Section 1
What is the name of the region that is the Southern part of North America? Seven countries make up this region: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.
Central America
This island group lies in the Atlantic Ocean southeast of Florida. It includes nearly 700 islands and thousands of reefs. What is the name of this island group.
Bahamas
This civilization abandoned most of their cities around 900, but the ruins of many ancient cities still stand in the region today. People of this descent still live in Guatemala and Belize. In fact, many of this civilizations ancient customs still influence modern life there. What is the name of this civilization?
Maya
In the early to mid-1900s, one landowner in particular, controlled most of the banana production in Central America. To help its business, the company developed railroads and port facilities. what is the name of this business?
United Fruit Company
This country is mountainous. 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. What is the name of this country?
Honduras
What do you call a narrow strip of land that connects two larger land areas?
Isthmus
What has pushed this region’s land up out of the sea over several million years? When these plates shift they can cause natural disasters like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. It causes great damage to the region and its people.
Tectonic Plates
The Spanish colonies of Central America declared independence from Spain in ___ ( year ) , but much of the region remained joined together as the United Provinces of Central America.
1821
What do you call the main source of chocolate?
Cacao
What do you call a war within a country that is between two or more groups?
Civil War
Across the Caribbean Sea from Central America lie hundreds of islands, they make up an archipelago. It is arranged in a long curve and stretch from the southern tip of Florida to northern South America. They divide the Caribbean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean. What is the name of this group of islands?
Caribbean Islands
This place is a moist, high elevation tropical forest where low clouds are common. These forests are home to numerous plant and animal species.
Cloud Forest
This is a federal republic made up by the countries of Central America, after gaining independence from Spain in 1821.
United Provinces of Central America
This organization helps increase the trade among the Central America and the United States. What is the name of this country?
Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA)
This country has a few rich families who 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. The war killed many people and hurt the economy. The people have been working to rebuild their country since the end of the war in 1992. One advantage they have in this rebuilding effort is the country’s fertile soil. People are able to grow and export crops such as coffee and sugarcane. what is the name of this country?
El Salvador
What do you call a large group of islands?
Archipelago
What natural disasters cause violent winds, heavy rain, and high seas? The wind and floods can cause destruction and loss of life.
Hurricanes
The countries of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala separated from each other in ___ - ___ ( year ).
1838 to 1839
This country is the most populous country in Central America. More than 13 million people live there. About 60 percent of the citizens are mestizo and European. About 40 percent are Central American Indians. Many speak Maya languages. Most people in the country live in small villages in the highlands. Fighting between rebels and government forces there killed some 200,000 people between 1960 and 1996. Guatemalans are still recovering from this conflict. Coffee, which grows well in the cool highlands, is its most important crop. The country also is a major producer of cardamom, a spice used in Asian foods. What is the name of the country?
Guatemala
This country has also been rebuilding since the end of a civil war. In 1979, a group called the Sandinistas overthrew a dictator. Many citizens supported the Sandinistas, but rebel forces aided by the United States fought the Sandinistas for power. The civil war ended in 1990 when elections ended the rule of the Sandinistas. The country is now a democracy. What is the name of this country?
Nicaragua
This is a group of islands formed by the islands Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico. What is the name of this group of islands?
Greater Antilles
What in the region can be profitable, especially where volcanic ash has enriched the soil?
Agriculture
Until what year did Panama become a part of Colombia?
1903
This country has the smallest population in Central America. The country does not have much land for agriculture, either. But ecotourism—the practice of using an area’s natural environment to attract tourists has become popular lately. Tourists come to see the country’s coral reefs, Maya ruins, and coastal resorts. What is the name of this country?
Belize
Unlike most other Central American countries, this country has a history of peace. It also has a stable, democratic government. The country does not even have an army. Peace has helped it make progress in reducing poverty. Agricultural products like coffee and bananas are important to its economy. Also, many tourists visit this country's rich tropical rain forests. What is the name of the country?
Costa Rica
This group of islands is formed from smaller islands. They stretch from the Virgin Islands to Trinidad and Tobago. What is the name of this group of islands?
Lesser Antilles
This resource is limited. Central America and the Caribbean Islands rely on this resource to be imported. What is the name of this resource?
Energy
In what year did Belize gain independence from Britain?
1981
What is the term that is the practice of using an area’s natural environment to attract tourists?
Ecotourism
This canal provides a link between the Pacific Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the Atlantic Ocean. The United States finished building the canal in 1914. For years, it played an important role in the economy and politics of the region. The United States controlled the canal until 1999. Then, as agreed to in a treaty, Panama finally gained full control of this canal. What is the name of the canal?
Panama Canal