Lausanne World Pulse – Urban Articles – An Overview of Central and South America
By Laurie Fortunak
Central America
The eight countries on the land bridge between North and South America sit on a strategic trade route between the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans. The region has many resources, including water, timber, oil and metals. However, it is also prone to natural disasters. It lies directly in the path of many hurricanes and tropical storms. Hurricane Mitch, for example, devastated both Honduras and Nicaragua, destroying much of their infrastructure. It also sits on top of the Caribbean Plate and is geologically active, with periodic earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Earthquakes in 1931 and 1972 heavily damaged Managua, the capital city of Nicaragua, and earthquakes in 2001 devastated El Salvador.
From 135 million people in 2000, the population is projected to grow to 186 million by 2025. The population is moderately urban, found in five megacities and several moderately large towns. There are dozens of large minority groups that are for the most part unreached, including Arabs, Indians and Chinese as well as indigenous tribal groups. However, because there has been significant racial intermingling, distinguishing specific ethnic groups is problematic.
Attempts to unite the region politically during the nineteenth century were all unsuccessful. During the 1980s and 1990s, the region was politically unstable (note particularly the civil war in El Salvador, Guatemala and the conflicts in Nicaragua and Panama). Today, it is largely at peace and is likely to remain so. Governments are democratic in name but have some authoritarian tendencies.
The economies of the region are mixed. Some of the countries (such as Costa Rica and Mexico) have increasingly strong, diversified economies, while others (like Nicaragua and Guatemala) are very poor. All have wide gaps between the rich and the poor and poverty is widespread. Still, Central America produces twenty-two percent of Latin America’s total GNP.
Belize and Guatemala are both dealing with small-scale AIDS epidemics. The drug trade and illegal immigration both continue to be problems.
Christianity in Central America
The nations of Central America are strongly Roman Catholic, but Protestant and particularly evangelical growth has been rapid. There are hundreds of ministries focused on mission to Central America and large international mission networks that are part of COMIBAM (such as COMIMEX). Syncretism and Christopaganism are challenges, but the growing mission movement in Central America is already making a substantial impact abroad. For example, a significant project arising out of COMIMEX is aiming to provide profiles of all the world’s people groups via the Internet, and missionaries from the region are already at work in the Muslim world. No longer is missionary research and action limited to the West alone.
Statistics for the Eight Countries of Central America
|
Name |
P’00 | P’25 | C’00 | % | C ’25 | % | 75-00 | 00-25 | Issues affecting the future |
| Belize | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 91% | 0.3 | 90% | +- | +- | Hurricanes, AIDS, debt, unemployment, poverty |
| Costa Rica | 3.9 | 5.5 | 3.8 | 96% | 5.3 | 95% | +- | +- | Political stability, strong economy, stalled churces, mission sending |
| El Salvador | 6.3 | 9.1 | 6.1 | 98% | 8.7 | 97% | +- | +- | Many natural disasters, rich/poor gap, poverty, civil war 1980s |
| Guatemala | 11.2 | 19.2 | 10.9 | 97% | 18.5 | 97% | +- | +- | AIDS, civil war 1990s, poverty, rich/poor gap, Christopaganism |
| Honduras | 6.2 | 10.2 | 6.2 | 97% | 9.9 | 96% | +- | +- | Rich resources, Hurricane Mitch devastation, AIDS, poverty, missions |
| Mexico | 100.1 | 129.4 | 96.1 | 96% | 122.1 | 94% | +- | +- | Vibrant economy, much poverty, COMIMEX mission movement |
| Nicaragua | 5.0 | 7.7 | 4.8 | 96% | 7.3 | 95% | +- | +- | Poverty, massive underemployment, debt, Hurricane Mitch |
| Panama | 3.0 | 4.3 | 2.6 | 88% | 3.7 | 87% | +- | +- | Growing economy, unemployment, poverty, great potential |