Row 1
What is actually the southern part of North America. Seven countries make up this region: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama?
Central America
A third island group the what lies in the Atlantic Ocean southeast of Florida. It includes nearly 700 islands and thousands of reefs?
Bahamas
In several Central American countries, the what were building large cities with pyramids and temples by about AD 250. They abandoned most of their cities around 900, but the ruins of many ancient cities still stand in the region today.
Maya
What controlled most of the banana production in Central America. To help its business, the company developed railroads and port facilities. This kind of development helped transportation and communications in the region?
United Fruit Company
What is a mountainous country. Most people live in mountain valleys and along the northern coast. The rugged land makes transportation difficult and provides little land where crops can grow. However, citrus fruits and bananas are important exports?
Honduras
What is a narrow strip of land that connects two larger land areas?
Isthmus
Colliding what have pushed this region’s land up out of the sea over several million years?
Tectonic Plates
The Spanish colonies of Central America declared independence from Spain in what year?
1821
What is the source of Chocolate?
Cacao
What is a conflict between two or more groups within a country?
Civil War
Hundreds of islands known as the what. Arranged in a long curve this stretches from the southern tip of Florida to northern South America. They divide the Caribbean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean?
Caribbean Islands
What is a moist, high elevation tropical forest where low clouds are common. These forests are home to numerous plant and animal species?
Cloud Forest
The Spanish colonies of Central America declared independence from Spain in 1821, but much of the region remained joined together as the what?
United Provinces of Central America
In 2005 Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua signed the what?
Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA)
Where is a few rich families own much of the best land while most people live in poverty. These conditions were a reason behind a long civil war in the 1980s?
El Salvador
What is a large group of Islands?
Archipelago
From Summer to Fall what are a threat in the region. These tropical storms bring violent winds, heavy rain, and high seas. These occur between June and November. Their winds and flooding can cause destruction and loss of life?
Hurricanes
The countries of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala separated from each other in what year?
1838 to 1839
What is the most populous country in Central America. More than 13 million people live there?
Guatemala
What has also been rebuilding since the end of a civil war. In 1979, a group called the Sandinistas overthrew a dictator?
Nicaragua
There are two main island groups in the Caribbean. The four large islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico make up the what?
Greater Antilles
What in the region can be profitable where volcanic ash has enriched the soil. Coffee, bananas, sugarcane, and cotton grow well and are major crops. Timber is exported from the rain forests.
Agriculture
Panama remained part of Colombia until what year?
1903
What has the smallest population in Central America. The country does not have much land for agriculture, either?
Belize
What has a history of peace. It also has a stable, democratic government. The country does not even have an army. Peace has helped this make progress in reducing poverty?
Costa Rica
Many smaller islands form the what They stretch from the Virgin Islands to Trinidad and Tobago.
Lesser Antilles
Although its land and climate make good agricultural resources, the region has few mineral resources. What resources are also limited. Central America and the Caribbean islands must rely on these imports, which limits their development?
Energy
Belize did not gain independence from Britain until what year?
1981
What is the practice of using an area’s natural environment to attract tourists?
Ecotourism
What provides a link between the Pacific Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the Atlantic Ocean. The United States finished building this in 1914. For years this played an important role in the economy and politics of the region. The United States controlled this until 1999. Then, as agreed to in a treaty, Panama finally gained full control.
Panama Canal