HFT NOTES FROM CLASS FOR TEST 2 BELIZE Little is known before 1500 when explorers found it Spanish ignored Belize 1638 shipwrecked BR sailors establish English settlement Called British Honduras until 1973 Barrier Reef and the Cayes Barrier Reef Principal Tourist Attraction 2nd largest world ranked the first was the Australian Reef Reef parallels to coast Ridges called cayes More than 200 isles Caye Caulker and Ambergris Cave are the two largest cayes San Pedro most important access point for dive sites Northern Belize La Ruta Maya begins north of Belize City Altun Ha extensively excavated The head of a Sun God carved in jade national symbol founded here Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary founded in Northern Belize Western Belize The savanna southwest of Belize City gives way to Maya Mountains that are covered in rain forest San Ignacio districts center and base for exploration area Maya site of Caracol which rivals Tikal Central America s largest cave system Chiquibul caves March May best time to explore Southern Belize The place to visit Dangriga area s largest town Inhabitants descendants of black Caribs who fled Honduras during the revolt November 19th Garifuna Settlement Day COSTA RICA originally belonged to Spain Linked with Ecotourism World s best systems of National Parks 25 territory protected Between Panama and Nicaragua Coasts Pacific and Caribbean Most of the population lives in central part of country San Jose is located here Only slightly larger than New Hampshire and Vermont combined Natural diversity provides tourists with many experiences Puntarenas principal Pacific port Puerto Caldera toe the S is where most cruise liners come to San Jose is the capital founded in 1737 o There was a volcano and the people of San Jose would not give up or leave the city o It is pretty and architecturally colonial styled o Located in the agricultural center of the country o Coffee trees surround the city o Known for the nightlife o Maybe the base for visits to other parts of the country o Butterfly farm coffee plantation Sarchi s oxcart factory oxcarts are called carretas Parks and Biological Reserves Volcan Poas is the most visited park in the country o Steam belching craters and fumaroles bubbling vents in the earth s crust Monteverde Cloud Forest reserve is in Western Costa Rica Tortugauero National Park is in the NE o is an important nesting site for the green leatherback and hawksbill turtles o Home to monkeys jaguars and many other species Pacific Coast resorts are popular for sport fishing and surfing o Nicoya Peninsula site for many new hotels o Liberia is the area s town o The airport has daily flights to San Jose o It is approximately 145 miles north of San Jose on the Pan American Highway PANAMA Crossroads of the world Carribean Sea to the North and the Pacific to the South Approx size of South Carolina 1 3 of country is a tropical rainforest o Much of which is protected by the government Soberiania National Park borders the Panama Canal Has many rivers more than 1 600 islands Has over 940 species of bird Attracts many eco tourists In colonial times Spaniards built road across Panama to carry gold from Peru In the 19th century Panama was part of the Gran Colombia 1878 Colombian government awarded contract to build the canal to a French diplomat named Ferdinand Leoseps he had already built the Suez canal o Tropical disease malaria yellow fever etc prevented the French from building the canal Theodore Roosevelt wanted to take over the project o Colombians refused o Panamanians wanted the canal so the US provided funds to help the Panamanian revolt against Colombia o 1904 started to build the canal took 10 yrs 1914 completed the big ditch as it was called by the workers o 5609 men died building the canal o Approx 51 miles it was the closest point between the Pacific and the Atlantic o Cost 352 million o They couldn t build during the rainy season o US control of the canal ended in 1999 o The average ship takes 8 10 hours to cross o Ship sails from the Atlantic toe the Pacific from NW to SE Colon is the entry city from the Caribbean Panama City the capital is the entry city from the Pacific Darien gap links Central America to South America o It is the only gap in the Pan American Highway The San Blas Islands is Panama s largest archipelago o Often visited by cruise ships o Cuna Indians lives on the islands Self governing and live according to ancient ways Have their own language but speak Spanish GUATAMALA Borders Honduras El Salvador Mexico and Belize Guatemala City the capital largest city One of the most beautiful countries in Central America Antigua is a colonial city center of weaving industry Lake Atitlan mile high lake Deep blue caldera surrounded by 3 volcanos and 12 Indian villages Tikal is the greatest Mayan cities near the border of Belize You can fly from Guatemala City to Tikal o It is a small plane o During the wet season it is hard to see where you are flying a little scary o Most would rather drive during the dry season o Plus Tikal looks better when there isn t a rain cloud hanging around it More than 2000 structures are hidden in the tropical rainforest HONDURAS Between Nicaragua Guatemala and El Salvador Tegucigalpa the capital Most of the territory is mountain covered the Mosquito Coast aka La Mosquitia located in the NE which is mostly uninhabited o Named after the Miskito Indians El Copan are Mayan ruins near the border of Guatemala EL SALVADOR Smallest and most densely populated in Central America No coastline in the Caribbean Sea San Salvador is the capital city Heavy guerrilla warfare in the 80 s o When it was over the child soldiers didn t have jobs so a large gang population was created o They created some of the most vicious gangs in Latin America and the world Politically very unstable NICARAGUA Between Honduras and Costa Rica Managua the Capital is the largest city Largest but most sparsely populated country Slightly larger in size than the state of New York SOUTH AMERICA The North has the Isthmus of Panama mostly surrounded by water Tierra de Fuego is 700 miles from Antarctica Mountains jungles and ancient civilizations Bolivia and Paraguay are the only two countries that are land locked in SA Colombia Ecuador Peru and Chile border the Pacific Beaches have cold water Brazil occupies of the continent about the size of the continental United States Venezuela Guyana Suriname and the French dependency of French Guiana are on the North coast along
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