Portal:Central America

The Central America Portal

Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually defined as consisting of seven countries: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. Within Central America is the Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot, which extends from southern Mexico to southeastern Panama. Due to the presence of several active geologic faults and the Central America Volcanic Arc, there is a high amount of seismic activity in the region, such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, which has resulted in death, injury, and property damage.

Most of Central America falls under the Isthmo-Colombian cultural area. Before the Spanish expedition of Christopher Columbus' voyages to the Americas, hundreds of indigenous peoples made their homes in the area. From 1502 onwards, Spain began their colonization. From 1609 to 1821, the majority of Central American territories (except for what would become Belize and Panama and including the modern Mexican state of Chiapas) were governed by the viceroyalty of New Spain from Mexico City as the Captaincy General of Guatemala. On 24 August 1821, Spanish Viceroy Juan de O'Donojú signed the Treaty of Córdoba, which established New Spain's independence and autonomy from mainland Spain. On 15 September, the Act of Independence of Central America was enacted to announce Central America's separation from the Spanish Empire. Some of New Spain's provinces in the Central American region were invaded and annexed to the First Mexican Empire; however in 1823 they seceded from Mexico to form the Federal Republic of Central America until 1838. (Full article...)

Selected article

The Central American squirrel monkey (Saimiri oerstedii), also known as the red-backed squirrel monkey, is a squirrel monkey species from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and Panama. It is restricted to the northwestern tip of Panama near the border with Costa Rica, and the central and southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica, primarily in Manuel Antonio and Corcovado National Parks.

It is a small monkey with an orange back and a distinctive white and black facial mask. It has an omnivorous diet, eating fruits, other plant materials, invertebrates and some small vertebrates. In turn, it has a number of predators, including raptors, cats and snakes. It lives in large groups that typically contain between 20 and 75 monkeys. It has one of the most egalitarian social structures of all monkeys. Females do not form dominance hierarchies, and males do so only at breeding season. Females become sexually mature at 2+1⁄2 years, and males at 4 to 5 years. Sexually mature females leave the natal group, but males can remain with their natal group their entire life. The Central American squirrel monkey can live for more than 15 years. (Full article...)

List of selected articles
Belize Costa Rica El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Nicaragua Panama Mesoamerica Potbelly sculpture El Salvador national football team Mayan languages Maya stelae Hurricane Gert Maya civilization Maya peoples Final Offensive of 1981 (El Salvador) Mantled howler Convict cichlid Spanish American wars of independence Honduran white bat

Did you know...

... that the Adelaide L. T. Douglas House, built for a New York City socialite, housed the United States Olympic Committee before being sold to Guatemala?
... that in August 2021 Sheika Scott became the youngest player to score in the Costa Rican Women's Premier Division, at just 14 years old?
... that Miles Rock served as chief of the commission that determined the disputed Guatemala–Mexico border?
... that Costa Rica's most famous bull killed two men and loved mangos?
... that the Terrorism Confinement Center in El Salvador has a capacity of 40,000 inmates?
... that Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia was deported to El Salvador in March 2025 due to an "administrative error" by the U.S. government?
... that Marcos G. McGrath, the Catholic archbishop of Panama, was allowed to enter Manuel Noriega's "witch house" and other residences, and found evidence of torture, devil worship, and voodoo?
... that footballer Alexandra Pinell scored the Costa Rica U20 team's only goal at the FIFA tournament hosted by their country?

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General images

The following are images from various Central America-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Cultural areas of Mesoamerica (from Mesoamerica)
Image 2Nery Brenes Costa Rican Athlete (from Ethnic groups in Central America)
Image 3Ballgame marker from the classic Lowland Maya site of Chinkultic, Mexico depicting a ballplayer in full gear (from Mesoamerica)
Image 4Celebration of the Chinese year in Costa Rica (from Ethnic groups in Central America)
Image 5The Aztec Empire in 1512 (from Mesoamerica)
Image 6Olmec Colossal Head No. 3 1200–900 BCE (from Mesoamerica)
Image 7The xoloitzcuintle is one of the naguales of the god Quetzalcoatl. In this form, it helps the dead cross the Chicnahuapan, a river that separates the world of the living from the dead. (from Mesoamerica)
Image 8One of the earliest examples of the Mesoamerican writing systems, the Epi-Olmec script on the La Mojarra Stela 1 dated to around 150 CE. Mesoamerica is one of the five places in the world where writing has developed independently. (from Mesoamerica)
Image 9Ritual human sacrifice portrayed in Codex Laud (from Mesoamerica)
Image 10Detail of the Nunnery Quadrangle at Uxmal, 10th century (from Mesoamerica)
Image 11Art with ideological and political meaning: depiction of an Aztec tzompantli (skull-rack) from the Ramirez Codex (from Mesoamerica)
Image 12Landscape of the Mesoamerican highlands (from Mesoamerica)
Image 13Salvadoran School Children from Metapan (from Ethnic groups in Central America)
Image 14Countries and capitals of Central America (from Ethnic groups in Central America)
Image 15Flag of Central America (from History of Central America)
Image 1620th century political map of Central America (from History of Central America)
Image 17Anthropomorphic figure from the Proto-Lencan culture found at Los Naranjos, Honduras. An example of Mesomerican art during the preclassic Period. (from Mesoamerica)
Image 18Xochicalco, Temple of the Feathered Serpent, 650–900 CE (from Mesoamerica)
Image 19Mesoamerica and Central America in the 16th century before Spanish arrival (from Mesoamerica)
Image 20Nicarao community in Rivas, Nicaragua. (from Ethnic groups in Central America)
Image 21Zapotec mask of the Bat God. (from Mesoamerica)
Image 22Rigoberta Menchú, Human rights activist. K'iche'-Guatemalan (from Ethnic groups in Central America)
Image 23Kʼinich Kan Bahlam II, the Classic period ruler of Palenque, as depicted on a stele (from Mesoamerica)
Image 24José Matías Delgado At the time of signing the Central American act of independence, in a representation of the meeting of September 15, 1821 of the Chilean painter Luis Vergara Ahumada. (from History of Central America)
Image 25Berta Caceres, Lencan environmental activist. -Honduran (from Ethnic groups in Central America)
Image 26Pyramid of the Moon viewed from atop of the Pyramid of the Sun. (from Mesoamerica)
Image 27The Avenue of the Dead in Teotihuacan, an example of a Mesoamerican settlement planned according to concepts of directionality (from Mesoamerica)
Image 28Illustration that recreates the structures of the archaeological site of Yarumela or El Chircal in Honduras, this place reflects the Olmec influence that existed in Central America in the pre-classic period. (from Mesoamerica)
Image 29José Matías Delgado y de León listed as the intellectual leader of the independence movement; Delgado was defined as influential, skillful, and intelligent, he started the revolutionary movements against the Spanish crown. (from History of Central America)
Image 30El Mirador flourished from 600 BCE to 100 CE, and may have had a population of over 100,000. (from Mesoamerica)
Image 31Indigenous Salvadoran women dancing in the traditional "Procession of Palms" a custom celebrated in the town of Panchimalco in El Salvador. (from Ethnic groups in Central America)
Image 32A small ceremonial ballcourt at Tikal. (from Mesoamerica)
Image 33Yojoa Lake in Honduras. (from Mesoamerica)
Image 34Harry Shum, Jr Asian-Costa Rican – Glee Actor/Dancer (from Ethnic groups in Central America)
Image 35Central America until 1860, showing the Kingdom of Mosquitia. (from History of Central America)
Image 36"Head Variant" or "Patron Gods" glyphs for Maya days (from Mesoamerica)
Image 37The emblem glyph of Tikal (Mutal) (from Mesoamerica)
Image 38Examples of the diversity of maize (from Mesoamerica)
Image 39Tikal is one of the largest archaeological sites, urban centers, and tourist attractions of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. It is located in the archaeological region of the Petén Basin in what is now northern Guatemala. (from Mesoamerica)
Image 40Heroes of Central American Independence (from History of Central America)
Image 41Young Costa Ricans in San José. (from Ethnic groups in Central America)

In the news

31 July 2025 –: The Legislative Assembly of El Salvador abolishes presidential term limits, increases presidential terms from 5 to 6 years, and moves the date of the next presidential election from 2029 to 2027. (BBC News)
21 July 2025 – El Salvador–Venezuela relations: The Venezuelan attorney general's office opens a formal investigation into Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele and his government's alleged mistreatment of Venezuelan migrants detained in the United States and sent to the CECOT megaprison, built to hold alleged gang members. (AP)
18 July 2025 – March 2025 American deportations of Venezuelans: The governments of El Salvador, the United States, and Venezuela conduct a prisoner swap involving over 200 Venezuelans incarcerated at the Terrorism Confinement Center in exchange for the release of ten Americans from Venezuelan custody. (Reuters)
12 July 2025 –: Five men are lynched after being accused of robbing damaged homes in the M_w 5.7 earthquake in Santa María de Jesús, Guatemala, earlier this week. (Al Jazeera)
9 July 2025 – 2025 Guatemala earthquakes: At least six people die when a M_w 5.7 earthquake strikes Guatemala and causes widespread damage. (ABC News)

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Central American volcanoes
Guatemala	Acatenango Agua Almolonga Atitlán Chicabal Cuilapa-Barbarena Fuego Jumay Moyuta Pacaya Santa María/Santiaguito San Pedro Santo Tomás Siete Orejas Tacaná Tajumulco Tecuamburro Tolimán
El Salvador	Chinameca Chingo Conchagua Izalco Santa Ana San Miguel San Salvador San Vicente Usulután
Nicaragua	Apoyeque Cerro Negro Concepción Cosigüina Maderas Masaya Mombacho Momotombo San Cristóbal Telica
Costa Rica	Arenal Irazú Miravalles Platanar Poás Rincón de la Vieja Tenorio Turrialba
Panama	Barú La Yeguada El Valle
Note: volcanoes are ordered from north-west to south-east.

Central American and Caribbean Games
Central American and Caribbean Games	1926 Mexico City 1930 Havana 1935 San Salvador 1938 Panama City 1946 Barranquilla 1950 Guatemala City 1954 Mexico City 1959 Caracas 1962 Kingston 1966 San Juan 1970 Panama City 1974 Santo Domingo 1978 Medellín 1982 Havana 1986 Santiago 1990 Mexico City 1993 Ponce 1998 Maracaibo 2002 San Salvador 2006 Cartagena 2010 Mayagüez 2014 Veracruz 2018 Baranquilla 2023 San Salvador 2026 Santo Domingo 2030 TBD
Central American and Caribbean Beach Games	2022 Santa Marta 2025 Puntarenas
Central American and Caribbean Junior Games	2024