Catalog Search Results
Author
Language
English
Description
Central America is the name given to the southern part of the isthmus that separates North America and South America. This position has given it an important strategic role in international affairs. Amerindians once dominated this region, with the Mayan civilization in particular exerting a strong influence. In the 16th century, Europeans arrived in Central America; they conquered the natives and established colonies throughout the region. Today,...
2) El Salvador
Author
Language
English
Description
El Salvador is the smallest and most densely populated country in Central America. The country has had many problems since gaining independence from Spain in 1821. Political unrest and coup d'é·tat were common, and a violent civil war that raged from 1980 until 1992 resulted in more than 75,000 deaths and 1 million Salvadorans displaced from their homes. The turmoil in El Salvador is not only political: the country is located in an area known as...
3) Guatemala
Author
Language
English
Description
With more than 15 million residents, Guatemala is the most populous country in Central America. It is bordered to the north by Mexico, and to the east by Belize, El Salvador, and Honduras. In Guatemala the ruins of ancient Mayan temples rise above jungle vegetation, and churches and forts from the Spanish colonial period stand next to modern architecture in cities like Guatemala City, Mixco, and Villa Nueva. From 1960 until 1996, Guatemala was torn...
4) Nicaragua
Author
Language
English
Description
Nicaragua is the largest Central American country by area, covering more than 50,000 square miles (130,000 sq. km). It is a land of beaches lapped by sparkling seawater, deep forests, long winding rivers, colonial cities, ancient Amerindian temples and cities, and a huge freshwater lake - the only lake in the world with sharks in it! From the 1920s until 1979, Nicaragua was ruled by the corrupt Somoza family, which was supported by the United States....
5) Costa Rica
Author
Language
English
Description
When Spanish explorers landed on the coast of Central America, they found Amerindian tribes wearing gold jewelry. As a result, the named the region Costa Rica, Spanish for "rich coast." The Spaniards would find Costa Rica to be relatively poor in the resources they desired, particularly gold and silver. However, the country is rich in breathtaking natural beauty, including tall mountains and volcanoes, white beaches, plunging waterfalls, tropical...
6) Panama
Author
Language
English
Description
This narrow strip of land - only 30 miles (48 km) wide at its narrowest point, and rarely wider than 75 miles (121 km) at any spot - contains one of the world's great engineering marvels: the Panama Canal, known to the world as "the path between the seas." Fees paid by the ships that pass through the canal make up a large part of Panama's economy. Panama's government has historically been democratic, holding fair elections for leaders, although corruption...
7) Belize
Author
Language
English
Description
Belize, a small country that became independent in 1981, possesses lush forests, a beautiful coastline, and a lifestyle that appeals to vacationers. It is bordered to the north by Mexico, and to the south and west by Guatemala. Off the coast of Belize, in the Caribbean Sea, is a 190-mile (300 km) long barrier reef that is home to many unusual plants and animals. It is the only country in Central America where English, not Spanish, is the official...
8) Honduras
Author
Language
English
Description
Honduras is located in the heart of Central America. It is bordered to the south by Nicaragua and El Salvador, and to the west by Guatemala. Once a center for the Mayan civilization, Honduras was colonized by Spain during the 16th century. Three centuries of colonial rule produced a civilization that blended Spanish and native customs and culture. Since gaining independence from Spain in 1821, Honduras has experienced a great deal of political instability,...
Author
Publisher
Birlinn Ltd
Pub. Date
2016.
Physical Desc
1 online resource (296 pages)
Language
English
Description
The Company of Scotland and its attempts to establish the colony of Caledonia on the inhospitable isthmus of Panama in the late seventeenth century is one of the most tragic moments of Scottish history. It could have been a triumph, but inadequate preparation and organization ensured it was a catastrophe - of the 3000 settlers who set sail in 1688 and 1699, only a handful returned, the rest having succumbed to disease, and the enormous financial loss...
Author
Publisher
Chicago Review Press
Pub. Date
2011.
Physical Desc
1 online resource (272 pages)
Language
English
Description
"I cannot imagine a better chronicler of this time and place than McConahay." --Richard Rodriguez, PBS News Hour and author of Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez and Brown: The Last Discovery of America [An] extraordinary travel memoir. --Laura Fraser, author of An Italian Affair and All Over the Map "Superb... McConahay is one of the region's finest journalists, who writes with the reporter's sharp eye, and the heart of witness."...
13) 500 nations
Publisher
Warner Home Video
Pub. Date
c2004
Physical Desc
4 DVDs (372 min.) : sd., col. ; 4 3/4 in. + 1 CD-ROM (sd., col. ; 4 3/4 in.) + 1 booklet (unpaged : col. ill. ; 18 cm.)
Language
English
Description
"500 Nations is an eight-part documentary that looks back at life in North America before the arrival of the Europeans, then follows the epic struggles of Indian Nations as the continent is reshaped by contact"--Booklet.
Author
Publisher
Morrow Junior Books
Pub. Date
c1996
Physical Desc
40 p. : col. ill., col. map ; 26 cm.
Language
English
Description
Provides information about the quetzal, a beautiful bird found in Mexico and Central America, and about its significance in the lives and beliefs of ancient Mesoamerican peoples.
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