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Latin America

Area 21,069,501 sq km
Population 560,287,688
Countries 20
Dependencies 4
GDP $2.26 Trillion (exchange rate)
Languages Spanish, Portuguese, French, Quechua, Aymara, Nahuatl, Mayan languages, Guaraní, Italian, English, German, Welsh, Dutch
Time Zones
Largest Cities Mexico City,
São Paulo,
Buenos Aires,
Rio de Janeiro,
Lima,
Bogotá
Santiago, Chile,
Havana.

Latin America is the region of the Americas where Romance languages – those derived from Latin – are officially or primarily spoken. Latin America is typically contrasted with Anglo-America where English, a Germanic language, predominates.

Definitions for what comprises Latin America vary. From a sociopolitical perspective, Latin America generally includes territories in the Americas where Spanish or Portuguese prevail: Mexico; most of Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. Territories where other Romance languages such as French (e.g., Quebec in Canada) or derivatives like Papiamento or Kreyol predominate are frequently not reckoned as parts of Latin America, despite French origins of the concept. Sometimes, particularly in the United States, the term "Latin America" is used to refer to all of the Americas south of the U.S., including countries such as Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, and Suriname where non-Romance languages prevail.

Geopolitically, Latin America is divided into 20 independent countries and several dependent territories. Brazil is by far the largest country of Latin America, both in area and in population. Its official language, Portuguese, puts it apart from other Latin American countries which predominately use Spanish as their official language.

Etymology

A terrain map of Latin America

Originally a political term, Amerique Latine was coined by Napoleon III, who cited Amerique Latine and Indochine as goals for expansion during his reign. While the term helped him stake a claim to those territories, it eventually came to embody those parts of the Americas that speak Romance languages initially brought by settlers from Iberia and France in the 15th and 16th centuries.

The term Latin America has come to represent an expression equivalent to Latin Europe and implies a sense of supranationality greater than those implied by notions of statehood or nationhood. This supranational identity is expressed through common initiatives and organisations, like the South American Community of Nations. While the term Latin American is generally regarded as interchangeable with others, such as Latino and Hispanic, local opinions may differ, especially in non Spanish-speaking countries like Brazil.

Many people in Latin America do not speak Latin-derived languages but native ones or languages brought over by immigration. There is also the blend of Latin-derived cultures with indigenous and African ones resulting in a differentiation in relation to the Latin-derived cultures of Europe.

Quebec, other French-speaking areas in Canada like Acadia, Louisiana, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, and other places north of Mexico are traditionally excluded from the sociopolitical definition of Latin America, despite having significant populations that speak a Latin-derived language. This is because these territories do not exist as sovereign states or they are geographically isolated from the rest of Latin America. French Guiana, however, is often included, despite being a dependency of France and not an independent country.

The related term Iberoamerica is sometimes used to refer to the nations that were formerly colonies of Spain and Portugal, as these two countries are located on the Iberian peninsula. The Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI) takes this definition a step further, by including Spain and Portugal (often termed the Mother Countries of Latin America) among its member states, in addition to their Spanish and Portuguese-speaking former colonies in America.

History

Countries in Latin America by date of independence
Main article: History of Latin America

The Americas are thought to have been first inhabited by people crossing the Bering Land Bridge, now the Bering strait. Over the course of millennia, people spread to all parts of the continent. By the first millennium CE, South America’s vast rainforests, mountains, plains and coasts were the home of tens of millions of people. Some groups formed permanent settlements. Among those groups were the Chibchas (or "Muiscas" or "Muyscas") and the Tairona. The Chibchas of Colombia, the Quechuas of Peru and the Aymaras of Bolivia were the 3 most important sedentary Indian groups in South America.

This region was home to many indigenous peoples and advanced civilizations, including the Aztecs, Toltecs, Caribs, Tupi, Maya, and Inca. The golden age of the Maya began about 250, with the last two great civilizations, the Aztecs and Incas, emerging into prominence later on in the early-14th and mid-15th centuries respectively.

However, with the arrival of the Europeans following Christopher Columbus's voyages, the indigenous peoples were subjugated, with the Aztecs destroyed by Hernán Cortés and the Incas defeated by Francisco Pizarro. European powers colonized the region, most notably Spain and Portugal; the region (along with the rest of the uncolonized world) was divided into areas of Spanish and Portuguese control by the Line of Demarcation in 1493, which gave Spain all areas to the west, and Portugal all areas to the east (the Portuguese lands subsequently becoming Brazil). By the end of the 16th century, they had occupied large areas of Central and South America, extending all the way to the present southern border of the United States. European culture and government was imposed, with the Roman Catholic Church becoming a major economic and political power, as well as the official religion of the region.

Diseases brought by the Europeans, such as smallpox, wiped out a large proportion of the indigenous population, with epidemics of these diseases reducing them to 15% of their prior population. These survivors were used as slaves for their European masters in plantations and mines. However, intermarriage between the indigenous peoples and the European colonists was very common, and by the end of the colonial period, people of mixed ancestry (mestizos/mullatoes) formed majorities in many colonies.

By the end of the 18th century, Spanish and Portuguese power was waning as other European powers took their place, notably Britain and France. Resentment began to grow over the restrictions imposed by the Spanish government, as well as the dominance of native Spaniards (Iberian-born peninsulares) over the major institutions and the majority population, including the Spanish descendants' Creoles (criollos). The turning point came when Napoleon invaded Spain in 1808, which compelled Creole elites to form juntas that advocated independence. Fighting soon broke out between the juntas and the Spanish authorities, with initial victories crushed by Spanish troops, such as Hidalgo and Morelos in Mexico. Under the leaderships of Simon Bolivar, José de San Martin and other Libertadores however, the independence movement gained strength, and by 1825 all of Spanish Latin America except for Puerto Rico and Cuba had gained independence from Spain. Brazil achieved independence as well, with a constitutional monarchy established in 1822. In the same year in Mexico, a Spanish military officer, Agustín de Iturbide, led conservatives who created a constitutional monarchy, with Iturbide as emperor.

Political divisions

Latin America is often seen as encompassing the following countries:

And the following dependencies:

To France

To the United States

In addition, some would add Belize, the Falkland Islands, Guyana, and Suriname to this list, even though they are not culturally or linguistically Latin American. They maintain economic ties with nearby countries, and are grouped by the United Nations in predominantly Latin American regions (South and Central America). However, all except Suriname are also the objects of long-standing territorial claims by their Latin American neighbors.

Population

The population of Latin America is an amalgam of ethnic groups. The composition varies from country to country; some have a predominance of a racially mixed population, some have a high percentage of people of Amerindian origin, some are dominated by inhabitants of European origin and some populations are even primarily of African origin.

To see: Amerindian languages

Demographics

The majority of Latin Americans are of mixed descent, mestizo. Their forefathers were primarily of European (mainly Spanish and Portuguese), Amerindian or African origin, but there are also segments of South Asian, East Asian and Middle Eastern heritage.

This genetic diversity has profoundly influenced religion, music, and politics, and has given rise to a weak feeling of identity in parts of these mixed cultures. This opaque cultural heritage is (arguably improperly) called Latino in United States' English. Outside of the U.S., and in many languages (especially romance ones) "Latino" just means "Latin", referring to cultures and peoples that can trace their heritage back to the ancient Roman Empire.

Language

Romance languages in Latin America: Green-Spanish; Blue-French; Orange-Portuguese

Spanish is the predominant language in the majority of the countries. Portuguese is spoken primarily in Brazil, where it is the official language. French is also spoken in smaller countries, in the Caribbean, and French Guiana.

Many nations, especially in the Caribbean, have their own Creole languages, derived from European languages and various African tongues. Native American languages are spoken in many Latin American nations, mainly Peru, Ecuador, Guatemala, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Mexico. Nahuatl is only one of the 62 native languages spoken by indigenous people in Mexico, which are officially recognized by the government as "national languages", along with Spanish. Guarani is, together with Spanish, the official language of Paraguay, and is spoken by the majority of the population.

Other European languages are also spoken, such as Italian in Brazil and Argentina, German in southern Brazil, southern Chile and Argentina, and Welsh in southern Argentina.

Religion

The primary religion throughout Latin America is Roman Catholicism, but one can also find practitioners of Protestant, Pentecostal, Evangelical, Mormon, Buddhist, Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, Bahá'í, indigenous, and various Afro-Latin American traditions, such as Santería, and Macumba which is a tribal- voodoo religion that is derived from Roman Catholicism. Evangelicalism in particular has been sharply increasing in popularity.

Economy

Below is a table showing the Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita at purchasing power parity (PPP) prices and the GDP (PPP) of each Latin American country. This can be used to roughly gauge to the relative standards of living in the region. Data are from the year 2005. The Latin American G7 is composed of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela.

GNI per capita (PPP)
GDP (PPP)
Country GDP (PPP) per capita GDP (PPP)
international dollars millions of international dollars
 Argentina 14,087 550,000
 Chile 11,537 186,733
 Costa Rica 10,316 44,579
 Mexico 10,090 1,064,889
 Uruguay 9,619 32,885
 Brazil 8,745 1,552,542
 Panama 7,327 22,706
 Colombia 7,303 336,808
 Dominican Republic 7,055 63,594
 Peru 6,723 164,110
 Venezuela 5,801 153,331
 Paraguay 4,663 29,014
 El Salvador 4,525 31,171
 Guatemala 4,136 56,736
 Ecuador 4,010 56,779
 Bolivia 3,049 25,892
 Cuba 3,000 33,920
 Honduras 2,793 20,549
 Nicaragua 2,779 16,052
 Haiti 1,614 14,118
Latin America 8,105 4,421,569

Sources: Data from table are from an April 2005 report by the IMF and graphics data are from data by the World Bank from 2003 [1]. Data for Cuba is a 2004 estimate from the CIA World Factbook. GDP (PPP) per capita for Latin America was calculated using population data from List of countries by population

Culture

The culture of Latin America is the product of many influences, derived mainly from:

  • The Native culture of the Peoples that inhabitated the continents previous to the arrival of the Europeans.
  • The European culture, brought under four main versions: The Spanish, the Portuguese, the English and the French. This can be seen in any expression of the Arts, like painting, Literature and Music, and in the Sciences and Politics. These four main branches left, especially, an enduring mark of their influence in their Languages, which are spoken to date throughout Central (including the Caribbean), South and North America (México).
  • From Africa, the Latin American countries received the sense of rhythm and some of their dances such as the dances of the Caribbean, the bomba, the plena, the candombe and many others.

Painting

The development of Latin American painting stemmed originally from the styles brought along by Spanish, Portuguese and French Baroque Painters, which in turn were following the trends of the Italian Masters. This Eurocentrism of the Arts, in general, started to fade in early 20th century, when Latin-Americans begun to acknowledge the uniqueness of their condition and started to follow their own path.

Some of the Painters from Latin America could include:

Argentina

Brazil

Chile

Colombia

Cuba

Ecuador

Guatemala

Mexico

Nicaragua

Puerto Rico

Uruguay

Literature

Main article: Latin American Writers

The literature in Latin America has long gain its own identity, evolving from the strong European and, at a later stage, Anglo-American influences, and nowadays it is very recognisable and present internationally, including renowned Nobel Prize Winners. The Colombian Gabriel García Marquez won the prize for writing "One Hundred Years of Solitude", and has established his name as one of the most important writers in the world. In Brazil, there is João Guimarães Rosa, with his well-known book "Grande Sertão - Veredas", and older writers such as Machado de Assis ( "Dom Casmurro" ).

Gabriela Mistral and Pablo Neruda (in 1971) are well known Chilean Nobel Prize winners. The Argentine Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986) is a solid and influential figure of the Latin-American letters.

Other important Latin-American writers are:

Music

Main article: Latin American music

One of the main characteristics of Latin American music is its diversity, from the lively rythms of Central America and the Caribbean to the more austere sounds of southern South America. Another feature of the Latin American music is its original blending of the variety of styles that arrived to The Americas and that became its influences, from the early Spanish and European Baroque to the different beats of the African rythms.

Hispano-Caribbean music, such as salsa, merengue, bachata, etc., are styles of music that have been strongly influenced by African rhythms and melodies.

Other main musical genres of Latin American include the Argentine tango, the Colombian cumbia and vallenato, Mexican ranchera and the various styles of music from Pre-Columbian traditions that are widespread in the Andean region. In Brazil, samba, American jazz, European classical music and choro were combined into the bossa nova music.

The notable classical composer Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) worked on the recording of native musical traditions within his homeland of Brazil. These traditions have heavily influenced his classical works. Also notable is the much recent work of the Cuban Leo Brouwer. There is also the guitar work of the Venezuelan Antonio Lauro and the great Paraguayan Agustín Barrios.

Arguably, the main contribution to the world music has been through the folklore, where the true soul of the Latin American and Caribbean Countries is really expressed. Musicians such as Atahualpa Yupanqui, Violeta Parra, Victor Jara, Mercedes Sosa, Jorge Negrete and others had given magnificent examples of the heights that this soul can reach.

Latin pop, including many forms of rock, is very popular in Latin America today (see Spanish language rock and roll).

Film

Latin American film is both rich and diverse. The 1950s and 1960s saw a movement towards Third Cinema, led by the Argentine filmmakers Fernando Solanas and Octavio Getino.

Cinema of Argentina was a big industry at the first half of the 20th century. After a series of military governments that conditionated culture in general, the industry re-emerged after the 1976-1983 military dictatorship to produce the Academy Award-winning film The Official Story in 1985. Argentine economic crisis affected the production of films in the late 1990s, early 2000s, but many Argentine movies produced during those years were internationally acclaimed, including Nueve reinas (2000), El abrazo partido (2004) and Roma (2004).

In Brazil, the Cinema Novo movement created a very particular way of making movies with critical and intellectual screenplays, a clearer photography related to the light of the outdoors in a tropical landscape, and a political message. The modern Brazilian film industry has become more profitable inside the country, and some of its productions have received prizes and recognition in Europe and in the United States. Movies like Central Station (1999) and City of God (2003) have fans around the world, and its directors have also taken part in American and European film projects.

Mexican movies such as Amores Perros (2000) and Y tu mamá también (2001) have also been successful in creating universal stories about contemporary subjects, and were internationally recognised.

See also: Cinema of Cuba

See also

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