The region of Central America is considered a part of the continent of North America. Mexico is the largest country in the region, but just to the south of Mexico are many small countries like Belize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Panama.
Mexico is one of two countries that border the United States, the other is Canada to the north. Mexican culture and traditions have spread to the United States and many Mexican or Hispanic people live in the US. The country of Mexico has many problems that are closely tied to the United States. The first of these problems is drugs. Many illegal drugs are grown or prepared in Mexico and smuggled in to the US. Drug dealers prefer to sell their drugs in the US, because it is a wealthier country than Mexico. Most of the drugs are produced and sold by drug cartels. A cartel is a group of different businesses who join together, we might even call them gangs. When illegal drugs are combined with violent gangs and billions of dollars, people are negatively affected. Some have even been killed by competing drug cartels fighting with each other.
Another issue has been immigration of people from Mexico to the United States. Because the United States has so much wealth and opportunity, many try to come here without the proper paperwork to live and work in the US. They want to come here to get a better paying job and offer a better life for their family. Some in the U.S. say that this goes against the law, and is unfair to people trying to legally come here. Others in the U.S. say that because so many illegal immigrants live and work here, they should be allowed to stay without fear of deportation, which means being sent back to one’s home country. This issue has become very political in the US and people are very passionate about their opinion.
Many of the other Central American countries have lots of poverty which means they are poor. Americans might go visit some of these with their church or youth group to build schools or help them get clean drinking water. This is especially true in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. These countries welcome the help.
Tourism is popular in some places because of the tropical climate and cheap vacation opportunities. Americans take all inclusive vacations here to resorts or stop in these countries if they take a cruise. Often in winter, Americans like to get away from our cold weather. Popular destinations are Mexico, Belize, and Costa Rica. Cities you might have heard of in the area are Cancun, Cabo, and Cozumel.
The rainforest here hasn't always been taken care of so they are working on this. Years ago, the rainforest was damaged to get valuable natural resources. Now, countries are trying to preserve it and have passed laws to protect it. Many other countries can benefit from items made in a rainforest. For example, hundreds of rainforest plants are used in modern medicine.
The country of Panama has benefitted from the Panama Canal, which is a man-made channel for ships. The US built this when Teddy Roosevelt was our president. It is a shortcut because ships used to have to sail around the southern tip of South America. This helps countries all around the world trade with one another and makes goods cheaper.