The Caribbean Lowlands are region of plains along the eastern coast of several Central American nations along the Caribbean Sea, including Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.
Geography
The lowlands are mainly between the major American Cordillera System ranges running down the center of the Central American Isthmus and the Caribbean coasts.
The width of the Caribbean lowlands varies dramatically between countries. In eastern Honduras, the lowlands can stretch as much as 100km inland, while near Puerto Límon in Costa Rica, the lowlands narrow to a width of less than ten kilometres.[1] The region takes up over 16% of the territory of Honduras.[2]
There are three major ecosystems in the lowlands: swamp, savannah and tropical rainforest.[1]
Several indigenous tribes lived in the lowlands prior to the arrival of Europeans, but after a population collapse the area was only sparsely re-settled until transport links improved, including the completion of a railway in Costa Rica.[3]
Bananas have been a historically important crop of the lowlands area in Costa Rica. Cultivation started around the turn of the 20th century.[4]
