Central America

Central America is the thin section of land that links the continent with the continent. Geographically part of North America, it is made up of seven small, mostly tropical countries that have much more in common with South…
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Essential Destinations

Top destinations include Guatemala and Nicaragua.

has a rich and distinctive culture from the extended mixing of Spanish settlers and the Maya people who are native to Central America. This diverse history and the natural beauty of the land have created a destination rich in interesting and scenic sites.

is the largest country in Central America by area and the least densely populated. Nicaraguans like to refer to their country as the "país de lagos y volcanes"; the country of lakes and volcanoes.

has bewilderingly diverse culture, climates, flora, and fauna, and landscapes range from rainforests, to dry tropical and temperate forests, to volcanoes, to Caribbean and Pacific beaches, to high mountains, and marshy lowlands.

Destinations to Discover

Explore places such as Honduras and Panama.

Photo: Wikimedia, CC0.
has colonial villages, ancient Maya ruins, natural parks, and a Pacific and Caribbean coastline and the Bay Islands, with great beaches and coral reefs where snorkeling and diving are exceptional by any standard.

is a country at the southern end of Central America. The country is known as the "Crossroads of the Americas" due to its location between and .

offers world-class attractions include exploring the lush jungles with exotic plants and animals, deep sea fishing, swimming, snorkelling and diving in the Caribbean Sea with its attractive reefs and visiting the Mayan ruins.

Photo: Wikimedia, CC0.
has many natural riches, such as beautiful and secluded beaches on the Pacific coast of Central America, majestic forests in the mountains and striking volcanoes.

Central America

Latitude of center
12.73° or 12° 43′ 48″ north
Longitude of center
-85.3° or 85° 18′ west
Population
180,000,000
Wiki­data ID
Q27611
This page is based on Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons, and Wikivoyage.
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Satellite Map

Discover Central America from above in high-definition satellite imagery.

In Other Languages

From Achinese to Zulu—“Central America” goes by many names.
  • Achinese: Amirika Teungoh
  • Achinese: Amirika Teungöh
  • Afrikaans: Sentraal-Amerika
  • Albanian: Amerika Qendrore
  • Amharic: መካከለኛ አሜሪካ
  • Arabic: أمريكا الوسطى
  • Aragonese: America Central
  • Armenian: Կենտրոնական Ամերիկա
  • Arpitan: Amèrica centrâla
  • Asturian: América Central
  • Azerbaijani: Mərkəzi Amerika
  • Balinese: Amérika Tengah
  • Bambara: Cema Amerika
  • Bashkir: Үҙәк Америка
  • Basque: Erdialdeko Amerika
  • Batak Toba: Amerika Tonga
  • Belarusian: Цэнтральная Амерыка
  • Belarusian: Цэнтральная Амэрыка
  • Bengali: মধ্য আমেরিকা
  • Bhojpuri: मध्य अमेरिका
  • Bislama: Sentrol Amerika
  • Breton: Kreizamerika
  • Bulgarian: Централна Америка
  • Burmese: ဗဟိုအမေရိက
  • Catalan: Amèrica Central
  • Cebuano: Amerika Sentral
  • Central Kurdish: ئەمریکای ناوەندی
  • Chavacano: Centroamerica
  • Chinese: Tiong Bí-chiu
  • Chinese: 中美洲
  • Chuvash: Вăта Америка
  • Cornish: Amerika Gres
  • Croatian: Srednja Amerika
  • Czech: Amerika
  • Czech: Střední Amerika
  • Danish: Mellemamerika
  • Dimli (individual language): Amerika Miyanên
  • Dimli (individual language): Amerika Miyanêne
  • Dutch: Centraal-Amerika
  • Egyptian Arabic: امريكا الوسطى
  • Esperanto: Centr-Ameriko
  • Esperanto: Centra Ameriko
  • Esperanto: Centrameriko
  • Estonian: Kesk-Ameerika
  • Faroese: Miðamerika
  • Finnish: Keski-Amerikka
  • French: Amérique centrale
  • Friulian: Americhe centrâl
  • Galician: América Central
  • Georgian: ცენტრალური ამერიკა
  • German: Mittelamerika
  • German: Zentralamerika
  • Gilaki: مرکزي آمريکا
  • Greek: Κεντρική Αμερική
  • Guarani: Mbyte Amérika
  • Guarani: Mbyteamérika
  • Guianese Creole French: Lanmérik santral
  • Hakka Chinese: Chûng Mî-chû
  • Hebrew: אמריקה המרכזית
  • Hindi: केंद्रीय अमेरिका
  • Hindi: मध्य अमेरिका
  • Hungarian: Közép-Amerika
  • Icelandic: Mið-Ameríka
  • Ido: Central Amerika
  • Ido: Central-Amerika
  • Iloko: Tengnga nga Amerika
  • Inari Sami: Koskâ-Amerik
  • Inari Sami: Kuovdâ-Amerik
  • Indonesian: Amerika Tengah
  • Ingush: Юкъера Америка
  • Interlingua: America Central
  • Irish: Meiriceá Láir
  • Italian: America centrale
  • Italian: America Centrale
  • Jamaican Creole English: Senchral Amoerka
  • Japanese: 中央アメリカ
  • Javanese: Amérika Tengah
  • Javanese: Amérikah Tengah
  • Kabyle: Tamrikt Talemmast
  • Kadazan Dusun: Amirika Hongkod
  • Kalaallisut: Amerika Qilerleq
  • Kannada: ಮಧ್ಯ ಅಮೇರಿಕ
  • Kara-Kalpak: Orayliq Amerika
  • Kara-Kalpak: Oraylıq Amerika
  • Kazakh: Орталық Америка
  • Khmer: អាមេរិក កណ្ដាល
  • Khmer: អាមេរិកកណ្ដាល
  • Kinaray-A: Kaamerikhan Natung·an
  • Kinaray-A: Natung·an nga Kaamerikhan
  • Kirghiz: Борбордук Америка
  • Kongo: Amelika ya Kati
  • Korean: 중미
  • Korean: 중앙아메리카
  • Kotava: Istefa Amerika
  • Kurdish: Amerîkaya Navîn
  • Ladin: America zentrela
  • Lao: ອາເມລິກາກາງ
  • Latin: America Centralis
  • Latin: Media America
  • Latvian: Centrālamerika
  • Ligurian: Stati de l’America do Nòrd e Çentrâ
  • Limburgan: Midde-Amerika
  • Lingua Franca Nova: America Sentral
  • Lithuanian: Centrinė Amerika
  • Lower Sorbian: Srjejźna Amerika
  • Luxembourgish: Zentralamerika
  • Macedonian: Средна Америка
  • Malagasy: Amerika Afovoany
  • Malay: Amerika Tengah
  • Malayalam: മദ്ധ്യ അമേരിക്ക (സെൻട്രൽ അമേരിക്ക)
  • Malayalam: മദ്ധ്യ അമേരിക്ക
  • Manx: America Veanagh
  • Marathi: मध्य अमेरिका
  • Min Dong Chinese: Dṳ̆ng Mī-ciŭ
  • Min Nan Chinese: Tiong Bí-chiu
  • Minangkabau: Amerika Tangah
  • Mingrelian: ცენტრალური ამერიკა
  • Mongolian: Төв Америк
  • Narom: Améthique Centrale
  • Neapolitan: Amèreca cèntrale
  • Nepali: केन्द्रीय अमेरिका
  • Northern Sami: Gaska-Amerihkká
  • Norwegian Bokmål: Mellom-Amerika
  • Norwegian Bokmål: Sentral-Amerika
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: Mellom-Amerika
  • Norwegian: Mellom-Amerika
  • Occitan (post 1500): America Centrala
  • Old English (ca. 450-1100): Middelamerica
  • Oromo: Ameerikaa Giddu Galeessaa
  • Ossetian: Центрон Америкæ
  • Pampanga: Kalibudtang America
  • Pampanga: Kalibudtang Amerika
  • Panjabi: ਕੇਂਦਰੀ ਅਮਰੀਕਾ
  • Papiamento: Amérika Sentral
  • Persian: آمریکای مرکزی
  • Picard: Anmérike chintrale
  • Pitcairn-Norfolk: Sentril Merika
  • Polish: Ameryka Centralna
  • Polish: Ameryka Środkowa
  • Portuguese: América Central
  • Quechua: Chawpi Awya Yala
  • Romanian: America Centrală
  • Russian: Центральная Америка
  • Rusyn: Середня Америка
  • Samoan: Central Amelika
  • Samogitian: Cėntrėnė Amerėka
  • Santali: ᱛᱟᱞᱢᱟ ᱟᱢᱮᱨᱤᱠᱟ
  • Sardinian: Amèrica Tzentrale
  • Scots: Central Americae
  • Scottish Gaelic: Aimearaga Mheadhanach
  • Serbian: Средња Америка
  • Serbian: Централна Америка
  • Serbo-Croatian: Centralna Amerika
  • Sicilian: Amèrica cintrali
  • Silesian: Cyntralnŏ Ameryka
  • Sindhi: وچ آمريڪا
  • Sinhala: මධ්‍යම ඇමරිකාව
  • Skolt Sami: Kõskk-Amerikk
  • Slovak: Stredná Amerika
  • Slovenian: Medmorska Amerika
  • Somali: Bartamaha Ameerika
  • South Azerbaijani: اورتا آمریکا
  • Spanish: America Central
  • Spanish: América Central
  • Spanish: America del Centro
  • Spanish: América del Centro
  • Spanish: Centroamérica y el Caribe
  • Spanish: Centroamerica
  • Spanish: Centroamérica
  • Standard Moroccan Tamazight: ⵜⴰⵎⵔⵉⴽⵜ ⵜⴰⵏⴰⵎⵎⴰⵙⵜ
  • Swedish: Centralamerika
  • Tagalog: Gitnang Amerika
  • Tajik: Амрикои Марказӣ
  • Tamil: நடு அமெரிக்கா
  • Tatar: Үзәк Америка
  • Thai: อเมริกากลาง
  • Tok Pisin: Sentrel Amerika
  • Turkish: Orta Amerika
  • Tyap: Amerika A̱ka̱wa̱tyia̱
  • Udmurt: Шор Америка
  • Uighur: ئوتتۇرا ئامېرىكا
  • Ukrainian: Центральна Америка
  • Upper Sorbian: Srjedźna Amerika
  • Urdu: وسطی امریکا
  • Urdu: وسطی امریکہ
  • Uzbek: Markaziy Amerika
  • Venetian: amèrica sentrałe
  • Venetian: Amèrica Sentrałe
  • Vietnamese: Trung Mĩ
  • Vietnamese: Trung Mỹ
  • Vlaams: Centroal-Amerika
  • Võro: Kesk-Ameeriga
  • Walloon: Mîtrinne Amerike
  • Waray (Philippines): Butnga nga Amerika
  • Welsh: Canolbarth America
  • Western Frisian: Sintraal-Amearika
  • Western Panjabi: گبھلا امریکا
  • Western Panjabi: وسطی امریکا
  • Wolof: Diggu Aamerig
  • Wu Chinese: 中美洲
  • Yakut: Орто Америка
  • Yiddish: צענטראל-אמעריקע
  • Yiddish: צענטראל־אמעריקע
  • Yoruba: Àrin Amẹ́ríkà
  • Yue Chinese: 中美洲
  • Zeeuws: Centraol-Amerika
  • Zulu: IMelika Wenkaba
  • Amerika Tengah
  • Cėntrėnė Amerėka
  • Kesk-Ameeriga
  • मध्य अमेरिका

North America: Must-Visit Destinations

Delve into United States, Canada, Caribbean, and Mexico.

Explore These Curated Destinations

Discover places selected for their distinct character and enduring appeal.
About Mapcarta. Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, except for photos, directions, and the map. Description text is based on the Wikivoyage page “Central America”. Photo: Wikimedia, CC0.