Central America

The Agua y Paz (Water and Peace) Biosphere Reserve in northern Costa Rica is comprised of Juan Castro Blanco National Park, Caño Negro National Wildlife Refuge, four biological corridors, and an indigenous community. It is characterized by mountain ranges, volcanoes, and plains.

The Alberto Manuel Brenes Biological Reserve is a nature reserve in the southeastern Cordillera de Tilarán in northcentral Costa Rica. It is part of the Arenal Tilaran Conservation Area, which protects the tropical forest area near San Ramón.

The Andean Volcanic Belt, along the South American coast, is segmented into four main volcanic zones. These volcanoes, along the backbone of the Andes, are part of the Ring of Fire, an area in the Pacific Ocean basin where earthquakes and eruptions occur due to the collision of tectonic plates.

Antigua Guatemala contains living traces of Spanish culture with its principal monuments, built in the Baroque style of the 18th century, preserved today as ruins. The city was a center for the exportation of religious images and statues to the American continent and to Spain during the 17th and 18th centuries.

The Apaneca-Ilamatepec Biosphere Reserve, located in El Salvador and part of the Central America Volcanic Arc, safeguards significant ecosystems for species preservation. It contains many habitats, which contribute to its high diversity.

Inhabited since the 2nd century A.D., Quiriguá became the capital of an autonomous and prosperous state. Its ruins, located in what is today an archaeological park in southeastern Guatemala, constitute an essential resource for the study of Mayan civilization.

Founded in 1519, Panamá Viejo was the oldest European settlement on the Pacific coast of the Americas. Abandoned in the mid-17th century, it was replaced by today's Historic District, which has preserved its original street plan, its architecture and an unusual mixture of architectural styles.

Arenal National Park is located in Alajuela province in northwestern Costa Rica. The park encompasses the Arenal Volcano, an active andesitic stratovolcano. It was Costa Rica's most active volcano until 2010 and one of the ten most active volcanoes in the world.

The Azuero Peninsula is located in southern Panama, surrounded by the Pacific Ocean the Gulf of Panama. Panama City, the Panamanian capital, is the main urban center on the gulf shore. The Pearl Islands are an archipelago in the Gulf of Panama.