4. Mexico Capital: Mexico City The United Mexican States of Mexico is a federal republic made up of 31 states and one Federal District, which contains the capital, Mexico City. Article 49 of the constitution provides that the federal government is divided in three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial.
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6. Surrounded by mountains and volcanoes, it was a center for several pre-Columbian civilizations, including Teotihuacan, the Toltec, and the Aztec.
7. Chichen Itza A large pre-Columbian archaeological site built by the Maya civilization located in the northern center of the Yucatán Peninsula, in the Yucatán state, present-day Mexico.
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9. Guatemala During the second half of the 20th century, it experienced a variety of military and civilian governments as well as a 36-year guerrilla war. In 1996, the government signed a peace agreement formally ending the conflict, which had led to the death of more than 100,000 people and had created some 1 million refugees. Capital: Guatemala City
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11. Gua t ema l a Miguel Ángel Asturias, named Nobel Laureate in 1967, wrote "Only Guatemala is comparable to itself," describing it as "a land of natural dreamscapes ... mysterious presences and absences." Tikal, the largest known Mayan city, is incomparable in the same way; its size imposing and intimidating, its setting lush and teeming with wildlife.
13. Belize Territorial disputes between the UK and Guatemala delayed the independence of Belize (formerly British Honduras) until 1981. Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation until 1992. Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy. Capital: Belmopan
19. Situated on the Pacific coast of Central America, El Salvador is the smallest of the Central American countries, with an area equal to that of Massachusetts. Most of the country is on a fertile volcanic plateau about 2,000 ft. high.
20. With approximately 6.7 million peopl e, it is the most densely populated nation on the American mainland It is also the most industrialized country in the region. El Salvador
24. El Salvador A 12-year civil war, which cost about 75,000 lives, was brought to a close in 1992 when the government and leftist rebels signed a treaty that provided for military and political reforms. GDP per capita is roughly only half that of Brazil, Argentina, and Chile, and the distribution of income is highly unequal. Sacred capilla de El Salvador
25. MS-13 This gang, aka Mara Salvatrucha 13, is one of the most violently dangerous gangs in the United States - and one of the most organized. One of many 15-year-olds currently incarcerated in El S alvador
28. In 1992, El Salvador began a nationwide highway development program. As a result, the nation boasts one of the finest highway systems in Central America with over 20 percent of the 10,000 kilometer road network paved and in good condition. Infrastru cture
29. Economy The trade deficit has been offset by annual remittances of almost $2 billion from Salvadorans living abroad and external aid. The government is striving to open new export markets, encourage foreign investment, modernize the tax and healthcare systems, and stimulate the sluggish economy.
30. Agriculture Agriculture defined the economic life of El Salvador well before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in the early 1500s, and, despite some modest advances in industrial capacity, agriculture has continued to dominate the nation's wealth, social structure, and political dynamics. Minister of Foreign Affairs Eugene Chien, center, holds a starfruit as he talks with El Salvador's Agriculture Minister Salvador Urrutia
34. Honduras Part of Spain's empire in the New World, Honduras became an independent nation in 1821. After two and one-half decades of mostly military rule, a freely elected civilian government came to power in 1982.
38. Nicaragua Nicaragua is located in Central America, bordered by Honduras and Costa Rica. Daniel Ortega Saavedra was president of Nicaragua from 1985-1990. As one of the leading commanders of the Sandinista forces that ousted Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza in July 1979, he became head of the ruling junta in the subsequent leftist regime.
39. Costa Rica One of Central America's smallest countries, Costa Rica is its most economically and socially advanced with a long tradition of democracy. It is also one of the safest and friendliest countries to visit in Latin America, with an incredible degree of biodiversity.
43. Costa Rica From the spectacular volcanoes that surround the Meseta Central , fast flowing rivers fall steeply away through lush tropical rainforest towards the Caribbean or Pacific coasts.
47. Central American rain forest The tropical rain forest is a forest of tall trees in a region of year-round warmth. An average of 50 to 260 inches of rain falls yearly. Rain forests belong to the tropical wet climate group. The temperature in a rain forest rarely gets higher than 93 °F or drops below 68 °F ; average humidity is between 77 and 88%.
