.svg) | |
| Area | 2,728,827 km2 (1,053,606 sq mi) |
|---|---|
| Population (2022) | 224,017,764 |
| Countries | |
| Dependencies | 18
|
| GDP | $1.416 229 trillion (PPP, 2005 est.) |
| Major languages | Spanish,English,French,Mayan,Nahuatl,Antillean Creole,Haitian Creole, and others |
| Time zones | UTC−04:00 (Barbados) to UTC−08:00 (Baja California) |
| Largest cities | |
Middle America is asubregion in theNorthern Hemispheretropics of theAmericas. It usually includesMexico, the seven countries ofCentral America, and the 13island countries and 18 territories of theCaribbean. Together withNorthern America, they form the continent ofNorth America.
Colombia andVenezuela ofCaribbean South America are sometimes included in this subregion. The Caribbean is occasionally excluded from this subregion whileThe Guianas are infrequently included.[1][2][3]
Physiographically, Middle America marks the territorial transition betweenNorthern America andSouth America, connecting yet separating the two.[4] On the west, the Middle American mainland comprises the tapering,isthmian tract of the Americanlandmass between the southernRocky Mountains in the southernUnited States and the northern tip of theAndes in Colombia,[5] separating thePacific Ocean on the west and theAtlantic Ocean (viz. theGulf of Mexico andCaribbean Sea) on the east, while theGreater andLesser Antilles form anisland arc in the east.[4] The region developedsubaerially southward from North America as a complexvolcanic arc-trench system during theEarly Cretaceous period, eventually forming the land bridge during thePliocene epoch when its southern end (at Panama) collided with South America throughtectonic action.[6]
Small island nations are excluded. Puerto Rico is in italics due to not being independent.
| Country /Territory | Population | Area (km2) | Density (people per km2) | Capital |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Mexico | 127,575,529 | 1,943,945 | 65.6 | Mexico City |
 Guatemala | 17,581,472 | 107,158 | 164.1 | Guatemala City |
 Cuba | 11,333,483 | 109,883 | 103.1 | Havana |
 Haiti | 11,263,770 | 27,557 | 408.7 | Port-au-Prince |
 Dominican Republic | 10,738,958 | 48,329 | 222.2 | Santo Domingo |
 Honduras | 9,746,117 | 111,888 | 87.1 | Tegucigalpa |
 Nicaragua | 6,545,502 | 119,994 | 54.5 | Managua |
 El Salvador | 6,453,553 | 20,720 | 311.5 | San Salvador |
 Costa Rica | 5,047,561 | 51,049 | 98.9 | San José |
 Panama | 4,246,439 | 74,333 | 57.1 | Panama City |
 Jamaica | 2,948,279 | 10,831 | 272.2 | Kingston |
 Puerto Rico | 3,205,691 | 9,100 | 352.2 | San Juan |
 Belize | 390,353 | 22,805 | 17.1 | Belmopan |
 Bahamas | 389,482 | 9,997 | 39.0 | Nassau |
| Total | 217,193,906 | 2,667,589 | 81.4 |
Occasionally, the term Middle America is used synonymously with Central America[3] (compare withMiddle Africa andCentral Africa). In English, the term is uncommonly used as a synonym of the termMesoamerica (orMeso-America),[5][7] which generally refers to an ancientculture region situated in Middle America extending roughly from central Mexico to northernCosta Rica.[8] In addition, some residents of the region (e.g., Costa Ricans andNicaraguans) may be referred to as Meso-Americans or Central Americans, but not, however, asMiddle Americans, which refers to a particular constituency in the United States.[9]
Mexico, Central America, and the West Indies, to which the term is normally applicable, share a general [geographic] focus .... For some ... "Middle America" refers only to Mexico and Central America; others add the West Indies and, infrequently, evenColombia,Venezuela, andThe Guianas. Occasionally, the term "Central America" is used synonymously with "Middle America". Also, German geographers often refer to just the isthmian territories from Panama to Guatemala asMittelamerika.
17°24′00″N91°00′00″W / 17.4000°N 91.0000°W /17.4000; -91.0000
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