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Map of Ibero-America as a whole as well as Spain and Portugal

Ibero-America is a term used since the second half of the 19th century to refer collectively to the countries in the Americas which were formerly colonies of Spain or Portugal. Spain and Portugal are themselves included in some definitions, such as that of the Ibero-American Summit and the Organization of Ibero-American States. The Organization of Ibero-American States also includes Equatorial Guinea, in Central Africa^[1][2], but not the Portuguese-speaking African countries.

[edit] Overview

The prefix Ibero- refers to the Iberian peninsula in Europe, consisting of Spain, Portugal, Andorra, and Gibraltar. Ibero-America is formed by all Spanish-speaking countries in the Americas, in addition to Brazil, which is Portuguese-speaking, but excludes the French-speaking countries Haiti, French Guiana, Martinique and Guadeloupe. The exclusion of the French-speaking regions differentiates Ibero-America from Latin America, as well as the inclusion of the European states of the Iberian peninsula if they are included in the definition. The English-speaking countries Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Barbados, Antigua, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, Saint Kitts & Nevis and Grenada, and the Dutch-speaking Suriname are also excluded from Ibero-America.

The term includes neither the United States (except for Puerto Rico), nor any of its fifty states, although a large part of its current territory was colonized by Spain and was under Spanish or Mexican rule longer than it has been under U.S. rule. (See History of Florida, History of Texas, Mexican Cession, and Gadsden Purchase.) While English is the most widely spoken language by far in the U.S., it has not been designated an official language (though some states have done so), and Spanish-speakers compose the second-largest language community nationwide.

Since 1991, the Iberoamerican Community of Nations has organized yearly summits, attended by the heads of state and government of the Ibero-American countries, including Spain and Portugal.^[3][4]

[edit] Countries and population in Europe and America

• Spanish-speaking : (Over 400 million speakers)

Argentina 38,747,000

Bolivia 9,182,000

Chile 16,295,000

Colombia 45,600,000

Costa Rica 4,401,000

Cuba 11,269,000

Dominican Republic 10,090,000

Ecuador 13,228,000

El Salvador 6,881,000

Guatemala 12,599,000

Honduras 7,205,000

Mexico 107,029,000

Nicaragua 5,487,000

Panama 3,232,000

Paraguay 6,158,000

Peru 27,968,000

Puerto Rico 3,955,000

Spain 47,116,000

Uruguay 3,463,000

Venezuela 26,749,000

• Portuguese-speaking : (About 200 million speakers)

Brazil 196,342,592

Portugal 10,495,000

• Catalan-speaking :

Andorra 69,150 (in addition to about 7.5 million Catalan speakers from Spain, who are included in the Spanish population of this article)

[edit] See also

• Organization of Ibero-American States
• Organización de Televisión Iberoamericana (OTI)
• List of current heads of state and government of Ibero-America
• Americas (terminology)
• Latin America
• Hispanic America
• Latin American integration
• Spanish colonization of the Americas
• Portuguese colonization of the Americas
• Anglosphere

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• (Spanish) Official Web-site for the Organization of Ibero-American States OEI
• (Spanish) Ibero-America's Secretariat General Official Web-site (SEGIB)
• (Spanish) Official Web-site for the Organization of Ibero-American Youth (OIJ)
• (Spanish) Digital History of Ibero-America from the 14th to the 18th century
• (Spanish) Digital News about Ibero-America (La Insignia)
• (Spanish) Cultural Magazine about Ibero-America (Pensar Iberoamerica)
• (Spanish) Official Web-site for one of the most important festivals devoted to Ibero-America (El Ojo de Iberoamerica)