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Antigua

Antigua

Antigua

Antigua

Antigua Flag

• Antigua’s sister island is Barbuda, a 15-minute plane ride away.• Antigua has 365 beaches, one for each day

of the year.• Antigua was named by Christopher

Columbus in honor of a Spanish saint.• The sugar industry thrived for nearly

200 years.• Vehicles travel on the left side of the road.

Antigua Facts

Bahamas

Bahamas

Bahamas

Bahamas

Bahamas Flag

• Bahamas means “the islands of the shallow sea.”• The flamingo is the national bird.• About 85 percent of Bahamians are of

African heritage.• The Bahamas are about 50 miles southeast

of Florida.• The Bahamas are made up of 700 small

islands; only 30 are inhabited.

Bahamas Facts

Costa Rica

Costa Rica

Costa

Rica

Costa

Rica

Costa Rica Flag

• Costa Rica is home to six active volcanoes.• Costa Rica means “rich coast.” Many

explorers thought the region had lots of gold. • Costa Rica’s economy relies on tourism,

agriculture (including bananas and coffee), and raising cattle. • Costa Rica has more than 2,000 species

of trees.• Christopher Columbus came to Costa Rica

in 1502.

Costa Rica Facts

Dominican

Republic

Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic Flag

• The Dominican Republic (the DR) is the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola which it shares with Haiti.• The city of Santo Domingo is the site of the

first university, first cathedral and the first castle in the Americas.• When Christopher Columbus first landed in

the DR he thought he was near India and named the area the West Indies.• Baseball is a very popular sport in the DR.

Dominican Republic Facts

El Salvador

El Salvador

El Salvador

El Salvador

El Salvador Flag

• It’s hard to go anywhere in El Salvador without seeing a volcano. • “El Salvador” means “the savior.”• El Salvador is the smallest Central American

country.• El Salvador’s main sport is football (soccer).• The Montecristo Cloud Forest is home to at

least 87 species of birds.• Coffee is one of El Salvador’s main exports.

El Salvador Facts

Guatemala

Guatemala

Guatemala

Guatemala

Guatemala Flag

• The quetzal, the national bird, is a symbol of liberty that appears on the nation’s flag.• Guatemala is the most populous Central

American country.• The marimba is the national instrument.• The name “Guatemala” means “land of

trees” or “land of forests.”• The sap of a certain kind of evergreen tree

is sold to make chewing gum.

Guatemala Facts

Haiti

Haiti

Haiti

Haiti

Haiti Flag

• Haiti lies 565 miles southeast of Florida. • Sisal, grown in Haiti, is used to make rope.• The country of Haiti is shaped kind of like

a lobster’s claw.• Most of the words in the Creole language have

their roots in the French language.• Haiti was the first black independent republic

in the Americas.• The word “Haiti” means “high ground” or

“mountainous country.”

Haiti Facts

Honduras

Honduras

Honduras

Honduras

Honduras Flag

• The Mayans built their large stone cities and temples so well these structures stand today.• Christopher Columbus landed in Honduras

in 1502. Soon after, Europeans came looking for gold.• Honduras has beaches on both the Pacific

and Caribbean coasts.• Honduras has 18 national parks to conserve

its forests and jungles.

Honduras Facts

Mexico

Mexico

Mexico

Mexico

Mexico Flag

• Mexico once included all or portions of six current U.S. states. • The Maya and the Aztecs built huge cities

of stone that are still standing today.• Mexico is a republic divided into 31 states

and the federal district of Mexico City.• The highest point in Mexico is Orizaba,

an extinct, snow-capped volcano. • Scammon’s Lagoon is home to thousands

of gray whales migrating from the Arctic.

Mexico Facts

Nicaragua

Nicaragua

Nicaragua

Nicaragua

Nicaragua Flag

• Nicaragua is Central America’s largest country.• Nicaragua contains the largest freshwater

body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua.• The country’s name comes from “Nicarao,”

the name of an Indian chief, and the Spanish word for water, “agua.”• Nicaragua is known as the “Land of Poets.” • More than half the population lives near

active volcanoes.

Nicaragua Facts

Puerto

Rico

Puerto Rico

Puerto

Rico

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico Flag

• Explorer Juan Ponce de Leon named the island Puerto Rico, which means “rich port” in Spanish.• The island of Puerto Rico became a U.S.

commonwealth in 1952.• Baseball is Puerto Rico’s most popular sport.• Puerto Rico is almost completely covered

by mountains.

Puerto Rico Facts