Portal:Latin America

Latin America (Spanish: Latinoamérica) (Portuguese: América Latina) (French: l'Amérique latine) are the countries and regions of the Americas where Romance languages—languages derived from Latin —are predominantly spoken. The term was coined in France in the mid-19th century to refer to regions in the Americas that were ruled by the Spanish, Portuguese, and French empires. The term does not have a precise definition, but it is "commonly used to describe South America, Central America, Mexico, and the islands of the Caribbean." In a narrow sense, it refers to Spanish America and Brazil (Portuguese America). The term "Latin America" is broader than Hispanic America, which specifically refers to Spanish-speaking countries; and lesser than categories such as Ibero-America, a term that refers to both Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries from Europe and Americas.

The term Latin America was first used in Paris at a conference in 1856 called "Initiative of America: Idea for a Federal Congress of the Republics" (Iniciativa de la América. Idea de un Congreso Federal de las Repúblicas), by the Chilean politician Francisco Bilbao. The term was further popularized by French emperor Napoleon III's government in the 1860s as Amérique latine to justify France's military involvement in the Second Mexican Empire and to include French-speaking territories in the Americas such as French Canada, Haiti, French Louisiana, French Guiana, Martinique, Guadeloupe and the French Antillean Creole Caribbean islands Saint Lucia, and Dominica, in the larger group of countries where Spanish and Portuguese languages prevailed.

The region covers an area that stretches from Mexico to Tierra del Fuego and includes much of the Caribbean. It has an area of approximately 19,197,000 km² (7,412,000 sq mi), almost 13% of the Earth's land surface area. As of March 2, 2020, the population of Latin America and the Caribbean was estimated at more than 652 million, and in 2019, Latin America had a combined nominal GDP of US$5,188,250 trillion and a GDP PPP of US$10,284,588 trillion. More than 40 of the 50 most dangerous cities in the world are located in Latin America. (Full article...)

Recognized content -

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Aerial view of Cerro Azul from the west.

Cerro Azul (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈsero aˈsul], blue hill in Spanish), sometimes referred to as Quizapu, is an active stratovolcano in the Maule Region of central Chile, immediately south of Descabezado Grande. Part of the South Volcanic Zone of the Andes, its summit is 3,788 meters (12,428 ft) above sea level, and is capped by a summit crater that is 500 meters (1,600 ft) wide and opens to the north. Beneath the summit, the volcano features numerous scoria cones and flank vents.

Cerro Azul is responsible for several of South America's largest recorded eruptions, in 1846 and 1932. In 1846, an effusive eruption formed the vent at the site of present-day Quizapu crater on the northern flank of Cerro Azul and sent lava flowing down the sides of the volcano, creating a lava field 8–9 square kilometres (3–3.5 square miles) in area. Phreatic and Strombolian volcanism between 1907 and 1932 excavated this crater. In 1932, one of the largest explosive eruptions of the 20th century occurred at Quizapu Crater and sent 9.5 cubic kilometers (2.3 cu mi) of ash into the atmosphere. The volcano's most recent eruption was in 1967. (Full article...)

List of recognized articles

Topics

More did you know -

... that Roma producer Gabriela Rodríguez is the first Latin American woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture?

WikiProjects

WikiProject South America
WikiProject Latin America (semi-active)

Selected article -

The 2018 Panama–Venezuela diplomatic crisis was a diplomatic stand-off between Panama and Venezuela after the Panamanian government imposed sanctions on President Nicolás Maduro and several key officials of the Bolivarian government over alleged involvement with "money laundering, financing of terrorism and financing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction" on 29 March 2018.

On 5 April 2018, Maduro imposed sanctions on Panamanian companies and as well as prominent Panamanian officials, including President Juan Carlos Varela in response to the sanctions imposed by Panama. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

Did you know (auto-generated)

... that Brazilian computer science researcher and internet pioneer Tadao Takahashi negotiated with drug lords to install internet equipment in his country?
... that the Latin American travesti gender identity has been considered to be a third gender, akin to the hijras of India and the muxe of Mexico?
... that Franz Grave, the first bishop of Essen born in Essen, focused on intercultural dialogue with Latin America?
... that UK prime minister Rishi Sunak complained when a joint declaration was made at a summit between the EU and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States that used the term Islas Malvinas?
... that despite an attempted "extermination" of homosexuals in the 1960s and 1970s, the LGBT community in Argentina is now the most accepted in Latin America?

General images

The following are images from various Latin America-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1The joropo, as depicted in a 1912 drawing by Eloy Palacios (from Latin American culture)
Image 2In blue countries under right-wing governments and in red countries under left-wing and centre-left governments as of 2023 (from History of Latin America)
Image 3Holy week, Ouro Preto-MG, 2010. Chrome. Photo: Guy Veloso. (from Latin American culture)
Image 4The military junta of Argentina saw widespread repression against those it deemed to be political dissidents (from History of Latin America)
Image 5Mexican Stock Exchange (from Latin American culture)
Image 6Countries in Latin America by date of independence (from History of Latin America)
Image 7A 17th-century map of the Americas (from History of Latin America)
Image 8The Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida is the second largest in the world, after only of the Basilica of Saint Peter in Vatican City. (from Latin American culture)
Image 9Map of disputed territories in Latin America (from History of Latin America)
Image 10Villa de Leyva, a historical and cultural landmark of Colombia (from Latin American culture)
Image 11Fiambre, Guatemalan traditional dish, eaten on November 1, the Day of the Dead (from Latin American culture)
Image 121903 political cartoon: President Roosevelt intimidating Colombia to acquire the Panama Canal Zone. (from History of Latin America)
Image 13Monument to Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City (from Latin American culture)
Image 14The Guadalajara International Film Festival is considered the most prestigious film festival in Latin America. (from Latin American culture)
Image 15Left-leaning leaders of Bolivia, Brazil and Chile at the Union of South American Nations summit in 2008 (from History of Latin America)
Image 16Intermediate level international-style Latin dancing at the 2006 MIT ballroom dance competition. A judge stands in the foreground. (from Latin American culture)
Image 17Instituto Arnoldo Gabaldón, declared August 30, 1984 as a National Historic Landmark (from Latin American culture)

Selected panorama

Iguazú Falls

Panorama of the Iguazú Falls, in the Brazilian side. Walkways allow close views of the falls from both Brazil and Argentina. The falls, an UNESCO World Heritage Site, are located on the border of the Brazilian State of Paraná and the Argentine Province of Misiones.

Selected picture

El Castillo, Chichen Itza

Photo: Daniel Schwen

El Castillo, found in the Chichen Itza archaeological site, is a Mesoamerican step-pyramid that is one of the most recognized and widely visited pre-Columbian structures in Mexico. Built by the Maya, it served as a temple to Kukulkan, the Yucatec Maya Feathered Serpent deity.

Countries

Territories (in bold), dependencies, and subnational entities of a country not located primarily in Latin America are italicized.

Related portals

North and Central America

Caribbean

South America

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