Banana Republic is the story of a land mass which connects two continents. On its West Coast it has almost continuous range of mountains, some of which are volcanic. The entire length of Central America is in the Pacific rim of fire and often racked by earthquakes and ravaged by hurricanes. The seven nations of Central America have traditionally been the lunchbox of the great corporations and greedy nations. They have been used for their minerals, their natural resources, and their indigenous people. The mixed races of Central America have been the labor source of enormous riches. Almost all of the native peoples of Central America have been slaves at some point in history. Primarily none of the seven countries have ever achieved a stable and honest government. They have been wracked by revolution and civil wars throughout their history. This book is a story of the history and geography of a little-known part of the world. The geography ranges from arid desert, to mountainous terrain and impenetrable tropical jungles. Over the last 50 years it has been the home of the enormously wealthy drug cartels. Most of the ingredients used in the drugs can be grown in this climate and the governments mostly are amenable to allowing these illegal practices for a small payoff. The average reader will be shocked by some of the stories portrayed between the covers of this book.