Central America

Central America, also called Central America, is the geographic region within the American continent between North America and South America. It is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean (Caribbean Sea). Politically it is divided into seven independent countries: Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. From the historical-cultural point of view, some historians delimit the region comprised by the former territories of the Kingdom of Guatemala, it is that is, the current republics of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, in addition to the administrative divisions to the south and southeast of the isthmus of Tehuantepec in Mexico. From a geographical point of view, the region includes the territories located between this isthmus, and the Atrato river basin in the Colombian Darién. Its territorial extension is 522,760 km² and its population is approximately 50,690,000 inhabitants.

History

Population

Tikal pyramid in Guatemala.

Central America is composed of seven countries: Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.

Central America or Central America was densely populated when the Europeans arrived, and several cultures had developed in it, although it seems that their degree of complexity did not exceed those existing in Mesoamerica. Being a space of population transit, groups from the pre-Columbian cultural zones of Mesoamerica and Circum-Caribbean America settled in its territory, such as the Lenca, Náhuas, Kunas, Chortíes, Jicaques, Payas, Chorotegas, Nasos and Bribri peoples, who have inhabited the subcontinent for millennia. The main pre-Columbian linguistic families of Central America are the Mayense, the Xinca, and the Lenmichí (Lenca, Misumalpa, Chibchense), these groups seem to be of autochthonous origin, while other groups would have their origin in central and northern Mesoamerica, such as the Nahuas. (Utoaztec) and the Chorotegas (Otomangue).

It is believed that the first inhabitants arrived in Central America after the arrival of the first humans in the Americas, coming from northern Asia through the Bering Strait or from the Polynesian islands around 15,000 years ago.

The Mayans are the inhabitants of a vast region that was geographically located in the territory of southern Mexico, Guatemala, western Honduras and other areas of Central America. Its presence and influence in the current territories of Guatemala, Honduras and in departments in the northern part of El Salvador, with a rich history of some three thousand years, is especially important.

There are still millions of Mayans and speakers of Mayan languages today, related to the Mayan languages of the Classic period. The other language families in the region do not appear to be related to the Mayan languages, and their origins are difficult to pin down. Although the existence of a phylogenetic relationship of the Chibcha languages has recently been established, the languages mis«IHT Annual Tourism Report 2021 Honduras»Umalpas and the Lenca languages. Which suggests that these families diversified in Central America, which sheds some light on the relationship of the known indigenous populations of the region.

Both Nicaragua and Costa Rica and Panama were populated thanks to the migratory waves from different latitudes and from different ethnic groups and their mixture with the Creoles, native peoples, blacks, mestizos and Afro-mestizos that inhabited the area during the colony. The three countries located to the south of the Central American isthmus have received immigration from Europe, Asia, Africa and America in different proportions and historical contexts as a consequence of the population needs of each one and the political asylum for refugees and exiles offered by countries such as Costa Rica and Panama.

Development of the Mayan civilization

Reparaciones en Honduras

Central America in 1798.

With the maximum splendor of the American civilizations, the continent entered its history thanks to the development of writing, especially by the Mayans from the year 292. Although the isolation of the continent with respect to the rest of the planet did not allow an exchange of knowledge that would strengthen these cultures to prepare them for their future encounter with the other continents, their advances are of great universal value and have great validity, such as the calendar, mathematics, astronomy, geological observations and many other elements which are the subject of study today.

In 292 the splendor of the Mayan culture began. This period, the classic, ended in 900 with the decline of the Maya. Tikal, Palenque, and Copán are among the major Maya urban centers that were city-states. The Chavín culture is also found in this period, which spread from western Peru to Ecuador in South America, between the coast and the jungle. This culture developed between 1500 B.C. C. and 500 B.C. c.; that is to say, that during a millennium, its hegemony prevailed in all the Andean activities of the region or in its area of influence; Such is the case of the recent discoveries in the Talgua caves, in Honduras.

Independence

Central America, 1803.

Under the influence of the independence movements of the rest of America, Central America declared its independence from Spain without armed struggle, which became effective on September 15, 1821. The date is still considered independence day by all Central American nations with the exception of Panama, which celebrates its independence from Spain on November 28. The Spanish captain general, Gabino Gaínza, held the position of interim leader until a new government was formed. Independence was short-lived, as Central America was annexed to the First Mexican Empire of Agustín de Iturbide on January 5, 1822. Central American liberals objected to this proceeding, but the Mexican army under the command of General Vicente Filísola occupied Guatemala City and calmed down.

After Iturbide's abdication, the representatives of the Central American provinces declared absolute independence from Spain, Mexico, and any other foreign nation on July 1, 1823, and a republican system of government was established through the United Provinces of Central America.

Central America, like the rest of the Ibero-American nations (with the exception of Brazil), totally and definitively abolished slavery after achieving its independence.

Republican era

Flag of the Federal Republic of the Center of America.

Flag of the United Provinces of the Centre of America.

The Federal Republic of Central America brought together the region formed by current Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. It is worth mentioning that the Mexican state of Chiapas was the territory of Guatemala, having formerly the rank of Royal Audience, Central America joined the First Mexican Empire of Iturbide in 1822, when Guatemala separated from the latter, Chiapas, by means of a referendum, it was incorporated into Mexico. Guatemala ceded only the Soconusco Region.

On March 24, 1928, through the Esguerra-Bárcenas Treaty, Colombia recognized Nicaragua's sovereignty over the Mosquito Coast. However, there are still border conflicts between the two countries, after the International Court of Justice in The Hague granted Nicaragua in 2012 almost 40% of the territorial sea that Colombia had in the Caribbean Sea until then. The current claims of the Central American nation include the extension of the continental shelf almost to the gates of Cartagena de Indias, after losing its fight for possession of the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina, under the sovereignty of the South American country as a state. heir to the Viceroyalty of New Granada.

Two younger countries, Panama and Belize, do not share the common history nor the cultural horizon of Central America, since Panama was integrated into the Viceroyalty of Peru and the Viceroyalty of New Granada, and later, upon gaining independence from Spain, it voluntarily joined to Gran Colombia; and Belize, for its part, was a colony of the United Kingdom.

The exclusion of Panama in the aforementioned Central American project is due to the historical belonging of the territory of the Panamanian isthmus to the South American subcontinent through the colonial administrative structure, first of the Viceroyalty of Peru, then of the Viceroyalty of New Granada, and later thanks to the assimilation of its territory to Colombia from 1821 until its separation in 1903.

Panama was not part of the integrationist political projects in Central America until its voluntary incorporation into the Central American Parliament in 1992, a body from which the Panamanian government decided to voluntarily withdraw in 2010, although it did not succeed for many years.

Currently, the Dominican Republic is also part of this region from the political and economic point of view, since it is a member of the Central American Integration System, a body in charge of facilitating the integration of the region, the Central American Parliament and the Free Trade Agreement between the United States, Central America and the Dominican Republic (CAFTA).

Geography

Relieve Central American.

Central America geographically comprises the territory located in the middle latitudes of America, located between the isthmus of Tehuantepec in Mexico and the isthmus of Panama. The area is made up of the seven independent nations of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, as well as the five Mexican states of Campeche, Chiapas, Quintana Roo, Tabasco and Yucatán. The maps also include the western part of the Gulf of Urabá (Darién region), the department of Chocó and the departments of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina in Colombia, which are politically included in South America, and also the Antilles.

Continental Central America comprises the narrow strip of land that joins the two large portions of American territory. This sector is traversed by a mountain system called the Central Cordillera, shorter in length and heights if other examples in the American continent are considered.

Central America sits on the Caribbean plate and covers an area of 523,000 square kilometers, located in the western hemisphere, from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (located in southern Mexico), to the Atrato River Valley, in Colombia, separating the Atlantic Ocean from the Pacific Ocean. It represents only 1% of the world's land surface and has 8% of the planet's natural reserves, including 22 life zones, 17 ecological regions that are home to 20,000 plant species. For the conservation of these natural resources, there are 144 protected areas and 124 natural parks.

Physical media

Central America and the Caribbean Plate.

Central America is mostly a rugged, mountainous region. This region contains several mountainous levels linked to the structures of North America and South America, and because it is dominated by two geological systems, it is one of the great volcanic axes of the Earth. It has some 60 volcanoes in the interior (almost all of them extinct) and 31 on the Pacific Ocean coast (most of them active), some of which rise to more than 4,000 meters above sea level. The land surface rises steeply from the coastal region of the Pacific Ocean to the ridges of the mountains, and gradually descends in the region that extends along the Caribbean Sea.

Central America is a region of the American continent whose earth's crust is especially unstable, since it is located on the western edge of the Caribbean tectonic plate. From the northern border of Guatemala to the border line that divides Panama and Colombia; It has a length of 2,830 km on the coast of the Pacific Ocean, and approximately 2,740 km on the coast of the Caribbean Sea. Subduction of the oceanic crust from this edge, which began 25 million years ago, raised the land from the sea.

In the northern part, the territory is formed by sedimentary soils of sandstone and limestone, on a crystalline basement. A zone of fractures extends to the southeast, forming lacustrine basins, with the Xolotlàn and Cocibolca lakes. To the south of this zone, a volcanic area or axis extends, in a mountain range of about 1,500 km in length, with more than 40 large volcanoes, some of them currently active.

The coasts of the Pacific Ocean are more apt for human settlement, but less favorable for tropical crops, because there is less rainfall than on the Atlantic coast.

Hydrography

Physical map of Central America.

In Central America, the rivers are short and correspond mainly to the Atlantic slope. These rivers fulfill several functions, even serving as borders; such is the case of the Segovia or Coco rivers (between Honduras and Nicaragua), the Motagua river (between Guatemala and Honduras), the Usumacinta river (between Guatemala and Mexico), the San Juan de Nicaragua river (between Costa Rica and Nicaragua). and the Sixaola River (between Costa Rica and Panama). In this region, the Nicaraguan lakes (Lake Nicaragua and Lake Managua) and Lake Gatún located in the Panama Canal stand out for their extension.

Central America does not have long rivers due to its isthmic geography. The longest rivers flow into the Caribbean Sea, while the most numerous, small and mighty, drain into the Pacific Ocean. Among the longest are:

• Usumacinta (Guatemala, Mexico), born in Quiché, Guatemala and flows into the Gulf of Mexico. It serves as a border between Guatemala and Mexico. Approximate length: 1100 km.
• Río Lempa (El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras), originates in Chiquimula, Guatemala and flows into El Salvador between the departments of Usulután and San Vicente. Length: 422 km.
• Río Motagua (Guatemala), originates in Quiché, Guatemala and flows into the border of Honduras and Guatemala. Length: 486 km.
• Ulúa (Honduras), which originates in the Opatoro mountain range and flows into the Gulf of Honduras. Approximate length: 358 km.
• Río Coco (Nicaragua-Honduras), is the longest river in Central America, which in one of its sections serves as a border between Honduras and Nicaragua and flows into the Caribbean coast. Length: 680 km.

Rivers originate in mountain ranges parallel to the Pacific Ocean. They have an irregular regime, recording their floods during the summer. The largest and highest flow correspond to the Caribbean Sea basin, with the exception of the Isthmus of Panama, where the rivers of the Caribbean slope are shorter and those of the Pacific slope are longer, such as the Chucunaque river with 231 km that flows into in the Gulf of San Miguel, in the Pacific Ocean.

Climate

In Central America, the tropical climate predominates, the Atlantic slope being more rainy than the Pacific. The precipitation regime is changeable, and depends on the direction of the winds and the position of the tropical and intertropical convergence zones. The temperature is characterized by little marked variations between day and night. The ambient temperature varies according to the cloudiness and altitude indices. In areas of mountainous relief, the height determines the varieties of climate.

From sea level to approximately 900 m are the so-called "hot lands" with permanent thermal summer and abundant rainfall. Between 1,000 m and 2,500 m above sea level are temperate lands where average annual temperatures are between 15 °C and 25 °C; rainfall predominates at the end of summer. Above 2,500 m are the cold lands with average temperatures that do not reach 20 °C and with marked daily temperature ranges.

Flora and fauna

Green frog of red eyes (Agalychnis callidryas).

Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno), bird symbol of Guatemala.

Nine-band armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus).

Peñas Blancas, part of the Bosawás Biosphere Reserve is the second largest jungle in the Western Hemisphere, after the Amazon in Brazil. Located northeast of the city of Jinotega, in the northeast of Nicaragua.

American crocodileCrocodylus acutus).

Black Aullador MonkeyAlouatta palliata).

Central America is characterized by mild temperatures on both coasts of the continent. The winters are mild and the summers cool with a small annual thermal oscillation. Rainfall is abundant and well distributed. The flora and fauna of Central America is home to species from North and South America, as well as a large number of endemic species. This diversity has its origin in being a transit area between two continents, two large oceanic regions and being a refuge during the various glaciations or due to past geographic isolation that turned the area into archipelagos. Currently, 7% of the known species are endemic, but this data is misleading since it is one of the areas with the greatest biodiversity in the world and the large number of species hides the fact that the number of endemic species is also very high.

Mammals are most common in Guatemala (230 species), Panama (229 species), Nicaragua (225 species), Honduras (218 species), Costa Rica (227 species), El Salvador (210 species). Mainly there are deer, jaguars, pumas, hummingbirds, torogozes, quetzals (symbol bird of Guatemala), vultures, tapirs and macaws (national bird of Honduras).

In general, all the countries in the region are rich in biodiversity: in Guatemala and El Salvador there are good opportunities to observe birds; in Nicaragua good opportunities to observe marine species Honduras has the most pine forests, it has the largest coral reef in America and the second in the world, it also has the Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve, a forest with rich biodiversity, various groups ethnic and archaeological remains that is competing to be one of the seven natural wonders of the world.

The following are the species by country:

Belize: despite its small area, it is home to great biodiversity. The country is part (along with Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras) of the second largest coral reef in the world (Mesoamerican) and numerous species of fish inhabit it. Also in the interior of the country there is a tropical jungle. Belize was the pioneer country in the protection of the jaguar, since in 1987 it established the first jaguar reserve. The country has 150 species of mammals, 275 species of birds, 112 species of reptiles, 38 species of amphibians, 600 species of fish (fresh and salt water), 3,408 species of plants, and an unknown number of invertebrate species. It is noteworthy that this biodiversity is protected in most of the country through an excellent system of protected areas; Thanks to which, less than 2% of Belizean species are in danger of extinction.

Costa Rica: about 25% of the territory is protected, which favors the conservation of biodiversity. 227 mammalian species, 700+ bird species, 232 reptile species, 186 amphibian species, 172 freshwater fish species, 10,000 plant species, and an estimated 300,000 insect species have been identified. Despite the fact that the country has an excellent System of Protected Natural Areas, close to 1,600 species are in danger of extinction.

El Salvador: It is the most densely populated country on the continent. Many of its ecosystems have been lost and many species (for example, the jaguar, the tapir and the anteater) have disappeared. However, in the fragments that remain of the old tropical forest (which covered most of the Salvadoran territory) and in the reduced mangroves, numerous species still survive. All the fragments of the old Salvadoran tropical forest are protected and together they add up to just over 287,000 ha; the mangrove, highly fragmented, is also protected. Between all the protected areas of the country they add up to almost 5% of the Salvadoran territory. In the country, 207 species of mammals, 315 species of birds, 121 species of reptiles, 70 species of amphibians, 170 species of freshwater fish, 3,000 species of plants, and several thousand invertebrate species have been identified. The Ministry of the Environment is in charge of protecting the country's biodiversity. Efforts are being made in this country to protect more forested areas in the country, as they would have already done with the Cordillera del Bálsamo and the El Espino, in the country all mangrove areas have been protected and more are being planted so that they become a natural barrier along large coasts against Tsunamis.

Guatemala: stands out for its varied biodiversity. In the Petén is the Selva Maya, one of the largest in the north of the Amazon. In addition to the Selva Maya, the country has the Sierra de las Minas, in which about 80% of the species registered in Guatemala and Belize live. The country has 230 species of mammals, 738 species of birds, 250 species of reptiles, 225 species of freshwater fish, and almost 9,000 species of plants. Almost 32% of Guatemalan territory is protected.

Honduras: Due to its location, it is home to a large number of endemic species. Its vegetation, made up of 7,524 species of plants, shelters a great diversity of birds (720 species), reptiles (211 species), mammals (218 species), and amphibians (111), in its rivers more than 89 species of fish, but around 990 on its coastline, highlighting the whale shark. In total more than 1079 species of fish. It has the Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve, which has about 7,000 km² of humid jungle, and the mangrove ecoregion with an area of 1,036 km² on the Caribbean coast.

Nicaragua: It has the largest forest land in all of Central America and the largest amount of water. Bosawás is a biosphere reserve in the north of the country in the department of Jinotega; it is also (along with the jungles of the Honduran Mosquitia) the second largest jungle in the western hemisphere. In addition to Bosawás; Nicaragua has the Río San Juan Biosphere Reserve, on the border with Costa Rica. This reserve protects the largest wetlands in the region, as well as the largest rainforests in southern Central America. In Nicaragua is the freshwater shark. The WCMC estimated for Nicaragua, in 1998, 300 species of mammals, 582 species of birds, 220 reptiles, 170 species of amphibians, 180 species of fish and 190 freshwater fish; 9,997 species of plants and an estimated 290,000 species of insects. 40% of the territory is protected. Nicaragua is the third country in Central America with the most natural reserves, but there are many endangered species.

Panama: The southernmost country in the region is also one of the most biodiverse. Due to its proximity to South America, it is home to several South American species such as the poncho or capybara (the largest rodent in the world), the spectacled bear, and the blue and yellow macaw (Ara ararauna). This causes Panama to have a greater biodiversity than other countries in the region, such as El Salvador or Belize, and a greater number of species in some genera. It is the first country in the region in fish (1,497; neighboring Costa Rica and Nicaragua host 1,254 and 1,176 species respectively), in birds (1,002 species) and in mammals (229 species, including the largest number of primates in the region) with Notable endemism such as the Coiba howler monkey (Alouatta coibensis), the agouti or ñeque from Coiba Island (Dasyprocta coibae) or the pygmy sloth from Escudo de Veraguas Island (Bradypus pygmaeus). It has 10,115 species of plants, 229 reptile species and 179 amphibian species.

Highest points in Central America

Country	Name	Elevation (meters)	Cordillera
BelizeBelize	Doyle's Delight	1124	Cockscomb Range
Costa RicaCosta Rica	Cerro Chirripó	3820	Cordillera de Talamanca
El SalvadorEl Salvador	Mount the Pital	2730	Sierra Madre de Chiapas
GuatemalaGuatemala	Tajumulco Volcano	4220	Sierra Madre de Chiapas
HondurasHonduras	Cerro Las Minas	2849	Cordillera de Celaque
NicaraguaNicaragua	Mogoton	2107	Cordillera Isabelia
Panama Panama	Volcano Barú	3475	Cordillera de Talamanca

Political division

Map of the political division of Central America and its capitals.

Central America politically comprises the territory located in the mid-latitudes of America, located between the southern border of Mexico and the western border of Colombia. Central America is divided into seven independent countries: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. Due to the recent political integration in the subcontinent and the fact that it has been denied entry to CARICOM on several occasions due to the difference in size with this block, the Dominican Republic, a country geographically linked to the Caribbean, is sometimes included.

Flag	Shield	Official name	Established	Surface (km2)	Population (2018)	Density	Capital	Official language(s)
Sovereign States
		Belize	1981	22 966	387 879	16.6	Belmopán	English
		Costa Rica Republic of Costa Rica	1838	51 100	5 003 000	96.9	San José	Spanish
		El Salvador Republic of El Salvador	1841	21 041	6 427 479	304,7	San Salvador	Spanish
		Guatemala Republic of Guatemala	1840	108 889	17 613 245	158.3	Guatemala City	Spanish
		Honduras Republic of Honduras	1838	112 492	9 417 167	83.7	Tegucigalpa	Spanish
		Nicaragua Republic of Nicaragua	1838	130 370	6 351 956	48.5	Managua	Spanish
		Panama Republic of Panama	1903	75 517	4 170 607	55.1	Panama City	Spanish
Total	-...	-...	-...	522 375	49 371 333	94,5	-...
Administrative Territories of other countries
Flag	Shield	Official name	State Administrator	Surface (km2)	Population	Density	Capital	Official language(s)
		Campeche Free and Sovereign State of Campeche	Mexico Mexico	57 924	928 363	16,0	San Francisco deCampeche	That's it.
		Chiapas Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas	Mexico Mexico	73 211	543 828	75.7	Tuxtla Gutiérrez	That's it.
		Quintana Roo Free and Sovereign State of Quintana Roo	Mexico Mexico	50 212	1 857 985	41.6	Chetumal	That's it.
		Saint Andrew, Providence and Saint Catherine Department Archipelago de San Andrés, Providence and Saint Catherine	ColombiaColombia	52	63 692	1213.1	San Andrés	That's it.
		Tabasco Free and Sovereign State of Tabasco	Mexico Mexico	25 267	2 402 598	95.0	Villahermosa	That's it.
		Yucatan Free and Sovereign State of Yucatan	Mexico Mexico	43 379	2 320 898	53.5	Merida	That's it.
Total	-...	-...	-...	250 045	13 117 364	52.4	-...
Total figures
Total	-...	-...	-...	772 420	62 488 697	80.8	-...

Most populated cities

No.	Metropolitan Area	Country	Population by United Nations	Population by Citypopulation
1	Guatemala City	GuatemalaGuatemala	2 918 000	3 025 000
2	San José	Costa RicaCosta Rica	1 170 000	1 830 000
3	Panama City	Panama Panama	1 673 000	1 450 000
4	Tegucigalpa	HondurasHonduras	1 123 000	1 130 000
5	San Salvador	El SalvadorEl Salvador	1 098 000	1 930 000
6	San Pedro Sula	HondurasHonduras	1 200 000	1 210 000
7	Managua	NicaraguaNicaragua	956 000	1 310 000

Politics

Most Central American countries are presidential republics, except Belize, which is a parliamentary monarchy within the Commonwealth Kingdoms.

In general, the political life of most of the countries of the subcontinent, since their independence from Spain, has been very tumultuous.

Central American countries have lived the past decades submerged in bloody dictatorships, civil wars and organized violence under ideological parameters: national guards or armies fighting with revolutionary guerrillas. Guatemala and El Salvador were two of the countries that suffered the most from true extermination policies in sectors of their population. One of the murdered parliamentarians was precisely the son of one of the main leaders of the death squads in El Salvador, Major Roberto D'Aubuisson.

• Guatemala and El Salvador are still in the process of healing the wounds caused by the bloody civil wars that convulsed them in the 1970s and 1980s. But new fears have led to political assassinations in these countries, such as two Guatemalan presidential candidates; although in El Salvador there has been an increase in democracy.
• Nicaragua is another country that currently faces processes of democratization and assimilation to peaceful culture, but the wounds of past civil wars cause its democratic exercises to lack high credibility and to be subject to allegations of fraud. Since 2018 she has experienced a strong socio-political crisis that has led her to be considered an authoritarian nation.
• Honduras seemed in the process of consolidating its democracy, until the coup d ' état that defeated Manuel Zelaya on 28 June 2009.
• Panama, after the dictatorship of Manuel Antonio Noriega and the invasion by the United States in 1989, has achieved notable increases in its democratic regime by obtaining a 7.05 in 2019, which cleared some fears, when the country took over the Panama Canal, in 1999 and later decided in a democratic way to expand this path in 2006
• Costa Rica is shown as the great exception in the region. It averages an 8.13 democracy index in 2019, which classifies it as a country in full democracy (the only one in Latin America and Uruguay). For over half a century, the country has abolished the army, which has allowed Costa Rica to enjoy a political calm, with political parties that alternate in power peacefully and democratically.

Corruption Perception Index

According to the 2021 Corruption Perception Index, published by the non-governmental organization Transparency International, the country with the lowest perception of corruption in Central America is Costa Rica, followed by Panama in second place and El Salvador in third place.

Central American Corruption Perception Index in 2021
World position	Country	Contents	Growth
58	Costa RicaCosta Rica	58	+ 1
105	Panama Panama	36	+ 1
115	El SalvadorEl Salvador	34	- 2
150	GuatemalaGuatemala	25	0
157	HondurasHonduras	23	- 1
164	NicaraguaNicaragua	20	-2
N/D	BelizeBelize	No data

Freedom of the press

According to the latest Reporters Without Borders 2021 report, the country with the greatest press freedom in the region is Costa Rica, ranked number 10 worldwide, followed by Belize in second place and Panama in third place. [1]

Freedom of the Press of Central America in 2021				Last year
P. Regional	World position	Country	Score	Growth
1	5	Costa RicaCosta Rica	8,76	+ 3.48
2	53	BelizeBelize	27,61	- 0.11
3	77	Panama Panama	29,94	- 0.42
4	82	El SalvadorEl Salvador	30.49	- 0.71
5	116	GuatemalaGuatemala	38,45	- 2.97
6	121	NicaraguaNicaragua	39,98	- 4.85
7	151	HondurasHonduras	49.35	- 1.15

Economic Freedom Index

The latest report from the Heritage Foundation on economic freedom for 2021 places Panama in first place, Costa Rica in second place and Guatemala in third place, placing the 3 countries with the greatest economic freedom in Central America.[2]

Central American Economic Freedom Index in 2021				Regarding 2020
World position	Country	Contents	Category	Growth
62	Panama Panama	66.2	Moderately free	- 1.0.
72	Costa RicaCosta Rica	64.2	Moderately free	- 1.6.
75	GuatemalaGuatemala	64.0	Moderately free	0
94	El SalvadorEl Salvador	61,0	Moderately free	-0.6
98	HondurasHonduras	59.8	Moderately free	- 1.3.
114	BelizeBelize	57.5	Mostly controlled	+ 0.1
125	NicaraguaNicaragua	56.3	Mostly controlled	- 0.9

Central America Democracy Index

According to the British magazine The Economist, the Democracy Index for the year 2020 in the countries of Central America, in the first place Costa Rica and in second place Panama having both full and imperfect democracies the rest is in hybrid and authoritative.

P. Regional	World position	Country	Contents	Growth	Category
1	19	Costa RicaCosta Rica	8.16	+ 0.03	Full democracy
2	40	Panama Panama	7.18	+ 0.13	Imperfect democracy
3	77	El SalvadorEl Salvador	6.15	- 0.25.	Hybrid regimen
4	88	HondurasHonduras	5,36	- 0.06.	Hybrid regimen
5	97	GuatemalaGuatemala	4.97	- 0.26	Hybrid regimen
6	120	NicaraguaNicaragua	3.60	+ 0.05	Authoritarian regime
N/D	N/D	BelizeBelize	N/D		No data

Source: The Economist, "

Religion

According to a survey carried out by ECLAC in 2010, the predominant religion is Christian with 87%; The most practiced of its denominations is Catholic with 49%, it can be shown by the processions, traditions and customs of each country, 36% are Protestant churches, mostly Pentecostals followed by other Christian denominations (Mormons, Adventists, etc.) with 1.6%. Indigenous religions, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, etc. with 2%, 0.4% of people who did not answer the survey or did not know and around 11% declared themselves without religion.

Since colonial times, the only Church of the allowed religion of Christianity brought by the Spanish conquest was Catholicism, this Church was rooted in the State between the colonial era until 1882, during 1821 (independence of Central America), until 1851, there were political struggles between liberals and conservatives, the liberals wanted a state without roots in the Church, the conservatives wanted the opposite, until 1882, there was no longer an official religious group, this time Protestant missionaries arrived, since then the Protestant Church grows ever-growing, they were also prohibited from other religions apart from churches other than catholic christians.

Religion of Central America 2010
Country	% Total Christianity	% Christianity (Catholic)	% Christianity (protestants)	% No religion	% Christianity (Other churches)	% of other beliefs	% No Reply
Costa Rica	87.7 %	65 %	21 %	9 %	1.7 %	3 %	0.3 %
Belize	74.5 %	40%	31 %	15.6 %	3.5 %	8.5 %	1.4 %
El Salvador	80%	47.8 %	32 %	17 %	%	2.3 %	0.1 %
Guatemala	85.6 %	47.6%	36.8 %	12.4 %	1.2 %	1.9%	0.1%
Honduras	87.1%	49.3%	36.6%	10.3 %	1.6 %	1.4 %	0.6 %
Nicaragua	83.6 %	53.5 %	27.6 %	14 %	2.5 %	2.2 %	0.2 %
Panama	91.1 %	72.3 %	17 %	6 %	1.7 %	2.9 %	0.1 %

Ethnography

Central America is a region made up of 6 Spanish-speaking countries and one officially English-speaking country (Belize), although with a significant Hispanic presence), with an absolute population of 43,723,802. in 2010 and 522,760 km², and a density of 85 inhabitants/km², however, in the region there are densely populated countries such as El Salvador, and others with a sparse population such as Belize.

The ethnographic composition of this region of the American continent is very diverse, composed mainly of people of mixed origin, that is, a mixture between the Spanish colonizers and Amerindian women, this mixture is called mestizo. Honduras has the highest percentages of mestizo people, more than 80%. However, they also make up the majority although they are not the dominant ethnic group in Panama, Nicaragua and Belize.

Costa Rica is the only country where people of European origin are the majority, due to the fact that the Amerindian population was always very scarce, while in Guatemala and Nicaragua they reach more than a sixth of the population, most of the Whites descend from the former colonizers of Spain.

Currently, the Amerindian population is very small, this is only representative in Guatemala, with about two fifths of its population, where up to 24 ethnic groups mainly of Mayan origin predominate. Most of the native population in the region lives in rural areas. Other components of Central American society are the descendants of Africans, where the majority live in Belize, Panama, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. The descendants of Asian immigrants (mainly Chinese) who live in Panama and Costa Rica. among other ethnic groups. It is important to remember that the definition and belonging to a certain ethnic group, like the rest of Latin America, varies from country to country and is determined more by a sociocultural than genetic sense.

Composition of Central America 2018
Country	Mestizos	Whites	Amerindians	Black	Fine	Other
BelizeBelize	52.9 per cent	4.8%	11.3%	25.9 per cent	-	5.1 per cent
Costa RicaCosta Rica	83.6 per cent		2.4%	1.1%	6.7%	6.2%
El SalvadorEl Salvador	91.3%		8%	0.1 per cent	-	0.6%
GuatemalaGuatemala	60.1 per cent		39.3 per cent	-	-	0.6%
HondurasHonduras	90.0%	1.0%	7.0%	2.0%	-	-
NicaraguaNicaragua	69.0%	17.0%	5,0%	9.0%	-	-
Panama Panama	65.0%	6.7%	12.3 per cent	9.2%	6.8%	-

Languages

Trocortesian Codex, example of the rich Mayan writing.

The official and majority language in the Central American states is Spanish, except for Belize, which has English as its official language. The main point of cohesion of Central American Spanish is the use of voseo to different extents and in different contexts; the only exception is Panama, where Caribbean Spanish is used. Many families of pre-Hispanic languages still survive, the most important demographically is the Mayan family, although the Lenmichí family (lencha-misulmalpa-chibcha) which extends to South America is also important due to its extension. In Central America, the Xinca languages, probably autochthonous to the region, and other languages from Mesoamerica, such as the Chiapas-Manguean languages and the Nahuat language, are also present. The tequistlateco-jicaque family is probably also of Mesoamerican origin. Garífuna of the Arawak family, spoken by some 200,000 people, was brought to Central America during the colonial period.

The Mayan languages constitute a linguistic family made up of some 26 related languages, spoken in Mesoamerica. These languages are spoken by at least 6 million indigenous descendants of the ancient Maya, mainly in Guatemala. In 1996, Guatemala formally recognized 21 Mayan languages by name and Mexico recognized another 8 that were not spoken in Guatemala.

Although the American languages would have a common origin, since it is speculated that the remote ancestors of the American populations probably migrated, through the Beringian Strait, from Asia to this continent, currently, and as a result of changes that occurred in them for thousands of years, they are, in most cases, mutually unintelligible.

Spanish language in Central America

Central American Spanish

Note: The Salvadoran Academy of the Spanish Language affirmed that El Salvador is one of the two countries in Latin America (together with Argentina) that has lost its language from its roots, the Pipil or Nahuat language, Nawat

Demographic indicators

Countries part of the SICA.

The following are a series of demographic indicators for the region. Birth and death rates, as well as population growth are based on the UN World Population Prospects.

Countries	Nativity (every thousand inhabitants) (2015-2020)	Mortality (every thousand inhabitants) (2015-2020)	Population growth (%) (2015-2020)
BelizeBelize	22.2	5.4	2.05
Costa RicaCosta Rica	14.0	5,0	0.96
El SalvadorEl Salvador	18.3	6	0.52
GuatemalaGuatemala	24.8	4.8	1.94
HondurasHonduras	21,4	4.8	1.62
NicaraguaNicaragua	18.9	4.8	1.07
Panama Panama	19,0	5.1	1.55

Central American integration

Central American countries and integration organizations (PARLACEN, MCCA and SICA/ODECA)

Central America is undergoing a process of political, economic and cultural transformation as the intentions of the Central American states to a strong integration process are reaffirmed.

After annexation to Iturbide's First Mexican Empire, Central America was consolidated with the creation of the United Provinces of Central America in 1823. However, this political union dissolved in a civil war between 1838 and 1840. Although there were several attempts at reunification, none were successful.

The birth of the Organization of Central American States (ODECA) in 1951 with the signing of the Treaty of San Salvador, marks a new path in the paths of Central American integration. Unfortunately, the process could not be accelerated due to internal conflicts between different Central American States. The process would have to wait until 1991 with the birth of the Central American Integration System (SICA), already with a new legal framework and internal conflicts resolved.

Central America currently has organizations such as the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN), the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), the Central American Court of Justice (1907) and other regional bodies, in addition to many treaties of a cultural, political and such as the Central American Common Market (MCCA).

Thus, the Central American integration process has had a great acceleration in recent years, making Central America an increasingly consolidated region politically, economically and culturally. It is expected that by the end of this year the customs union, freedom of movement of goods and services, etc. will be put into practice.

The Central American integration process includes some States that are not traditionally Central American, such as Panama, Belize, and even the Dominican Republic, since they are part of the regional integration process.

Costa Rica has not been very enthusiastic about accelerating the integration process, since it seems to contravene its own legislation, which is why it has not ratified some of the binding treaties with the regional integration process. Panama withdrew its credentials from the Central American Parliament and was officially announced to headquarters on August 19, 2009.

The panorama of what Central America is is very different, depending on the point of view from which one looks. Thus, political or integrationist Central America is very different from geographic Central America, or the economic region of the Central American Common Market, or the linguistic region, or cultural regions.

The headquarters of the Central American Integration System is in the city of San Salvador, Republic of El Salvador.

Economy of Central America

Countries	Official currency
BelizeBelize	Blessed Dollar
Costa RicaCosta Rica	Columbus
El SalvadorEl Salvador	American dollar
GuatemalaGuatemala	Quetzal
HondurasHonduras	Lempira
NicaraguaNicaragua	Córdoba
Panama Panama	Balboa / American dollar

The economy of Central America is based mainly on agriculture, tourism and some small industries, thus having a nominal GDP of 291.2 billion dollars in 2022.

The main export destinations are the United States, Europe, and between the same countries in the region. Its main imports come from the countries of the region, North America (United States and Mexico) and South America (Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela and Argentina).^{[citation required]} The Panama Canal is the connection between Central America and the rest of the world, and the main channel of communication for trade with Central America, South America, the United States, Europe and Asia. Central America currently supports a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States called CAFTA-DR, and another is in negotiations with Peru.

The region is particularly attractive to businesses (especially apparel) due to its geographic proximity to the United States, very low wages, and considerable tax advantages. In addition, the fall in the prices of coffee and other export products and the structural adjustment measures promoted by the international financial institutions have partially ruined agriculture, favoring the emergence of the maquiladoras. This sector represents 42% of total exports from El Salvador, 55% from Guatemala and 65% from Honduras. However, its contribution to the economies of these countries is debatable; raw materials are imported, jobs are precarious and poorly paid, and tax breaks weaken public finances.

They are also criticized for the working conditions of the employees: insults and physical violence, abusive dismissals (especially of pregnant workers), work schedules, lack of overtime pay. According to Lucrecia Bautista, coordinator of the maquila sector at the auditing firm Coverco, "labor law regulations are regularly violated in the maquilas and there is no political will to enforce their application". In the case of violations, the labor inspectorate shows remarkable leniency. It is about not discouraging investors. "Trade unionists are subjected to pressure, and sometimes kidnapping or murder. In some cases, business leaders have used the services of the gangs. Lastly, blacklists with the names of trade unionists or political activists circulate in business circles.

Minimum wage (2021)

Countries	Total monthly USD
Panama Panama	USD$528
Costa RicaCosta Rica	USD$518
HondurasHonduras	USD$395
GuatemalaGuatemala	USD$394
El SalvadorEl Salvador	USD$303
BelizeBelize	USD$250
NicaraguaNicaragua	USD$181

Ease of Business Index

Index of ease of establishing financial businesses quickly (for its acronym Doing Business) has already released the classification of the 189 countries in the world corresponding to the year 2020. For its part, the Central American region, Costa Rica and Panama are the countries with the best ranking for the ease of offering business faster. After them, Guatemala and El Salvador follow with an easy index to obtain business.

Countries	Post
Costa RicaCosta Rica	74
Panama Panama	86
El SalvadorEl Salvador	91
GuatemalaGuatemala	96
HondurasHonduras	133
BelizeBelize	135
NicaraguaNicaragua	142

Gross Domestic Products

The following shows the gross domestic products and economic growth of the Central American countries as of 2022. The data presented in the table comes from International Monetary Fund data for the most recent year.

Post	Countries	GDP (PPA) (2022)	GDP (PPA) per capita (2022)	nominal GDP (2022)	nominal GDP per capita (2022)	Economic growth (%) (2022)
1	GuatemalaGuatemala	$185 473 000	$991	$91 019 000	$4 863	+3.9
2	Panama Panama	$158 608 000	$36 084	$70 492 000	$16 037	+5,0
3	Costa RicaCosta Rica	$128 134 000	$24 489	$65 319 000	$12 483	+3.3
4	El SalvadorEl Salvador	$69 319 000	$10 580	$30 720 000	$4 689	+3.0
5	HondurasHonduras	$69 389 000	$6 740	$30 116 000	$2 925	+3.8
6	NicaraguaNicaragua	$46 757 000	$7 071	$15 764 000	$2 384	+3.8
7	BelizeBelize	$318,000	$7 147	$1 991 000	$4 519	+5.7

Exports and imports

The data presented has been collected from the CIA World Factbook estimates.

Countries	Exports of Goods and Services (2016)	Imports of Goods and Services (2016)	Balanza
Panama Panama	$14 700 000	$22 080 000	-$7 380 000 000
Costa RicaCosta Rica	$150,000	$14 660 000	-$4 510 000
GuatemalaGuatemala	$10 580 000	$16 760 000	-$6 180 000
El SalvadorEl Salvador	$4 186 000	$823 000	-$4 637 000
HondurasHonduras	$7 841 000	$10 560 000	- $2 719 000
NicaraguaNicaragua	$3 772 000	$6 384 000	- $2 612 000

Foreign direct investment

According to the World Bank, Panama, Costa Rica and Guatemala are the countries that receive the most foreign direct investment from Central America, and exceed one billion US dollars:

Countries	Foreign investment (2012)	Foreign investment (2013)	Foreign investment (2014)	Foreign investment (2015)	Foreign investment (2016)
BelizeBelize	$194 201 409	$92 247 731	$141 097 030	$59 119 224	$32 733 411
Costa RicaCosta Rica	$2 692 160 896	$3 284 494 667	$2 345 257 533	$2 955 521 680	$2 935 113 620
El SalvadorEl Salvador	$447 709 564	$242 345 997	$474 801 761	$496 992 814	$486 478 328
GuatemalaGuatemala	$1 263 638 429	$1 353 141 908	$1 204 670 350	$175 523 400	$1 174 500 000
HondurasHonduras	$1 067 550 208	$1 069 029 263	$1 094 065 691	$1 316 679 830	$1 128 940 000
NicaraguaNicaragua	$767 658 534	$815 500 000	$840 000	$949 900 000	$887 800 000
Panama Panama	$3 297 100 000	$5 053 200 000	$5 213 800 000	$5 057 700 000	$5 994 600 000

Human Development Index by country

See also: Annex: Central American Countries by Human Development Index

According to UNDP (United Nations Development Program) 2020; Costa Rica, Panama and Belize are the countries that have the best Human Development Index in the region.

Global post	Change	Country	IDH	Category
57	+20	Panama Panama	0.815	Very high.
62	+16	Costa RicaCosta Rica	0.810	Very high.
110	+2	BelizeBelize	0.716	High
124	+7	El SalvadorEl Salvador	0.673	Media
127	+12	GuatemalaGuatemala	0.663	Media
128	+9	NicaraguaNicaragua	0.660	Media
132	+11	HondurasHonduras	0.634	Media

Banking

América Economía published its classification «The 250 largest banks in Latin America», of which we present the list of the 42 Central American banks included. Within the Latin American general classification, the first Central American bank appears in position 39, HSBC of Panama.

Within the first 100 places in the general classification of América Economía, 8 Central American banks appear: Banco Industrial De Guatemala in position 46, HSBC Panama in position 39, Banco General de Panamá in position 42, Banco Nacional de Panama (57), Nacional of Costa Rica (70), Banco Bladex of Panama (75), Agrícola of El Salvador (85), and Banco de Costa Rica (92). Other banks with operations in Guatemala that also appear on the list of 250 are Banrural (65); G&T Continental (74); Agromercantile (134); Banco de América Central Guatemala (148), and Banco de los Trabajadores (154)

Tourism

The island of Roatán, Honduras, is the place where most cruises arrive in Central America

Lake Atitlán (Guatemala), the largest natural tourist destination within the isthmus.

Panama City (Panama), the most attractive city to do business within the isthmus.

According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO); Costa Rica, Guatemala and Panama lead Central American tourism, with Costa Rica being the country that receives the most tourists in quantity and Panama the country that receives the most income from tourists; However, the tourist growth of the isthmus is less than the world measure, due to the lack of institutions that promote tourist areas and the disorganized tourist dynamics, apart from the lack of control over crime in certain tourist places. The countries that currently increased the most were Guatemala and Costa Rica.

International Visitors Received (2017-2021)

Countries	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
Costa RicaCosta Rica	1.550.220	1,146,500	3,366,000	3,313,000	3,231,000
El SalvadorEl Salvador	1,436,950	707,041	2,638,550	2,535,661	2,248,617
Panama Panama	804,394	647,100	2,494,000	2.487,000	2.517,000
HondurasHonduras	816,492	669,273	2,314,664	2,323,396	2,144,212
GuatemalaGuatemala	666,017	593,989	2.559.599	2,405,900	2,113,200
NicaraguaNicaragua	312,425	474,421	1.454,504	1,412,411	1,957,922
BelizeBelize	218,994	144.123	1.674,000	1.697,000	1.441,000

International Tourists (2012-2022)

Countries	(2022)	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014	2013	2012	Last update
Costa RicaCosta Rica	2,349,537	1,347,055	1,011,912	3,193,008	3,016,667	2,959,869	2,925,128	2,660,257	2.526.817	2,427,941	2,343,312	31 December 2022
El SalvadorEl Salvador	1,891,216	1,218,950	548.730	1,765,581	1,677,292	1,556,069	1,433,613	1,401,598	1,345,165	1,282,792	1,254,724	31 December 2022
GuatemalaGuatemala	1,494,018	602,068	395.715	1,752,429	1,780,775	1,658,777	1,585.115	1,473,456	1,455,487	1,304,275	1,304,675	31 December 2022
Panama Panama	1,192,442	618.224	413,689	1.752.645	1,778,576	1,843,266	1,921,096	2,108,105	1,745,139	1,658,239	1,606,383	31 October 2022
HondurasHonduras	844.375	459,172	203,828	724.225	846.788	850,191	837.645	880,269	868.124	863,012	894.677	31 December 2022
NicaraguaNicaragua	700.049	222,434	383,979	1,295,218	1,255,566	1.787,260	1,504,414	1,386,481	1,329,663	1,229,410	1,179,581	30 November 2022
BelizeBelize	332,627	199,794	144.124	503.166	489,021	427.076	385,583	341,161	321,220	294,176	277,106	30 November 2022

*Final Data

*Preliminary data

Currency Received Year 2021

Country	Received Divises ($ Million-Billons)
Panama Panama	$2,300,000,000
Costa RicaCosta Rica	$1,500,000,000
El SalvadorEl Salvador	$1,400,000,000
GuatemalaGuatemala	$ 640,000,000
HondurasHonduras	$459,172,000
BelizeBelize	$200,000
NicaraguaNicaragua	$183.800,000

Subregion and place of origin and countries with the highest influx of tourists (2021)

Country	North America	Central America	South America	Europe	Asia/Pacific	Rest of the world	Countries with greater tourist affluence
Costa RicaCosta Rica	72% (952,872)	6% (78.425)	4% (60,221)	17% (229.813)	1 per cent (12.268)	2% (25,724)	United States 868,986 CanadaCanada 53,185 SpainSpain 41,857
El SalvadorEl Salvador	60%	30%	5%	5%	0%	0%	United States 734.639 GuatemalaGuatemala 274,430 HondurasHonduras 74,893
Panama Panama	28% (183,807)	11% (71,329)	35% (235.711)	18% (116,360)	6% (35.199)	2 per cent (23.156)	United States 149,752 ColombiaColombia 111,120 Venezuela Venezuela 39,047
GuatemalaGuatemala	40% (264.089)	48% (318.097)	4% (27,955)	5% (36.155)	0%	3% (15,013)	United States 233,429 El SalvadorEl Salvador 215,673 HondurasHonduras 57,357
HondurasHonduras	62%	28%	6%	4%	0%	0%	United States 230,061 El SalvadorEl Salvador 48.750 GuatemalaGuatemala 36.648
NicaraguaNicaragua	22% (83.528)	65% (249,178)	2% (6.945)	6% (22.415)	0%	6% (21.910)	Costa RicaCosta Rica 95,096 HondurasHonduras 74.826 United States 67.919
BelizeBelize	74%	13%	1%	11%	1%	0%	United States 182,753 CanadaCanada 5.161 United KingdomUnited Kingdom 2,173

Indicators of poverty, quality of life and education

Favorable Index

Unfavorable Index

Country	Human Development Index and its components				Education				Health				Socioeconomics			Public security
Indicator	Contents Development Human IDH	Contents education	Contents life expectancy	Contents income	Rate Literacy	Enrolment rate in Primary education	Enrolment rate in Tertiary education	Average years education	Hope at birth	Beds Hospitallers per 1000	Doctors for each 10,000.	Expenditure in health, per person USD	Gross national income (GNI) per capita USD	Poverty Multidimensional %	Poverty Extrema %	Homicide for each 100,000.
Year	2019	2019	2019	2019	2018	2019-2020	2019	2019	2019	2014-2019	2019	2017	2019	2020	2020	2021
Source
Panama Panama	0.815	0,700	0,900	0.859	95%	93	48	12.9	78.5	2.3	1.4	$660	$29.558	21.5%	10%	12.8
Costa RicaCosta Rica	0.810	0.726	0.927	0.788	97 per cent	115	58	15.7	80.3	1.1	2.9	$680	$ 18,486	23%	6.3%	11.5
NicaraguaNicaragua	0.660	0.573	0.838	0.599	85%	121	25*	12.3	74,5	0.9	1.7	$112.	$5,284	51.6 per cent	21.3%	5.7
HondurasHonduras	0.634	0.499	0.850	0,600	89%	90	25	10.1	75.3	0.6	0.3	79$	$5,308	74%	56%	38.7
El SalvadorEl Salvador	0.673	0.555	0.820	0.669	87%	90	29	11.7	73.3	1.2	2.9	$180.	$8,359	30%	10%	17.6
GuatemalaGuatemala	0.663	0.519	0.835	0.671	82%	101	22	10.8	74.3	0.4	0.4	$93	$8,494	45.9 per cent	21%	16.6
BelizeBelize	0.716	0.695	0.840	0.628	75%	108	26	13.1	74.6	1	1.1	191$	$6,382	10%	4.8%	29

Migration

Emigration

The following table shows the number of Central Americans residing abroad. The figures come from the database of the Migration Policy Institute (Migration Policy Institute), correspond to 2020 and do not include all illegal emigrants. For social, economic and political reasons, more than 6 million of Central Americans have emigrated. The main destination in six of the seven countries is the United States, the exception is Nicaragua where the main destination is Costa Rica. It is estimated that more than 90% of migrants from Panama and Costa Rica are legal in their current countries of residence.

Central Americans abroad (2020)

Country	Population abroad estimated	Percentage of population emigrated	Major target countries
El Salvador	1 599 000	24.61%	United States 1 411 000 Canada 52 000 Guatemala 21 000 Costa Rica 17 000 Italy 17 000
Belize	53 000	12.64%	United States 43 000 Mexico 2 000 Canada 2 000 United Kingdom 2 000 Guatemala 1 000
Nicaragua	718 000	11.05%	Costa Rica 351 000 United States 255 000 Spain 43 000 Panama 16 000 Canada 11 000
Honduras	985 000	9.94%	United States 773 000 Spain 99 000 Mexico 39 000 Nicaragua 13 000 El Salvador 12 000
Guatemala	1 368 000	7.61 per cent	United States 1 227 000 Mexico 46 000 Belize 27 000 Canada 19 000 Spain 10 000
Panama	140 000	3.27%	United States 100 000 Costa Rica 14 000 Spain. 6 000 Canada 3 000 Colombia 3 000
Costa Rica	150 000	2.92%	United States 97 000 Nicaragua 11 000 Panama 9 000 Spain 5 000 Canada 4 000

Immigration

Central America is out of balance when it comes to migration; since in Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala the number of people who emigrate from these countries is at least ten times greater than those who emigrate to them. However, Costa Rica and Panama present an opposite picture, since their migratory balance is positive since there are more people who emigrate to these two countries than those who emigrate from them. For its part, Belize remains neutral because both emigration and immigration present very similar numbers. Costa Rica is the Latin American country with the highest percentage of immigrants (one in ten people is an immigrant). The following table shows the number of foreigners residing in each Central American country. The figures come from the database of the Migration Policy Institute (Migration Policy Institute), correspond to 2020 and do not include all illegal immigrants.

Foreigners in Central America (2020)

Country	Estimated foreign resident population	Percentage of foreigners	Principal countries of origin
Belize	62 000	14.79 per cent	Guatemala 27 000 El Salvador 10 000 Honduras 10 000 United States 5 000 Mexico 4 000
Costa Rica	522 000	10.17%	Nicaragua 351 000 Venezuela 28 000 Colombia 26 000 El Salvador 17 000 United States 15 000
Panama	313 000	7.31%	Venezuela 120 000 Colombia. 51 000 China 22 000 United States 17 000 Nicaragua 16 000
El Salvador	43 000	0.66%	Honduras 12 000 Guatemala 9 000 Nicaragua 8 000 United States 5 000 Mexico 2 000
Nicaragua	42 000	0.64%	Honduras 13 000 Costa Rica 11 000 United States 4 000 El Salvador 3 000 Guatemala 2 000
Guatemala	84 000	0.46%	El Salvador 21 000 Mexico 19 000 United States 9 000 Nicaragua 9 000 Honduras 9 000
Honduras	39 000	0.39%	El Salvador 9 000 Nicaragua 8 000 United States 7 000 Guatemala 5 000 Mexico 2 000

Infrastructure and globalization

Highways

The Global Competitiveness Report of the World Economic Forum places Panama in second place and El Salvador in third place in the classification of the best highways in Latin America, only surpassed by Chile.

The main highway in Central America is the Pan-American Highway, which runs through all the countries of Central America (excluding Belize) and connects North America with South America. In addition, each country has its own trunk highways, and primary and secondary road networks that connect with all its towns and ports.

Airports

The following is a classification of the best airports in Central America according to the World Airport Awards 2015 awarded by the specialized agency Skytrax.

Panama heads the list of the best-connected Latin American capitals by air. From the Tocumen International Airport you can take a direct flight to all the capitals of the region with the exception of La Paz, which makes it the main connection center in Latin America.

In the case of the Central American Integration System (formed by Panama, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic), Panama City is the one with direct flights to all other capitals.

In second place is San Salvador, which has connections with all its peers except Santo Domingo.

Post	Airport	City	Country	Use	Airlines	Longest destination
1	Take it.	Take it.	Panama Panama	Civil	Copa Airlines	Beijing
2	Juan Santamaría	Alajuela	Costa RicaCosta Rica	Civil	Nature Air SANSA Avianca	Frankfurt am Main
3	Monseñor Óscar Arnulfo Romero	La Paz	El SalvadorEl Salvador	Civil	Avianca VECA Airlines American Airlines	Toronto
4	The Aurora	Guatemala City	GuatemalaGuatemala	Civil and military	Air Transport Guatemalan Avianca DHL of Guatemala ARM Aviation RACSA	Madrid
5	Ramón Villeda Morales	San Pedro Sula	HondurasHonduras	Civil	Avianca Sosa Airlines CM Airlines	Madrid
6	Augusto César Sandino	Managua	NicaraguaNicaragua	Civil	Avianca	Atlanta
7	Palmerola	Comayagua	HondurasHonduras	Civil and military	EasySky	Dallas

Times to and from Central America

• From La Paz (El Salvador) to Nairobi (Kenia) - 1 day 1 hour, 2 stops in Fortaleza (Brazil) and Lusaka (Zambia).
• From La Paz (El Salvador) to Johannesburg (South Africa) - 22 hours 25 minutes, 1 stop in Caracas (Venezuela).
• From San Salvador to Reikiavik (Iceland) - 15 hours 30 minutes, scale in Florida (United States).
• From Tocumen (Panama) to London, England (United Kingdom) - 13 hours 15 minutes, scale in La Paz (El Salvador).
• From San Salvador to Seoul (South Korea) - 22 hours and 25 minutes 1 stop in Kioto, Japan.
• From Tocumen (Panama) to Barcelona (Spain) - 13 hours, 15 min, 1 stop in Madrid (Spain).
• Take (Panama) to Berlin (Germany) - 12 hours 50 minutes, 1 stop in Paris (France).
• From Alajuela (Costa Rica) to Rome (Italy) - 14 hours 10 minutes, 1 stop in Lisbon (Portugal).
• From Alajuela (Costa Rica) to Luanda (Angola) - 1 Day 1 hour, 2 scales in Praia (Cabo Verde) and Acra (Ghana).
• From Guatemala City (Guatemala) to Chicago (United States) - 6 hours 15 minutes, with no stops.
• From Guatemala City (Guatemala) to Bogotá (Colombia) - 3 hours 15 minutes, without stopover.
• From North End (San Andrés, Colombia) to Montreal (Canada) - 14 hours 26 minutes, with no stopover.

Submarine cables

The main submarine cables connecting Central America are MAYA-1, with a transmission and reception capacity of 95 GBps, and the ARCOS-1 cable with a transmission and reception capacity of 960 GBps.

Panama is also connected to the SAC cable with a capacity of 3840 GB and to the PAN AM cable with a capacity of 40 GB. And Guatemala is connected to the SAm-1 cable that has a capacity of 1920 GB.

Internet use in Central America

Central America is technologically one of the least advanced regions in the world with a high dependence on First World powers to gain entry into Globalization.

Countries	% use of the Internet (2020)
Costa RicaCosta Rica	81.2%
GuatemalaGuatemala	65 per cent
Panama Panama	64.8%
HondurasHonduras	51.5 per cent
El SalvadorEl Salvador	49.7 per cent
NicaraguaNicaragua	38.2 per cent

Use of the term

• Both Central America and Central America are the correct designations of all countries located in the Central American isthmus: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. It must always be written in a single word, since the first element behaves as a prefix; it is not acceptable, therefore, the Central American graph. It should not be confused with Mesoamerica. Mexico is not part of Central America, but of North America, although the United Nations does regard it as belonging to Central America.

• Usually the terms Central America and Central America they are synonyms, but sometimes a distinction is made between the two terms, referring the first (Central America) to a purely geographical concept (which includes Panama and Belize), and referring the second (Central America) to a political concept (which does not include Belize) or to a cultural and historical concept (which does not include Panama and in part not Costa Rica).