Central America is an isthmus that contains seven countries. An isthmus is a strip of land bordered on two of its sides by water, that connects two larger land masses: in this case, the North and South American continents. The countries in Central America are (north to south) Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. With the exception of Belize all of them are Spanish-speaking countries.

The climate is tropical: hot, humid, and rainy. The long wet season occurs from May to July, thus the rainforest in Central America is so impressive and diverse. Watch out for the many active volcanoes in all seven of the countries!

Guatemala is called “the country of the eternal spring.” It is a mountainous country, with coastal areas often affected by hurricanes. Izabal is the largest lake. El Salvador is the most industrialized country in the area. Honduras consists mainly of mountainous terrain, about eighty percent. This small country has an amazing diversity of reptiles, birds and mammals, and in the northern region there is a reserve called Río Plátano, sometimes called “The Last Lungs of Central America.” Nicaragua is the largest country of the region. It has forty volcanoes and the second largest rainforest in all of America, after the Amazon in Brazil. Lake Nicaragua, the second largest lake of the whole continent (after Lake Titicaca) is in the south of the country. Costa Rica contains five percent of the world’s biodiversity, and over twenty-five percent of the country is composed of protected forests and reserves. One of the most popular of these is Tortuguero National Park, the most important nesting site in the world for the endangered green turtle. Approximately 850 species of birds live in Costa Rica! Panama is known mostly for the famous Panama Canal which connects the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. Nearly 14,000 vessels cross the canal every year!