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}} Middle America is a region in the mid-latitudes of the Americas. In southern North America, it usually comprises Mexico, the nations of Central America, and the Caribbean. The scope of the term may vary. Sometimes, Colombia and Venezuela are also included in Middle America; the Caribbean is occasionally excluded from the region; and the Guianas are infrequently included.〔(CIA political map of Middle America ). 1994. (Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection ); University of Texas Library Online〕〔"(Middle America )." ''Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary'', 11th ed. 2003. (ISBN 0-87779-809-5) New York: Merriam-Webster, Inc.〕 Physiographically, Middle America marks the territorial transition between the rest of North America and South America, connecting yet separating the two.〔Gonzalez, Joseph. 2004. ("Middle America: Bridging Two Continents" ) (ch. 17). ''The Complete Idiot's Guide to Geography.'' (ISBN 1-59257-188-3) New York: Alpha Books; pp. 213-7〕 On the west, the Middle American mainland comprises the tapering, isthmian tract of the American landmass between the southern Rocky Mountains in the southern United States and the northern tip of the Andes in Colombia,〔"(Middle America )." ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' 2006. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.〕 separating the Pacific Ocean on the west and the Atlantic Ocean (viz. the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea) on the east, while the Greater and Lesser Antilles form an island arc in the east.〔 The region developed sub-aerially southward from North America as a complex volcanic arc-trench system during the Early Cretaceous period, eventually forming the land bridge during the Pliocene epoch when its southern end (at Panama) collided with South America through tectonic action.〔Coney, Peter J. 1982. "(Plate tectonic constraints on the biogeography of Middle America and the Caribbean region )." ''Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden'': v. 69, pp. 432-443〕 Occasionally, the term ''Middle America'' is used synonymously with ''Central America''〔 (compare with ''Middle Africa'' and ''Central Africa''). In English, the term is uncommonly used as a synonym of the term ''Mesoamerica'' (or ''Meso-America''),〔〔('Glossary' ) ''Images of the Past'', 4th ed. 2005. McGraw-Hill Higher Education.〕 which generally refers to an ancient culture region situated in Middle America extending approximately from central Mexico to northern Costa Rica.〔Dow, James W. 1999. ''(The Cultural Anthropology of Middle America ).''〕 In addition, some residents of the region (e.g., Costa Ricans and Nicaraguans) may be referred to as ''Meso-Americans'' or ''Central Americans'' but not, however, as ''Middle Americans'', which refers to a particular constituency in the United States.〔"American." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (ISBN 0-19-214183-X). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 35.〕 == See also == * Americas (terminology) * Aridoamerica * Caribbean * Central America * Northern America * Mesoamerica * Middle America Trench * Oasisamerica 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Middle America (Americas)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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