A concise review of the major events, social movements, politics, and economics of the seven countries that comprise Central America.
 
Given the strategic location of Central America, its importance to US foreign policy, and the migration from the region to other parts of the world, this succinct summary of the countries of Central America is an essential resource for those working in, studying, writing about, or traveling to the region. Promoting increased understanding of the region’s governance, economics, and structures of power, Imagining Central America highlights the many ways that Central American countries are connected to the United States through resettling, economic investment, culture flows, and foreign policy.

Each of the seven chapters focuses on a different country within Central America—Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama—and includes a map, regional introduction, timeline, and history of each country from the pre-Columbian era to the present day. Each chapter also provides a substantial recommended reading list of novels and academic sources for readers who want to learn more about the key events and themes within individual countries. A QR code within each chapter links to online resources that walk readers through each country in full color.

The Garifuna are a Central American, Afro-Indigenous people descended from shipwrecked West Africans and local Indigenous groups on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent. For over two centuries, the Garifuna have experienced oppression, exile, and continued diaspora that has stretched their communities to Honduras, Belize, and beyond. However, little has been written about the experiences of the Garifuna in Nicaragua, a community of about 5,000 who live primarily on the Caribbean coast of the country.