Culturally and geographically diverse, Central America faces a number of environmental and political challenges. Internal rebellions have wracked many of its countries and most are making the transition from agricultural to urban-industrial economies. Rain forests in Central America continue to fall to loggers and farmers. Many nations still depend on one or a few cash crops—a legacy of the colonial slave-plantation era. While civil wars and natural disasters have plagued many nations in this region, the rich and vibrant cultures of its people endure.