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1823–1841 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Anthem: La Granadera "The Song of the Grenadier" | |||||||||||||||||||||
Capital |
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Common languages | Spanish | ||||||||||||||||||||
Religion | Catholicism | ||||||||||||||||||||
Demonym(s) | Central American | ||||||||||||||||||||
Government | Revolutionary republic | ||||||||||||||||||||
President | |||||||||||||||||||||
• 1825–1829 | Manuel José Arce (first) | ||||||||||||||||||||
• 1835–1839 | Francisco Morazán (last) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Historical era | Spanish American wars of independence | ||||||||||||||||||||
• Independence from the Spanish Empire | 15 September 1821 | ||||||||||||||||||||
• Independence from the First Mexican Empire | 1 July 1823 | ||||||||||||||||||||
• Disestablished | February 1841 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Currency | Central American real | ||||||||||||||||||||
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The Federal Republic of Central America[2] (Spanish: República Federal de Centroamérica) was a sovereign state in Central America which existed from 1823 to 1841. Originally known as the United Provinces of Central America, the democratic republic was composed of the territories of the former Captaincy General of Guatemala of New Spain.
The Federal Republic of Central America consisted of the present-day countries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, as well as parts of Belize. In the 1830s, a sixth state was added—Los Altos, with its capital in Quetzaltenango and territories that are now parts of Chiapas, Mexico (Soconusco) and the western highlands of Guatemala.
Shortly after Central America declared independence from the Spanish Empire in 1821, some of its countries were annexed by the First Mexican Empire in 1822, before again becoming independent and forming the federal republic in 1823. The federation was unstable and quickly descended into a series of civil wars, first from 1826 to 1829 and again from 1838 to 1840, with conservatives fighting against liberals, and separatists fighting to secede. These factions were unable to overcome their ideological differences and the bloody conflicts ended in the federation's dissolution in 1841.[3]