Central America links North and South America. As a separate area, Central America is often considered the southernmost part of North America. Near Mexico and Colombia, Central America is situated south and northwest. The Pacific and Caribbean Seas also abut this area.
Seven separate countries make up Central America. Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, & Panama are the countries included in this group.
The total population of Central American countries was estimated in 2016 at 47,448,333 people. A total of 22,230 square miles is home to these people. The population density is 240 persons per square mile based on the total land area and total population.
Nicaragua is Central America’s biggest nation in terms of land area. According to population, Guatemala is the biggest country in this area, with about 16.58 million. El Salvador is the most populous country in the area.
On the other hand, El Salvador is the smallest nation. With a population of just under 377 thousand people, Belize has the world’s smallest population. Belize is the only Central American country with fewer than one million people.
Belize is also the least populated country in the area. At the 2010 census, Guatemala City had 5.7 million residents, making it the country’s most populous metro region. Moreover, a quarter of the population of the United States lives in this region.
Also of note is El Salvador’s capital city of San Salvador, Panama City, and Costa Rica’s capital of San Jose.
Spanish is the official language of almost every country globally, with the only exception of Belize. Officially, English is the language of communication in Belize.
However, they aren’t the only dialects heard in the region. Xinca, Garifuna, and Mayan languages are also spoken. Central America is home to many ethnic groups, making it a culturally varied area.
Just a handful of the people that call this region home include Mestizos, Mayans, Whites, and Europeans. More than 95% of the population adheres to the Christian faith. Since the 16th century, Roman Catholicism has been one of the most popular faiths.
It’s not always easy to pin down what exactly constitutes Central America. Central America is sometimes mistaken for Latin America, and the reason for this is that several nations are located in both regions. These are the nations regarded as part of Central and Latin America.
Central America consists of the following countries:
- Argentina
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Chile
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Cuba
- The Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- French Guiana
- Guadeloupe
- Guatemala
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Martinique
- Mexico
- Nicaragua
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Puerto Rico
- Saint Barthelemy
- Saint Martin
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
Central America consists of the following countries:
- Belize
- Costa Rica
- El Salvador
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- Nicaragua
- Panama
Table of Contents
The countries of Central America as they relate to the United Nations
According to the United Nations, countries that are part of North America are considered to be part of Central America, except the United States and Canada.
From the United Nations’ perspective, Central America covers all nations from the southernmost point of South America to its southernmost point below the southernmost point of America’s southernmost border.
According to Middle America, below are the countries of Central America:
For those in the Middle East and North Africa, Central America is first and primarily a region including Mexico. All of the nations to the south of Mexico, Venezuela, and Colombia are considered part of Central America.
The whole Caribbean Sea is considered to be part of Central America. In this perspective, Central America includes all of the states that fall between North and South America and the two South American nations stated above.
Central America from the perspective of the Ibero-Americans.
Ibero-American nations are those in North, South, Middle, or Central America considered a part of the continent, but where Portuguese, Spanish, or both languages are the most widely spoken.
On Central America’s Future in the Context of the Central American Federal Republic
Countries that lie between Mexico and Colombia are considered part of Central America by the Federal Republic of Central America. As far as Central America is concerned, the nations straddling the continent’s northern and southern hemispheres are considered part of it.
Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama make up this part of the globe.
Portugal defines Central America in this way.
According to Portugal, Central America consists of nations located between North America and South America, the archipelago of the Antilles, and the Dominican Republic.
Belize
- Belmopan is the capital city.
- English is the most widely used language in the world.
- 389,139 persons are in the population.
- 0.01 percent of the world’s population
- 8807 square miles is the total land area.
- A density of 44 persons per square mile.
Costa Rica
- San Jose is the capital of Costa Rica.
- Most often used lingua franca:
- There are 4,993,125 individuals in the whole country.
- 0.06 percent of the world’s population
- 19 714 square miles constitute the total land area.
- There are 250 individuals per square mile in this area.
El Salvador
- San Salvador is the country’s capital.
- Most often used lingua franca:
- 6,441,036 individuals comprise the total population.
- 0.08 percent of the world’s population
- Over 8,000 square miles in total
- There are 806 persons per square mile in the city of Los Angeles.
Guatemala
- Guatemala City is the country’s capital.
- Most often used lingua franca:
- Number of inhabitants: 17,531,375
- 0.23 percent of the world’s total population
- Total acreage: 41,375 acres
- The density of population: 425 inhabitants/square mile.
Honduras
- Governmental headquarters are at Tegucigalpa.
- Most often used lingua franca:
- 9,547,717 persons make up the total population.
- 0.12% of the world’s total population
- Area covered by this report: 43,201 square miles
- There are 221 individuals per square mile in this area.
Nicaragua
- Managua is the capital city.
- Most often used lingua franca:
- The total population is 6,342,123.
- 0.08 percent of the world’s population
- 46,464 square miles is the total land area.
- There are 137 persons per square mile in this city.
Also See: Caribbean Countries 2022
Panama
- Panamá City is the capital and largest city of Panama
- Most often used the Spanish language
- There are 4,217,420 individuals in the whole country.
- The total world population as a percentage: 0.05 %
- Number of square miles in the total: 28,703
- One hundred forty-seven persons per square mile are the population density.
| Country | 2022 Population |
|---|---|
| Belize | 412.1900 |
| Panama | 4446.9640 |
| Costa Rica | 5182.3540 |
| El Salvador | 6550.3890 |
| Nicaragua | 6779.1000 |
| Honduras | 10221.2470 |
| Guatemala | 18584.0390 |