I’ve already given you a run down of some of the nicest and most culture infused cities in the large mass of land known as South America. Today I’m taking things up a notch, that is, up to Central America and the Caribbean.

Central America has over 41 million people spread out among seven countries: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama. The Caribbean has a little under 40 million people, packed onto the thousands of islands, many of which pride picture perfect beaches that attract tourists from all over the world.

Let’s get the ball rolling with Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, and home to over two million people. The city sits on the shore of Lake Managua, a severely polluted lake on the western edge of Nicaragua. The name Managua comes from Nahuatl, a language used by Nahua people, whom called the city Managua after the phrase Mana-ahuac, meaning “adjacent to the water.”

Panama! Sammy Hagar sings at the top of his voice in Van Halens hit song of the same name. While the song has nothing to do with the country (It was about a car), the country itself is full of life and action packed. Panamas capital city is conveniently named Panama City; it has a population of over 1.2 million, of which seventy percent have yet to hear the Van Halen classic I mentioned above. The name Panama has several theories, from the name of a commonly found tree species, to a fishing village and nearby beach that had a similar name, Panamá, which meant “an abundance of fish.” Of course the fact that there are multiple ideas about it means that there is no certainty, you can believe the one that appeals to you the most.

Let’s get on a boat and travel over the ocean to Cuba, just to mention the name should conjure up images of old cars, colorful houses and men smoking cigars, and for good reason. Cuba is one of the most recognizable places on earth, and the capital Havana is one of the finest examples why. Over two million people live in Havana, a city founded in 1515, and attracts over one million tourists a year, the name is again not one that has a definitive answer. One theory states that the name is derived from the Dutch Havene, referring to a harbor, another more popular idea is that the name came from a Taíno chief named Habaguanex, who once controlled the area of Havana.

There’s a great deal of history in this part of the world, I could talk of many other places, big and small yet all culture packed and beautiful, from Guatemala meaning “place of many trees” to Barbados translating to “Red land with white teeth,” there is much more there for you to find if you’re at all interested.

Can you think of any other interesting names of cities? How about interesting or weird translations of names?