Transcript CENTRAL AMERICA

Central America and the
Panama Canal
Directions: Copy all
notes in gold.
CENTRAL AMERICA
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LAND
Central America
consists of the
countries: Belize,
Guatemala, El
Salvador, Honduras,
Nicaragua, Costa
Rica, and Panama
Central America is a
land bridge (or
isthmus) between
North America and
South America
CENTRAL AMERICA
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•
LAND
Surrounded by the
Pacific Ocean and
the Caribbean Sea
The mountains of
Central America
make it hard for
transportation and
communication
Climate is Tropical,
~Why?
Central America has
lots of Rain Forests
CENTRAL AMERICA
ECONOMY
• Farming is an
•
important
economic activity
of Central America
(Plantations)
What is
subsistence
farming?
CENTRAL AMERICA
ECONOMY
• Lumber industry is
•
•
also an important
economic activity in
Central America
Deforestation is a
major problem.
What is deforestation?
CENTRAL AMERICA
ECONOMY
• Tourism is another
important economic
activity in Central
America
• Tourist go Central
America to see the
natural wonders
(ecotourism) and the
Mayan ruins. Not to
mention, it’s beautiful
there.
• Costa Rica has
actually set aside ¼ of
its rain forest as
national parks
CENTRAL AMERICA
HISTORY
• Central America was
home to the Olmec
and Maya Indians
• In the 1500’s, guess
which European
country shows up?
• Native Americans
were wiped out,
Africans were brought
over as slaves, and
cultures blending
together!
CENTRAL AMERICA
HISTORY
• Most Central
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Americans are free
from Spain by
1821, except…
Panama gains
independence from
Columbia in 1903
with help from
U.S.A.
Why did U.S.A. help
out?
Panama Canal!
CENTRAL AMERICA
GOVERNMNENT
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All Central American
countries are
democratic, meaning
the have government
by the people!
(People can vote!
6 of the 7 are
Republics, with
Belize being the only
Parliamentary
Democracy.
CENTRAL AMERICA
PEOPLE/CULTURE
• About 50 million
people live in Central
America
• Spanish is the official
language, except for
Belize.
• About ½ the
population lives in
rural areas
• Most are Roman
Catholic
– Why would they be
Catholic?
PANAMA (the country and it’s a canal)
• First attempts to
•
build the Panama
Canal were in 1881
by the French
1903 Panama
signed a treaty
with the US
allowing for the
construction of a
canal and US
control over a strip
of land on either
side of the
structure (the
Panama Canal
Zone)
PANAMA (the country and it’s a canal)
• 1904 the US
continues
construction on
the canal (and we
finish it, in 10
short years!)
• What was the hold
up?
– Disease &
dangerous
conditions
PANAMA
• The canal provided a
7,000 mile shorter trip
from the Atlantic to
the Pacific
• In 1977, an
agreement was signed
for the complete
transfer of the Canal
from the US to
Panama by the end of
the century. Final
control was given
back to Panama on
Dec. 31st, 1999.
PANAMA (and it’s canal)
• Over ½ of
Panama’s 3 million
live and work in
the area of the
canal
• Panama began a
Canal expansion
project in 2007
and is scheduled to
be completed by
2014 at a cost of
$5.3 billion (about
25% of current
GDP)
Closing Activity
PANAMA ACROSTIC DIRECTIONS: Create an
acrostic poem on the Panama Canal using facts
from this PowerPoint. Each fact must be at least 5
words and in a complete sentence.
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