Central America is a clever little area in the world. All confusing and humble. I cannot tell you how many times I've told people that I'm heading out this fall to finish up my Central America expedition and they've come back with: "Wow, are you going to hit up Brazil?" or "Oh my God, you must go to Peru while you are down there."
Well, I've got news for ya, folks. Those countries are NOT in Central America. They are in South America. I'm not saying I'm a mad geography champ or anything, but come on....for real. Most likely, half the people you run into on any given day in your 'hood (the coffee guy, the cabbie, the construction worker, the guy walking his dog, the waiter, the cook, etc...) is from some small village in some beautiful country in Central America--so, show a little respect and learn something about your neighbors countries.
So, what countries are in Central America, you ask? Well...if you count Mexico (which you can't because it's really part of North America), then you have...Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. Simple. The way I remember them all (in order) is to create a little phrase starting with the first letter of each country. So, I start with Mex since I have to cruise thru it to get to the rest. And, I come up with:
My Granny's Baby Has Every New Car Part.
The whole isthmus of CAmer is amazing. First off, it's tiny. I mean, I already drove from Chicago all the way to the outer reaches of Mexico and in that feat, I've already covered Central America in its entirety--back and forth--about 3x. It's full of Mother Nature's madness: erupting volcanoes, heavy hurricanes, insane beauty, big earthquakes, raging floods, etc...But, no matter the tragedy, somehow she always springs back. It's a haven for expats and escapees from the USA. Everyone dreams of her sandy beaches, cheaper real estate, carefree attitude and backwoods locales. And, of course the food is bananas. Until you cross the borders, you've never really tasted the food...no matter where in the USA you think you have found the BEST Guatemalan food, it does no justice to the real thing. Sorry.
Anyway, I just wanted to drop a little knowledge (what little I claim to have) on everyone who just needs to take a gander at a map now and again. Trust me, it will make you feel on top of the world to know what the Darien Gap is (it's the outlaw jungle that you cannot drive thru--it separates Central America from South America). Or, to realize that Belize has only about 300k peeps calling it home (that's 300k for the entire country). And, imagine knowing that the Fair Trade coffee from Panama that you slurp down every morning--well, just imagine knowing exactly where that coffee was crafted. Lot's to brag about when you have a bit of Geography in your cadre.
Geography 101 is just a gift. 
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