Middle America and the Caribbean Islands

Introduction

Middle America is the geographic area between the United States and the continent of South America that contains Mexico and many smaller countries.

The Caribbean, the group of islands which lie east of Mexico, is part of the region and has the greatest amount of cultural diversity. South of Mexico, along the isthmus connecting North and South America, lies Central America which contains: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.

Middle America and the Caribbean Islands Map. Central America includes the countries south of Mexico through Panama.

Essential Questions

How has geography influenced the economic development of this region?
What are the push and pull factors that cause people to migrate?
How did colonization impact and influence the people of this region?

Key Terms

Cartel (drug cartel) - an international syndicate, combine, or trust formed especially to regulate prices and output in some field of business.
Emigration - is the movement of people out of a country. People exit the country.
Immigration - is the movement of people into a country.
Latin America - a term given to the area south of the United States. The term includes Mexico, Central America, some countries in the Caribbean Sea, and South America.
Lingua franca - a language that is adopted as a common language between speakers.
Migration - is the movement of people from one place to another.
Maquiladora - a manufacturing operation in a free trade zone, where factories import material and equipment on a duty-free and tariff-free basis for assembly, processing, or manufacturing.
NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) - an agreement signed by Canada, the United and States and Mexico creating a trilateral trade bloc in North America.
Panama Canal - ship canal in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.
Pull factors - these are the reasons people leave an area.
Push factors - these are the reasons people move to an area.

RESOURCES IN THIS MODULE ARE OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (OER) OR CREATED BY GAVS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. SOME IMAGES USED UNDER SUBSCRIPTION.