View source for Latin America

{{more sources|date=May 2019}}
{{Infobox continent
|title = Latin America
|image = Latin America (orthographic projection).svg
|area = {{convert|20,111,457|km2|abbr=off|sp=us}}<ref name="worldbank-ruralenv">{{cite web
  | url        = http://wdi.worldbank.org/table/3.1
  | title      = World Development Indicators: Rural environment and land use
  | work       = World Development Indicators, The World Bank
  | publisher  = [[World Bank]]
  | accessdate = September 12, 2013
}}</ref>
|population = {{UN_Population|Latin America and the Caribbean}} ({{UN_Population|Year}} estimate){{UN_Population|ref}}{{efn|name=d|Includes the population estimates for South American and Central American countries, not including Belize, Guyana, the United States, and Spanish and French-speaking Caribbean countries and territories.}}
|density = {{convert|31|/km2|abbr=off|sp=us}}
|demonym = [[Latin American]]
|countries = 20{{efn|name=c|Not including Anglophone or Dutch-speaking countries, such as [[Belize]], [[Guyana]], [[Jamaica]], [[Suriname]] and [[Trinidad and Tobago]]; see [[#Contemporary definitions|Contemporary definitions]] section}}
|dependencies = 13
|languages = '''Mainly:'''<br />[[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], and [[French language|French]]
<br />'''Others''': [[English language|English]], [[Dutch language|Dutch]], [[Papiamento]]
|time = [[UTC−2]] to [[UTC−8]]
|cities = (Metro areas)<ref name="brookingsgdp"/><ref name="forstall">Geography Department at Loughborough University, [http://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/world2012t.html The World According to GaWC 2012] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140320212149/http://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/world2012t.html |date=2014-03-20 }}, Table 4</ref><br /> 1. [[Greater São Paulo|São Paulo]]<br /> 2. [[Greater Mexico City|Mexico City]]<br /> 3. [[Greater Buenos Aires|Buenos Aires]]<br /> 4. [[Lima]] <br /> 5. [[Rio de Janeiro]] <br /> 6. [[Metropolitan Area of Bogotá|Bogotá]] <br /> 7. [[Santiago Metropolitan Region|Santiago]]<br /> 8. [[Greater Belo Horizonte|Belo Horizonte]] <br /> 9. [[Guadalajara metropolitan area|Guadalajara]] <br /> 10. [[Monterrey metropolitan area|Monterrey]]
|m49 = <code>419</code> – Latin America<br /><code>019</code> – Americas<br /><code>001</code> – World}}

'''Latin America''' is the part of the [[Americas]] where the people speak [[Romance languages]]. This includes most of [[South America]] and [[Central America]] (also including the Spanish and French-speaking [[Caribbean]] islands).

The places in the Americas which speak [[French language|French]] ([[French Guiana]], [[Haiti]], [[Quebec]] and  the French-speaking Caribbean islands) are not always included as a part of Latin America, although French is also a Romance language.<ref name="Colburn">{{cite book
  | last      = Colburn
  | first     = Forrest D
  | title     = Latin America at the End of Politics
  | url       = https://books.google.com/books?id=qBCVB3mxCK8C
  | date      = 2002
  | publisher = Princeton University Press
  | isbn      = 978-0-691-09181-5
}}</ref>

Latin America has vibrant artistic and cultural traditions. [[Latin American Literature|Latin American literature]], music, and arts are world famous.<ref>{{Cite web
  | title    = Latin American literature
  | url      = https://www.britannica.com/art/Latin-American-literature|access-date=2021-07-31
  | website  = Encyclopedia Britannica
  | language = en
}}</ref>

In the [[United States]], the term "Latino" refers to a person who has Latin American heritage. It is different from [[Hispanic]] which would only include countries where Spanish is the official language. For example, Hispanic would not include [[Brazil]] because its official language is [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]].

In Spanish, "latino" is a masculine term (for [[boy]]s and [[Man|men]]) whereas "latina" is a feminine term (for [[girl]]s and [[Woman|women]]). In the English language, "latino" is not associated with gender so it is an all-inclusive term  ([[male]], [[female]], and [[Non-binary gender|non-binary]]). In the 2010s, the term "Latinx" was created to be a gender-neutral term but very few Latinos actually use it.<ref>{{cite web
  | url   = https://www.heritage.org/civil-society/commentary/latinx-unpopular-actual-latin-americans-poll-shows
  | title = "Latinx" is Unpopular with Actual Latin Americans, Poll Shows
}}</ref>

== Countries and territories that make up Latin America ==
=== Spanish-speaking ===
* {{flagicon|Argentina}} [[Argentina]]
* {{flagicon|Bolivia}} [[Bolivia]]
* {{flagicon|Chile}} [[Chile]]
* {{flagicon|Colombia}} [[Colombia]]
* {{flagicon|Costa Rica}} [[Costa Rica]]
* {{flagicon|Cuba|1902}} [[Cuba]]
* {{flagicon|Dominican Republic}} [[Dominican Republic]]
* {{flagicon|Ecuador}} [[Ecuador]]
* {{flagicon|El Salvador}} [[El Salvador]]
* {{flagicon|Guatemala}} [[Guatemala]]
* {{flagicon|Honduras}} [[Honduras]]
* {{flagicon|Mexico}} [[Mexico]]
* {{flagicon|Nicaragua}} [[Nicaragua]]
* {{flagicon|Panama}} [[Panama]]
* {{flagicon|Paraguay}} [[Paraguay]]
* {{flagicon|Peru}} [[Peru]]
* {{nowrap|{{flagicon|Puerto Rico}} [[Puerto Rico]]{{refn|group=sn|Note: Puerto Rico is [[Territories of the United States|a territory]] of the {{flagicon|United States}} [[United States]].}}}}
* {{flagicon|Uruguay}} [[Uruguay]]
* {{flagicon|Venezuela|1954}} [[Venezuela]]

=== Portuguese-speaking ===
* {{flagicon|Brazil}} [[Brazil]]

=== French-speaking ===
* {{nowrap|{{flagicon|French Guiana}} [[French Guiana]]{{refn|group=sn|Note: French Guiana is an [[Overseas departments of France|overseas department]] of {{flagicon|France}} [[France]].}}}}
* {{nowrap|{{flagicon|Guadeloupe}} [[Guadeloupe]]{{refn|group=sn|Note: Guadeloupe is an [[Overseas departments of France|overseas department]] of {{flagicon|France}} [[France]].}}}}
* {{nowrap|{{flagicon|Martinique}} [[Martinique]]{{refn|group=sn|Note: Martinique is an [[Overseas departments of France|overseas department]] of {{flagicon|France}} [[France]].}}}}
* {{nowrap|{{flagicon|Saint Barthélemy}} [[Saint Barthélemy]]{{refn|group=sn|Note: Saint Barthélemy is an [[French overseas collectivities|overseas collectivity]] of {{flagicon|France}} [[France]].}}}}
* {{nowrap|{{flagicon|Saint Martin}} [[Collectivity of Saint Martin|Saint Martin]]{{refn|group=sn|Note: Saint Martin is an [[French overseas collectivities|overseas collectivity]] of {{flagicon|France}} [[France]].}}}}
* {{nowrap|{{flagicon|Saint Pierre and Miquelon}} [[Saint Pierre and Miquelon]]{{refn|group=sn|Note: Saint Pierre and Miquelon is an [[French overseas collectivities|overseas collectivity]] of {{flagicon|France}} [[France]]}}}}
* {{flagicon|Canada}} [[Quebec]]

=== Creole-speaking ===

* {{flagicon|Haiti}} [[Haiti]]
== Demographics ==
{{Historical populations
|title = Historical populations
|type = Latin America and the Caribbean
|align = right
|footnote = Source: [https://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/sixbillion/sixbilpart1.pdf "UN report 2004 data" (PDF)]
|1750 |16000000
|1800 |24000000
|1850 |38000000
|1900 |74000000
|1950 |167000000
|1999 |511000000
|2013 |603191486
}}

===Largest cities===
The following is a list of the ten largest [[metropolitan area]]s in Latin America.<ref name="brookingsgdp">{{cite web
  | url        = https://www.brookings.edu/research/global-metro-monitor/
  | title      = Global Metro Monitor 2014
  | date       = 30 November 2001
  | publisher  = [[Brookings Institution]]
  | accessdate = 22 January 2015
}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! City !! Country !! 2017 population !! 2014 [[Gross domestic product|GDP]] ([[GDP (PPP)|PPP]], $million, [[USD]]) !! 2014 GDP per capita, ([[USD]])
|-
||[[Greater Mexico City|Mexico City]] || {{Flagicon|Mexico}} [[Mexico]] || 23,655,355 || $403,561 || $19,239
|-
||[[Greater São Paulo|São Paulo]] || {{Flagicon|Brazil}} [[Brazil]] || 23,467,354 || '''$430,510''' || $20,650
|-
||[[Greater Buenos Aires|Buenos Aires]] || {{Flagicon|Argentina}} [[Argentina]] || 15,564,354 || $315,885 || $23,606
|-
||[[Greater Rio de Janeiro|Rio de Janeiro]] || {{Flagicon|Brazil}} [[Brazil]] || 14,440,345|| $176,630 || $14,176
|-
||[[Metropolitan Area of Bogotá|Bogotá]] || {{Flagicon|Colombia}} [[Colombia]] || 9,900,800 || $199,150 || $19,497
|-
||[[Lima Metropolitan Area|Lima]] || {{Flagicon|Peru}} [[Peru]] || 9,752,000 || $176,447 || $16,530
|-
||[[Santiago Metropolitan Region|Santiago]] || {{Flagicon|Chile}} [[Chile]] || 7,164,400 || $171,436 || $23,290
|-
||[[Greater Belo Horizonte|Belo Horizonte]] || {{Flagicon|Brazil}} [[Brazil]] || 6,145,800 || $95,686 || $17,635
|-
||[[Guadalajara Metropolitan Area|Guadalajara]] || {{Flagicon|Mexico}} [[Mexico]] || 4,687,700 || $80,656 || $17,206
|-
||[[Monterrey Metropolitan area|Monterrey]] || {{Flagicon|Mexico}} [[Mexico]] || 4,344,200 || $122,896 || '''$28,290'''
|}
=== Ethnic groups ===
People in Latin America are part of several ethnic groups and races. The majority of Latin Americans are [[Mestizo]] and some others are [[White people|White]], [[Mulatto]], [[Black people|Black]], [[Zambo]], and [[Asian]].
* '''[[Native American]]''' or [[indigenous]]. The Native population in Latin America, came during the [[Lithic stage]]. There are more than sixty million of these people. They are the majority only in [[Bolivia]], [[Peru]], and [[Guatemala]]. In [[Ecuador]] they are a large minority of about 1/4 of the population. [[Mexico]]'s Native American population is nearly 30%, and is also one of the largest American Indian population in the Americas in terms of absolute numbers. Most of the remaining countries have Native American minorities.
* '''[[Europe]]an'''. In the 1500s, many [[Iberian Peninsula|Iberian]] colonists came to what is now Latin America. Today, most White Latin Americans are of [[Spain|Spanish]] and [[Portugal|Portuguese]] origin. The Iberians brought their languages, religion, and cultures to Latin America.
* '''[[African]]'''. Millions of African slaves were brought to the Americas from the early 1500s onward. The majority were sent to the [[Caribbean]] and [[Brazil]].
* '''[[Asian]]'''. People of Asian descent number several millions in Latin America. The majority of Asian Latin Americans are of Japanese and Chinese heritage, and they mostly live in [[Peru]] and [[Brazil]]. The largest community of Japanese ethnicity living outside of Japan, resides in Brazil. There is also a growing Chinese population in [[Panama]], as well as [[Costa Rica]] (though, Chinese Costa Ricans are a large minority). In the [[Dominican Republic]], there is a place where large numbers of [[Japan]]ese people came; most Japanese Dominicans live in towns such as [[Bonao]] and [[Santo Domingo]].
* '''[[Arab]]''' or [[Middle East]]ern. Arabs in Latin America are also many, but they are mostly found among the Hispanic-Caribbean regions. In [[Cuba]] and [[Puerto Rico]]. In the [[Dominican Republic]], the Arabs arrived sometime between the 19th and 20th century; (most are Moroccans and Lebanese).
Most of these ethnic groups can be found anywhere in Latin America; but since most Latin Americans are of mixed-race, many of these ethnic groups do not reach 100%.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: right"
|+ '''Ethnic distribution, in 2011'''<ref name="Lizcano">{{cite journal
  | last      = Lizcano Fernández
  | first     = Francisco
  | date      = May–August 2005
  | title     = Composición Étnica de las Tres Áreas Culturales del Continente Americano al Comienzo del Siglo XXI
  | url       = http://convergencia.uaemex.mx/rev38/38pdf/LIZCANO.pdf|url-status=dead
  | journal   = Convergencia
  | language  = Spanish
  | location  = Mexico
  | publisher = [[Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México]], Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades
  | volume    = 38
  | pages     = 185–232; table on p. 218
  | issn      = 1405-1435|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140224061845/http://convergencia.uaemex.mx/rev38/38pdf/LIZCANO.pdf|archive-date=2014-02-24|access-date=2012-09-06
}}</ref> - '''Population estimates, as of 2010'''
|- style="background:#e8e8e8;"
! Country
! Population
! [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|American Indians]]
! [[White people|Whites]]
! [[Mestizo]]s
! [[Mulatto]]es
! [[Black people|Blacks]]
! [[Zambo]]s
! [[Asians]]
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Argentina}} <!--Fercho, cease your nonsense. This table has Uruguay with 88% white-->
| 40,134,425 || 1.0% || '''85.0%''' || 11.1% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 2.9%
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Bolivia}}
| 10,907,778
| style="background:#E8E8E8" | '''55.0%''' || 13.0% || 30.0% || 2.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0%
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Brazil}}
| style="background:#E8E8E8" | 192,272,890 || 0.4% ||  '''47.7%'''|| 46.8% || 0%|| 7.6% || 0.0% || 1.1%
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Chile}}
| 17,063,000 || 6.2% || '''60.7%''' || 34.1% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0%
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Colombia}}
| 45,393,050 || 2.0% ||38%||48%||0.0%||10.6%|| 0.0% || 0.0%
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Costa Rica}}
| 4,253,897 || 2.4% || '''82.0%''' || 10.3% || 2.0% || 1.0% || 0.0% || 2.3%
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Cuba|1902}}
| 11,236,444 || 0.0% || 34.3% || 0.0% || '''35.4%''' || 30.3% || 0.0% || 1.0%
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Dominican Republic}}
| 8,562,541 || 0.0% || 16.4% || 30.0%
| style="background:#E8E8E8" | '''37.7%''' || 21.5% || 2.0% || 0.4%
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Ecuador}}
| 13,625,000 || 38.0% || 10.3% || '''41.0%''' || 5.0% || 6.6% || 0.0% || 0.1%
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|El Salvador}}
| 6,134,000 || 2.0% || 11.0%
| style="background:#E8E8E8" | '''87.0%''' || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0%
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Guatemala}}
| 13,276,517 || '''43.0%''' || 16.0% || 40.0% || 0.2% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.8%
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Honduras}}
| 7,810,848 || 7.7% || 5.0% || '''82.9%''' || 1.7% || 0.0% || 2.0% || 0.7%
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Mexico}}
| 112,322,757 || 14.0% || 15.0% || '''68.1%''' || 0.5% || 2.4% || 0.0% || 0.5%
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Nicaragua}}
| 5,891,199 || 9.0% || 17.0% || '''69.0%''' || 5.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.2%
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Panama}}
| 3,322,576 || 8.0% || 14.0% || '''51.0%''' || 13.0% || 5.0% || style="background:#E8E8E8" | 3.0% || style="background:#E8E8E8"|6.0%
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Paraguay}}
| 6,349,000 || 1.5% || 25.0% || '''69.5%''' || 3.5% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.5%
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Peru}}
| 29,461,933 || '''45.0%''' || 15.2% || 32.0% || 4.5% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 3.3%
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Puerto Rico}}
| 3,967,179 || 2.0% || '''72.1%''' || 13.0% || 6.7% || style="background:#E8E8E8" | 6.0% || 0.0% || 0.2%
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Uruguay}}
| 3,494,382 || 0.0%
| style="background:#E8E8E8" | '''88.0%''' || 8.0% || 2.0% || 2.0% || 0.0% || 0.0%
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Venezuela|1954}}
| 26,814,843 || 1.6% || 42.9% || '''43.3%''' || 7.7% || 2.3% || 0.0% || 2.2%
|- class="sortbottom" style="text-align:right; background:#f2f2f2;"
| style="text-align:left;"| '''Total'''
| 561,183,291 || 9.2% || '''39.1%''' || 33.3% || 14.3% || 3.2% || 0.2% || 0.7%
|}
<small>Note: Puerto Rico is [[Political status of Puerto Rico|a territory]] of the [[United States]].</small>

=== Language ===
[[Spanish language|Spanish]] and [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] are the most common languages in Latin America. [[Brazilian Portuguese|Portuguese]] is the [[official language]] of [[Brazil]], while Spanish is the official language of most other Latin America mainland countries, and of [[Cuba]], [[Puerto Rico]] (along with English), and the [[Dominican Republic]].

Many people speak [[Native American]] languages in [[Peru]], [[Guatemala]], [[Bolivia]], [[Paraguay]] and [[Mexico]]. These languages are less common in other countries, but in some countries like Bolivia, they are considered official along with the main European language.

Other [[Indo-European languages]] spoken in Latin America include [[English language|English]] (spoken in [[Guyana]], in several Caribbean countries and territories, and by a very small minority in Puerto Rico), French (spoken in [[French Guiana]], [[Haiti]] and in the French Caribbean territories), and [[Dutch language|Dutch]] (in [[Suriname]]). Although French is also spoken in the [[Canadian province]] of [[Quebec]] and the [[States of the U.S.|American state]] of [[Louisiana]], these countries are not considered part of Latin America, because they are mostly English-speaking. Guyana, French Guiana (one of the [[overseas territories]] of [[France]]), and Suriname, which are found the northern part of South America and known together as [[the Guianas]], are the only places in South America that do not speak Spanish or Portuguese.

Some [[African languages]] are also spoken in Latin America. The west African [[Yoruba]] language (known as [[Lucumi]]) is spoken in [[Cuba]], where it is a ritual language used by the [[Santeria]] prayers.

In several nations, [[Creole language]]s are also spoken, especially in the Caribbean. [[Palenquero]] is the Spanish-based Creole language spoken in [[Colombia]] by some 3,000 people, it is Spanish with many African influences and some Portuguese influence. Other creoles in mainland Latin America have the same roots, blending Spanish with either African or Indigenous languages or both, as [[Cuban Spanish]] does. The island of Haiti also has a well-known creole language, called [[Haitian Creole]].

===Religions===
Most Latin Americans are [[Christianity|Christians]]. A 2014 survey found that 69% of Latin Americans are [[Roman Catholic]], while 17% are [[Protestants]]. Most Protestants are from Brazil or Central America.

== Economy ==
===Poverty and inequality===
Poverty continues to be one of the biggest challenges for Latin American countries. According to estimates, Latin America is the most unequal region of the world. According to a Country Studies Institute the poorest countries in the region (in 2011) were: [[Haiti]], [[Nicaragua]], [[Bolivia]] and [[Honduras]]. [[Undernourishment]] affects 72% of [[Haitians]], 47% of [[Nicaraguans]] and [[Bolivians]], and 32% of [[Hondurans]].

Also, according to the Country Studies Institute, over 90% of [[Haitians]], 75% of [[Bolivians]], 70% of [[Nicaraguans]], and 63% of [[Hondurans]] live in poverty.

==Related pages==
* [[Hispanic America]]
* [[Central America]]
* [[South America]]
* [[Latin American Literature]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}
{{reflist|group=sn}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Other websites ==
{{commonscat}}
* [https://en.citizendium.org/wiki/Latin_America Latin America] – [[Citizendium]]
* [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/world/interactives/latinpolitics/index.html The Washington Post Interactive Map of Politics in Latin America]
* [http://www.comunidadandina.org/endex.htm Andean Community official webpage] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509144032/http://www.comunidadandina.org/endex.htm |date=2008-05-09 }}
* [http://www.coha.org Council on Hemispheric Affairs]
* [http://www1.lanic.utexas.edu/ Latin American Network Information Center] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071224222810/http://lanic.utexas.edu/ |date=2007-12-24 }}
* [http://www.lawg.org Latin America Working Group]
* [http://www.wola.org Washington Office on Latin America]
* [http://pdba.georgetown.edu/ Politics in Latin America]
* [http://www.infolatam.com/ Infolatam. Information and analysis of Latin America] {{Webarchive|url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20080908155853/http%3A//www.infolatam.com/ |date=2008-09-08 }}

{{authority control}}
[[Category:North America]]
[[Category:South America]]