Belize(capital: Belmopan)Capital: Belmopan. The only Central American country whose official language is English. Independent since 1981, it was called British Honduras until 1973.
Costa Rica(capital: San José)Capital: San José. The country abolished its army on 1 December 1948. It wrote the ban into its 1949 constitution.
El Salvador(capital: San Salvador)Capital: San Salvador. The smallest country on the mainland of the Americas. It covers about 21,000 square kilometers.
Guatemala(capital: Guatemala City)Capital: Guatemala City. Central America's most populous country.
Honduras(capital: Tegucigalpa)Capital: Tegucigalpa. Its short Pacific coast is on the Gulf of Fonseca. It shares that bay with El Salvador and Nicaragua. Until 1880 the capital was Comayagua.
Nicaragua(capital: Managua)Capital: Managua. The largest country in Central America by area. It covers about 130,000 square kilometers.
Panama(capital: Panama City)Capital: Panama City. The Panama Canal opened on 15 August 1914. It is 82 kilometers long and has been run by Panama since 31 December 1999.
How this list was compiled: The list is the seven countries of the isthmus, the usual definition of Central America, every one a member of the United Nations: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_America and https://www.un.org/en/about-us/member-states, checked 2026-09-19. The United Nations statistical list adds Mexico to its Central America region, which makes eight; Mexico is drawn here as context and is not a part: https://unstats.un.org/unsd/methodology/m49/, checked 2026-09-19. Every capital and the areas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states_and_dependent_territories_in_North_America, checked 2026-09-19. English as the official language, the names British Honduras and Belize, and independence in 1981: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belize, checked 2026-09-19. The army abolished on 1 December 1948 and the 1949 constitution: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costa_Rica, checked 2026-09-19. Smallest country of continental America: https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Salvador and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Salvador, checked 2026-09-19. Most populous country of Central America: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guatemala, checked 2026-09-19. Comayagua as capital until 1880: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honduras, checked 2026-09-19. The three countries on the Gulf of Fonseca: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Fonseca, checked 2026-09-19. Largest country of Central America by area: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicaragua, checked 2026-09-19. Length, opening day and handover of the canal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Canal, checked 2026-09-19. Positions in the hints were read off the drawing. Hints and detail lines written for this site. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site from Natural Earth 5.1.2, ne_10m_admin_0_countries (scale 1:10,000,000), https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvkelso/natural-earth-vector/v5.1.2/geojson/ne_10m_admin_0_countries.geojson, downloaded 2026-09-19. Lambert azimuthal equal-area projection centred on 13°N 85°W. Outlines simplified; small islands are left out. Licence: public domain (Natural Earth terms of use: https://www.naturalearthdata.com/about/terms-of-use/)
How it works
A map quiz: Central America alone, seven countries from Belize and Guatemala down to Panama. Find it names a country to tap. Name it lights one, asks its name, then asks its capital.
Read the full guide
Seven countries: five that left Spain together, plus two
Mexico is drawn at the top left and not asked. Five of the seven declared independence from Spain in one act on 15 September 1821 and later formed one federal republic: Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Belize was a British colony until 1981. Panama separated from Colombia in 1903.
A blank map of Central America with no rings
Find it is seven taps, and every shape is large enough to tap, so this map has no numbered rings. Name it asks twice: the lit country, then its capital, and the question counts only when both are right. San Jose without the accent is accepted. Study shows every name with its capital.
Read the Pacific coast down from Mexico: Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama. Honduras reaches it at one notch.
Separate Honduras and Nicaragua first. Honduras is the upper one, its long coast facing north. Nicaragua, below, is the largest.
Panama lies on its side, a flat S running west to east. Its Caribbean coast faces north, the Pacific south.
Questions and answers
Is Mexico part of Central America?
Not on the usual list, which has seven countries and places Mexico in North America. The United Nations statistical list files Mexico under its Central America region, so some sources count eight. The North America map quiz asks Mexico with these seven.
Which Central American countries touch both the Pacific and the Caribbean?
Five of the seven: Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. Belize is the only one with no Pacific coast, and El Salvador faces only the Pacific. Those two are also the smallest shapes on the map.
What are the largest and smallest countries in Central America?
Nicaragua is the largest by area, at about 130,000 square kilometers. El Salvador is the smallest, at about 21,000, which also makes it the smallest country on the mainland of the Americas. Belize is only slightly bigger, at about 23,000.