Title: Chapter 5: Middle America – World Regional Geography
Headings: Chapter 5: Middle America
Chapter 5: Middle America
Identifying the Boundaries

Content: The Caribbean region is surrounded by bodies of salt water: the Caribbean Sea in the center, the Gulf of Mexico to the west, and the North Atlantic to the east. Central America refers to the seven states south of Mexico: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. Panama borders the South American country of Colombia. During the colonial era, Panama was included in the part of South America controlled by the Spanish. The Pacific Ocean borders Central America to the west, and the Caribbean Sea borders these countries to the east. While most of the republics have both a Caribbean and a Pacific coastline, Belize has only a Caribbean coast, and El Salvador has only a Pacific coast. Figure 5.1 Middle America: Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America
Central America includes the countries south of Mexico through Panama.