CENTRAL AMERICA ON LINE GUIDE

Central America is a long and narrow isthmic region, that along with the archipelagoes and the islands of Antilles, combining among them North and the South America. The area of Central America is surrounded to the west by the Pacific Ocean, while to the east lies the Caribbean Sea. The surface of this small portion of land and islands is 753 000 sq km and it has 76 000 000 inhabitants. The island of Central America is made up of a broad festoon of mountainous islands that stretches from the Yucatan delta to Orinoco. The largest islands are Cuba (105 000 sq km), Hispaniola (76 200 sq km), Jamaica (10 900 square kilometers) and Puerto Rico (9 100 sq km), between the major archipelagoes are the Bahamas and the Lesser Antilles. The extension of the coastline of Central America is 2 830 km on the side of the Pacific Ocean and 2 740 km along the Caribbean Sea. Central America has crossed continuously from mountainous relief, often of volcanic origin, which are the direct continuation of the volcanoes of Mexico, more than 100 are the volcanic mountains of the region, many of which are active, some over 4 000 meters high, among them the highest top of the region is the volcano Tajumulco, Guatemala, which reaches 4 220 meters high. Remarkable commercial importance has the Panama Canal, which is the only true way of communication between the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. There are several lakes in Central America, including Lake Nicaragua (8430 sq km), and other major lakes as Lake Managua (Nicaragua), Lake Gatún in Panama and Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. 

Climate: The climate of the Caribbean islands is tropical, while in the isthmus region there is a division into three climate groups according altitude, we find the tierras calientes (hot lands) from sea level up to an altitude of 900 meters that is subject to a tropical climate; tierras templadas (temperate lands) between 900 and 1800 meters high, and the tierras frías (cold lands) over 1800 meters high. The coasts of the Caribbean Sea and the eastern mountain slopes receive twice the annual rainfall of the coast which faces the Pacific Ocean, some areas of the Caribbean Sea coast receive significant amounts of rain with peaks along the coast de los Mosquitos, with rain average of over 6000 mm annually.

Tourism: From the point of view of tourism, according to the statistics of the World Tourism Organization (WTO), Central America with 26 400 000 arrivals of tourists in 2006 represents 3.1% of world tourism. The most visited countries of Central America are the Dominican Republic (over 3 900 000 arrivals in 2006), Puerto Rico (3 700 000) and Cuba (2 200 000). Central America, presents for travelers countless calls, first the Caribbean Sea with its beaches and islands, then the archaeological sites, colonial cities and volcanoes. In addition, we can say that, from a total of 878 sites (data updated to 2008) declared by UNESCO World Heritage Sites, 32 (3.64%) are in Central America. Among nations, the first in Central America is Cuba with 9 sites (Old Havana and its Fortifications (1982), Trinidad and the Valley de los Ingenios (1988), San Pedro de la Roca Castle, Santiago de Cuba (1997), Desembarco del Granma National Park (1999), Viñales Valley (1999), Archaeological Landscape of the First Coffee Plantations in the South-East of Cuba (2000), Alejandro de Humboldt National Park (2001), Urban Historic Centre of Cienfuegos (2005), Historic Centre of Camagüey (2008)), Panama with 5 sites (Fortifications on the Caribbean Side of Panama: Portobelo-San Lorenzo (1980), Darien National Park (1981), Talamanca Range-La Amistad Reserves / La Amistad National Park (1983, 1990), Archaeological Site of Panamá Viejo and Historic District of Panamá (1997, 2003), Coiba National Park and its Special Zone of Marine Protection (2005)), Guatemala with 3 sites (Antigua Guatemala (1979), Tikal National Park (1979), Archaeological Park and Ruins of Quirigua (1981)), Costa Rica with 3 sites (Talamanca Range-La Amistad Reserves / La Amistad National Park (1983, 1990), Cocos Island National Park (1997, 2002), Area de Conservación Guanacaste (1999, 2004)), Honduras with 2 sites (Maya Site of Copan (1980), Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve (1982)), the Dominican Republic with 1 site (Colonial City of Santo Domingo (1990)), Dominica with 1 site (Morne Trois Pitons National Park (1997)), El Salvador with 1 site (Joya de Cerén Archaeological Site (1993)), Haiti with 1 site (National History Park – Citadel, Sans Souci, Ramiers (1982)), Belize with 1 site (Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System (1996)), Nicaragua with 1 site (Ruins of León Viejo (2000)), Saint Kitts and Nevis with 1 site (Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park (1999)), Saint Lucia with 1 site (Pitons Management Area (2004)), Puerto Rico with 1 site (La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site in Puerto Rico (1983)), the Netherlands Antilles with 1 site (Historic Area of Willemstad, Inner City and Harbour, Netherlands Antilles (1997)).