Central America

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centralamericaInformation:

Central America is make up of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama. Belize's official language is English, but only 3.9 percent speak it, whereas 46 percent speak Spanish.

Following Christopher Columbus's discovery of the Americas for Spain, the Spanish sent numerous expeditions to the region, and they began their conquest of Maya lands in the 1520s. In 1540, Spain established the Captaincy General of Guatemala, which extended from southern Mexico to Costa Rica, and thus encompassed most of what is currently known as Central America, with the exception of British Honduras (present-day Belize).