 9. 1%, Kaqchikel 8. 4%, Mam 7. 9% and Qeqchi 6. 3%. 8. 6% of the population is other Mayan,0. 4% is indigenous non-Mayan, roughly 10% of the population is Amerindian, mostly Maya
12.
List of indigenous peoples
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This is a partial list of the worlds indigenous / aboriginal / native people. e. Note that this is a listing of peoples, groups and communities, many of the names are externally imposed, and are not those the people identify within their cultures. As John Trudell observed, They change our name and treat us the same, basic to the unethical treatment of indigenous peoples is an insistence that the original inhabitants of the land are not permitted to name themselves. In this list, native ethnonyms are given in round brackets, in some cases the endonym is the name by which the ethnic group/people is called by other peoples. However, in most cases, exonyms predominate and this list is grouped by region, and sub-region. Note that a group may warrant listing under more than one region, either because the group is distributed in more than one region. This preserves for these communities the right and power to decide who belongs to them. Nuer, mainly in Jonglei State, East of Upper Nile river course, luo peoples Anuak, mainly East Jonglei State, East South Sudan, and also mainly in Gambela Region, Lowlands of Far Southwest Ethiopia. Shilluk, mainly in North South Sudan, west of the Upper Nile river course, Upper Nile State, surmic peoples South Southeast Surma Mursi, mainly in Debub Omo Zone, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region, Southwest Ethiopia. Kadu peoples, Sudan, Nuba Hills Hadza, Tanzania, Singida region, southeast, south, sandawe, Tanzania, Dodoma region, Kondoa district, between Bubu and Mponde rivers, Singida region. However not all modern assyrians are descendants from old assyrians, several are from other peoples that adopted an ethnic identity. West Semitic peoples Central Semitic peoples Arabic peoples Bedouin of the deserts of Arabia and Syria. Canaanite peoples Jews, of the Judaean Mountains, and the region of Judea. Additionally, a number of Jews returned from diaspora during the 19th and 20th centuries. DNA studies show that all major diaspora Jewish communities, with the exception of Ethiopian and Yemenite Jews, religiously, the Samaritans are adherents of Samaritanism, an Abrahamic religion closely related to Judaism. Their sole norm of religious observance is the Samaritan Pentateuch, mandaeans, Southern Mesopotamia spoke a variety of Aramaic, practices a unique gnostic religion, Mandaeism. South Semitic peoples Eastern South Semitic peoples Bathari people, Dhofar, descendants from the original people of Dhofar before Arabization. Descendants from the people of South Arabia before Arabization
13.
Visual arts by indigenous peoples of the Americas
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Visual arts by indigenous peoples of the Americas encompasses the visual artistic traditions of the indigenous peoples of the Americas from ancient times to the present. These include works from South America, Mesoamerica, North America including Greenland, in North America, the Lithic stage or Paleo-Indian period is defined as approximately 18, 000–8000 BCE. The period from around 8000–800 BCE is generally referred to as the Archaic period, the production of bannerstones, Projectile point, Lithic reduction styles and pictographic cave paintings are some of the art that remains from this time period. The bone was found early in the 21st century near Vero Beach, Florida, the bone is too mineralized to be dated, but the carving has been authenticated as having been made before the bone became mineralized. The oldest known painted object in North American is the Cooper Bison Skull from 10, 900–10,200 BCE, Lithic age art in South America includes Monte Alegre culture rock paintings created at Caverna da Pedra Pintada dating back to 9250–8550 BCE. Guitarrero Cave in Peru has the earliest known textiles in South America, the southwestern United States and certain regions of the Andes have the highest concentration of pictographs and Petroglyphs from this period. Both pictographs and petroglyphs are known as rock art, the Yupik of Alaska have a long tradition of carving masks for use in shamanic rituals. Indigenous peoples of the Canadian arctic have produced objects that could be classified as art since the time of the Dorset culture. While the walrus ivory carvings of the Dorset were primarily shamanic, with European contact the historic period of Inuit art began. In this period, which reached its height in the late 19th century, Inuit artisans created souvenirs for the crews of whaling ships and explorers. Modern Inuit art began in the late 1940s, when with the encouragement of the Canadian government they began to produce prints and serpentine sculptures for sale in the south. Greenlandic Inuit have a unique textile tradition intregrating skin-sewing, furs, Women create elaborate netted beadwork collars. They have strong mask-making tradition and also are known for an art form called tupilaq or a spirit object. Traditional art making practices thrive in the Ammassalik, sperm whale ivory remains a valued medium for carving. Inuit art from Alaska, Canada, and Greenland Cultures of interior Alaska, while humans have lived in the region far longer, the oldest known surviving Subarctic art is a petroglyph site in northwest Ontario, dated to 5000 BCE. Caribou, and to a lesser extent moose, are major resources, providing hides, antlers, sinew, porcupine quillwork embellishes hides and birchbark. After European contact with the influence of the Grey Nuns, moosehair tufting, famous examples include totem poles, transformation masks, and canoes. In addition to woodwork, two dimensional painting and silver, gold and copper engraved jewelry became important after contact with Europeans, the Eastern Woodlands, or simply woodlands, cultures inhabited the regions of North America east of the Mississippi River at least since 2500 BCE
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Anglican Church in Central America
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The Anglican Church in Central America is a province of the Anglican Communion, covering five sees in Central America. Four of the five dioceses of the Iglesia Anglicana de la Región Central de America were founded by the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Anglicanism was also introduced by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel when England administered two colonies in Central America, British Honduras and Miskitia, in later years, immigrants brought the Anglican Church with them. Frey was consecrated as the first missionary bishop of the Diocese of Guatemala in 1967, by 2008, the Anglican Church in Central America had voted to consecrate women bishops although none of have been consecrated as of yet. By 2013, the Diocese of El Salvador, and possibly others, offered ministries on behalf of, today, there are over 35,000 Anglicans out of an estimated population of 30.1 million. The polity of the Iglesia Anglicana de la Región Central de América is Episcopalian church governance, the church maintains a system of geographical parishes organized into dioceses. The Spanish-language version of the Episcopal Church s 1979 Book of Common Prayer is used, the center of the Iglesia Anglicana de la Región Central de Américas teaching is the life and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The basic teachings of the church, or catechism, includes, Jesus Christ is fully human and he died and was resurrected from the dead. Jesus provides the way of life for those who believe. The Old and New Testaments of the Bible were written by people under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Apocrypha are additional books that are used in Christian worship, but not for the formation of doctrine. The two great and necessary sacraments are Holy Baptism and Holy Eucharist Other sacramental rites are confirmation, ordination, marriage, reconciliation of a penitent, belief in heaven, hell, and Jesus return in glory. Unlike many other Anglican churches, the Iglesia Anglicana de la Región Central de América is not a member of the ecumenical World Council of Churches, within the province, the dioceses represent a diversity of opinions on social issues. Regarding gender equality, the province has dioceses, including the Episcopal Church of Costa Rica, on human sexuality, the Diocese of El Salvador formed a ministry for LGBT people in the country. In 2014, the Episcopal Church of Costa Rica, a diocese of the province, has steps to welcome LGBT members. Cornelius Wilson, Bishop of Costa Rica Neill, Stephen, diocesis de El Salvador Website Iglesia Episcopal De Panama at the Wayback Machine
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Central American Football Union
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Its member associations are part of CONCACAF. The UNCAF organize various competitions, the Central American Cup is played two years, starting in 1991, and usually feature the seven national teams. Costa Rica is the most successful team, winning the tournament eight times, honduras have won the tournament four times. Guatemala won the tournament in 2001, and Panama won it in 2009 and this tournament usually runs as a qualification round for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. The UNCAF also ran the Copa Interclubes UNCAF, a competition for the champions and runners-up of the leagues of the UNCAF members. Similarly to the Central American Cup, this competition qualified three teams to the CONCACAF Champions Cup, as it expanded into the CONCACAF Champions League in 2008, all of the Central American nations have at least one team and the Copa Interclubes UNCAF was disbanded. Copa Centroamericana – International cup for Central America, top 4–5 qualify for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, Copa Interclubes UNCAF – Was a club championship for Central America in which the top 3 teams qualified for CONCACAF Champions Cup. UNCAF Womens Club Championship – First edition held in 2016, CONCACAF Caribbean Football Union North American Football Union North American Football Confederation Confederación Centroamericana y del Caribe de Fútbol UNCAF official website
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Culture of Belize
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The Belizean culture is a mix of influences and people from Kriol, Maya, Garinagu, Mestizo, Mennonites who are of German descent, with a blend of many other cultures from Chinese to Lebanese. It is a blend that emerged through the countrys long. Courtesy is important to most Belizeans, another aspect of the culture is the idea of the mystical healing and Obeah. However, there is talk of evil shaman practices like putting Obeah on certain houses. This is known to be done by burying a bottle with the evil under a close by the house. In Belizean folklore, we find the legends of La Llorona, Cadejo, Belizean marriages are commonly celebrated with church weddings and colorful receptions featuring food, drink and dance. An increasing number of Belizean families are headed by single parents, due to this trend, many of the present-day youths decline to pursue marriage and get involved in common law relationships with their partners. It is not common to encounter youths living with their parents around the age of 20 or above, as a consequence of this trend, the most common family structure in Belize is the single-parent family. Moreover, grandparents are frequently involved in raising children, with or without the help of one of the parents, most Belizean families either own or rent some type of house, typically wooden or concrete, and built to withstand minor fires and floods. However, when the seasons come around, most people will evacuate. Belizeans of all ethnicities eat a variety of foods. Breakfast consists of bread, flour tortillas, journey cakes, or fry jacks that are often homemade and it is eaten with various cheeses refried beans, various forms of eggs or cereal sweetened with condensed milk. Morning beverages include milk, coffee, tea, Milo, Ovaltine, Cocoa, eating breakfast is called drinking tea. In the rural areas meals may be more simplified than in the cities, the Maya use recardo, corn or maize for most of their meals, and the Garifuna are fond of fish and other seafood, cassava and vegetables. Local fruits and certain vegetables are quite common, mealtime is a communion for families and schools and some businesses close at midday for lunch, reopening later in the afternoon. Belizeans are informal and friendly in greeting one another, it is considered not to greet even a slight acquaintance. It is, however, considered impolite to greet by first names, a simple nod of the head or shouting is acceptable when passing someone on the street, and acquaintances might also be greeted with any number of introductory phrases as covered here, Maanin. Formal situations call for use of titles and surnames, and children are expected to address their elders with Miss/Mister and answer “Yes, ma’am” or “No, sir” when asked questions but often do not
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Culture of Costa Rica
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Costa Rican culture has been heavily influenced by Spanish culture ever since the Spanish colonization of the Americas including the territory which today forms Costa Rica. As of 2012 most Costa Ricans are of primarily Spanish or Spanish/Mixed ancestry with minorities of German, Italian, French, Dutch, British, Swedish, whites, Castizo and Mestizo together comprise 83% of the population. European migrants used Costa Rica to get across the isthmus of Central America as well to reach the USA West Coast in the late 19th century and until the 1910s. Other European ethnic groups known to live in Costa Rica include Russians, Danes, Belgians, Portuguese, Croats, Poles, Turks, Armenians and Georgians. Many of the first Spanish colonists in Costa Rica may have been Jewish converts to Christianity who were expelled from Spain in 1492, the first sizable group of self-identified Jews immigrated from Poland, beginning in 1929. From the 1930s to the early 1950s, journalistic and official anti-Semitic campaigns fueled harassment of Jews, however, by the 1950s and 1960s, most of the 3,500 Costa Rican Jews today are not highly observant, but they remain largely endogamous. Costa Rica has four small minority groups, Mulattos, Blacks, about 8% of the population is of Black African descent or Mulatto who are called Afro-Costa Ricans, English-speaking descendants of 19th century black Jamaican immigrant workers. In 1873 the Atlantic Railroad imported 653 Chinese indentured laborers, hoping to duplicate the success of projects that used Chinese labor in Peru, Cuba. Asians represent less than 0. 5% of the Costa Rican population, mostly from China, there are also over 104,000 Native American or indigenous inhabitants, representing 2. 4% of the population. Most of them live in secluded reservations, distributed among eight groups, Quitirrisí, Matambú or Chorotega, Maleku, Bribri, Cabécar, Guaymí, Boruca. A considerable portion of the Costa Rican population is made up of Nicaraguans, there is also a number of Colombian refugees. Currently immigrants represent 9% of the Costa Rican population, the largest in Central America, by 2014 the three largest Immigrant Diasporas in Costa Rica are people from, Nicaragua, Colombia and United States. The official language of Costa Rica is Spanish, however, there are also many local indigenous languages, such as Bribrí. English is the first foreign language and the second most taught language in Costa Rica, followed by French, German, Italian, a creole language called Mekatelyu is also spoken in Limón. Pura vida, a characteristic Costa Rican phrase, literally means life, with connotations that suggest translations such as full of life. The phrase can be used both as a greeting or a farewell, as an answer expressing that things are going well, as a way of giving thanks, in modern-day usage, the saying goes beyond its simple translation, its a way of life. It is a perspective to life that evokes a spirit that is carefree, laid back, according to Víctor Manuel Sánchez Corrales of the University of Costa Rica, the origin of the phrase is Mexican. It is thought to have come from a Mexican film called ¡Pura vida, the protagonist, played by Antonio Espino y Mora, used the expression pura vida extensively in situations where it would not normally be used
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Culture of El Salvador
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The Culture of El Salvador is similar to other countries in Latin America, and more specifically to other countries in Central America. Mestizo culture dominates the country, influenced by culture clash of ancient Mesoamerica, in El Salvador, the official language is Central American Spanish. Less than one percent of the population speaks the Pipil language, in such as Izalco. However, there is no obligation academically or socially today to learn it, amongst the pre-Columbihi languages that still exist common to places such as Izalco and Cacaopera is Nawat Pipil. English is taught as a language, and is commonly spoken by business people. Central American Spanish is spoken by the majority of the countrys population, the language and pronunciation varies depending on region. The main sport played by Salvadorans is association soccer, the Estadio Cuscatlán in the capital San Salvador is the largest stadium in Central America, with a capacity of just over 45,000. The stadium is the ground of the El Salvador national soccer team, as well as club teams Alianza FC. The main soccer clubs in El Salvador play in the Primera División, below the Primera División exists a second level or Segunda División, made up of 24 teams split into two groups of twelve. There is promotion and relegation between the two divisions at the end of each season, the Catholic Church has been the most prominent religious institution in El Salvador since colonial times, with nearly 75% of the population identifying as Roman Catholic. Reformed churches like Anglican, Lutheran, Pentecostal, Baptists, Seventh Day Adventists, Mormons, today, nearly 20% of the population belongs to one of these churches. Today, over 40% of El Salvador is Evangelical Christian, small communities of Muslims, Jews, and Buddhists also exist in some parts of the country. In El Salvador, there are different costumes used mostly in religious or other festivals, although in some of the older towns, in female clothing, it is common to see elements like a scapular, a shawl, and a cotton headscarf with different coloured adornments. These can be worn with a skirt and a blouse, or with a dress, with male clothing, it is common to see a cotton suit or a cotton shirt, worn with modern jeans, sandals or boots, and a cowboy hat. However, these are rural fashions, and there can be many variations depending on the area, the music of El Salvador has a mixture of Pipil and Spanish influences. Satirical and rural lyrical themes are common, cuban, Colombian, and Mexican music has infiltrated the country, especially salsa and cumbia. Popular music in El Salvador uses marimba, tehpech, flutes, drums, scrapers and gourds, as well as more recently imported guitars, El Salvadors well known folk dance is known as Xuc which originated in Cojutepeque, Cuscatlan. Other musical repertoire consists of danza, pasillo, marcha and canciones, a Cabalgador is a Salvadoran horse-mounted livestock herder of a tradition that originated on the Iberian Peninsula and was brought to Central America by Spanish settlers
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Culture of Guatemala
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Guatemalan cuisine reflects the multicultural nature of Guatemala, in that it involves food that differs in taste depending on the region. Guatemala has 22 departments, each of which has very different food varieties, for example, Antigua Guatemala is well known for its candy which makes use of many local ingredients fruits, seeds and nuts along with honey, condensed milk and other traditional sweeteners. Antiguas candy is popular with tourists. Many traditional foods are based on Maya cuisine and prominently feature corn, chilis, certain dishes are also associated with special occasions, such as fiambre for All Saints Day on November 1 and tamales, which are common for Christmas. There are reportedly hundreds of varieties of tamales throughout Guatemala and they key variations are what is in the masa or dough, whats in the filling, and what is it wrapped with. The masa is made out of corn that is not sweet, in Guatemala, this non-sweet corn is called maize and the corn that Americans from the USA are used to eating on the cob, sweet corn, they call elote. Tamales in Guatemala are more typically wrapped in plantain or banana leaves, the ancient Mayan civilization lasted for about six hundred years before collapsing around 900 A. D. Today, almost half of the Guatemalan population is still Mayan. These natives live throughout the country and grow maize as their staple crop, in addition, the ancient Maya ate amaranth, a breakfast cereal similar to modern day cereals. Guatemalas national instrument is the marimba, an idiophone from the family of the xylophones, towns also have wind and percussion bands that play during the Lent and Easter-week processions, as well as on other occasions. The Garifuna people of Afro-Caribbean descent, who are spread thinly on the northeastern Caribbean coast, have their own varieties of popular. Cumbia, from the Colombian variety, is very popular. Guatemala also has an almost five-century-old tradition of art music, spanning from the first liturgical chant and polyphony, much of the music composed in Guatemala from the 16th century to the 19th century has only recently been unearthed by scholars and is being revived by performers. The Mayan people are known for their brightly colored yarn-based textiles, which are woven into capes, shirts, blouses, each village has its own distinctive pattern, making it possible to distinguish a persons home town on sight. Womens clothing consists of a shirt and a long skirt, roman Catholicism combined with the indigenous Maya religion to form the unique syncretic religion which prevailed throughout Guatemala and still does in the rural regions. Beginning from negligible roots prior to the 1960s, Protestant Pentecostalism has grown to become the predominant religion of Guatemala City and other urban centers, the unique religion is reflected in the local saint, Maximón, who is associated with the subterranean force of masculine fertility and prostitution. Always depicted in black, he wears a hat and sits on a chair, often with a bible in one hand, rosary in another. The locals know him as San Simon of Guatemala, public holidays in Guatemala Holy Week processions in Guatemala Media of Guatemala List of museums in Guatemala Guatemalan folklore List of Guatemalan films Guatemalan literature
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Culture of Honduras
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The wealth of cultural expression in Honduras owes its origins primarily to being a part of Latin America but also to the multi-ethnic nature of the country. The population comprises 85% Mestizo, 8% Caucasian, 6% Amerindian and this influences all facets of the culture, customs, practices, ways of dressing, religion, rituals, codes of behavior and belief systems. Popular culture in Honduras, as in most countries, is expressed not so much through sophisticated artistic creations, in Honduras, such artistic and cultural events are held on specific days of the year and through special celebrations. Punta, a kind of dance and music the Hondurans proudly gather to perform, Hondurans celebrate national holidays and special events in the form of carnivals, fairs and parades throughout the year. For instance, in La Ceiba the annual carnival is a celebration with music, exhibitions and special food, culminating in the most popular carnival in the country. The Feria Juniana of San Pedro Sula includes musical concerts performed throughout the week, sporting events, puerto Cortés celebrates its fair in August with a Venice theme which includes parades of gondolas and other boats in the bay, and an evening fireworks display launched from boats. Being a predominantly Catholic country, Honduras gives special attention to the celebrations of Holy Week, in some regions of the country, such as Comayagua, Choluteca, Copán and Intibucá, processions are held, especially during Thursday and Good Friday. Through these events, Hondurans commemorate the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for humanity by reenacting the events during the week between Palm Sunday and Jesus Christ crucifixion, probably the most outstanding event is the creation of the sawdust carpets. People will decorate the trail where Jesus will walk through to make the walk less painful for Christ. Some people - particularly the inhabitants of the North and South Coast - use this week as an opportunity to visit beaches, rivers and swimming pools, Hondurans celebrate Christmas Eve and New Years Eve on 24 and 31 December respectively. During these celebrations, the majority of Honduran homes cook special dishes to mark the occasion, favorites include tamales wrapped with banana leaves, roast pigs legs, and pastries. All of these celebrations are complemented at the end of the night with fireworks, other celebrations of special interest to Hondurans include Mothers Day, Childrens Day, Labor Day, Teachers Day and Friendship Day. The predominant ethnic group in Honduras are the mestizo - people of mixed native, mestizos account for over 93% of the population of Honduras. There are several other minority ethnic groups, amongst them are people who descend from native tribes that lived in the area before the Spanish arrived, Lencas, Chortís, Tolupanes, Pechs, Tawahkas, and Miskitos. There is also a group called the Garífunas who descend from African slaves from the Caribbean islands, according to the 2001 census the Amerindian population in Honduras included 381,495 people. With the exception of the Lenca and the Chorti they still keep their language, salvador Moncada is a scientist of Honduran origin. He is married to Princess Marie-Esméralda of Belgium, America Ferrera, an American actress, was born in Los Angeles to Honduran parents. Best known for the role in ABCs Ugly Betty, she has also been successful on the big screen with her role in Real Women Have Curves
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Culture of Nicaragua
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The people of Nicaragua are mostly mestizos, and Spanish is invariably their first language. Nicaraguans mostly refer to themselves as Nicas, Nicoyas & Pinoleros, music and religious traditions in Iberian culture and Amerindian sounds and flavors. The rest of Nicaragua was colonized by Spain and has a culture to other Spanish-speaking American countries. The eastern half of the country, on the hand, was once a British protectorate. Its culture is similar to that of former and present British colonies in the Caribbean, such as Jamaica, Belize, recent immigration by Spanish speakers has largely influenced younger generations, and an increasing number of people are either bilingual at home or speak Spanish only. There is a large population of people of mixed African descent. Due to the African influence in the East Coast, there exists a different kind of music and it is the popular dance music called Palo de Mayo, or Maypole, which is celebrated during the Maypole Festival, during the month of May. The music is sensual with intense rhythms, the celebration is derived from the British Maypole for May Day celebration, as adapted and transformed by the Afro-Nicaraguans on the Caribbean or Mosquito Coast. Of the many cultures that were present before European colonization, the Nahuatl-speaking peoples who populated the west of the country have essentially been assimilated into the mainstream culture, in the east, however, several indigenous groups have maintained a distinct identity. The Miskito, Sumo, Garifuna, and Rama people still use their original languages, Spanish, or Nicañol as Nicaraguan Spanish is sometimes referred to, is spoken by 90% of the countrys population. In the Caribbean coast many afro-Nicaraguans and creoles speak English and creole English as their first language, Also in the Caribbean coast, many Indigenous people speak their native languages, such as the Miskito, Sumo, Rama and Garifuna language. These minority languages include Chinese, Arabic, German, and Italian, Nicaragua was home to 3 extinct languages, one of which was never classified. Nicaraguan Sign Language is also of particular interest to linguists, Central American Spanish is spoken by about 90% of the countrys population. In Nicaragua, the form of Spanish is dominant in both speech and publications. The first nation to adopt the voseo dialect, Nicaragua is one two Central American nations that use voseo Spanish as its written and spoken form of the language. The usage is seen in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay. In the Caribbean coast, many Afro-Nicaraguans and creoles speak English and creole English as their first language, the languages in the North and South Atlantic Regions are influenced by English, Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish and French. Many of the people on the Caribbean coast speak native languages such as the Miskito, Sumo, Rama
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Culture of Panama
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Panamanian culture is a hybrid of African, Native Panamanian, and European culture - specifically Spanish. For example, the tamborito is a Spanish dance that was blended with Native American rhythms, dance is a symbol of the diverse cultures that have coupled in Panama. The local folklore can be experienced through a multitude of festivals, dances, Panamanian Cuisine is a mix of African, Spanish, and Native American techniques, dishes, and ingredients, reflecting its diverse population. Since Panama is a bridge between two continents, it has a large variety of tropical fruits, vegetables and herbs that are used in native cooking. Typical Panamanian foods are mildly flavored, without the pungency of some of Panamas Latin American and Caribbean neighbors, common ingredients are corn, rice, wheat flour, plantains, yuca, beef, chicken, pork and seafood. However, the first manifestations of literature written in Panama come from the 17th century with the title of Llanto de Panamá a la muerte de don Enrique Enríquez. Although this anthology was formed during the Colony, most of the poems in it were written by authors born in Panama, during the 19th century, the romantics, Manuel María Ayala and Tomás Miró Rubini. Subsequently appeared José María Alemán, Gil Colunje, Tomás Martín Feuillet, José Dolores Urriola, Amelia Denis de Icaza, Manuel José Pérez, Jerónimo de la Ossa, Federico Escobar and Rodolfo Caicedo. The modernists, Darío Herrera, León Antonio Soto, Guillermo Andreve, Ricardo Miró, Gaspar Octavio Hernández, María Olimpia de Obaldía, the Avant-garde movement, Rogelio Sinán, Ricardo J. Another example of Panama’s blended culture is reflected in the products, such as woodcarvings, ceremonial masks and pottery, as well as in its architecture, cuisine. In earlier times, baskets were woven for utilitarian uses, the Kuna people are known for molas, the elaborate embroidered panels that make up the front and back of a Kuna womans blouse. Originally the Kuna word for blouse, the term now refers to the several layers of cloth varying in color that are loosely stitched closely together made using a reverse appliqué process. Performance arts are relatively new to the art scene. The first expressions date back to the late 1990s, when local painters explored and incorporated aspects of performance to their art shows. Cabeza de Vélez, a Panamanian painter, was one of the first artists to introduce it, performance arts are somewhat relegated to what is locally called ‘alternative culture’ but it is slowly gaining recognition and acceptance in the local contemporary arts circles. Today, artists such as Diego Bowie are at the forefront of the Panamanian performance arts, the best overview of Panamanian culture is found in the Museum of the Panamanian, in Panama City. A number of museums located in communities throughout Panamas interior strive to preserve numerous aspects of the countrys pre-Columbian, colonial. The Herrera Museum was ranked #2 of 6 things to do in Chitre by Lonely Planet travelers, the two-story museum includes permanent exhibits covering the pre-Hispanic period, the region’s first mammals, and the contact between the Spanish and the natives
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Demographics of Belize
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Belize is the most sparsely populated nation in Central America. It is larger than El Salvador, slightly more than half of the people live in rural areas. About one-fourth live in Belize City, the port, commercial centre. About 80% of the population are Christian, Most Belizeans are of multiracial descent. About 34% of the population is of mixed Maya and European descent, 35% are Kriols, about 10. 6% are Maya, the remaining population includes European, East Indian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and North American groups. In the case of Europeans, most are descendants of Spanish and British colonial settlers, Most Spanish left the nation just after it was taken by the British colonists who, in the same way, left after independence. Dutch and German Mennonites settled Belize, most in the isolated areas, according to the 2015 revision of the CIA World Fact Book the estimated mid year population of 2016 is 347,369 Most Belizeans are of multiracial descent. About 52. 9% are Mestizo,25. 9% Creole,11. 3% Maya,6.1. % Garifuna,3. 9% East Indian,3. 6% Mennonites,1. 2% White, 1% Asian,1. 2% Other and 0. 3% Unknown. In the case of Europeans, most are descendants of Spanish and British colonial settlers, Most Spanish left the nation just after it was taken by the British colonists who, in the same way, left after independence. Beginning in 1958, German Mennonites of Russian Mennonite and Pennsylvania Dutch heritage settled in Belize, because Belizes original Maya peoples were decimated by disease and wars, or fled to Mexico and Guatemala, many of the countrys Maya today are descended from other groups. The current Maya population consists mainly of three language groups, the Yucatec fled to Belize in the late 1840s to escape the Caste War in Yucatán, Mexico. Their descendants live in the Orange Walk and Corozal districts, which border on Mexico, before the massive migration of Yucatec Maya from Mexico to Belize, a local Yucatec Maya group named the Iciache Maya already inhabited the land. Today most Yucatec Maya work in the sugar cane, in the 1870s-1880s, many Qeqchi fled from Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, where their lands were being stolen for coffee plantations, which then enslaved them. They settled villages in the Toledo district, living near rivers and streams, they are primarily farmers, though many younger people now work in tourism, and on shrimp, banana and citrus plantations. The Mopans originated in Belize, but most were out to Guatemala after the British displaced Spanish in a struggle that took most of the 18th century. They returned to Belize in 1886, running from enslavement and taxation in Petén, the Cayo district and San Antonio in the Toledo district are their homes now. Qeqchi and Mopan have intermarried, though the two remain distinct and mutually unintelligible. Birth Rate by Ethnic Groups English is the official language of Belize due to being a former British colony
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Demographics of Costa Rica
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According to the United Nations, in 2009 Costa Rica has an estimated population of 4,579,000 people. Together, whites and mestizos make up a 94% of the population, 3% are black people, 1% Amerindians, 1% Asians, and 1% other. Just under 3% of the population is of black African descent who are called Afro-Costa Ricans or West Indians and are English-speaking descendants of 19th century black Jamaican immigrant workers. Another 1% is composed of ethnic Chinese, and less than 1% are Middle Easterners, mainly of Lebanese descent but also Palestinians. There is also a community of North American retirees from the United States and Canada, followed by large numbers of European Union expatriates come to retire as well. The indigenous population numbers about 60,000 with some Miskito. Descendants of 19th century West Indian and Jamaican immigrant workers constitute an English-speaking minority and at 3% of the population, an estimated 10% of the Costa Rican population is made up of Nicaraguans. There is also a number of Colombian refugees, moreover, Costa Rica took in lots of refugees from a range of other Latin American countries fleeing civil wars and dictatorships during the 1970s and the 1980s, notably from Chile and Argentina. Almost 100,000 Costa Ricans live abroad, mostly in the United States, Mexico, in 2009, Costa Rica had a population of 4,579,000. The population is increasing at a rate of 1. 5% per year, at current trends the population will increase to 9,158,000 in about 46 years. The population density is 94 people per km, the third highest in Central America. Approximately 40% live in areas and 60% in urban areas. The rate of urbanization estimated for the period 2005–2015 is 2. 74% per annum, about 75% of the population live in the upper lands where temperature is cooler and milder. According to the United Nations, Costa Ricas literacy rate stands at 95. 8%, Costa Ricas Education Index in 2006 was 0.882, higher than that of richer countries, such as Singapore and Mexico. Costa Ricas gross enrolment ratio is 73. 0%, smaller than that of the countries of El Salvador. All students must complete school and secondary school, between 6 and 15 years. Some students drop out because they must work to support their families. In 2007 there were 536,436 pupils enrolled in 3,771 primary schools and 377,900 students attended public, Costa Ricas main universities are the University of Costa Rica, in San Pedro and the National University of Costa Rica, in Heredia
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Demographics of El Salvador
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Ethnically,86. 3% of Salvadorans are mixed. Another 12. 7% is of pure European descent, other 0. 23% are pure indigenous descent,0. 13% black people, El Salvadors population was 6,377,358 in 2015, compared to 2,200,000 in 1950. In 2010 the percentage of the population below the age of 15 was 32. 1%, 61% were between 15 and 65 years of age, while 6. 9% were 65 years or older. The migration rate accelerated during the period of 1979 to 1981, this marked the beginning of the civil unrest and the spread of political killings. In addition small Salvadoran communities sprung up in Canada, Australia, Belize, Panama, Costa Rica, Italy, Taiwan, the 2010 U. S. Census counted 1,648,968 Salvadorans in the United States, up from 655,165 in 2000. 86. 3% of the population are mestizo, having mixed indigenous, according to the Salvadoran Government, about 0. 23% of the population are of full indigenous origin. There are small populations of Cacaopera people in the Morazán Department, according to the National Salvadoran Indigenous Coordination Council and CONCULTURA, approximately 600,000 or 10 per cent of Salvadorian peoples are indigenous. Nonetheless, very few Amerindians have retained their customs and traditions, Departments and cities in the country with notable indigenous populations include Sonsonate, Cacaopera, and Panchimalco, in the department of San Salvador. This population is made up of ethnically Spanish people, while there are also Salvadorans of French, German, Swiss, English, Irish. There are a significant population who is of Arab descent, mostly from Palestine, Salvadorans of Palestinian descent numbered around 70,000 individuals, while Salvadorans of Lebanese descent is around 25,000. There is also a community of Jews who came to El Salvador from France, Germany, Morocco, Tunisia. Pardo is the term that was used in colonial El Salvador to describe a tri-racial Afro-Mestizo person of Indigenous, European, afro-Salvadorans are the descendants of the African population that were enslaved and shipped to El Salvador to work in mines in specific regions of El Salvador. Thus, there remains no significant extremes of African physiognomy among Salvadorans like there is in the countries of Central America. A total of only 10,000 African slaves were brought to El Salvador over the span of 75 years, starting around 1548, about 25 years after El Salvadors colonization. This is the reason why El Salvador is the country in Central America not to have a caribbeanized culture. Structure of the population, Structure of the population, El Salvador Ethnic groups in Central America History of the Jews in El Salvador Salvadoran Departments by HDI
26.
Demographics of Guatemala
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The Demographics of Guatemala are diverse, the 16,548,168 people consist primarily of Mestizos, Amerindians, and people of European descent. The population is divided almost evenly between rural and urban areas, about 60% of the population speak Spanish, with nearly all the rest speaking Amerindian languages. According to official 2012 national statistics,39. 8% of the population is indigenous, according to the 2015 revision of the CIA World Factbook the total population estimate was 14,918,999. The proportion of the population below the age of 15 in 2010 was 41. 5%,54. 1% were aged between 15 and 65 years of age, and 4. 4% were aged 65 years or older. Guatemala City, the largest city in Central America, is home to over 3 million inhabitants, in 1900 Guatemala had a population of 885,000. Over the twentieth century Guatemalas population grew by a factor of fourteen, even though Guatemalas population grew by a factor of 14, it still wasnt the biggest jump in that region. Although Guatemala does have an increase in population, the annual population isnt the superior in that region of the world as well. The Guatemalan civil war from 1960 to 1996 provoked migration of Guatemalans, in 2013, the MPI estimated that there are around 900,000 people of Guatemalan origin in the United States. Official 2012 statistics indicate that approximately 60. 2% of the population is non-indigenous, referring to the mestizo population and these people are called Ladino in Guatemala. Approximately 39. 8% of the population is indigenous and consist of 23 Maya groups and they live all over the country, especially in the highlands. Other racial groups include numbers of Afro-Guatemalans, Afro-Mestizos, and Garifuna of mixed African, some Garifunas live mainly in Livingston, San Vicente and Puerto Barrios. They descend mainly from the Arawaks and Belizean Creoles, there are thousands of Arab Guatemalans descending from, Palestine, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, and other Arab countries who reside in Guatemala City. Some belong to Christian Churches while others to Islamic Mosques, there are also thousands of Jews residing in Guatemala. They are immigrants from Germany and Eastern Europe that arrived in the 19th century, many immigrated during World War II. There are approximately 9,000 Jews living in Guatemala today, most live in Guatemala City, Quezaltenango and San Marcos. Today, the Jewish community in Guatemala is made up of Orthodox Jews, Sephardi, the mainstream Jewish community was reportedly dismayed and concerned that the arrival of communities with higher adherence to Judaism might stir up anti-Jewish sentiment. Despite the tropical heat, the members of the community continued to wear the traditional ancient Jewish clothing, asian Guatemalans are primarily of Korean descent and Chinese descent, whose ancestors were farm workers and railroad laborers in the early 20th century. The 1893 Guatemalan Census reported that 481,945 persons, or 35. 3% of the population, were Ladinos, approximately,18. 5% of the population is considered White or Caucasian, accounts for more than 3 million of the population
27.
Demographics of Honduras
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This article is about the ethnic groups and population of Honduras. According to the 2012 revision of the World Population Prospects the total population was 7,621,000 in 2010, compared to 1,487,000 in 1950. The proportion of the population aged below 15 in 2010 was 36. 8%,58. 9% were aged between 15 and 65 years of age, and 4. 3% were aged 65 years or older, as of 2014, 60% of Hondurans live below the poverty line. More than 30% of the population is divided between the middle and upper middle class, less than 10% are wealthy or belong to the higher social class. Structure of the population, Structure of the population, Registration of vital events is in Honduras not complete, the Population Department of the United Nations prepared the following estimates. Births and deaths Total Fertility Rate and Crude Birth Rate, Mestizos make up more than 90% of the population of Honduras, amerindians are 6% of the population and AfroHondurans comprise 3%. As in other Latin American countries, the question of racial breakdown of a population is contentious. Hence official statistics quite uniformly under-represent those people who have ancestry in favor of a two race solution, according to the 2001 census the Amerindian population in Honduras included 381,495 people. With the exception of the Lenca and the Chorti they still keep their language, the Garifuna are descendants of Carib, Arawak, and West African people. This ethnic group has its origins in a group from St. Vincent islands in the Caribbean, at the 2001 census 46,448 people were registered as Garifuna,0. 8% of the total population of Honduras. The Garifuna speak an Arawakan language and they live along the entire Caribbean coastline of Honduras, and in the Bay Islands. The number of Creoles was 12,370 in 2001, Honduras hosts a significant Palestinian community. These Arab-Hondurans are sometimes called Turcos, because they arrived in Honduras using Turkish travel documents, the Palestinians arrived in the country in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, establishing themselves especially in the city of San Pedro Sula. There is also a small Chinese community in Honduras, a lawyer of the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Honduras stated that the Chinese community in Honduras is rather small. Many of the Chinese are immigrants who arrived from China after the revolution and their descendants
28.
Demographics of Nicaragua
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According to the CIA World Factbook, Nicaragua has a population of 5,675,356. Mestizos make up about 69% of the population, and whites 17%, the remainder of the Nicaraguan population is 9% black, and 5% Amerindian. A growing number of these expats have returned, while many continue to live abroad, the most populous city in the country is the capital city, Managua, with a population of 1.2 million. As of 2005, over 4.4 million inhabitants live in the Pacific, Central and North regions,2.7 in the Pacific region alone, the Census Bureau in Nicaragua is the National Institute of Statistics and Census. The institution is in charge of completing censuses and surveys, INEC ran its first census in 1906, the last census was taken in 2005, it was the eighth to date. According to the 2012 revision of the World Population Prospects the total population was 5,822,000 in 2010, compared to only 1,295,000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 34. 5%,60. 9% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 4. 6% was 65 years or older. Structure of the population, Ninety percent of Nicaraguans live in the Pacific lowlands, the population is 54% urban with Managua being the largest city, home to over a million inhabitants. In addition, many Nicaraguans live abroad, the most populous city in Nicaragua is the capital city, Managua, with a population of 1.2 million. As of 2005, over 4.4 million inhabitants live in the Pacific, Central, there are 2.7 million in the Pacific region. The Caribbean region has an estimated 700,000 residents, registration of vital events is in Nicaragua not complete. The Population Department of the United Nations prepared the following estimates, primarily in the 19th century, Nicaragua saw several waves of immigration from other European nations. In particular the cities of Estelí, Jinotega and Matagalpa have significant fourth generation Germans. Most of Nicaraguas population lives in the region of the country in the departments of Managua, Granada. According to the 2005 census 443,847 residents consider themselves to belong to a people or to an ethnic community. The remaining majority of the Nicaraguan population are deemed Mestizo and white, with the majority of these being of Spanish, with some German, Italian, Portuguese, mestizos and whites mainly reside in the western region of the country. At the 2005 census there were only 19,890 Creole, the Creole population is mostly of West Indian origin, the descendants of indentured laborers brought mostly from Jamaica when the region was a British protectorate. The Garifuna numbered 3,271 in 2005, a people of mixed Carib, Angolan, Congolese,112,253 people considered themselves Mestizo de la Costa Caribe
29.
Demographics of Panama
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Panamas population was 2 people in 2010, compared to 860,000 in 1950. The proportion of the population aged below 15 in 2010 was 29%,64. 5% of the population were aged between 15 and 65, with 6. 6% of the population being 65 years or older. Structure of the population, More than half the population lives in the Panama City-Colón metropolitan corridor, the culture, customs, and language of Panama are predominantly Caribbean Spanish. In 2010 the population was 65% Mestizo,9. 2% Black,6. 8% mulattoes, 13% White, ethnic groups in Panama include Spanish British and Irish, Dutch, French, Germans, Italians, Portuguese, Poles, Russians or Ukrainians, and Americans. Afro-Panamanian groups include West Indies/Caribbean nationalities, in thousands of Barbadian and Jamaican workers played a role in the construction of the Panama Canal. During the Atlantic Slave Trade, thousands of West Africans were transported to places in Panama. This took place around the 1500s, making half of all Panamanians contain African ancestry, there has also been immigration of Arabs and Asians, in particular Chinese, Lebanese, Palestinians, South Asians and Syrians. Panama has a populations of Chinese origin. The first Chinese immigrated to Panama from southern China to help build the Panama Railroad in the 19th century, there followed several waves of immigrants whose descendants number around 50,000. Starting in the 1970s, a further 80,000 have immigrated from various parts of China, most of the Chinese population reside in the province of Chiriquí. Afro-Panamanians first arrived during the colonial era and they are intermixed in the general population or live in small Afro-Panamanian communities along the Atlantic Coast and in villages within the Darién jungle. Most of the people in Darien are fishermen or small-scale farmers growing such as bananas, rice. Other Afro-Panamanians descend from migrants from the Caribbean who came to work on railroad-construction projects, commercial agricultural enterprises. Important Afro-Caribbean community areas include towns and cities such as Colón, Cristobal and Balboa, in the former Canal Zone, another region with a large Afro-Caribbean population is the province of Bocas del Toro on the Caribbean coast just south of Costa Rica. Most of the Panamanian population of West Indian descent owe their presence in the country to the efforts to build the Panama Canal in the late 19th. Three-quarters of the 50,000 workers who built the canal were Afro Caribbean migrants from the British West Indies, thousands of Afro-Caribbean workers were recruited from Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad. Many languages, including seven indigenous languages, are spoken in Panama, although panamaese is the official, english is sometimes spoken by many professionals and those working in the business or governmental sectors of society. The majority of Panamanians are Christian, most are Roman Catholics as a result centuries of Spanish colonial influence, other faiths exist in Panama by the countrys tolerance and freedom of religion, there are large Protestant, Jewish, Baháí, Muslim and Hindu religious groups in Panama
30.
Economy of Belize
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Belize has a small, essentially private enterprise economy that is based primarily on agriculture, tourism, and services. The cultivation of newly discovered oil in the town of Spanish Lookout has presented new prospects. Besides petroleum, Belizes other primary exports are citrus, sugar, Belizes trade deficit has been growing, mostly as a result of low export prices for sugar and bananas. The new government faces important challenges to economic stability, rapid action to improve tax collection has been promised, but a lack of progress in reining in spending could bring the exchange rate under pressure. The Belize Dollar is fixed to the U. S. dollar at a rate of 2,1, domestic industry is limited, constrained by relatively high-cost labour and energy and a small domestic market. Tourism attracts the most foreign investment although significant foreign investment is also found in the energy, telecommunications. Belizes economy depended on forestry until well into the 20th century, logwood, used to make dye, was Belizes initial main export. However, the supply outstripped the demand, especially as Europeans developed man-made dyes which were less expensive, loggers turned to mahogany, which grew in abundance in the countrys forests. The wood was prized for use in cabinets, ships, while many merchants and traders became wealthy from the mahogany industry, ups and downs in the market had a large impact on the economy. In addition, new mahogany trees werent being planted, because mahogany trees grow slowly, the rate of natural regrowth necessitated a large, long-term investment in tree farming, which was not made. As the 19th century progressed, loggers were forced to go deeper into the forests to find the trees, variations of mahogany exports over long periods of time were linked to the accessible supply of the resource. Immediately after the introduction of cattle in the early 19th century, tractors in the 1920s, when the supply of accessible timber dwindled and logging became too unprofitable in the 20th century, the countrys economy shifted to new sectors. Cane sugar became the principal export and recently has been augmented by expanded production of citrus, bananas, seafood, the country has about 8,090 km² of arable land, only a small fraction of which is under cultivation. Banana production accounted for 16 percent of total Belizean exports in 1999, citrus fruits are Belizes second most important agricultural crop. A major constraint on a market economy in Belize continues to be the scarcity of infrastructure investments. Although electricity, telephone, and water utilities are all relatively good, several capital projects are currently underway. The largest of these is a $15 million rural electrification program to be implemented by the government. Development costs are high, but the Government of Belize has designated tourism as its second development priority after agriculture, in 2011, tourist arrivals totaled 888,191 and tourist receipts amounted to $260 million
31.
Economy of Costa Rica
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The nation scored a 71.8 out of 100 on a study which measured competitiveness based on 10 criteria. Compared to the 2011 rank, Costa Rica went up by one position, the CIA World Factbook states that Costa Ricas Gross Domestic Product per capita is US$12,900, the reported GDP summed in 2012 to US$45. 1bn with a population of 4,805,000. The World Bank General Government Public Sector Debt statistics showed a rise from US$8bn in 2009 to US$18bn in 2014. The Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos is charged with measuring other economic performance measures, Costa Rica has attracted one of the highest levels of foreign direct investment per capita in Latin America. Inflation rose to 22. 5% in 1995, dropped to 11. 1% in 1997, 12% in 1998, 11% in 1999, measures taken by the Central Bank have reduced inflation substantially to 4. 3% in 2009, and a projected 5. 8% for 2010. Curbing inflation, reducing the deficit, and improving public sector efficiency through an anti-corruption drive, previous political resistance to privatization had stalled liberalization efforts. However, after the signing of CAFTA, Costa Rica is now open to competition with its Central American partners in its insurance, Costa Ricas economy emerged from recession in 1997 and has shown strong aggregate growth since then. After 6. 2% growth in 1997, GDP grew a substantial 8. 3% in 1999, Costa Rica had a US$6. 64bn trade deficit in 2013, on exports of US$11. 48bn and imports of US$18. 13bn. Miscellaneous circuits including telephones and miscellaneous petroleum products added to just under 25% of imports, the strength in the nontraditional export and tourism sector is masking a relatively lackluster performance by traditional sectors, including agriculture. The central government deficit decreased to 3. 2% of GDP in 1999, on a consolidated basis, including Central Bank losses and parastatal enterprise profits, the public sector deficit was 2. 3% of GDP. Costa Rica had a line of credit with the World Bank valued at US$947M in April 2014, of which US$645M had been accessed. Costa Rica has two seasons, both of which have their own resources, the tropical wet and dry seasons. One-fourth of Costa Ricas land is dedicated to national forests, often adjoining beaches and it has one of the best economies in Latin America. Because of the ocean access 23. 7% of Costa Ricas people fish, in terms of the 2012 Environmental Performance Index ranking, Costa Rica is 5th in the world, and first among the Americas. Ecotourism is extremely popular with the tourists visiting the extensive national parks. Costa Rica was a pioneer in this type of tourism and the country is recognized as one of the few with real ecotourism, other important market segments are adventure, sun and beaches. Most of the come from the U. S. and Canada, and the EU, the prime market travelers in the world. In the 2008 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index, Costa Rica reached the 44th place in the ranking, being the first among Latin American countries
32.
Economy of El Salvador
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Compared to other developing countries, El Salvador has experienced relatively low rates of GDP growth. Rates have not risen above the low single digits in two decades – part of broader environment of macroeconomic instability which the integration of the US dollar has done little to improve. One problem that the Salvadoran economy faces is the inequality in the distribution of income. In 2011, El Salvador had a Gini Coefficient of.485, the richest 10% of the population receives approximately 15 times the income of the poorest 40%. As of 3 November 2014, the IMF reports official reserve assets to be $3. 192B, securities are $2. 577B with total currency and deposits at $94. 9M. Securities with other central banks are $81. 10M. Securities with banks headquartered outside the reporting country $13. 80M, gold reserves reported at $271. 4M with volume in millions of fine Troy ounces at $200k. Other reserve assets are financial derivatives valued at $2. 7M and this way, the government has formally limited its possibility of implementing open market monetary policies to influence short term variables in the economy. Since 2004, the colón stopped circulating and is now never used in the country for any type of transaction, however some stores still have prices in both colons and U. S. dollars. In general, people were unhappy with the shift from the colón to the U. S. dollar, because wages are still the same, some economists claim this rise in prices would have been caused by inflation regardless even had the shift not been made. Some economists also contend that now, according to Greshams Law, some banks however claim that they still do some transactions en colones, keeping this change from being unconstitutional. Fiscal policy has been the biggest challenge for the Salvadoran government, the 1992 peace accords committed the government to heavy expenditures for transition programs and social services. The stability adjustment programs initiated by President Cristianis administration committed the government to the privatization of banks, the government lost the revenues from contributors and absorbed completely the costs of coverage of retired pensioners. This has been the source of fiscal imbalance. ARENA governments have financed this deficit with the emission of bonds, the emission of bonds and the approval of a loans need a qualified majority in the parliament. If the deficit is not financed through a loan it is enough with a majority to approve the budget. This would facilitate an otherwise long process in Salvadoran politics, despite such challenges to keep public finances in balance, El Salvador still has one of the lowest tax burdens in the American continent. Many specialists claim that it is impossible to advance significant development programs with such a public sector
33.
Economy of Guatemala
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Guatemala is the most populous of the Central American countries with a GDP per capita roughly one-third that of Brazils. Coffee, sugar, and bananas are the main products, the 1996 peace accords ended 36 years of civil war and removed a major obstacle to foreign investment, and Guatemala since then has pursued important reforms and macroeconomic stabilization. On 1 July 2006, the Central American Free Trade Agreement entered into force between the US and Guatemala and has spurred increased investment in the export sector. The distribution of income remains highly unequal with 12% of the population living below the poverty line. Guatemalas gross domestic product for 1990 was estimated at $19.1 billion, ten years later, in 2000, it rose by 1 to 4% and by 2010 it had fallen back to 3%, according to the World Bank. The final peace accord in December 1996 left Guatemala well-positioned for rapid growth over the next 11 years. Guatemalas economy is dominated by the sector, which generates about 85% of GDP. Most manufacturing is light assembly and food processing, geared to the domestic, U. S. in 1990 the labor force participation rate for women was 42%, it increased by 1% in 2000 to 43% and 51% in 2010. For men the labor participation rate in 1990 was about 89%. Self-employment for men is about 50% while women take up about 32%. Over the past twenty years the percentage of exports of goods, in 1990 it was 21% and in 2000, 20%. It increased again in 2010 to 26%, on the other hand, its level of imports of goods and services has continually increased. In 1990 its imports of goods and services was about 25%, in 2000 it increased by 4% up to 29%, and in 2010 it increased up to 36%. Migration is another important avenue in Guatemala, according to Cecilia Menjivar, remittances are “central to the economy. ”In 2004 remittances to Guatemala from men’s migration to the U. S. accounted for approximately 97%. The United States is the countrys largest trading partner, providing 36% of Guatemalas imports, due to concerns over serious worker rights protection issues, however, Guatemalas benefits under both the CBTPA and GSP are currently under review. Guatemala became more developed and stable from 1990-2011. The data indicate that Guatemala is behind other Latin American countries, in terms of lowering poverty rates, but there has been an increase in economic activity in terms of GDP and development. Guatemala’s HDI increased from 0.462 in 1990, to 0.525 in 2000, to 0.550 in 2005, and 0.574 in 2011.3 Guatemala ranked 131st in HDI in 2011. Other important human development statistics such as the fertility rate in Guatemala decreased from 4.8 births per woman in 2000 to 4.2 births per woman in 2006
34.
Economy of Honduras
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The economy of Honduras is based mostly on agriculture, which accounts for 14% of its gross domestic product in 2013. Leading export coffee accounted for 22% of total Honduran export revenues, bananas, formerly the countrys second-largest export until being virtually wiped out by 1998s Hurricane Mitch, recovered in 2000 to 57% of pre-Mitch levels. Cultivated shrimp is another important export sector, since the late 1970s, towns in the north began industrial production through maquiladoras, especially in San Pedro Sula and Puerto Cortés. Honduras has extensive forests, marine, and mineral resources, although widespread slash, the Honduran economy grew 4. 8% in 2000, recovering from the Mitch-induced recession of 1999. Inflation, as measured by the price index, was 10. 1% in 2000. The countrys international reserve position continued to be strong in 2000, remittances from Hondurans living abroad rose 28% to $410 million in 2000. The Lempira was devaluing for many years but stabilized at L19 to the US dollar in 2005, the Honduran people are among the poorest in Latin America, Gross national income per capita is $US1,649, the average for Central America is $US6,736. Honduras is the fourth poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, only Haiti, Nicaragua, utilizing alternative statistical measurements in addition to the Gross Domestic Product can provide greater context for the nations poverty. The country signed an Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility -- later converted to a Poverty Reduction, Honduras continues to maintain stable macroeconomic policies. In July 2000, Honduras reached its decision point under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative, lack of resources, lack of arable land, and a small domestic market continue to impede economic progress in Honduras. Most significantly, Honduras lacks abundant natural resources, only appears to be plentiful. Hondurass manufacturing sector has not yet developed beyond simple textile and agricultural processing industries, the small domestic market and competition from more industrially advanced countries in the region have inhibited more complex industrialization. After Honduras achieved independence from Spain in the early 19th century, during much of the 19th century, the Honduran economy languished, traditional cattle raising and subsistence agriculture produced no suitable major export. In the latter part of the century, economic activity quickened with the development of large-scale, the most important mines were located in the mountains near the capital of Tegucigalpa and were owned by the New York and Honduras Rosario Mining Company. Silver was the metal extracted, accounting for about 55% of exports in the 1880s. Mining income stimulated commercial and ancillary enterprises, built infrastructure, there were few other beneficial economic effects, however, because the mining industry was never well integrated into the rest of the Honduran economy. The foreign mining companies employed a work force, provided little or no government revenue. Hondurass international economic activity surged in the early 20th century, between 1913 and 1929, its agricultural exports rose from US$3 million to US$25 million
35.
Economy of Nicaragua
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Nicaraguas economy is focused primarily on the agricultural sector. It is the least developed country in Central America, and the second poorest in the Americas by nominal GDP, in recent years, under the administrations of Daniel Ortega, the Nicaraguan economy has increased dramatically, although it has also been subject to the global recession. Nicaraguas economy continues to post growth, with indicators showing the Nicaraguan economy growing an additional 5% in 2011. Consumer Price inflation have also curtailed since 2008, when Nicaraguas inflation rate hovered at 19. 82%, in 2009 and 2010, the country posted lower inflation rates,3. 68% and 5. 45%, respectively. Remittances are a source of income, equivalent to 15% of the countrys GDP, which originate primarily from Costa Rica, the United States. Approximately one million Nicaraguans contribute to the sector of the economy. In early 2004, Nicaragua secured some $4.5 billion in debt reduction under the International Monetary Fund. In April 2006, the US-Central America Free Trade Agreement went into effect, expanding opportunities for Nicaraguas agricultural. Textiles and apparel account for nearly 60% of Nicaraguas exports, in October 2007, the IMF approved an additional poverty reduction and growth facility program in support of the governments economic plans. Nicaraguas economy was devastated in the 1980s by the Contra War, at the same time, the US staged an economic blockade from 1985 onward. Following the civil war, Nicaragua began free market reforms, privatizing more than 350 state companies and commencing a general trend of economic growth. Inflation has been reduced from a high of 33, 603% during the years of the Sandinista period to more normal levels. Growth was slow in 2001 due to a combination of factors, but even with the recessions, growth has averaged 3. 4% between 2001 and 2011. Nicaragua suffers from persistent trade and budget deficits and a high debt-service burden, one of the key engines of economic growth has been production for export. In 2007, exports topped $1 billion US dollars for the first time in Nicaraguan history, Nicaragua is primarily an agricultural country, but construction, mining, fisheries, and general commerce also have been expanding during the last few years. Foreign private capital inflows topped $300 million in 1999 but, due to economic and political uncertainty, in the last 12 years, tourism has grown 394%, the rapid growth has led it to become Nicaraguas second largest source of foreign capital. Less than three years ago, the nation’s tourism budget was U. S. $400,000, today, Nicaraguas economy has also produced a construction boom, the majority of which is in and around Managua. Nicaragua faces a number of challenges in stimulating economic growth
36.
Economy of Panama
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The economy of Panama is a fully dollarized free market economy with a history of low inflation. It is based mainly on the industry, heavily weighted toward banking, commerce. The hand-over of the canal and military installations by the United States has given rise to new construction projects, Panamas economy is based primarily on a well-developed services sector that accounts for nearly 80% of its GDP. Services include the Panama Canal, banking, the Colón Free Trade Zone, insurance, container ports, and flagship registry, medical and health, the countrys industry includes, manufacturing of aircraft spare parts, cements, drinks, adhesives, and textiles. Also the leading exports for Panama are bananas, shrimp, sugar, coffee, and clothing. Nominal GDP per capita in Panama was 11,691 in 2002,13,099 in 2004,14,004 in 2005,15,141.9 in 2006, as reported by Office of Statistics and Census, Government of Panama. Growth from 2002 to 2006 was especially strong in the transport and communications sector, real GDP rose 7. 5%,6. 9%,8. 1%. GDP growth in 2008 was 9. 2%, reflecting a slowing of the robust growth of 11. 5% seen in 2007. Although growth slowed to 2. 4% in the first half of 2009, due to the economic downturn. Growth has been fueled by the sector, transportation, port and Panama Canal-related activities. As a result of growth, government deficit as a percentage of GDP dropped to 43% in 2009. A recent United Nations report highlighted progress in poverty reduction from 2001 to 2007—overall poverty fell from 37% to 29%, however, Panama still has the second-most unequal income distribution in Latin America. Since the early 16th century, Panamanians have relied on the countrys comparative advantage—its geography, exploitation of this advantage began soon after the Spanish arrived, when the conquistadors used Panama to transport gold and silver from Peru to Spain. Ports on each coast and a trail between them handled much of Spains colonial trade from which the inhabitants of the cities prospered. This was the beginning of the countrys dependence on world commerce for prosperity. Agriculture received little attention until the twentieth century, and by the 1980s had—for much of the population—barely developed beyond indigenous Indian techniques, Industry developed slowly because the flow of goods from Europe and later from North America created a disincentive for local production. Panama has been affected by the nature of international trade. The economy stagnated in the 18th century as colonial exchange via the isthmus declined, in the mid-19th century, Panamas economy boomed as a result of increased cargo and passengers associated with the California gold rush
37.
Education in Belize
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Education in Belize is governed by the Education Act. The growth and transformation of Belizean education took place in a number of phases, each related to important changes within the political, during the initial phase, between 1816 and 1892, the church-state partnership became institutionalized. Religious initiative and control, extremely limited state intervention, and vigorous competition of religious denominations for the allegiance of the inhabitants characterized this phase, in 1934 the director of education in Jamaica made a thorough investigation of British Hondurass education system. Various reforms were proposed to increase spending on the school system, implementation of many of these reforms began in the late 1930s. During the next phase, from the late 1940s and early 1950s, by the late 1950s, the Jesuits had emerged as the dominant influence at almost every level of formal education. With the advent of a degree of self-rule in 1964. Formal control over policy and planning passed from British-born clerics. Actual education practice, however, changed little, the religious denominations continued to determine the direction. As the demand for education outstripped the capacities of the churches—even the Jesuits—to provide it, interdenominational cooperation grew, by the 1970s, the Belizean government had assumed the leading role in establishing new schools, especially at the secondary and tertiary levels. The government conceived of education as a tool in the peaceful struggle for independence. But the expansion of educational opportunities outstripped the resources, leading to an intensified reliance on external aid. Since 1981, the United States has provided the bulk of this aid and this situation caused many Belizeans to fear the rise of a new form of imperialist control over the country. Nowhere were fears of recolonization more realized than in higher education, the PUP envisioned Belcast as a government-run institution, with no participation from the church. Funding was secured from the European Economic Community for the construction of a campus in Belmopan, the campus was never built because the PUP was swept out of office in a landslide victory by the rival United Democratic Party in December 1984. The UDP revoked the Belcast ordinance and invited Ferris State College of Big Rapids, Michigan, to establish and manage a new institution, control over the UCB program rested not with Belizeans, but with the administration of Ferris State College. Following this controversy, the new PUP government revoked its agreement with Ferris State, the Belizean school system is a loose aggregate of education subsystems. The system is based on British education and is broken into three levels, Primary education, Secondary education and Tertiary education, Belizean children begin their eight years of primary education with two years of infant classes, followed by six standards. Secondary education is divided into four forms, sixth form is a two-year post-secondary course, originally intended to prepare students for the Cambridge Advanced or A-Level examinations
38.
Education in Costa Rica
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Education in Costa Rica is divided in 3 cycles, pre-education, primary education, and secondary school, which leads to higher education. Preschool and basic education are free to the public, elementary and secondary school are both divided in two cycles. Since 1869, education is free and compulsory, Costa Rica education system is ranked 20th in the Global Competitiveness Report 2013–14, and is described as of high quality. The literacy rate in Costa Rica is 94. 9% and it is 2 points over the average for Latin-America and Caribbean countries. The primary education lasts six years and is divided in two cycles, the uniform is obligatory, in order to reduce social and economic distinctions. The secondary education is divided in two cycles of three years, the first cycle is dedicated to general education. The second cycle, while keeping a core curriculum, implies a specialization, specializations can be academic or technical. The third cycle ends with the Bachillerato, granting access to higher Education, nonetheless, many universities have in addition their own entrance examination. By Costa Rican law, two different public universities may not offer the degree program
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Education in Honduras
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Education in Honduras is free to the public. The system begins in pre-school, continues in elementary school, secondary school, the public education in Honduras also coexist with private schools and universities. Education in Honduras is free and compulsory for nine years, in 1999, the gross primary enrollment rate was 97.3 percent and the net primary enrollment rate was 85.7 percent. Among working children, an estimated 34 percent complete primary school, a lack of schools prevents many children in Honduras from receiving an education, as do costs such as enrollment fees, school uniforms, and transportation costs. Until the late 1960s, Honduras lacked an education system. Before the reforms of 1957, education was the privilege of the upper class. The secondary school is divided in two sections, common cycle, which are the first three years, and diversified cycle, commonly a bachelors degree, accountant or technician careers. The National Autonomous University of Honduras is the university in Honduras. It has campuses in the most important cities of Honduras, in 1998, Hurricane Mitch damaged more than 3,000 schools nationwide. The poor quality of education and the lack of education are other education concerns. There was no proper educational system before the 1950s, the education reforms of the 1950s meant that by 1957, schools were no longer available to the wealthy, but costs are a problem to this day. National Autonomous University of Honduras Educational problems In Honduras List of schools in Honduras List of universities in Honduras
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Education in Nicaragua
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Education in Nicaragua is free for all Nicaraguans. Elementary education is free and compulsory although this is not strictly enforced, many children are not able to attend if their families need to have them work. Communities on the Atlantic Coast have access to education in both Spanish and the languages of the indigenous tribes that live in the more rural areas of Nicaragua. Higher education has financial, organic and administrative autonomy, according to the law, the school year runs from February through November. The oldest institution of education in Nicaragua is the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Nicaragua, which was founded in 1812. Nicaragua became a part of the Central American Federation in 1821 and it left the Federation in 1838 for full independence. There are many schools and eight universities throughout the country. Between 2002 and 2003, a total of 100,363 Nicaraguan students attended universities, the National Council of Universities is the body responsible for strategic planning in Nicaragua. Admission to higher education is on the basis of the Bachillerato, students are also subject to an entrance examination. The Licenciado, the undergraduate degree, is a four- or five-year course of study. A professional title may be awarded depending on the subject, following the Licenciado, the first postgraduate degree is the Maestria, which lasts two years and culminates with the submission of a thesis. Institutions of higher learning can offer two- or three-year courses in technical and vocational education, the main qualification studied for is the Tecnico Superior. There are over 30 public universities and over 75 private institutions, when the Sandinistas came to power in 1979, they inherited an education system that was one of the poorest in Latin America. Under the Somozas, limited spending on education and generalized poverty forced many adolescents into the labor market and constricted educational opportunities for Nicaraguans. In the late 1970s, only 65% of primary school-age children were enrolled in school, most rural schools offered only one or two years of schooling, and three-quarters of the rural population was illiterate. Few students enrolled in school, in part because most secondary institutions were private. By these standards, the 8% of the college-age population enrolled in Nicaraguan universities seemed relatively high, less surprising was that upper-class families typically sent their children abroad for higher education. At the college level, enrollment jumped from 11,142 students in 1978 to 38,570 in 1985, influenced by Cuban models, the new curricula were oriented toward development needs
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Education in Panama
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Education in Panama is compulsory for the first seven years of primary education and the three years of Middle School. As of the 2004/2005 school year there were about 430,000 students enrolled in one through six. The total enrollment in the six secondary grades for the period was 253,900. More than 90% of Panamanians are literate, including smaller colleges, there are 88 institutions of higher education in Panama. Public education began in Panama soon after independence from Colombia in 1903, in 1906 was found the Panama College by Methodism people. Nowadays it is called the Panamerican Institute one of the best private colleges in Panama, for this reason sex education should be different in accordance with the social class to which the student should be related. This elitist focus changed rapidly under United States influence, by the 1920s, Panamanian education subscribed to a progressive educational system, explicitly designed to assist the able and ambitious individual in search of upward social mobility. Successive national governments gave a high priority to the development of a system of primary education, in the late 1930s. Between 1920 and 1934, primary-school enrollment doubled, adult illiteracy, more than 70 percent in 1923, dropped to roughly half the adult population in scarcely more than a decade. By the early 2017, adult illiteracy had dropped to 28 percent, the 1950s saw essentially no improvement, adult world life illiteracy was 27 percent in 1960. There were notable gains in the 1960s, however, and the rate of adult illiteracy dropped 8 percentage points by 1970, according to 1980 estimates, only 13 percent of Panamanians over 10 years of age were illiterate. Men and women were equally represented among the literate. From the 1950s through the early 1980s, educational enrollments expanded faster than the rate of growth as a whole and, for most of that period. The steepest increases came in secondary and higher educational enrollments, which increased ten, by the mid-1980s, primary school enrollment rates were roughly 113 percent of the primary-school-aged population. Male and female enrollments were relatively equal overall, although there were significant regional variations, enrollments at upper levels of schooling had increased strikingly both in relative and absolute terms since 1960. Between 1960 and the mid-1980s, secondary-school enrollments expanded some four-and-a-half times and higher education, in 1965 fewer than one-third of children of secondary school age were in school, and only 7 percent of people aged 20 to 24 years. In the mid-1980s, almost two-thirds of secondary-school-aged children were enrolled, currently Panama has an overall literacy rate of more than 94%. Education in The Republic of Panama
