Latin America

Area	21,069,501 km²
Population	569 million[1]
Demonym	Latin American, American
Countries	20
Dependencies	10
Languages	Spanish, Portuguese, French
Time Zones	UTC-2  Brazil UTC-8  Mexico
Largest cities	1. Mexico City 2. São Paulo 3. Buenos Aires 4. Rio de Janeiro 5. Bogotá 6. Lima 7. Santiago 8. Belo Horizonte 9. Caracas 10. Guadalajara
This box: view • talk

Latin America (Spanish: América Latina or Latinoamérica; Portuguese: América Latina; French: Amérique latine) is a region of the Americas where Romance languages (i.e., those derived from Latin) – particularly Spanish, Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken.^[2][3] Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,501 km² (7,880,000 sq mi), almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area. As of 2008, its population was estimated at more than 569 million.

Etymology and definitions

The idea that a part of the Americas has a cultural affinity with the Romance cultures as a whole can be traced back to the 1830s, in particular in the writing of the French Saint-Simonian Michel Chevalier, who postulated that this part of the Americas were inhabited by people of a "Latin race," and that it could, therefore, ally itself with "Latin Europe" in a struggle with "Teutonic Europe," "Anglo-Saxon America" and "Slavic Europe."^[4] The idea was later taken up by Latin American intellectuals and political leaders of the mid- and late-nineteenth century, who no longer looked to Spain or Portugal as cultural models, but rather to France.^[5] The actual term "Latin America" was coined in France under Napoleon III and played a role in his campaign to imply cultural kinship with France, transform France into a cultural and political leader of the area and install Maximilian as emperor of Mexico.^[6] In contemporary usage:

• In one sense, Latin America refers to those territories in the Americas where the Spanish or Portuguese languages prevail: Mexico, most of Central and South America, and (in the Caribbean) Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico — in summary, Spanish America and Brazil. Latin America is, therefore, defined as all those parts of the Americas that were once part of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires.^[7]
• Also, particularly in the United States, the term more broadly refers to all of the Americas south of the United States; thus, English-speaking countries such as Belize, Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Lucia, Dominica, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and the Bahamas, as well as Haiti and Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, the Netherlands Antilles, Aruba and Suriname are included. (Nevertheless, in this use, it is noted that in the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba, Papiamento – a predominantly Iberian–derived creole language – is spoken by the majority of the population.) This definition emphasizes a similar socioeconomic history of the region, which was characterized by formal or informal colonialism, rather than cultural aspects. (See, for example, dependency theory.)^[8] As such, some sources avoid this oversimplification by using the phrase "Latin America and the Caribbean" instead, as in the United Nations geoscheme for the Americas.^[9][10][11]
• In a more literal definition, which remains faithful to the original usage, Latin America designates all of those countries and territories in the Americas where a Romance language (i.e., languages derived from Latin, and hence the name of the region) is spoken: Spanish, Portuguese, and French, and the creole languages based upon these. Although French-influenced areas of the Americas would include Quebec, this region is rarely considered to be part of Latin America, since its history, distinctively North American culture and economy, and British-inspired political institutions are generally deemed too closely intertwined with the rest of Canada.^[12]

The distinction between Latin America and Anglo-America (or, in some uses, North America), which can be criticized for stressing only the European heritage of these regions (that is, for Eurocentrism), is a convention based on the predominant languages in the Americas by which Romance-language and English-speaking cultures are distinguished. Neither area is culturally or linguistically homogenous; in substantial portions of Latin America (e.g., highland Ecuador, Bolivia, Guatemala, and Paraguay), American Indian cultures and, to a lesser extent, Amerindian languages, are predominant, and in other areas, the influence of African cultures is strong (e.g., the Caribbean basin—including parts of Colombia and Venezuela)—and the coastal areas of Ecuador and Brazil.

Subdivisions

Darcy Ribeiro has proposed a classification between “witness peoples (yellow)” (Mexico, Central America, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador), “New peoples (Red)” (Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Caribbean nations, Chile and Paraguay) and “transplanted peoples(Blue)” (Uruguay and Argentina).^[13]

Latin America can be subdivided into several subregions based on geography, politics, demographics and culture; some subregions are North America, Central America, the Caribbean, the Southern Cone, and Andean states. In terms of culture, society and national identity Mario Sambarino classified Latin American states into Mestizo-American (Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela, etc.), Indigenous-America (Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Peru) and European-American (Argentina and Uruguay).^[14]

In Darcy Ribeiro's classification system Latin American countries are classified as "New Peoples" (Chile, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil etc.), that merged from the mix of several cultures while Peru, Bolivia and Mexico are "Testimony Peoples", remnants of ancient civilizations and Argentina and Uruguay, former "New Peoples" that became "Transplantated Peoples", essentially European, after massive immigration.^[14]

History

Please help improve this information beyond 1825 by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (July 2008)

Pre-colombian history

A view of Machu Picchu, a pre-Columbian Inca site in Peru.

The Americas were thought to have been first inhabited by people crossing the Bering Land Bridge, now known as the Bering strait, from northeast Asia into Alaska more than 10,000 years ago. The earliest known settlement, however, was identified at Monte Verde, near Puerto Montt in Southern Chile. Its occupation dates to some 14,000 years ago and there is some disputed evidence of even earlier occupation. Over the course of millennia, people spread to all parts of the continents. By the first millennium AD/CE, South America’s vast rainforests, mountains, plains and coasts were the home of tens of millions of people. The earliest settlements in the Americas are of the Las Vegas Culture^{[citation needed]} from about 8000 BC and 4600 BC, a sedentary group from the coast of Ecuador, the forefathers of the more known Valdivia culture, of the same era. Some groups formed more permanent settlements such as the Chibchas (or "Muiscas" or "Muyscas") and the Tairona groups. The Chibchas of Colombia, the Quechuas and Aymaras of Bolivia and Perú were the three Indian groups that settled most permanently.

The 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 fourteenth century and mid-fifteenth centuries, respectively.

European discovery

Archaeological sites of Chichén-Itzá in Yucatán Mexico.

With the arrival of the Europeans following Christopher Columbus's voyages, the indigenous elites, such as the Incans and Aztecs, lost power to the Europeans. Hernán Cortés destroyed the Aztec elite's power with the help of local groups who disliked the Aztec elite, and Francisco Pizarro eliminated the Incan rule in Western South America. European powers, most notably Spain and Portugal, colonized the region, which 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 in South America subsequently becoming Brazil). By the end of the sixteenth century, Europeans occupied large areas of North, Central and South America, extending all the way into the present southern 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 and measles, wiped out a large proportion of the indigenous population, with epidemics of diseases reducing them sharply from their prior populations. Historians cannot determine the number of natives who died due to European diseases, but some put the figures as high as 85% and as low as 20%. Due to the lack of written records, specific numbers are hard to verify. Many of the survivors were forced to work in European plantations and mines. Intermixing between the indigenous peoples and the European colonists was very common, and, by the end of the colonial period, people of mixed ancestry (mestizos) formed majorities in several colonies.

Independence

Simon Bolivar, one of the main Independence movement leaders

By the end of the eighteenth century, Spanish and Portuguese power waned on the global scene as other European powers took their place, notably Britain and France. In Latin America resentment grew among the majority of the population over the restrictions imposed by the Spanish government, as well as the dominance of native Spaniards (Iberian-born Peninsulares) in the major social and political institutions. Napoleon's invasion of Spain in 1808 marked a turning point, compelling Criollo elites to form juntas that advocated independence. Also, the newly independent Haiti, the second oldest nation in the New World after the United States and the oldest independent nation in Latin America, further fueled the independence movement by inspiring the leaders of the movement, such as Simón Bolívar and José de San Martin, and by providing them with considerable munitions and troops.

Fighting soon broke out between juntas and the Spanish colonial authorities, with initial victories for the advocates of independence. Eventually these early movements were crushed by the royalist troops by 1812, including those of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla in Mexico and Francisco de Miranda in Venezuela. Under the leadership of a new generation of leaders, such as Simón Bolívar, José de San Martin and other Libertadores in South America, the independence movement regained strength, and by 1825, all Spanish America, except for Puerto Rico and Cuba, had gained independence from Spain. Brazil achieved independence with a constitutional monarchy established in 1822. In the same year in Mexico, a military officer, Agustín de Iturbide, led a coalition of conservatives and liberals who created a constitutional monarchy, with Iturbide as emperor. This First Mexican Empire was short-lived and was followed by the creation of a republic in 1823.

In the 1950s, the Cold War moved close to the United States, in Latin America. The nations of Latin America faced many critical problems, including widespread poverty and poor health care. The United States hoped that the moderate Latin American governments would gradually improve these conditions. Many Latin Americans, however, rejected gradual solutions. Instead, revolts brought anti-American groups to power. Many Americans worried about the threat to American security and American businesses in Latin America. As a result, the United States helped military dictators keep or gain power in several Latin American countries. This policy aroused hostile feelings in Latin America toward the United States.

Late 20th century military regimes

Military dictators Jorge Rafael Videla of Argentina and Augusto Pinochet of Chile.

By the 1970s leftists had acquired a significant political influence which prompted the right-wing, ecclesiastical authorities and a large portion of the individual country's upper class to support coup d'etats to avoid what they perceived as a communist threat. This was further fueled by Cuban and United States intervention which led to a political polarization. Most South American countries were in some periods ruled by military dictatorships.

Around the 1970s, these regimes collaborated in Operation Condor killing many leftist dissidents, including some urban guerrillas.^[15] However, by the early 90's all countries had restored their democracies.

Washington Consensus

The set of specific economic policy prescriptions that were considered the "standard" reform package were promoted for crisis-wracked developing countries by Washington, DC-based institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, and the US Treasury Department during the 80's and 90's.

In recent years, several Latin American countries led by socialist or other left wing governments, some of which—including Argentina and Venezuela—have campaigned for (and to some degree adopted) policies contrary to the Washington Consensus set of policies. (Other Latin counties with governments of the left, including Brazil, Chile and Peru, have in practise adopted the bulk of the policies). Also critical of the policies as actually promoted by the International Monetary Fund have been some US economists, such as Joseph Stiglitz and Dani Rodrik, who have challenged what are sometimes described as the "fundamentalist" policies of the International Monetary Fund and the US Treasury for what Stiglitz calls a "one size fits all" treatment of individual economies. The term has become associated with neoliberal policies in general and drawn into the broader debate over the expanding role of the free market, constraints upon the state, and US influence on other countries' national sovereignty.

Turn to the left

Left-leaning leaders of Bolivia, Brazil and Chile at the Union of South American Nations summit in 2008.

Since the 2000s, or 1990s in some countries, left-wing political parties have risen to power. The rise of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, Lula da Silva in Brazil, Fernando Lugo in Paraguay, the Kirchners in Argentina, the Bachelet government in Chile, Evo Morales in Bolivia, Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua, (deposed) Manuel Zelaya in Honduras and Rafael Correa of Ecuador are all part of this wave of left-wing politicians who also often declare themselves socialists, Latin Americanists and anti-imperialists.

Demographics

Ethnic groups

The population of Latin America is a composite of ancestries, ethnic groups, and races, making the region one of the most diverse in the world. The specific composition varies from country to country: Many have a predominance of a European-Indian, or Mestizo, population; in others, Amerindians are a majority; some are dominated by inhabitants of purely European ancestry; and some countries' populations are primarily of African descent. Most Latin American countries have varying sizes of Asian minorities. Europeans are the largest single group, and they and people of part-European ancestry combine for approximately 80% of the population.^[1] In addition to the following groups, Latin America also has millions of tri-racial people of African, Amerindian, and European ancestry. Most are found in Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil, with a much smaller presence in a number of other countries.

Difference between race and ethnicity

Ethnicity refers to selected cultural and sometimes physical characteristics used to classify people into groups or categories considered to be significantly different from others. A race is a biological subspecies, or variety of a species, consisting of a more or less distinct population with anatomical traits that distinguish it clearly from other races.

Amerindians make up the majority of the population in Bolivia and about half in Peru.

Juniti Saito, head of the Brazilian Air Force and one of over a million Japanese-Brazilians.

Salsa dancers of Mulatto heritage, Camagüey, Cuba.

Vicente Fox A white Latin American.

Garinagu (Zambos) celebrating in Guatemala.

A representation of a Mestizo, in a Pintura de Castas during the Spanish colonial period of the Americas.

• Amerindians: The aboriginal population of Latin America, the Amerindians, experienced tremendous population decline, particularly in the early decades of colonization. They have since recovered in numbers, surpassing sixty million, though they compose a majority in only two countries: Bolivia and Peru. In both Ecuador and Guatemala, Amerindians are large minorities comprising two–fifths of the population, while the next largest minority is in Mexico, with more than one–sixth the population. Most of the remaining countries have Amerindian minorities, in every case making up one–tenth or less of the population. In many countries, people of mixed Amerindian and European ancestry make up the majority of the population (see Mestizo).
• Africans; Millions of African slaves were brought to Latin America from the sixteenth century onward, the majority of whom were sent to the Caribbean region and Brazil. Brazil is home to Latin America's largest black population outside Africa. Today, people of African descent compose a majority of Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Brazil, and have significant populations in Colombia, Belize, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Honduras, Panama, Puerto Rico, and Ecuador.
• Asians; People of Asian descent number several million in Latin America. The first Asians to settle in the region were Filipino, as a result of Spain's trade involving Asia and the Americas. The majority of Asian Latin Americans are of Japanese or Chinese ancestry and reside mainly in Brazil and Peru; there is also a growing Chinese minority in Panama. Brazil is home to 1.49 million people of Asian descent,^[16][17] which includes the largest ethnic Japanese community outside of Japan itself. Peru, with 1.47 million people of Asian descent,^[18][19] has one of the largest Chinese communities in the world, with nearly 1 million Peruvians being of Chinese ancestry. The Japanese community also maintains a strong presence in Peru, and a past president and a number of politicians there are of Japanese descent.^[20] Koreans also form communities numbering tens of thousands of individuals in several countries, including Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico.^[21]
• Mestizos: Intermixing between Europeans and Amerindians began early and was extensive. The resulting people, known as mestizos, make up the majority of the population in half of the countries of Latin America. Additionally, mestizos compose large minorities in nearly all the other mainland countries.

Majority Mestizos (Europeans with Amerindians); Honduras 85.6%, Nicaragua 78.3%, Paraguay 74.5%, Mexico 70.0%, El Salvador 91.0%^[22]

Majority Indianmestizos (Mestizos with Amerindians); Ecuador 39.0%, Peru 45.5%, Guatemala 53.0%, Bolivia 55.0%^[23]

• Mulattoes: Mulattoes are people of mixed European and African ancestry, mostly descended from Spanish or Portuguese settlers on one side and African slaves on the other during the colonial period. Brazil is home to Latin America's largest mulatto population. Mulattoes form a majority of population in the Dominican Republicand Cuba, and are also numerous in Haiti and Colombia.^[1] Smaller populations of mulattoes are found in other Latin American countries.^[1]
• Criollos: Beginning in the late fifteenth century, large numbers of Iberian colonists settled in what became Latin America—Portuguese in Brazil and Spaniards elsewhere in the region—and at present most white Latin Americans are of Spanish or Portuguese origin. Iberians brought the Spanish and Portuguese languages, the Catholic faith, and many Iberian traditions. Whites make up the majority of the population of Argentina, Costa Rica and Uruguay, and are also a significant demographic group in Brazil, Cuba, Chile, Puerto Rico.^[24][25][26]Italians formed the largest group of immigrants, and next were Spaniards and Portuguese.^[27] Many others arrived, such as French, Germans, Greeks, Poles, Ukrainians, Russians, Estonians, Latvians, Jews, Irish and Welsh.

Latin American countries attracted European immigrants to work in agriculture, commerce and industry. Many Latin American governments encouraged immigrants from Europe to 'civilize' the region.^[28] Despite their different origins, these immigrants integrated in the local societies and most of their descendants only speak Spanish or, in Brazil, Portuguese. For example, people of Italian descent make up half of Argentina's and Uruguay's populations, but only relatively small percentages of them are able to speak Italian. However, in Venezuela, where the population of Italian descent makes up about 400,000, about 1.5% of the total,^[29] there is still a tendency of the communities to preserve the language, as do Germans and Portuguese. Also there are some communities of German and Italian speakers in Brazil, which has the biggest population of Italians outside of Italy^{[30][31] [32][33]}. Some people of Italian descent in the country's south still preserve the language. Immigration from the Middle East took place also since the 19th century and consisted largely of Christians of Lebanese, Syrian, and Palestinian origin. Middle Easterners have generally assimilated into the European-descended population.

• Zambos:Slaves often ran away (cimarrones) and were taken in by Amerindian villagers. Intermixing between Africans and Amerindians produced descendants known as Zambos or (in Central America) Garinagu in Spanish speaking nations and Cafusos in Brazil. This was especially prevalent in Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil.

Ethnic distribution

Ethnic distribution in Latin America 2005 (No Race)^[34]

Country	Population	Amerindians	Criollos	Mestizos	Mulattos	Blacks	Zambo	Asians
Ecuador	12,646.000	39.0%	9.9%	41.0%	5.0%	5.0%	0.0%	0.1%
Guatemala	11,385.000	53.0%	4.0%	42.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.2%	0.8%
Peru	25,662.000	45.5%	12.0%	32.0%	9.7%	0.0%	0.0%	0.8%
Bolivia	8,329.000	55.0%	15.0%	28.0%	2.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Indian-mestizos	58,022.000	46.9%	10.4%	35.4%	5.7%	1.1%	0.0%	0.5%
Panama	2,856.000	8.0%	10.0%	32.0%	27.0%	5.0%	14.0%	4.0%
Venezuela	24,170.000	1.8%	20.0%	53.2%	21.0%	2.8%	0.1%	0.0%
Colombia	42,105.000	2.7%	16.9%	47.7%	27.7%	3.9%	0.0%	2.2%
Afro-mestizos	69,131.000	2.4%	18.5%	46.9%	27.1%	3.6%	0.6%	0.9%
Cuba	11,199.000	0.0%	37.0%	0.0%	51.0%	11.0%	0.0%	1.0%
Puerto Rico	3,915.000	0.0%	74.8%	0.0%	10.0%	15.0%	0.0%	0.2%
Brazil	170,406.000	0.4%	53.8%	0.0%	39.1%	6.2%	0.0%	0.5%
Dominican Republic	8,373.000	0.0%	14.6%	0.0%	75.0%	7.7%	2.3%	0.4%
Afro-criollos	193,893.000	0.4%	51.6%	0.0%	40.8%	6.7%	0.1%	0.4%
El Salvador	6,278.000	8.0%	1.0%	91.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Honduras	6,417.000	7.7%	1.0%	85.6%	1.7%	0.0%	3.3%	0.7%
Mexico	98,872.000	14.0%	15.0%	70.0%	0.5%	0.0%	0.0%	0.5%
Nicaragua	5,071.000	6.9%	14.0%	78.3%	0.0%	0.0%	0.6%	0.2%
Paraguay	5,496.000	1.5%	20.0%	74.5%	3.5%	0.0%	0.0%	0.5%
Mestizos	122,134.000	12.5%	13.7%	72.4%	0.7%	0.0%	0.2%	0.5%
Argentina	37,032.000	1.0%	85.0%	11.1%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	2.9%
Chile	15,211.000	8.0%	52.7%	39.3%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Costa Rica	4,024.000	0.8%	82.0%	15.0%	0.0%	0%	2.0%	0.2%
Uruguay	3,337.000	0.0%	88.0%	8.0%	4.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Criollos	59,604.000	2.7%	76.7%	18.4%	0.2%	0.0%	0.1%	1.8%
Total	502,784.000	9.2%	36.1%	30.3%	20.3%	3.2%	0.2%	0.7%

Language

Spanish and Portuguese are the predominant languages of Latin America. Portuguese is spoken only in Brazil, the most populous country in the region. Spanish is the official language of most of the rest of the countries on the Latin American mainland, as well as in Puerto Rico (where it is co-official with English), Cuba and the Dominican Republic. French is spoken in some Caribbean islands, including Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Haiti, as well as in the overseas departments of French Guiana (South America) and in Saint Pierre and Miquelon (North America). Dutch is the official language of some Caribbean islands and in Suriname on the continent; however, as Dutch is a Germanic language, these territories are not considered part of Latin America.

Other European languages spoken in Latin America include: English, by some groups in Argentina, Nicaragua, Panama, and Puerto Rico, as well as in nearby countries that may or may not be considered Latin American, like Belize and Guyana (English is used as a major foreign language in Latin American commerce and education); German, in southern Brazil, southern Chile, Argentina, portions of northern Venezuela, and Paraguay; Italian, in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Venezuela; and Welsh ^{[35][36][37][38][39][40]}, in southern Argentina.

Most widely spoken Pre-contact languages distribution area in Latin America, at the beginning of 21st century: Quechua, Guarani, Aymara, Nahuatl, Mayan languages, Mapuche

In several nations, especially in the Caribbean region, creole languages are spoken. The most widely spoken creole language in the Caribbean and Latin America in general is Haitian Creole, the predominant language of Haiti; it is derived primarily from French and certain West African tongues with some Amerindian and Spanish influences as well. Creole languages of mainland Latin America, similarly, are derived from European languages and various African tongues. Native American languages are widely spoken in Peru, Guatemala, Bolivia, Paraguay, and to a lesser degree, in Mexico, Ecuador, and Chile. In Latin American countries not named above, the population of speakers of indigenous languages is small or non-existent.

In Peru, Quechua is an official language, alongside Spanish and any other indigenous language in the areas where they predominate. Another widely used language is known as riverian which is also known as nicolacian, which is spoken in rural parts of Mexico^[41] .In Ecuador, while holding no official status, the closely related Quichua is a recognized language of the indigenous people under the country's constitution; however, it is only spoken by a few groups in the country's highlands. In Bolivia, Aymara, Quechua and Guaraní hold official status alongside Spanish. Guarani is, along with Spanish, an official language of Paraguay, and is spoken by a majority of the population (who are, for the most part, bilingual), and it is co-official with Spanish in the Argentine province of Corrientes. In Nicaragua, Spanish is the official language, but on the country's Caribbean coast English and indigenous languages such as Miskito, Sumo, and Rama also hold official status. Colombia recognizes all indigenous languages spoken within its territory as official, though fewer than 1% of its population are native speakers of these. Nahuatl is 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.

Religion

Christ the Redeemer (Cristo Redentor) atop Corcovado mountain, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The vast majority of Latin Americans are Christians, mostly Roman Catholics.^[42] Membership in Protestant denominations is increasing, particularly in Brazil, Chile, Guatemala, and Puerto Rico.^[41]

Emigration

Due to economic, social and security developments that are affecting the region in recent decades, the focus is now the change from net immigration to net emigration. About 10 million Mexicans live in the United States.^[43] 28.3 million Americans listed their ancestry as Mexican as of 2006.^[44] According to the 2005 Colombian census or DANE, about 3,331,107 Colombians currently live abroad.^[45] The number of Brazilians living overseas is estimated at about 2 million people.^[46] An estimated 1.5 to two million Salvadorans reside in the United States.^[47] At least 1.5 million Ecuadorians have gone abroad, mainly to the United States and Spain.^[48]. Approximately 1.5 million Dominicans live abroad, mostly in the US.^[49] More than 1.3 million Cubans live abroad, most of them in the US.^[50] It is estimated that over 800,000 Chileans live abroad, mainly in Argentina, Canada and Sweden.^[51] An estimated 700,000 Bolivians were living in Argentina as of 2006.^[52] Central Americans living abroad in 2005 were 3,314,300,^[53] of which 1,128,701 were Salvadorans,^[54] 685,713 were Guatemalans,^[55] 683,520 were Nicaraguans,^[56] 414,955 were Hondurans,^[57] 215,240 were Panamanians,^[58] 127,061 were Costa Ricans ^[59] and 59,110 were Belizeans.

Remittances to Mexico rose from $6.6 billion to $24 billion between 2000 and 2006, but stabilized in 2007. Much of the reported increase between 2000 and 2006 may reflect better accounting, but the slowdown in 2007 may reflect tougher U.S. border and interior enforcement.^{[citation needed]}

Economy

Inequality and poverty

Inequality and poverty continue to be the region's main challenges; according to the ECLAC Latin America is the most unequal region in the world.^[60] Moreover, according to the World Bank, nearly 25% of the population lives on less than 2 USD a day. The countries with the highest inequality in the region (as measured with the Gini index in the UN Development Report^[61]) in 2006 were Bolivia (60.1), Haiti (59.2), Colombia (58.6), Paraguay (58.4), Brazil (57.0) and Panama (56.1), while the countries with the lowest inequality in the region were Nicaragua (43.1), Uruguay (44.9) and Mexico (46.1). One aspect of inequality and poverty in Latin America is unequal access to basic infrastructure. For example, access to water and sanitation in Latin America and the quality of these services remain relatively low.

According to the World Bank the poorest countries in the region were (as of 2008):^[62] Haiti, Nicaragua, Bolivia and Honduras. Undernourishment affects to 47% of Haitians, 27% of Nicaraguans, 23% of Bolivians and 22% of Hondurans.^[63]

Crime and Violence

Crime and violence prevention and public security have become key social issues of concern to public policy makers and citizens in the Latin American and Caribbean region. As of 2004 violence is the principal cause of death in Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, El Salvador and Mexico and among the five main causes of death in the region.^[64][65] Homicide rates in Latin America are among the highest of any region in the world. From the early 1980s through the mid-1990s, intentional homicide rates in Latin America increased by 50 percent. The major victims of such homicides are young men, 69 percent of whom are between the ages of 15 and 19 years old. Many analysts agree that the prison crisis will not be resolved until the gap between rich and poor is addressed. They say that growing social inequality is fuelling crime in the region. But there is also no doubt that, on such an approach, Latin American countries have still a long way to go.^[66] Countries with the highest homicide rate per year per 100,000 inhabitants were; Guatemala 57.9, El Salvador 49.1, Venezuela 48, Honduras 45.2, Colombia 33, Belize 30.8, Brazil 25.7, Dominican Republic 23.56, Puerto Rico 18.8, Ecuador 16.9, and . More than 500,000 people have been killed by firearms in Brazil between 1979 and 2003.^[67][68] Countries with relatively low crime are Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, and Uruguay.^[69]

Trade blocs

The major trade blocs (or agreements) in the region are the Union of South American Nations, composed of the integrated Mercosur and Andean Community of Nations (CAN). Minor blocs or trade agreements are the G3 Free Trade Agreement, the Dominican Republic – Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). However, major reconfigurations are taking place along opposing approaches to integration and trade; Venezuela has officially withdrawn from both the CAN and G3 and it has been formally admitted into the Mercosur (pending ratification from the Brazilian and Paraguayan legislatures). The president-elect of Ecuador has manifested his intentions of following the same path. This bloc nominally opposes any Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States, although Uruguay has manifested its intention otherwise. On the other hand, Mexico is a member of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Chile has already signed an FTA with Canada, and along with Peru are the only two South American nations that have and FTA with the United States. Colombia's government is currently awaiting its ratification by the U.S. Senate.

Standard of living, consumption, and the environment

According to Goldman Sachs BRIMC review of emerging economies, by 2050 the largest economies in the world will be as follows: China, USA, India, Brazil, and Mexico; Two of the largest five economies in the world are Latin American.^[70] More significant is that on a per capita basis most Latin American countries, including all the large countries (Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Venezuala and Colombia), have per capita GDPs greater than that of China in 2009, while some of this group are substantially more developed than China.

The following table lists all the countries in Latin America indicating a valuation of the country's GDP (Gross domestic product) based on purchasing-power-parity (PPP), GDP per capita also adjusted to the (PPP), a measurement of inequality through the Gini index (the higher the index the more unequal the income distribution is), the Human Development Index (HDI), the Environmental Performance Index (EPI), and the Quality-of-life index. GDP and PPP GDP statistics come from the International Monetary Fund with data as of 2006. Gini index, the Human Poverty Index HDI-1, the Human Development Index, and the number of internet users per capita come from the UN Development Program. The number of motor vehicles per capita come from the UNData base on-line. The EPI index comes from the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy and the Quality-of-life index from The Economist Intelligence Unit. Green cells indicate the 1st rank in each category, while yellow indicate the last rank.

Summary of socio-economic performance indicators for Latin American countries

Country	GDP valuation based on PPP[71] (2009) Current Billions USD	GDP per capita (PPP)[71] (2009) USD	Income equality[61] (2001–06) Gini index	Poverty Index[72] (2006) HPI-1 %	Human Develop.[73] (2007) HDI	Envirnm. Perfrm.[74] (2008) EPI	Quality of life[75] (2005) index	Annual economic growth[76] (2008) %	Emissions per capita[77] (2004) ton CO2
Argentina	570.526	14,188	51.3	4.0	0.866 (H)	81.8	6.469	7.0	3.7
Bolivia	43.446	4,379	60.1	12.6	0.729 (M)	64.7	5.492	5.9	0.8
Brazil	1,975.904	10,153	57.0	9.7	0.813 (H)	82.7	6.470	5.1	1.8
Chile	246.482	14,461	54.9	3.3	0.878 (H)	83.4	6.789	3.2	3.9
Colombia	402.458	8,161	58.6	8.1	0.807 (H)	88.3	6.176	2.5	1.2
Costa Rica	48.918	10,737	49.8	3.8	0.854 (H)	90.5	6.624	2.9	1.5
Cuba[78]	N/A	N/A	N/A	4.7	0.863 (H)	80.7	N/A	N/A	2.3
Dominican Republic	76.194	8,570	51.6	9.6	0.777 (M)	83.0	5.630	4.8	2.2
Ecuador	104.669	7,496	53.6	7.6	0.806 (H)	84.4	6.272	5.3	2.2
El Salvador	43.885	7,570	52.4	13.6	0.747 (M)	77.2	6.164	2.5	0.9
Guatemala	66.839	4,873	55.1	20.3	0.704 (M)	76.7	5.321	4.0	1.0
Haiti	11.681	1,317	59.2	32.4	0.531 (M)	60.7	4.090	1.3	0.2
Honduras	32.670	4,282	53.8	14.9	0.714 (M)	75.4	5.250	4.0	1.1
Mexico	1,550.257	14,017	46.1	6.7	0.854 (H)	79.8	6.766	1.3	5.2
Nicaragua	16.751	2,668	43.1	16.0	0.699 (M)	73.4	5.663	3.0	0.7
Panama	38.305	11,589	56.1	6.9	0.832 (H)	83.1	6.361	9.2	1.8
Paraguay	29.336	4,751	58.4	10.8	0.761 (M)	77.7	5.756	5.8	0.7
Peru	244.693	8,825	52.0	11.0	0.806 (H)	78.1	6.216	9.8	1.1
Uruguay	40.663	13,594	44.9	3.3	0.865 (H)	82.3	6.368	8.9	1.6
Venezuela	362.772	12,372	48.2	7.3	0.844 (H)	80.0	6.089	4.8	6.6

Notes: (H) High human development; (M) Medium human development

Largest economic cities

The following table provides GDP figures for the largest Latin American cities and their surrounding urban areas in 2005. The only perspective of change in the GDP values by 2020 is between Bogota and Santiago, GDP figures are estimated and expressed in USD, using purchasing power parity exchange rates:^[79][80]

Ten largest Latin American metropolitan areas

Rank	Metropolitan area	Country	GDP (Billions PPP)	Population (Millions)	GDP Per Capita (Thousands PPP)	perspective GDP 2020(Billions PPP)	Rank (2020)
1	Mexico City	Mexico	315	19.4	$16,237	608	1
2	Buenos Aires	Argentina	278	12.6	$19,444	413	3
3	São Paulo	Brazil	265	18.3	$14,480	441	2
4	Rio de Janeiro	Brazil	156	11.5	$13,260	296	4
5	Santiago	Chile	91	6.5	$13,000	160	6
6	Bogota	Colombia	86	8.5	$11,025	163	5
7	Monterrey	Mexico	78	3.9	$20,000	157	7
8	Lima	Peru	67	8.5	$7,882	129	8
9	Belo Horizonte	Brazil	65	5.6	$11,607	122	9
10	Guadalajara	Mexico	60	4.1	$14,634	108	10

Tourism

Income from tourism is key to the economy of several Latin American countries.^[81] Mexico receives the largest number of international tourists, with 21.4 million visitors in 2007, followed by Brazil, with 5.0 million; Argentina, with 4.6 million; Dominican Republic, with 4.0 million; ,Puerto Rico, with 3.7 million and Costa Rica with 1.9 million ^[82] Places such as Cancun, Galapagos Islands, Machu Pichu, Chichen Itza, Cartagena de Indias, Cabo San Lucas, Acapulco, Rio de Janeiro, Margarita Island, São Paulo, Salar de Uyuni, Punta del Este, Santo Domingo, Labadee, San Juan, La Habana, Panama City, Iguazu Falls, Puerto Vallarta, Poás Volcano National Park, Punta Cana, Viña del Mar, Mexico City, Quito, Bogota, Buenos Aires, Lima, La Paz and Patagonia are popular among international visitors in the region.^{[citation needed]}

Performance indicators for international tourism in Latin America

Latin American countries	Internl. tourist arrivals 2007[82] (x1000)	Internl. tourism receipts 2007[82] (million USD)	Receipts per arrival 2007 (col 2)/(col 1) (USD)	Arrivals per capita per 1000 pop. (estimated) 2007[82][83]	Receipts per capita 2005[84] USD	Revenues as % of exports goods and services[81] 2003	Tourism revenues as % GDP[81] 2003	% Direct & indirect employment in tourism[81] 2005	World Ranking Tourism Compet.[85] TTCI 2009	Index value TTCI[85] 2009
Argentina	4,562	4,313	945	115	57	7.4	1.8	9.1	65	4.08
Bolivia*	556	205*	475*	58	22	9.4	2.2	7.6	114	3.33
Brazil	5,026	4,953	985	26	18	3.2	0.5	7.0	45	4,35
Chile	2,507	1,419	566	151	73	5.3	1.9	6.8	57	4,18
Colombia	1,193	1,669	1,399	26	25	6.6	1.4	5.9	72	3.89
Costa Rica	1,973	1,974	1,000	442	343	17.5	8.1	13.3	42	4.42
Cuba	2,119	1,982	935	188	169	n/d	n/d	n/d	n/d	n/d
Dominican Republic	3,980	4,026	1,012	408	353	36.2	18.8	19.8	67	4,03
Ecuador	953	637	668	71	35	6.3	1.5	7.4	96	3.62
El Salvador	1,339	847	633	195	67	12.9	3.4	6.8	94	3.63
Guatemala	1,448	1,199	828	108	66	16.0	2.6	6.0	70	3.90
Haiti*	n/d	n/d	685*	n/d	12*	19.4	3.2	4.7	n/d	n/d
Honduras	831	557	670	117	61	13.5	5.0	8.5	83	3.77
Mexico	21,424	12,901	602	201	103	5.7	1.6	14.2	51	4.29
Nicaragua	800	255	319	143	36	15.5	3.7	5.6	103	3.49
Panama	1,103	1,185	1,074	330	211	10.6	6.3	12.9	55	4.23
Paraguay	416	102	245	68	11	4.2	1.3	6.4	115	3.24
Peru	1,812	1,938	1,070	65	41	9.0	1.6	7.6	74	3.88
Uruguay	1,752	809	462	525	145	14.2	3.6	10.7	63	4.09
Venezuela	771	817	1,060	28	19	1.3	0.4	8.1	104	3.46

• Note (1): Countries marked with * do not have all statistical data available for 2006 or 2007. Data shown is for reference purposes only (2003 for Haiti and 2005 for Bolivia.^[84]
• Note (2): Green shadow denotes the country with the best indicator. Yellow shadow denotes the country with the lowest performance for that indicator.

Culture

Latin American culture is a mixture of many cultural expressions worldwide. It is the product of many diverse influences:

• Indigenous cultures of the people who inhabited the continent prior to the arrival of the Europeans. Ancient and very advanced civilizations developed their own political, social and religious systems. The Maya, the Aztecs and the Incas are examples of these.
• Western civilization, in particular the culture of Europe, was brought mainly by the colonial powers—the Spanish, Portuguese and French—between the 16th and 19th centuries. The most enduring European colonial influence is language and Roman Catholicism. More recently, additional cultural influences came from the United States and Europe during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, due to the growing influence of the former on the world stage and immigration from the later. The influence of the United States is particularly strong in northern Latin America, especially Puerto Rico, which is a United States territory. In addition, the United States held the twenty-mile-long Panama Canal Zone in Panama from 1903 (the Panama Canal opened to transoceanic freight traffic in 1914) to 1999, when the Torrijos-Carter Treaties restored Panamanian control of the Canal Zone. South America experienced waves of immigration of Europeans, especially Italians and Germans. With the end of colonialism, French culture was also able to exert a direct influence in Latin America, especially in the realms of high culture, science and medicine.^[86] This can be seen in any expression of the region's artistic traditions, including painting, literature and music, and in the realms of science and politics.
• African cultures, whose presence derives from a long history of New World slavery. Peoples of African descent have influenced the ethno-scapes of Latin America and the Caribbean. This is manifest for instance in dance and religion, especially in countries such as Belize, Brazil, Honduras, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, Haiti, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, and Cuba.

Literature

Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez signing a copy of One Hundred Years of Solitude in Havana, Cuba.

Pre-Columbian cultures were primarily oral, though the Aztecs and Mayans, for instance, produced elaborate codices. Oral accounts of mythological and religious beliefs were also sometimes recorded after the arrival of European colonizers, as was the case with the Popol Vuh. Moreover, a tradition of oral narrative survives to this day, for instance among the Quechua-speaking population of Peru and the Quiché (K'iche') of Guatemala.

From the very moment of Europe's "discovery" of the continent, early explorers and conquistadores produced written accounts and crónicas of their experience—such as Columbus's letters or Bernal Díaz del Castillo's description of the conquest of Mexico. During the colonial period, written culture was often in the hands of the church, within which context Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz wrote memorable poetry and philosophical essays. Towards the end of the 18th Century and the beginning of the 19th, a distinctive criollo literary tradition emerged, including the first novels such as Lizardi's El Periquillo Sarniento (1816).

Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, interviewed in 1971.

The 19th Century was a period of "foundational fictions" (in critic Doris Sommer's words), novels in the Romantic or Naturalist traditions that attempted to establish a sense of national identity, and which often focussed on the indigenous question or the dichotomy of "civilization or barbarism" (for which see, say, Domingo Sarmiento's Facundo (1845), Juan León Mera's Cumandá (1879), or Euclides da Cunha's Os Sertões (1902)).

At the turn of the 20th century, modernismo emerged, a poetic movement whose founding text was Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío's Azul (1888). This was the first Latin American literary movement to influence literary culture outside of the region, and was also the first truly Latin American literature, in that national differences were no longer so much at issue. José Martí, for instance, though a Cuban patriot, also lived in Mexico and the U.S. and wrote for journals in Argentina and elsewhere.

Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes

However, what really put Latin American literature on the global map was no doubt the literary boom of the 1960s and 1970s, distinguished by daring and experimental novels (such as Julio Cortázar's Rayuela (1963)) that were frequently published in Spain and quickly translated into English. The Boom's defining novel was Gabriel García Márquez's Cien años de soledad (1967), which led to the association of Latin American literature with magic realism, though other important writers of the period such as the Peruvian Mario Vargas Llosa and Carlos Fuentes do not fit so easily within this framework. Arguably, the Boom's culmination was Augusto Roa Bastos's monumental Yo, el supremo (1974). In the wake of the Boom, influential precursors such as Juan Rulfo, Alejo Carpentier, and above all Jorge Luis Borges were also rediscovered.

Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges.

Contemporary literature in the region is vibrant and varied, ranging from the best-selling Paulo Coelho and Isabel Allende to the more avant-garde and critically acclaimed work of writers such as Diamela Eltit, Ricardo Piglia, or Roberto Bolaño. There has also been considerable attention paid to the genre of testimonio, texts produced in collaboration with subaltern subjects such as Rigoberta Menchú. Finally, a new breed of chroniclers is represented by the more journalistic Carlos Monsiváis and Pedro Lemebel.

The region boasts five Nobel Prizewinners: in addition to the two Chilean poets Gabriela Mistral (1945) and Pablo Neruda (1971), there is also the Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez (1982), the Guatemalan novelist Miguel Ángel Asturias (1967), and the Mexican poet and essayist Octavio Paz (1990).

Art

Palace of Fine Arts, built in the early 20th century in Mexico City.

Beyond the rich tradition of indigenous art, the development of Latin American visual art owed much to the influence of Spanish, Portuguese and French Baroque painting, which in turn often followed the trends of the Italian Masters. In general, this artistic Eurocentrism began to fade in the early twentieth century, as Latin-Americans began to acknowledge the uniqueness of their condition and started to follow their own path.

From the early twentieth century, the art of Latin America was greatly inspired by the Constructivist Movement. The Constructivist Movement was founded in Russia around 1913 by Vladimir Tatlin. The Movement quickly spread from Russia to Europe and then into Latin America. Joaquin Torres Garcia and Manuel Rendón have been credited with bringing the Constructivist Movement into Latin America from Europe.

Presencia de América Latina (Presence of Latin America), by Mexican muralist Jorge González Camarena. Located in the lobby of the Casa del Arte, University of Concepción in Concepción, Chile.

An important artistic movement generated in Latin America is muralism represented by Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, José Clemente Orozco and Rufino Tamayo in Mexico and Santiago Martinez Delgado and Pedro Nel Gómez in Colombia. Some of the most impressive Muralista works can be found in Mexico, Colombia, New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

Painter Frida Kahlo, one of the most famous Mexican artists, painted about her own life and the Mexican culture in a style combining Realism, Symbolism and Surrealism. Kahlo's work commands the highest selling price of all Latin American paintings.^[87]

Colombian sculptor and painter Fernando Botero is also widely known by his works which, on first examination, are noted for their exaggerated proportions and the corpulence of the human and animal figures.

Music and dance

Latin America has produced many successful worldwide artists in terms of recorded global music sales. The most successful have been Roberto Carlos who has sold over 100 million records, Carlos Santana with over 75 million, Luis Miguel, Shakira and Vicente Fernandez with over 50 million records sold worldwide.^[88] One of the main characteristics of Latin American music is its diversity, from the lively rhythms of Central America and the Caribbean to the more austere sounds of the Andes and the Southern Cone. Another feature of Latin American music is its original blending of the variety of styles that arrived in The Americas and became influential, from the early Spanish and European Baroque to the different beats of the African rhythms.

Caribbean Hispanic music, such as merengue, bachata, salsa, and more recently reggaeton, from such countries as the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Panama has been strongly influenced by African rhythms and melodies. Haiti's compas is a genre of music that draws influence and is thus similar to its Caribbean Hispanic counterparts, with an element of jazz and modern sound as well.^[89][90]

Another well-known Latin American musical genre includes the Argentine and Uruguayan tango, as well as the distinct nuevo tango, a fusion of tango, acoustic and electronic music popularized by bandoneón virtuoso Ástor Piazzolla. Equally renown, the samba, North American jazz, European classical music and choro combined to form bossa nova in Brazil, popularized by guitarrist João Gilberto and pianist Antonio Carlos Jobim.

Other influential Latin American sounds include the Antillean Soca and Calypso, the Honduras (Garifuna) Punta, the Colombian cumbia and vallenato, the Chilean Cueca, the Ecuadorian Boleros, and Rockoleras, the Mexican ranchera, the Nicaraguan Palo de Mayo, the Peruvian Marinera and Tondero, the Uruguayan Candombe, the French Antillean Zouk (Derived from Haitian Compas) and the various styles of music from Pre-Columbian traditions that are widespread in the Andean region.

A couple dances Argentine Tango.

The classical composer Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887–1959) worked on the recording of native musical traditions within his homeland of Brazil. The traditions of his homeland heavily influenced his classical works.^[91] Also notable is the recent work of the Cuban Leo Brouwer and guitar work of the Venezuelan Antonio Lauro and the Paraguayan Agustín Barrios. Latin America has also produced world-class classical performers such as the Chilean pianist Claudio Arrau, Brazilian pianist Nelson Freire and the Argentine pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim.

Arguably, the main contribution to music entered through folklore, where the true soul of the Latin American and Caribbean countries is expressed. Musicians such as Yma Súmac, Chabuca Granda, Atahualpa Yupanqui, Violeta Parra, Victor Jara, Mercedes Sosa, Jorge Negrete, Luiz Gonzaga, Caetano Veloso, Susana Baca, Chavela Vargas, Simon Diaz, Julio Jaramillo, Toto la Momposina as well as musical ensembles such as Inti Illimani and Los Kjarkas are magnificent examples of the heights that this soul can reach.

Latin pop, including many forms of rock, is popular in Latin America today (see Spanish language rock and roll).^[92]

More recently, Reggaeton, which blends Jamaican reggae and dancehall with Latin America genres such as bomba and plena, as well as that of hip hop, is becoming more popular, in spite of the controversy surrounding its lyrics, dance steps (Perreo) and music videos. It has become very popular among populations with a "migrant culture" influence – both Latino populations in the U.S., such as southern Florida and New York City, and parts of Latin America where migration to the U.S. is common, such as Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Mexico.^[93]

Film

Latin American film is both rich and diverse. Historically, the main centers of production have been México, Brazil, Cuba, and Argentina.

Latin American cinema flourished after the introduction of sound, which added a linguistic barrier to the export of Hollywood film south of the border. The 1950s and 1960s saw a movement towards Third Cinema, led by the Argentine filmmakers Fernando Solanas and Octavio Getino. More recently, a new style of directing and stories filmed has been tagged as "New Latin American Cinema."

Argentine cinema has been prominenent since the first half of the 20th century and today averages over 60 full-length titles yearly. The industry suffered during the 1976–1983 military dictatorship; but re-emerged to produce the Academy Award winner The Official Story in 1985. A wave of imported U.S. films again damaged the industry in the early 1990s, though it soon recovered, thriving even during the Argentine economic crisis around 2001. Many Argentine movies produced during recent years have been internationally acclaimed, including Nueve reinas (2000), El abrazo partido (2004) and El otro (2007).

In Brazil, the Cinema Novo movement created a 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 the United States, with movies such as Central do Brasil (1999), Cidade de Deus (2003) and Tropa de Elite (2007).

Cuban cinema has enjoyed much official support since the Cuban revolution and important film-makers include Tomás Gutiérrez Alea.

Mexican cinema in the Golden Era of the 1940s boasted a huge industry comparable to Hollywood at the time. Stars included María Félix, Dolores del Rio and Pedro Infante. In the 1970s Mexico was the location for many cult horror and action movies. More recently, films such as Amores Perros (2000) and Y tu mamá también (2001) enjoyed box office and critical acclaim and propelled Alfonso Cuarón and Alejandro González Iñarritu to the front rank of Hollywood directors. Alejandro González Iñárritu directed in (2006) Babel and Alfonso Cuarón directed (Children of Men in (2006), and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in (2004)). Guillermo del Toro close friend and also a front rank Hollywood director in Hollywood and Spain, directed Pan's Labyrinth (2006) and produce El Orfanato (2007). Carlos Carrera (The Crime of Father Amaro), and screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga are also some of the most known present-day Mexican film makers. Rudo y Cursi released in December (2008) in Mexico directed by Carlos Cuarón.

It is also worth noting that many Latin Americans have achieved significant success within Hollywood, for instance Carmen Miranda and Salma Hayek, while Mexican Americans such as Robert Rodriguez have also made their mark.

See also

Latin America portal

• Anglo-America
• Crime and Violence in Latin America
• Southern Cone
• Hispanic America
• Portuguese America
• Ibero-America
• United States-Latin American relations
• Americas (terminology)
  • Use of the word American
  • America (disambiguation)
  • Free Trade Area of the Americas
  • Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas
• Caribbean
  • Association of Caribbean States
  • Caribbean Community
  • Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States
• Central America
  • Central American Common Market
• North America
  • North American Free Trade Agreement
• South America
  • Andean Community
  • Mercosur
  • Union of South American Nations
• Latin Union, Latin Europe, Romance-speaking African countries
• Latino, Latin American Canadian, Afro-Latin American, Asian Latin American, Amerindians, White Latin American, Latin American British, Mestizos, Mulatto, Zambo, Criollo
• List of Latin Americans
  • List of Latin American artists
  • List of Latin American writers
• List of Latin American subnational entities by Human Development Index
• Latin American culture
• Latin American studies
• Agroecology in Latin America
• Latin America and the League of Nations

Notes and references

• Julio Miranda Vidal: (2007) Ciencia y tecnología en América Latina Edición electrónica gratuita. Texto completo en http://www.eumed.net/libros/2007a/237/

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Latin America

• Latin Intelligence Service
• Latin American Network Information Center
• Washington Office on Latin America
• Council on Hemispheric Affairs
• Infolatam. Information and analysis of Latin America
• Map of Land Cover: Latin America and Caribbean (FAO)
• Lessons From Latin America by Benjamin Dangl, The Nation, March 4 2009
• Keeping Latin America on the World News Agenda – Interview with Michael Reid of The Economist

v • d • e Regions of the world Africa Northern (Maghreb) · Sub-Sahara (Central · Southern · Western · Eastern (Horn)) Oceania Australasia · Melanesia · Micronesia · Polynesia Americas North (Northern • Middle • Central • Caribbean) · South (Southern Cone) · Anglo · Latin Polar Arctic · Antarctic Asia Central · Eastern · Northern · Southeastern · Southern · Western Oceans World · Arctic · Atlantic · Indian · Pacific · Southern Europe Central · Eastern · Northern · Southeastern · Southern · Western See also Continents of the world