Central America

Central America (Spanish: América Central or Centroamérica) is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast.[3] [4] When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent. Central America consists of seven countries: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. Central America is part of theMesoamerican biodiversity hotspot, which extends from northern Guatemala through central Panama.[5] It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, the North Pacific Ocean to the west, and Colombia to the south-east which is also the most southern point of North America.

Central America sometimes includes the Caribbean islands, which includes Haiti, Cuba, Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Jamaica,and the Lesser Antilles.

Central America is an area of 524,000 square kilometers (202,000 sq mi), or almost 0.1% of the Earth's surface. As of 2009, its population was estimated at 41,739,000. It has a density of 77 people per square kilometer.



