Panama & Beyond
Miami and Key West, Florida / George Town, Grand Cayman / Puerto Limon, Costa Rica / / Cartagena, Colombia / Panama Canal, Panama / Manta and Guayaquil, Ecuador / Salaverry (Trujillo), and Lima (Callao) Peru. The Americas are a vast region containing 35 countries, divided into different regions based on language, geography, and history.
Synopsis: One huge Spanish mistake in the exchange: The Keys were lost 'unknowingly.' Centuries later Hemingway fell in love with Havana and Key West both.
Synopsis: Since 1670 Spain ceded the Cayman Islands to Great Britain; however, although the isles have connections to the British, the culture and lifestyle are strongly Americanized.
'Costa Rica and Colombia: tied together by the Caribbean, and the Pacific Ocean.'
Synopsis: Since colonial times Spain built both Puerto Limón and Cartagena for trade and commerce. However, the old walled Cartagena grew to prominence with a cathedral, the Palace of the Inquisition, the main plaza, and a university.
Synopsis: One huge Spanish mistake in the exchange: The Keys were lost 'unknowingly.' Centuries later Hemingway fell in love with Havana and Key West both.
Synopsis: Since 1670 Spain ceded the Cayman Islands to Great Britain; however, although the isles have connections to the British, the culture and lifestyle are strongly Americanized.
'Costa Rica and Colombia: tied together by the Caribbean, and the Pacific Ocean.'
Synopsis: One huge Spanish mistake in the exchange: The Keys were lost 'unknowingly.' Centuries later Hemingway fell in love with Havana and Key West both.
Synopsis: Since 1670 Spain ceded the Cayman Islands to Great Britain; however, although the isles have connections to the British, the culture and lifestyle are strongly Americanized.
'Costa Rica and Colombia: tied together by the Caribbean, and the Pacific Ocean.'
Synopsis: One huge Spanish mistake in the exchange: The Keys were lost 'unknowingly.' Centuries later Hemingway fell in love with Havana and Key West both.
Synopsis: Since 1670 Spain ceded the Cayman Islands to Great Britain; however, although the isles have connections to the British, the culture and lifestyle are strongly Americanized.
'Costa Rica and Colombia: tied together by the Caribbean, and the Pacific Ocean.'
Panama Canal, Panama
Panama and the Panama Canal: one of the "Seven Wonders of the Modern World."
Synopsis: Extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean from its opening in 1914 until 1979, the Canal was controlled by the United States; was returned to the civil control of Panama in that year. It was an engineering marvel for its time.
Manta and Guayaquil, Ecuador: 'Manta and Guayaquil: Two Ports, One Major Difference.'
Synopsis: While Manta is an important commercial port city--maker of the famous 'Panama' hat!-- Guayaquil is a wealthy harbor guarding against enemy incursions. In 1829, Peru invaded Ecuador with the intention of annexing Guayaquil, but it was defeated.
Synopsis: Salaverry is Trujillo's seaport, just as Callao is Lima's, albeit Callao is Peru's main commercial harbor. Both were founded in the 16th century by the conquistadores; however the regions have a long pre-Colombian history.
The Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean. 'Pirates in the Caribbean and on the Pacific Coast'
Synopsis: English and French pirates active in the Caribbean, among them pirate and privateer Sir Francis Drake, were also after the gold and silver taken by the Spanish from the Inca Empire --carried to Spain in their famous Galleons.
Peruvian author Mario Vargas Llosa, 2010 Nobel Laureate for Literature (born March 28, 1936, Arequipa, Peru). His first novel, La ciudad y los perros (1963; "The City and the Dogs," filmed in Spanish, 1985; Eng. trans. The Time of the Hero), was widely acclaimed. In 1990 he was an unsuccessful candidate for president of Peru in a runoff against Alberto Fujimori, an agricultural engineer and the son of Japanese immigrants.
In 2015 Vargas Llosa made his acting debut at the Teatro Real in Madrid, where he appeared as a duke in Los cuentos de la peste ("Tales of the Plague"), his stage adaptation of Giovanni Boccaccio's Decameron.
Ports of Call Pictures & Flags
Hemingway's House in Key West
Cayman Islands Flag
Flag of Costa Rica
Cartagena: Colonial vs Modern
Flag of Panama
Basilica Cathedral of Trujillo. Peru
The Cathedral in Lima, Peru
The Americas
Since the majority of countries south of the United States speak Spanish, they are often labeled Latin America or South America. However, there are more subcategories, one of which is Central America.
The question is: is Mexico considered part of North America or Central America?
Many people think Latin America includes every country south of the United States. However, it's a bit more complex than that. Latin America, while confined to the geographical region of the Americas, includes only countries that:
- speak a Romance language (Spanish, French, and Portuguese)
- were (or are) ruled by a country that speaks a Romance language
- Central America
Central America is not a separate continent, but a regional distinction describing the isthmus that connects North and South America. This region is part of North America geographically, but it has its own defining culture and history.
According to these definitions, Central America is part of North America. So, the question remains: "is Mexico part of Central America?"
The short answer to this question is no. Mexico is not part of Central America.
"Central America es southernmost region of North America, lying between Mexico and South America and comprising Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Belize."
The Americas
Dado que la mayoría de los países al sur de los Estados Unidos hablan español, a menudo son etiquetados como América Latina o Sudamérica. Sin embargo, hay más subcategorías, una de las cuales es Centroamérica.
Pregunta: ¿México es parte de América del Norte o de Centroamérica?
Mucha gente piensa que América Latina incluye todos los países al sur de los Estados Unidos. Sin embargo, es un poco más complejo que eso. América Latina, aunque se limita a la región geográfica de las Américas, incluye sólo países que:
hablan un idioma romance (español, francés y portugués)
fueron (o están) gobernados por un país que habla una lengua romance
América Central
Centroamérica no es un continente aparte, sino una distinción regional que describe el istmo que conecta América del Norte y del Sur. Esta región es parte de América del Norte geográficamente, pero tiene su propia cultura e historia definitoria.
Según estas definiciones, Centroamérica es parte de América del Norte. Por lo tanto, la pregunta sigue siendo: "¿México es parte de Centroamérica?"
La respuesta breve a esta pregunta es no. México no es parte de Centroamérica.
"Centroamérica es la región más meridional de América del Norte, que se encuentra entre México y Sudamérica y que comprende Panamá, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala y Belice."