Basic presentation about the geography of Central America.

1. Central America Belize Guatemala Honduras El Salvador Nicaragua Costa Rica Panama

3. Let’s Review the 5 Themes ! Place: Look at the pictures of life in Central America. Describe 3 ways life in Central America might be the same as life in the United States. Describe 3 ways life in Central America might be different from life in the United States.

4. Let’s Review the 5 Themes ! Region: A region is an area with similar characteristics. Central America is a region of North America which connects the 2 continents of North and South America. Follow the link to identify the countries which make up the Central American regions of North America. http://teachingtreasures.com.au/teaching-tools/gknowledge6-8/central-america/central-america.htm

5. Let’s Review the 5 Themes ! Movement: A popular and inexpensive mode of transportation through Central America is the Chicken Bus –old American School Buses which are painted bright colors and used by local farmers to transport chickens and goods to market and tourists to travel by land. Water taxi or ferry boat are popular forms of water transportation along the cost.

6. Let’s Review the 5 Themes ! Human Environment Interaction: Central America is a region characterized by volcanic mountains, and long stretches of coast land. Due to Central America’s proximity to the equator, its climate is mostly hot and tropical. What type of clothes would you pack for a trip to see this volcano in Costa Rica?

7. Eco-tourism Economics of Central America Tropical rainforests and scenic beaches bring many tourists to Central America. Mining and Farming are also major industries. Crops include coffee, bananas and sugar!

8. Panama Canal This canal, built across the Isthmus of Panama in Central America, allows ships to travel between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The waterway measures 64 kilometers (40 miles). The Panama Canal handles a large volume of world shipping and enables boats to avoid traveling around South America, reducing their voyages by thousands of miles and many days. For more information about the canal visit: http://www.galenfrysinger.com/panama_canal_zone.htm

9. People of Central America Central America’s native Mayan and Aztec traditions and colonial history have created rich and diverse cultures. Mestizos are people with both European and indigenous ancestry.

10. Find out more about the land, people and resources of Central America http://www.globio.org/glossopedia/article.aspx?art_id=46