Geography and Cultural Significance of Mexico and Central America

Mexico and the seven nations of Central America act like a bridge between two worlds. Geographically, they form an isthmus that connects North and South America. An isthmus is a narrow piece of land that connects two larger landmasses. Culturally, they join with South America and some Caribbean islands to make up Latin America. Latin America is a region of the Americas where the Spanish and Portuguese languages, based on the Latin language of ancient Rome, are spoken. Economically, the nations have close ties to the United States. They also trade with their Latin American neighbors. Shaped like a funnel, the region is wider in the north than in the south. To the north, Mexico has a 1,951-mile (3,140km) border with the United States. At the southern end, the Central American country of Panama is only about 40 miles (64 km) wide. Land Features Mexico is the largest nation of the region, occupying about two-thirds of the land. Imagine a backwards y along the western and eastern coasts of Mexico, with the tail to the south. That backwards y neatly traces the mountain systems on Mexico’s two coasts and south central region. The coastal ranges are called the Sierra Madre Occidental (Spanish for “western”) and the Sierra Madre Oriental (Spanish for “eastern”). They join in the southern highlands. Coastal plains flank the western and eastern mountains. The eastern plain is wider. Between the two arms of the y is a vast highland region called the Central Plateau. It is the heartland of Mexico. This plateau is home to Mexico City, which is the capital, and a large share of the nation’s people. Mexico has two peninsulas. The Yucatán Peninsula bulges northeast into the Gulf of Mexico. Baja California (baja means “lower” in Spanish) extends to the south in western Mexico. Central America has landforms similar to those of south central Mexico. Mountains run down the center of these countries. Narrow coastal lowlands flank them on the east and west. Mexico and Central America lie along the Ring of Fire that rims the Pacific Ocean. Earthquakes and volcanoes are common in the Ring of Fire. The Sierra Madre Occidental are made of volcanic rocks, but they have no active volcanoes. The mountains in the southern part of the central plateau and in Central America, however, do have numerous active volcanoes. These volcanoes bring a benefit. Volcanic materials weather into fertile, productive soils. Earthquakes are common in the area, too. A magnitude 8.0 earthquake that hit Mexico City in 1985 killed thousands of people. One that struck El Salvador in 2001 produced another kind of disaster. A hill weakened by the earth’s movement collapsed onto the town of Las Colinas. It crushed homes and killed hundreds of people. Bodies of Water Mexico and Central America are bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the west. The Gulf of California, an inlet of that ocean, separates Baja California from the rest of Mexico. To the east, the region is surrounded by the waters of two arms of the Atlantic Ocean. They are the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. The region has few major rivers. In the northern half of Mexico, the climate is dry. This means that few rivers flow across the rocky landscape. Southern Mexico and Central America receive more rain, but the landscape is steep and mountainous, and the rivers are short. An important river is the Río Bravo. In the United States, this river is called the Rio Grande. The largest lake in the region is Lake Nicaragua, in Nicaragua. An important waterway in the region is not a river, but a feature built by people. It is the Panama Canal, built in the early 1900s. The Panama Canal makes it possible for ships to pass between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans without journeying around South America. It saves thousands of miles of travel, which in turn saves time and money. It is one of the world’s most important waterways. Climates Most of Mexico and Central America lie in the Tropics. Because of their location near the Equator, it might seem that the climate would be hot. Although the coastal lowlands are hot, areas with higher elevation are not. The highlands are much cooler. Nearly the entire region can be divided into three vertical climate zones. Soil, crops, animals, and climate change from zone to zone. The tierra caliente, or “hot land,” is the warmest zone. It reaches from sea level to about 2,500 feet (762 m) above sea level. Major crops grown here are bananas, sugarcane, and rice. Next highest is the tierra templada, or “temperate land.” This climate zone has cooler temperatures. Here farmers grow such crops as coffee, corn, and wheat. Most of the region’s people live in this climate zone. Higher in elevation is the tierra fría, or “cold land.” This region has chilly nights. It can be used only for dairy farming and to grow hearty crops such as potatoes, barley, and wheat. Geographers also designate other vertical climate zones. Few human activities take place on the tierra helada, or “frozen land." This vertical climate zone is more common in other regions of the Americas. Tropical Wet/Dry Climate Much of Mexico and Central America have a tropical wet/dry climate. The climate is characterized by two distinct seasons. The wet season, during the summer months, is when most of the precipitation falls. The dry season occurs during the winter months. The dry season is longer in the areas farther from the Equator and closer to the polar regions. The region’s tropical location exposes it to another natural hazard. Ferocious hurricanes can strike in the summer and early autumn months. These storms do great damage. For example, a 1998 hurricane killed more than 9,000 people in Honduras and destroyed 150,000 homes. Natural Resources Oil and natural gas are Mexico’s most important resources. They are found along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and in the gulf waters. Mexico is an important oil-producing country. It has enough oil and gas to meet its own needs and still export a large amount. The exports help fuel the nation’s economy. However, Mexico’s oil production has declined since 2004. Many oil fields are old and are starting to run out of oil. When Spanish explorers first came to Mexico, they were attracted to the area’s gold and silver. Mexico still produces silver, which is mined in the central and north central parts of the country. Gold also is still mined in Mexico. Other minerals include copper, iron ore, and bauxite. Bauxite is used to make aluminum. The seven smaller nations of Central America have few mineral resources. Nicaragua is an exception, with gold, silver, iron ore, lead, zinc, and copper. The nation is so poor, however, that it has not been able to take advantage of these deposits. Guatemala also has some oil, and its mountains produce nickel. Hundreds of islands dot the Caribbean Sea. The islands are home to more than 30 countries or territories belonging to other countries. Some are large, with millions of people living on them. Others are tiny and home to only thousands. Major Islands The Caribbean islands can be segmented into three different groups. The first group is the Greater Antilles. The four islands, the largest Caribbean islands, include Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico. Cuba and Jamaica are independent countries. Hispaniola is home to two countries: Haiti in the west and the Dominican Republic in the east. Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the United States. Although it is a possession of the United States, it has its own government. The people of Puerto Rico are American citizens. They can travel freely between their island and the United States. The second group of islands is the Lesser Antilles. Dozens of smaller islands make up this group. They form an arc moving east and south from Puerto Rico to northern South America. Most of the islands are now independent countries. At one time, they were colonies of France, Britain, Spain, or the Netherlands. Each has a culture reflecting its colonial period. The third island group is the independent nation of the Bahamas. The islands lie north of the Greater Antilles and east of Florida. The Bahamas include more than 3,000 islands, although people live on only about 30 of them. The Greater Antilles are a mountain chain, much of which is under water. On a map, you can see that this chain extends eastward from Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. These islands include some mountains, such as the Sierra Maestra in the eastern part of Cuba and the Blue Mountains of Jamaica. The highest point in the Caribbean is Duarte Peak, in the Dominican Republic. The Lesser Antilles are formed by volcanic mountains. Many of the volcanoes are extinct, or no longer able to erupt. Some islands have dormant volcanoes, or ones that can still erupt but show no signs of activity. The Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea is a western arm of the Atlantic Ocean. In the past, sailing ships traveling west from Europe followed trade winds blowing east to west to reach the sea. Christopher Columbus used the winds to reach the Bahamas in 1492. There, he first sighted land in the Americas. Columbus explored the Caribbean, too. These voyages sparked European settlement of the Americas. The warm waters of the Caribbean help feed the Gulf Stream. This current carries warm water up the eastern coast of the United States. The Climate of the Caribbean Islands The Caribbean islands have a tropical wet/dry climate. Temperatures are high year-round, though ocean breezes make life comfortable. Humidity is generally high, but rainfall is seasonal and varies significantly. Islands like Bonaire receive only about 10 inches (25 cm) of rain per year. Dominica, on the other hand, receives about 350 inches (899 cm) of rain each year. That is an average of almost an inch of rain every day. Like Central America and Mexico, the Caribbean islands are prone to hurricanes. These storms are more likely to occur in the northern areas, toward the Gulf of Mexico, than to the south. On average, seven hurricanes strike the Caribbean islands each year. Natural Resources The waters of the Caribbean are rich in fish. Some are fished for food and others for sport. The islands have few timber resources today. People have cut down most of the trees already to use for fuel or to make farmland. Mineral resources are generally lacking too, although some Caribbean islands have important resources. Trinidad and Tobago has reserves of oil and natural gas. The Dominican Republic exports nickel, gold, and silver. Cuba is a major producer of nickel. Jamaica has large amounts of bauxite. Perhaps the most important resources of the Caribbean are its climate and people. Warm temperatures and gracious hosts attract millions of tourists to the region each year. Some enjoy the white sandy beaches and clear blue water. Some scuba dive to see the colorful fish darting through coral reefs.