At its fullest extent the Pan-American Highway is a network of roads stretching from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Ushuaia, Argentina, a distance of around 48,000 kilometres (30,000 miles).
Adventure: Off-Road Tour In The Wilds Of Guatemala
Tag Archives: Central America
FOREIGN AFFAIRS: AMERICAS QUARTERLY – SPRING 2023
Under Lula, Brazil Can Take On Regional Leadership. Will It?
A diplomatic heavy hitter is back at the helm of Latin America’s largest country—but the path to an influential international role is full of obstacles.
Gustavo Petro Can’t Ignore Human Rights in Venezuela
At his summit on Venezuela, Colombia’s president must demand respect for democracy and the environment, writes a former Venezuelan mayor.
Thinking Abroad: Latin America’s Foreign Policies
AQ tracks priorities in external relations, including positions on Venezuela and China, in eight countries.
Amid growing tensions between the world’s largest superpowers, much of Latin America has taken an independent approach to foreign relations. Countries are increasingly following a path that Chilean scholars Carlos Fortin, Jorge Heine and Carlos Ominami titled the “active non-alignment option.” Regional integration is a top concern for some leaders, while others are seeking engagement far beyond the Western Hemisphere. Meanwhile, policy choices have to contend with domestic infrastructure challenges and a global concern with the impacts of climate change.
News: South Korea’s Yoon Visits U.S., Tunisia Tensions, Central America Violence
The Globalist, April 26, 2023: South Korea’s president, Yoon Suk-yeol, visits the US, the deteriorating political and economic situation in Tunisia, and a conversation with the secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council about violence in Central America.
Plus: Monocle’s Tokyo bureau chief, Fiona Wilson, on animation and Japanese soft power.
Nature: The Hummingbird Effect In Costa Rica (PBS)
Costa Rica’s motto is Pura Vida – Pure Life – and this deceptively small country is bursting with some of the most spectacular wildlife and pristine ecosystems in the world. All this diversity thrives, in part, thanks to one surprising little creature: hummingbirds.
Venture across Costa Rica’s wild and rugged landscapes, from volcanic peaks to coastal jungle to misty cloud forests, and discover the nation’s dazzling diversity of hummingbirds. There are more than 50 species of hummingbirds here, and they play an outsize role in maintaining some of the richest and wildest environments on Earth.
The Hummingbird Effect premiered on April 12, 2023.
Costa Rica Views: The Tiny ‘Volcano Hummingbird’
The volcano hummingbird (Selasphorus flammula ) is a very small hummingbird, native to the Talamancan montane forests of Costa Rica and western Panama.
This tiny endemic bird inhabits open brushy areas, paramo, and edges of elfin forest at altitudes from 1850 m to the highest peaks. It is only 7.5 cm long. The male weighs 2.5 g and the female 2.8 g. The black bill is short and straight.
The adult male volcano hummingbird has bronze-green upperparts and rufous-edged black outer tail feathers. The throat is grey-purple in the Talamanca range, red in the Poas-Barva mountains and pink-purple in the Irazú-Turrialba area, the rest of the underparts being white. The female is similar, but her throat is white with dusky spots. Young birds resemble the female but have buff fringes to the upperpart plumage.
The female volcano hummingbird is entirely responsible for nest building and incubation. She lays two white eggs in her tiny plant-down cup nest 1–5 m high in a scrub or on a root below a south or east facing bank. Incubation takes 15–19 days, and fledging another 20–26.
Costa Rica Views: Hiking In Corcovado National Park
Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica is the backpacking experience of a lifetime. It encompasses the only remaining old growth wet forests on the Pacific coast of Central America, and 13 major ecosystems including lowland rain forest, highland cloud forest, jolillo palm forest, and mangrove swamps, as well as coastal marine and beach habitats.
There is a good chance of spotting some of Costa Rica’s shyest and most endangered inhabitants here; Baird’s Tapirs, Jaguars, Scarlet Macaws, Harpy Eagles, Red-backed squirrel monkeys and White-lipped Peccaries. It is wet, remote and rugged, but the trails are relatively good, and the camping areas near the ranger stations are grassy and well drained.
Nature: The Wildlife And Landscapes Of Costa Rica
Costa Rica is a rugged, rainforested Central American country with coastlines on the Caribbean and Pacific. Though its capital, San Jose, is home to cultural institutions like the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum, Costa Rica is known for its beaches, volcanoes, and biodiversity. Roughly a quarter of its area is made up of protected jungle, teeming with wildlife including spider monkeys and quetzal birds.
Video timeline: 0:00 intro of costa rica 0:03 Yellow snake curled 0:06 Aerial view of irazu volcano 0:08 Snake python 0:11 Cinematic view of oak tree 0:16 Close up view of iguana 0:22 skydiving in Costa Rica 0:26 nauyaca waterfalls 0:31 galloping horse 0:39 Aerial view of pavon bay 0:46 waterfall rio celeste 0:50 Close up iguana 0:53 Drone view of palm oil 0:58 tree frog 1:01 Trachycephalus 1:04 Montezuma Beach 1:09 Oka tree 1:13 naped snake 1:18 Blue Yellow Macaw 1:23 Green Python 1:28 Rio celeste waterfall 1:35 meanders river 1:45 Bilobatum 1:49 punta banco Beach 1:57 irazu volcano 2:05 Close up view of butterfly 2:08 Corcovado 2:13 Playa Zancudo 2:21 manuel antonio 2:32 Green iguana 2:46 tortoiseshell 2:59 Costa Rica rainforest 3:05 quetzal Bird 3:11 Sloth 3:16 Irazu volcano 3:22 paragliding 3:29 skydiving 3:34 la paz waterfall 3:43 whales 3:50 Coto river Aerial view 4:02 Aerial costarica 4:10 Beautiful parrots 4:18 Forest Frog 4:25 Rain forest 4:29 iguana 4:35 Wild lizard 4:40 flamingos 4:47 capucinus 4:55 Rain forest 5:02 capuchin 5:09 Violetear
Beach Resort Tours: 24 Hours In Placencia, Belize
If you only have 24 hours in a location, it’s hard to decide how to plan the perfect trip and not feel like you’ve missed any must-see locations. That’s why SI Swimsuit tasked tour guide Edward Cano in coming up with an amazing list of stops for Jasmine Sanders and Leyna Bloom during their time in Belize.
Placencia is a beach resort on the Caribbean coast of Belize. It’s at the southern tip of the Placencia Peninsula, known for its palm-lined beaches. Between the peninsula and the mainland, Placencia Lagoon is home to manatees and saltwater crocodiles. Offshore, there are dive sites on the coral Belize Barrier Reef. To the north, the Garífuna community of Seine Bight is a hub for traditional drumming and dance.
Belize City is a port city in the Central American country of Belize. It’s divided into north and south sides by Haulover Creek, which opens into the Caribbean Sea. The manually operated 1920s Swing Bridge, a busy crossing point, links the two. On the north side, the Museum of Belize traces the country’s history, with exhibits including Mayan artifacts. The Image Factory gallery shows local contemporary art.
Views: The Architecture Of Panama City, Panama
Panama City, the capital of Panama, is a modern city framed by the Pacific Ocean and man-made Panama Canal. Casco Viejo, its cobblestoned historic center, is famed for colonial-era landmarks like the neoclassical Palacio Presidencial and bougainvillea-filled plazas lined with cafes and bars. The Miraflores Locks offers views of ships traversing the canal, an essential shipping route linking the Atlantic and Pacific.
Climate Views: El Salvador Battles Drought & Storms
Central America’s smallest country, El Salvador, is being increasingly battered by the effects of climate change – by drought, floods, and violent storms. The small organization CESTA has long been fighting for more environmental protection in its own country.
Boomers Daily 