Region in the southernmost portion of North America, linked to South America by the Isthmus of Panama; includes Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.
Note: Countries in Central America (except for Belize and Costa Rica) are characterized by unstable governments and very low per capita income.
Note: The United States government has often taken the position that Central American affairs directly affect American interests. Accordingly, it has often provided financial and military aid to Central American governments and occasionally intervened militarily.
southernmost region of North America, lying between Mexico and South America and comprising Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Belize. (Geologists and physical geographers sometimes extend the northern boundary to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Mexico.