International Travel and Culture Exam 2 Notes Central America and South America Tuesday 1 21 14 Belize several religious groups have settled here They do citrus farming Only English speaking country in Central America Problem with developing tourism in Guatemala is political instability Political unrest in El Salvador Reached a Peace agreement Afterwards not many jobs for soldiers so they formed vicious gangs Poorest country in Central America Nicaragua Nicaragua was ruled by one family Somosa family Now has elections Ortega is in power Close to Castro in Cuba politically Stable through tourism picking up rapidly All of Central America was part of Mexico Belize Little is known about life in Belize prior to the arrival of the explorers in the 1500 s The Spanish ignored Belize Shipwrecked British sailors established the first European settlement in 1638 The colony was called British Honduras until 1973 Became independent in 1981 Barrier Reef Principal Tourist attraction Ranks as the world s second longest Reef runs parallel to the coast The ridges are called cayes More than 200 isles The two largest are Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye San Pedro is the most important access point for dive sites Northern Belize Western Belize La Ruta Maya begins north of Belize City Altun Ha is extensively excavated The head of the sun god carved in jade the national symbol was found here Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary found in northern Belize San Ignacio is the district s center and base for exploration of the area Mostly a savanna gives way to Maya mountains Maya site of Caracol which rivals Tikal another great Mayan city Central America s largest cave system Chiquibul Caves Southern Belize Considered by many as the place to visit in Belize Dangriga is the area s largest town The inhabitants are descendants of black Caribs who fled Honduras after failed revolt November 19th is the Garifuna Settlement Day Costa Rica Linked with ecotourism One of the world s best systems of national parks 25 of its territory is protected Coasts on the Pacific and the Caribbean Most of the population lives in the central part of the country San Jose is Lies between Panama and Nicaragua located here Only slightly larger than New Hampshire and Vermont combined Natural diversity provides tourists with many experiences Puntarenas principal Pacific port Puerto Caldera to the south is where most cruise liners come Parks and biological reserves Volcan Poas the most visited park steam belching crater fumaroles San Jose the capital was founded in 1737 Located in the agricultural center of the country bubbling vents in the Earth s crust Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve in western Costa Rica Tortuaguero National Park in the northeastern part of the country important nesting site for green turtles Other species like monkeys and jaguars also inhabit the park The Pacific coast resorts are popular for sport fishing and surfing Nicoya Peninsula site for many new hotels Liberia is the area s principal town Airport has daily flights to San Jose Approximately 145 miles north of San Jose on the Pan American highway Tuesday 1 28 14 Belize 2nd longest barrier reef in the world 120 130 miles Hurricane destroyed Belize City the original capital Coastline facing the Caribbean Capital is Belmopan Costa Rica Tropical rainforest Decided not to have a military Put money into education and health 90 of the population are from European descent 2 basic crops coffee and bananas Mostly derived from tourism English is widely spoken Panama Belonged to Columbia at one point Come in from NW through Caribbean Sea leave SE by boat Coming from Pacific and entering the canal is coming from Southeast The crossroads of the world Caribbean Sea is to the North and the Pacific to the South 2nd highest standard of living Approximately the size of South Carolina 1 3 of the country is tropical rainforest Much of it is protected by the government English is widely spoken Key for banking Panama City is a very modern city Many rivers and more than 1 600 islands More than 940 recorded bird species Attracts many eco tourists 19th century Panama was part of the Gran Columbia During colonial times the Spaniards built a road across Panama to carry gold Soberania National Park borders the Panama Canal from Peru 1878 Columbian government awarded a contract to build a canal to the French diplomat Ferdinand Lesseps builder of the Suez Canal in Egypt He was a civil engineer and ambassador Tropical diseases malaria yellow fever prevented the French from building Theodore Roosevelt was President 1903 the U S pushed Panama to revolt against Columbia Panama became an independent country and allowed the U S to build the the canal canal Called the Big Ditch Built across the narrowest point 51 miles Took 10 years to build at a cost of 352 million and 5 609 lives Opened in 1914 U S control of the canal ended in 1999 Takes a ship 8 to 10 hours to cross the canal average Colon is the entry city in the Caribbean Sea Panama City is the capital entry city from the Pacific Darien gap links the area between the canal and Columbia The Cuna Indians live here Have their own language but speak Spanish Self governing and live according to ancient ways San Blas Islands Panama s largest archipelago group of islands Guatemala Very green Montagua old capital Open markets Civil war kept people away Guatemala City is the capital and largest city One of the most beautiful countries in Central America Antigua is a colonial city center of weaving industry A deep blue Caldera surrounded by 3 volcanoes 12 Indian villages Tikal is one of the greatest Mayan cities with many ruins key travel Shares borders with Honduras El Salvador Mexico and Belize Lake Atitlan is a mile high lake destination Many fly from Guatemala City More than 2 000 structures are hidden in tropical rain forest Tegucigalpa is the capital Most of the territory is covered by mountains The Mosquito Coast is located in the NE and is mostly uninhabited The name comes from the Miskito Indians El Copan are Mayan ruins near the border of Guatemala Not much tourism Very poor Honduras Ecotourism is expanding Surfing on the Pacific coastline El Salvador San Salvador capital Country in Central America Does not have a coastline in the Caribbean Coastline facing the Pacific Highest density population in square miles but smallest country Nicaragua Maragua is the largest city and the capital The largest but most sparsely populated country in the region
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