Section 1 & 2
Which region, which includes Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama, is the southern portion of North America?
Central America
What resources are significantly limited; Central America and the Caribbean islands must rely on these imports, limiting their development opportunities?
Energy
Which country in Central America has the smallest population?
Belize
What did Christopher Columbus call the Caribbean Islands, thinking he was near the islands near India?
West Indies
In Barbados, people eat a dish which is made of pigs’ tails, ears, and snouts. This dish was developed among slaves because slaveholders ate the best parts of the pig and gave slaves the leftovers. What is the name of this dish?
Souse
What is the name of a thin strip of land that joins two larger land areas?
Isthmus
Who built vast cities with pyramids and temples in various Central American countries around AD 250 and abandoned most of them around 900, although the ruins of several ancient cities may still be found in the region today?
Maya
What is the term for the practice of leveraging an area's natural surroundings to attract tourists?
Ecotourism
Spain had little interest in the smaller Caribbean islands but these countries did. In the 1600's and 1700's, these countries established colonies on the islands. They built huge sugarcane plantations that required many workers. What are the names of these countries?
English, French, Dutch, and Danish
What term describes a self-governing territory associated with another country?
Commonwealth
What is the name of the hundreds of islands that lay across the Caribbean Sea from Central America?
Caribbean Islands
Which year did the Spanish colonies of Central America declare their independence from Spain?
1821
What is the name of a mountainous country whose people live primarily in mountain valleys and near the northern coast?
Honduras
Who led a slave revolt that eventually helped Haiti win independence from France in 1804?
Toussaint-L’Ouverture
What is Haiti's capital? This place is the center of the nation of Haiti's limited industry.
Portau-Prince
What is the definition of a vast collection of islands?
Archipelago
The Spanish colonies of Central America declared independence from Spain, but much of the territory stayed united, known as what?
United Provinces of Central America
What is the term used to describe a dispute between two or more groups within a country?
Civil War
What country occupies the western part of Hispaniola, their capital being Portau-Prince, the center of the nation's limited industry? Coffee and sugarcane are among this country's main exports.
Haiti
What term describes someone who flees to another country, usually for political or economic reasons?
Refugee
What do the four main islands of Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Cuba make up?
Greater Antilles
Around which years did Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala separate?
1838 to 1839
Which people's country has been working to rebuild itself since the conclusion of the conflict in 1992, with one advantage being the country's fertile soil, which allows them to grow and export commodities such as coffee and sugarcane?
El Salvador
What country occupies the eastern part of Hispaniola, it's capital being Santo Domingo, the first permanent European settlement in the Western Hemisphere. The country is not a rich country. However, its economy, health care, education, and housing are more developed than Haiti’s. Agriculture is the basis of the economy in this country.
Dominican Republic
What date did a catastrophic earthquake strike close to Portau-Prince in Haiti? The quake devastated Haiti, leaving about 230,000 Haitians dead, 300,000 injured, and over a million homeless. Today, many Haitians continue working to rebuild their lives and nation.
January, 12, 2010
What are the various smaller islands in the Caribbean made of?
Lesser Antilles
Panama remained a part of Colombia until which year?
1903
Which South American country has been rebuilding since the end of a civil war, which concluded in 1990 and is now democratic?
Nicaragua
Who won over Cuba from Spain in the mid 1800's?
United States
What capital is the capital of the Dominican Republic? This capital was the first permanent European settlement in the Western Hemisphere.
Santo Domingo
What is the name of an island group in the Atlantic Ocean southeast of Florida that includes nearly 700 islands and thousands of reefs?
Bahamas
What year did Belize win independence from Britain?
1981
Which South American country has a history of peace, a stable democratic administration, and no army?
Costa Rica
What country is the largest and most populous country in the Caribbean? It is located just 92 miles (148 km) south of Florida. Havana, the capital, is the country’s largest and most important city. This country has been run by a Communist government since Fidel Castro came to power in 1959. At that time, the government took over banks, large sugarcane plantations, and other businesses. Many of these businesses were owned by U.S. companies.
Cuba
Cuba is the largest and most populous country in the Caribbean. It is located just 92 miles (148 km) south of Florida. What capital is the country’s largest and most important city?
Havana
Many Caribbean islands are actually the summits of underwater mountains and volcanoes, whilst others originated as coral reefs that were progressively pushed up to form flat limestone islands. What has pushed this region's land up out of the sea over millions of years?
Colliding Tectonic Plates
In the early to mid-1900s, which American business controlled the majority of Central American banana production?
United Fruit Company
What is the name of the structure that connects the Pacific Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Atlantic Ocean? The United States completed its construction in 1914, and it has long played a vital role in the region's economics and politics.
Panama Canal
Languages spoken in the region reflect a colonial heritage. Spanish, English, or French as well as mixtures of European and African languages are spoken on many islands. For example, Haitians speak this language, also considered a dialect. What is the name of this language?
French Creole
Cuba has been run by a Communist government since this person came to power in 1959. At that time, the government took over banks, large sugarcane plantations, and other businesses. Many of these businesses were owned by U.S. companies. What is the name of this person?
Fidel Castro
What is the name of a moist, high-elevation tropical forest characterized by low clouds?
Cloud Forest
What is the name of Central America's chocolate source?
Cacao
What country did Christopher Columbus discover in 1492, also discovering the Caribbean Islands in the process?
America
What term describes a regional variety of a language?
Dialect
What term describes an organization owned by its members and operated for their mutual benefit.
Cooperative
What is the name of a tropical storm that brings powerful winds, heavy rain, and high seas, often occurring between June and November? Their winds and flooding can wreak devastation and loss of lives.
Hurricanes
Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua signed an agreement with the United States in 2005 to enhance trade between the countries known as what?
Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA)
How many independent countries do the Caribbean Islands have?
13
People also practice a blend of Catholicism and traditional African religions. One blended religion is this religion developed in Cuba. What is the name of this religion?
Santería
A number of Caribbean islands are not sovereign nations. What title do they represent for other countries?
Territories
Which industry in the region may be profitable where volcanic ash has enriched the soil; coffee, bananas, sugarcane, and cotton thrive and are key crops.
Agriculture
Which Central American country has the largest population, with almost 13 million people?
Guatemala
What country did Christopher Columbus come from when sailing into the Caribbean Sea in 1492?
Spain
What term is a time of feasts and celebration before the Christian season of Lent begins. People usually celebrate this with big parades and fancy costumes.
Carnival
What country is the smallest island of the Caribbean Islands? It is not even one-tenth the size of Rhode Island, the smallest U.S. state!
Saint Kitts and Nevis