The following lists events that happened during 2020 in Central America: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.
The combined population of Central America is estimated at 44.53 million (2016).
Incumbents
Belize Britain granted British Honduras self-government in 1964; on June 1, 1973, it was renamed Belize. Independence was achieved on September 21, 1981. The capital is Belmopan. Chief of state: Queen Elizabeth II (since 6 February 1952)The CIA World Fact Book: Belize Retrieved Feb 9, 2020 Represented by Governor-General Sir Colville Young (since 17 November 1993) Head of Government: Prime Minister Dean Barrow (8 February 2008 – 12 November 2020) Johnny Briceno (starting 12 November 2020) Deputy Prime Minister Patrick Faber (since 7 June 2016)
Costa Rica
Authorities declared the independence of Central America on September 15, 1821, becoming part of the First Mexican Empire. From 1823 to 1838 it was part of the Federal Republic of Central America; in 1838 it became the Free State of Costa Rica, which gave way to the Republic of Costa Rica in 1848. The capital is San José.
Chief of state and Head of Government: President Carlos Alvarado Quesada (since 8 May 2018)The CIA World Fact Book: Costa Rica Retrieved Feb 9, 2020 First Vice President Epsy Campbell Barr (since 8 May 2018) Second Vice President Marvin Rodríguez Cordero (since 8 May 2018)
El Salvador In 1821 El Salvador became part of the First Mexican Empire, which gave way to the Federal Republic of Central America in 1823. That lasted until 1841. El Salvador was independent until it joined the Greater Republic of Central America from 1896 to 1898 when it became independent once again. The capital of the Republic of El Salvador is San Salvador.
Chief of state and Head of Government: President Nayib Bukele Ortez (since 1 June 2019)The CIA World Fact Book: El Salvador Retrieved Feb 9, 2020 Vice President Felix Augusto Antonio Ulloa Garay (since 1 June 2019)
Guatemala
The Captaincy General of Guatemala declared independence from Spain on September 15, 1821, when it was absorbed by the Mexican Empire. From 1823 to 1841it was part of the Federal Republic of Central America. On March 21, 1847, Guatemala declared itself an independent republic. The capital of the Republic of Guatemala is Guatemala City.
Chief of state and Head of government: President Jimmy Morales (until January 14, 2020) Alejandro Eduardo Giammattei Falla (January 14, 2020—present)CIA Fact Book: Central America: Guatemala Retrieved Jan 9, 2020 Vice-President Jafeth Cabrera (until January 14, 2020) César Guillermo Castillo Reyes (January 14, 2020—present)
Honduras Honduras gained independence from Spain in 1821 and was a part of the Mexican Empire until 1823, when it became part of the Federal Republic of Central America. The Republic of Honduras was established 1838. Its capital is Tegucigalpa.
Chief of state and Head of Government: President Juan Orlando Hernandez Alvarado (since 27 January 2014)The CIA World Fact Book: Honduras Retrieved Feb 9, 2020 Vice Presidents: Ricardo Alvarez, Olga Alvarado, Maria Rivera (since 26 January 2018)
Nicaragua The Captaincy General of Guatemala was dissolved in September 1821, and Nicaragua became part of the First Mexican Empire. In 1823, Nicaragua joined the newly formed the United Provinces of Central America, (later the Federal Republic of Central America). Nicaragua finally became an independent republic in 1838. The capital of the Republic of Nicaragua is Managua.
Chief of state and Head of government: President Daniel Ortega (since 10 January 2007)The CIA World Fact Book: Nicaragua Retrieved Feb 9, 2020 Vice President Rosario Murillo Zambrana (since 10 January 2017)
Panama The Independence of Panama from Spain was accomplished through a bloodless revolt between in November 1821 after which time it joined Gran Colombia. Panama separated from Colombia on November 3, 1903, and signed the a treaty establishing the Panama Canal Zone. The Canal Zone was abolished in 1979; the Panama Canal itself remained under joint U.S.–Panamanian control until 1999. Panama City is the capital of the Republic of Panama.
Chief of state and Head of Government: President Laurentino "Nito" Cortizo Cohen (since 1 July 2019)The CIA World Fact Book: Panama Retrieved Feb 9, 2020 Vice President Jose Gabriel Carrizo Jaen (since 1 July 2019)
Monthly events
January January 1 – New Year's Day January 7 – The Panama Canal watershed is at its fifth driest in 70 years, according to the Panama Canal Authority. January 9 Martyrs' Day (Panama) Federal marshalls in Carson City, United States, arrest Salvadoran Rene Antonio “Scrapy” Hernandez-Mejia, whom they say was part of a terrorist organization. They intend to deport him back to El Salvador.Salvadoran accused of terrorism ties arrested in Carson City AP, 9 Jan 2020, Retrieved 9 Feb 2020 January 14 – New President Alejandro Giammattei of Guatemala takes office after a five-hour delay due to protests. Outgoing president Morales is pelted with eggs.Turbulent inauguration day in Guatemala, outgoing president hit by eggs by Sofia Menchu & Frank Jack Daniel, Reuters World News, 14 Jan 2020, Retrieved 9 Feb 2020 January 16 Guatemala breaks off diplomatic relations with Venezuela.Guatemala breaks off diplomatic relations with Venezuela Al Jareeza, 16 Jan 2020, Retrieved 9 Feb 2020 Arrest warrants on corruption charges are issued for eight politicians in Guatemala; former congresswoman Aracely Chavarria and former mayor Angel Ren of Chiché, Guatemala, are arrested.Guatemalan officials arrested for corruption after leaving office by Sandra Cuffe, Al Jazeera, 16 Jan 2020, Retrieved 9 Feb 2020 January 18 The United States Border Patrol tries to deport a sick Honduran woman and her two sick children, ages six and one, to Guatemala.U.S. seeks to deport Honduran mom, sick children to Guatemala By Nomaan Merchant, Associated Press 18 January 2020, Retrieved 9 Feb 2020 Mexico stops thousands of Honduran immigrants on the border with Guatemala. January 20: Thousands of Honduran migrants and asylum-seekers battle with Mexican National Guard and try to force their way across the Suchiate River near Ayutla, San Marcos, Guatemala.Chaos at Guatemala-Mexico border as caravan tries to advance by Jeff Abbott, Al Jazeera, 20 Jan 2020, Retrieved 9 Feb 2020 The Guatemala government seizes two farms belonging to former Minister of Communications, Infrastructure, and Housing, Alejandro Sinibaldi.Alejandro Sinibaldi loses two other farms that would have been acquired with the bribes of Odebrecht Prensa Libre (Guatemala City), 20 Jan 2020, Retrieved 9 Feb 2020 January 22 – Guatemala is seen as the fifth most corrupt country in the world. January 24 – Calm returns to the Mexico-Guatemala border after 800 Honduran immigrants were arrested on January 23. January 27: Guatemalan President Giammattei offers El Salvador an opportunity to build and operate a port in Guatemalan waters in the Atlantic.Guatemalan president offers El Salvador the chance to build a port in Guatemalan waters Reuters, 27 Jan 2020, retrieved 9 Feb 2020 January 31 Eighty armed individuals attack the indigenous community of Mayagna Sauni, Nicaragua, located 400 kilometers from Managua, burning houses while leaving six dead and ten missing.Indigenous leaders killed in Nicaragua 31 Jan 2020, Retrieved 9 Feb 2020 Photographer Caroline Power discovers a "blanket" of plastic measuring near Roatán Island, Honduras. It is believed to have been washed from the Motagua River during heavy rains in Guatemala.
February February 1 – The United States deported a record 4,171 Guatemalans (3,000 men, 692 women, 479 minors), a 2.27% increase over 2019, during the month of January, according to the Instituto Guatemalteco de Migración (Guatemalan Institute of Migration, IGM).The number of Guatemalans deported from the US reaches a new record in January AFP, 1 Feb 2020, Retrieved 9 Feb 2020 February 2 2020 Costa Rican municipal elections 2020 San José mayoral election won by Johnny Araya MongeJohnny Araya re-elected mayor of San José with a large majority 2 Feb 2020, Retrieved 15 Feb 2020 Young people and adults denounce torture and other human rights violations by the Nicaraguan paramilitary groups.Nicaragua: human rights violations by paramilitary groups are denounced 2 Feb 2020, Retrieved 9 Feb 2020 At least six cases of torture are documented.https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/video/nicaragua-tortura-denuncias-paramilitar-pkg-mario-medrano/ Organismos defensores de derechos humanos han documentado al menos 8 casos de tortura en Nicaragua ] 6 Feb 2020, Retrieved 9, 2020 February 3 Our Lady of Suyapa, Honduras Convicted prisoner Gilberto Ventura Ceballos escapes from La Joyita Prison in Pacora, Panama for the second time. The government has offered a US$50,000 reward for his recapture.The reward for information on Gilberto Ventura Ceballos is increased to $ 50,000 {in lang|es} La Prensa (Panama), 5 Feb 2020, retrieved 8 Feb 2020 February 4 200,000 people participate in an earthquake drill held on the 44th anniversary of the 1976 Guatemala earthquake in which 22,000 people died. A Costa Rican judge nullifies a same-sex marriage between two women and fires the Civil law notary who performed the marriage in 2015.Marriage annulled between two women in Costa Rica CNN en Español, 4 Feb 2020, Retrieved 9 Feb 2020 Oscar Dávila, 44, is appointed to head the investigations into government corruption in Guatemala. February 5 Panamanian President Laurentino Cortizo fires Security Minister Rolando Mirones and Government Minister Carlos Romero after the February 3 prison escape of Gilberto Ventura Ceballos.Escape by convict Ventura Ceballos triggers resignation of two ministers La Estrella de Panamá, 5 Feb 2020, Retrieved 9 Feb 2020 The government of El Salvador says it is not ready to accept asylum-seekers and will not accept them from the United States.El Salvador says it’s not ready to receive asylum seekers AP, 5 Feb 2020, Retrieved 9 Feb 2020 February 6 – In a visit to the Mexican Senate, the President of Guatemala, Alejandro Giammattei suggests the two countries construct ‘’Muros de Prosperidad’’ ("Prosperity Walls") in the form of an investment bank in the Mexican states of Chiapas and Tabasco and the Guatemalan departments of San Marcos, Quiché, and Huehuetenango in order to stem migration. February 7 The government of Nicaragua lifts its 500-day blockade of paper and ink against La Prensa, Managua's oldest newspaper. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights provides US$4.1 million for Nicaraguan and Venezuelan asylum seekers in Costa Rica. The United States offers thousands of H-2B visas to temporary agricultural workers from Guatemala and El Salvador. Human Rights Watch reports that at least 138 Salvadoran migrants who have been repatriated from the United States have been killed.Some Salvadorans deported from the US are killed, according to Human Rights Watch CNN en Español, 7 Feb 2020, Retrieved 9 Feb 2020 February 8 According to the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI), Honduras was the second-most country affected by climate change. The town of Cedeño loses 122 centimeters (48”) of land to the sea every year. Like Honduras, certain Caribbean islands of Panama appear in red on maps published by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The government of El Salvador tries to recover three million plastic bottles in a two-day recycling program.The "Recycling Challenge" campaign in El Salvador seeks to collect three million plastic bottles CNN en Español, 8 Feb 2020, Retrieved 9 Feb 2020 February 9 Municipal elections in Costa Rica: Only 9 of 82 candidates for mayor are women, according to the ‘’Instituto Nacional de las Mujeres’’ (“National Institute of Women”), (INAMU).Costa Rica: Low Voting for Female Candidates Generates Change Initiatives Retrieved 9 Feb 2020