Latin America was traditionally defined as the regions of America where Spanish, the language of Spain, and Portuguese, the language of Portugal, were spoken. In practice, however, virtually all of the Western Hemisphere except the United States, Canada, and the non-Hispanophone countries of the Caribbean have tended to come under the heading of Latin America. Other areas where languages derived from Latin (such as French, Papiamento or Kreyol) predominate are sometimes included and sometimes excluded from Latin America, depending on the speaker.
- See also Latino, Hispanic, Ibero-America
Countries of Latin America
Map by Jodoco Hondio; engraved by H. Picard
Latin American history extends back many centuries, possibly as long as 30,000 years. Precise dating is difficult because there are few text sources. However, highly-developed civilizations flourished at various times and places, such as the Andean Inca and the Central American Maya.
Christopher Columbus "discovered" the Americas in 1492. Subsequently, the major sea powers in Europe sent expeditions to the New World to build market lines and colonies. First, concentrating on the central and southern parts of the Americas, the Spanish and Portuguese built large colonial empires in California, Mexico, and Brazil.
In the early 19th century most of the countries in the region attained their independence, although a few small colonies remain.
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Me siento tan patriota de Latinoamérica, de cualquier país de Latinoamérica, como el que más y, en el momento en que fuera necesario, estaría dispuesto a entregar mi vida por la liberación de cualquiera de los países de Latinoamérica, sin pedirle nada a nadie, sin exigir nada, sin explotar a nadie.
I feel such a patriotism for Latin America, for any country in Latin America, that in the moment it might be necessary, I would be ready to yield my life for the liberation of any Latin American nation, without asking anybody anything, without demanding anything, without exploiting anyone.
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Main Category:
Detailed information about the Latin America can be found under these sub-categories:
Languages of Latin America
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