Physical Map of Central America

See only image
Go to detail page of Physical Map of Central America




Central America is mostly a mountainous and rugged region. This region contains several mountainous ranges linked to the mountanous structures of North America and South America, and because it is dominated by two geological systems, it is one of the great volcanic axes of the Earth. It has about 60 volcanoes in the interior (almost all inactive) and 31 on the coast of the Pacific Ocean (most active) of which some rise to more than 4000 meters above sea level. The land surface rises steeply from the coastal region of the Pacific Ocean to the crests of the mountains, and gradually descends in the region that extends along the Caribbean Sea.

In Central America, the rivers are short and correspond mainly to the Atlantic slope. These rivers serve several functions, even serving as borders; such is the case of the Segovia or Coco rivers (between Honduras and Nicaragua), the Motagua river (between Guatemala and Honduras), the Usumacinta river (between Guatemala and Mexico), the San Juan river of Nicaragua (between Costa Rica and Nicaragua) and the Sixaola River (between Costa Rica and Panama). In this region, the Nicaraguan lakes (Lake Nicaragua and Lake Managua) and Gatun Lake located in the Panama Canal stand out.