BelizeCapital: Belmopan. Formerly British Honduras. Independent from the United Kingdom since 1981, and a member of the United Nations since the same year.
Costa RicaCapital: San José. Nicaragua is to the north. Panama is to the southeast. Independent from Spain since 1821 and, after a short spell under Mexico, in the Federal Republic of Central America from 1823. Joined the United Nations in 1945.
El SalvadorCapital: San Salvador. On the Pacific coast, between Guatemala and Honduras. Independent from Spain since 1821 and, after a short spell under Mexico, in the Federal Republic of Central America from 1823. Joined the United Nations in 1945.
GuatemalaCapital: Guatemala City. Its south coast is on the Pacific Ocean. Independent from Spain since 1821 and, after a short spell under Mexico, in the Federal Republic of Central America from 1823. Joined the United Nations in 1945.
HondurasCapital: Tegucigalpa. Its long north coast is on the Caribbean Sea. Its short south coast is on the Pacific. Independent from Spain since 1821, and in the Federal Republic of Central America from 1823. Joined the United Nations in 1945.
MexicoCapital: Mexico City. The United States is to its north. Guatemala and Belize are to its southeast. The United Nations files it under Central America, usually counted as the seven countries to its south. Joined the United Nations in 1945.
NicaraguaCapital: Managua. The largest country of Central America. It holds Central America's largest freshwater lake, Lake Nicaragua. Independent from Spain since 1821, and in the Federal Republic of Central America from 1823. Joined the United Nat
PanamaCapital: Panama City. Its border with Colombia is at the Darién Gap. It is the only land link between North and South America. It left Spain in 1821 as part of Gran Colombia and left Colombia in 1903. Joined the United Nations in 1945.
The 13 island countries 13
Antigua and BarbudaCapital: St. John's. Independent from the United Kingdom since 1981. Joined the United Nations the same year.
BarbadosCapital: Bridgetown. Independent from the United Kingdom since 1966. Joined the United Nations the same year.
CubaCapital: Havana. The main island is the largest in the Caribbean. It lies south of Florida and the Bahamas. Independent since 1902. Joined the United Nations in 1945.
DominicaCapital: Roseau. Independent from the United Kingdom since 1978. Joined the United Nations the same year. Not the same country as the Dominican Republic, which is far to the northwest.
Dominican RepublicCapital: Santo Domingo. It shares one island with Haiti. It has the larger, eastern part. Joined the United Nations in 1945.
GrenadaCapital: St. George's. Independent from the United Kingdom since 1974. Joined the United Nations the same year.
HaitiCapital: Port-au-Prince. Independent from France since 1804. Joined the United Nations in 1945.
JamaicaCapital: Kingston. Independent from the United Kingdom since 1962. Joined the United Nations the same year.
Saint Kitts and NevisCapital: Basseterre. Independent from the United Kingdom since 1983. Joined the United Nations the same year.
Saint LuciaCapital: Castries. Independent from the United Kingdom since 1979. Joined the United Nations the same year.
Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesCapital: Kingstown. Independent from the United Kingdom since 1979. Joined the United Nations in 1980.
The BahamasCapital: Nassau. Independent from the United Kingdom since 1973. Joined the United Nations the same year.
Trinidad and TobagoCapital: Port of Spain. Independent from the United Kingdom since 1962, and a member of the United Nations since the same year.
How this list was compiled: The 23 countries are the sovereign states of North America, every one a member of the United Nations: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states_and_dependent_territories_in_North_America (the list, the capitals, and the status of Greenland and Puerto Rico) and https://www.un.org/en/about-us/member-states (membership and the years of joining), checked 2026-09-19. The three regions, with Mexico under Central America, follow the United Nations geoscheme: https://unstats.un.org/unsd/methodology/m49/, checked 2026-09-19. Central America as seven countries, the count of 23 sovereign states, the two largest countries, and the Darién Gap as the land link to South America: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_America and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_America, checked 2026-09-19. Years of independence: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decolonization_of_the_Americas, checked 2026-09-19. Greenland and Puerto Rico are drawn and not asked, because they are not member states of the United Nations. Positions and sizes in the hints were read off the drawing, which is equal-area. Hints and detail lines written for this site. Central America from 1821 to 1823 (independence from Spain, annexation by the First Mexican Empire in January 1822, the United Provinces from 1 July 1823): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Republic_of_Central_America, checked 2026-09-19. Panama, 1821 and 1903: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama, checked 2026-09-19. Neighbors: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_territories_by_number_of_land_borders, checked 2026-09-19. Coasts and positions: the opening paragraphs of the Wikipedia articles on Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Nicaragua (Nicaragua as the largest country of Central America by area), and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Nicaragua, checked 2026-09-19. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site from Natural Earth 5.1.2, ne_50m_admin_0_countries_lakes (scale 1:50,000,000), https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvkelso/natural-earth-vector/v5.1.2/geojson/ne_50m_admin_0_countries_lakes.geojson, downloaded 2026-09-19. Lambert azimuthal equal-area projection centred on 48°N 96°W. Outlines simplified; small islands are left out. 5 places are too small to draw at this scale and shown as a dot. Licence: public domain (Natural Earth terms of use: https://www.naturalearthdata.com/about/terms-of-use/)
How it works
This blank map of Central America and the Caribbean numbers 21 countries: Mexico, the seven of Central America and the 13 island countries. The United States and Canada are drawn but left without numbers.
Read the full guide
Blank, numbered or named
The sheet opens blank. Choose Numbered to put a number on each of the 21 countries of Central America and the Caribbean, or Named for their names, then press Print this map; the answer key prints on its own sheet.
Countries only
The map numbers independent countries. Puerto Rico, Aruba and the other island territories are shown on the Caribbean blank map, which has 28 places. Haiti and the Dominican Republic share the island of Hispaniola, and each has its own number.
Follow the land bridge from Mexico south to Panama first, then the islands from the Bahamas down to Trinidad and Tobago.
Questions and answers
Is Mexico part of Central America?
Many classes count it with North America. The United Nations lists it in Central America, so this sheet numbers it with the seven Central American countries.
Which Central American country has no Pacific coast?
Belize. Its only coast faces the Caribbean Sea, and it lies between Mexico and Guatemala.
Are the small islands numbered?
Yes. Each island country too small to write on, from Grenada to Saint Kitts and Nevis, has a ring joined by a line.