Landforms of Central America

The Poás Volcano is an active stratovolcano in north-central Costa Rica with the world's second-largest volcanic crater. The volcano is located in Poás Volcano National Park, part of the Cordillera Volcánica Central Biosphere Reserve.

Nestled within the captivating Gulf of Honduras, a wide inlet of the Caribbean Sea, lies a tropical paradise – the Bay Islands. Among these islands, Roatán stands out as a jewel, renowned for its breathtaking beauty and rich natural heritage. This region, indenting the coasts of Honduras, Guatemala, and Belize, is a treasure trove of natural wonders, boasting a unique ecosystem with a diverse array of coastal marine waters, including estuaries, barrier beaches, lagoons, salt marshes, mangrove forests, seagrass beds, keys, and barrier reefs.

The San Blas Islands, also known as the Guna Yala Archipelago, is a stunning group of islands and cays along Panama's northeastern Caribbean coast. Guna Yala is an indigenous territory and home to the Guna people, one of Panama's most distinct and culturally rich indigenous groups.

The Sierra de las Minas runs east to west through the Guatemalan Highlands in the country's southeast. The Sierra de las Minas Biosphere Reserve contains a substantial part of the range and an estimated 60 percent of Guatemala’s remaining cloud forest.

​The Sierra Madre de Chiapas is a major mountain range of Central America that runs parallel to the Pacific coast, from southern Mexico northwest-southeast across the southern half of Guatemala and into El Salvador and Honduras.

The Solentiname Islands are an archipelago located in the southeastern part of Lake Nicaragua. They comprise four larger islands: Mancarroncito, Mancarrón, San Fernando, and La Venada. Along with some 32 smaller islands with rocky headlands, they afford shelter to numerous aquatic birds.

The Continental Divide of the Americas is a geographic feature that divides watersheds draining into the Pacific Ocean from those flowing into the Atlantic. It stretches from North America's northernmost point to South America's southernmost tip. It is connected to the creation and evolution of the American Cordillera, a vast chain of mountain ranges forming the western backbone of the continent.

The Andean Volcanic Belt and the Pacific Ring of Fire are regions where Earth's crustal plates interact, resulting in volcanic zones and seismic activity. The Andean belt is formed as the Nazca and Antarctic plates move beneath the South American Plate, while the Pacific Ring of Fire is home to over 450 volcanoes and an extensive network of oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, and belts.

The Caribbean Plate, a predominantly oceanic tectonic plate, extends its influence beneath Central America and the Caribbean Sea off South America's northern coast. This expansive plate interconnects with the North American Plate, South American Plate, Nazca Plate, and Cocos Plate, creating a mosaic of seismic activity, including earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions.

The Central America Volcanic Arc, also known as the Central Volcanic Range, is a mesmerizing chain of volcanic formations spanning from Guatemala to northern Panama. These volcanic formations range from major stratovolcanoes to lava domes and cinder cones. The volcanic arc unfolds parallel to the Pacific coastline of the Central American Isthmus, offering insight into the dynamic forces shaping the region.