Caribbean Lowlands

The Caribbean Lowlands are region of plains along the eastern coast of several Central American nations along the Caribbean Sea, including Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.

Geography

The lowlands are mainly between the major American Cordillera System ranges running down the center of the Central American Isthmus and the Caribbean coast.

The width of the Caribbean lowlands varies dramatically between countries. In eastern Honduras, the lowlands can stretch as much as 100 kilometres (62 mi) inland, while near Puerto Límon in Costa Rica, the lowlands narrow to a width of less than 10 kilometres (6.2 mi).[1] The region takes up over 16% of the territory of Honduras.[2] In Nicaragua, the region encompasses nearly half the country,[3] with an average width of 60 miles (97 km).[4]

There are three major ecosystems in the lowlands: swamp, savanna and tropical rainforest.[1]

History and inhabitants

Several indigenous tribes lived in the lowlands prior to the arrival of the Spaniards. The conquerors of Central America preferred settling the temperate Pacific plain and central highlands and virtually ignored the hot, humid lowlands.[5]: 8 [6]

After a population collapse, the area in Costa Rica was only sparsely re-settled until transport links improved, including the completion of a railway in Costa Rica.[7] Today, the Honduran portion of the Caribbean lowlands are home to the Miskito (of mixed European and Amerindian descent) and Garifuna (of mixed African and Amerindian descent) ethnic groups.[6]

Economy

American fruit companies, especially the United Fruit Company and the Standard Fruit and Steamship Company, began growing bananas in the lowlands in the early decades of the 20th century.[5]: 16 [8]

Bananas have been a historically important crop of the lowlands area in Costa Rica. Cacao is another significant crop, ranking third in Costa Rican exports after coffee and bananas.[9]

Climate

In Honduras, the lowlands have a tropical wet climate, with fairly consistent rainfall, high temperatures and high humidity,[10] except in December or January, when sometimes a strong cold front arrives from the north to provide some relief.

Flora and fauna

There are many animal species found in the region, including:

See also

  • Geography of Central America
  • Regions of the Caribbean
  • Regions of Central America

References

  1. ^ a b Kent, Robert (2016). Latin America: Regions and People. Guilford Publications. p. 220.
  2. ^ A Directory of Neotropical Wetlands. University of Minnesota Press. 1986. p. 351.
  3. ^ Walker, Thomas W. (January 3, 2023). Nicaragua: Living in the Shadow of the Eagle. Avalon Publishing. ISBN 9780813340333. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  4. ^ Shields, Charles J.; Henderson, James D. (2003). Nicaragua. Mason Crest Publishers. p. 12. ISBN 978-1422232910. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  5. ^ a b Helms, Mary W.; Loveland, Franklin O., eds. (January 1, 1979). Frontier Adaptations in Lower Central America. Institute for the Study of Human Issues. ISBN 978-0915980550. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  6. ^ a b Blouett, Brian W.; Blouett, Olwyn M. Latin America and the Caribbean: A Systematic and Regional Survey (7th ed.). John Wiley and Sons, Inc. p. 254. ISBN 978-1-118-72984-7. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  7. ^ Kappelle, Maarten (2016). Costa Rican Ecosystems. University of Chicago Press. p. 563.
  8. ^ Clarence F. Jones; Paul C. Morrison (January 1952). "Evolution of the Banana Industry of Costa Rica". Economic Geography. 28 (1): 1–19. doi:10.2307/141616. JSTOR 141616.
  9. ^ West, Robert C.; Augelli, John P. (1966). Middle America: its lands and people. Prentice-Hall. p. 448. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  10. ^ Lovatelli, Alessandro; Sarkis, Samia (2011). A Regional Shellfish Hatchery For The Wider Caribbean: Assessing Its Feasibility And Sustainability: FAO Technical Workshop, 18-21 October 2010, Kingston, Jamaica. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. p. 173. ISBN 978-0670168255. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  11. ^ Allen, Robert Porter. Birds of the Caribbean. p. 119. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  12. ^ Platt, Steven G.; Thorbjarnarson, John B.; Rainwater, Thomas R. (September 1999). "Distribution of Morelet's Crocodile (Crocodilys Moreletii in Southern Belize". The Southwestern Naturalist. 44 (3). Southwestern Association of Naturalists: 395–398. Retrieved April 27, 2026.


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