Are Latin America and Central America the Same?

The seven countries of Central America are Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.

Latin America

is a much broader term, encompassing Mexico and all the countries of South America. While everyone speaks Spanish except Haiti, which uses French, and Brazil, whose 44 million inhabitants speak Portuguese, the region is far from uniform in terms of politics or economics. Most of these countries differ greatly in size, population composition, social structure, type of government, and degree of economic development.

It's important to consider each country on its own merits and avoid making sweeping generalizations. South America and Latin America are two distinct entities; the former is a geographical region while the latter is a cultural one. Economically speaking, all Latin American nations have some ties in common. However, there is still confusion surrounding the terms South America and Latin America.

The most widely spoken Creole language in Latin America and the Caribbean is Haitian Creole, which is derived mainly from French and certain West African languages with influences from Amerindian, English, Portuguese and Spanish. The diversity of geography, topography, climate and arable land in Latin America means that populations are not evenly distributed. Chile, Peru, Colombia and Mexico are the only four Latin American nations that have an FTA with the United States and Canada as part of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Although Belize and Guyana use English as their official language and Suriname uses Dutch, they are still considered Latin American countries by some list makers.

In terms of education inequality, Latin America has the highest level of disparity among developing regions. Transport in Latin America is mainly carried out using roads. Most people in the region speak Spanish or Portuguese but French, English, Dutch and Kreyol are also spoken in parts of Central and South America. European and Japanese immigration has added to the already diverse racial makeup of Latin America which makes it difficult to make generalizations about its people.

Christopher Columbus was authorized by the Crown of Castile in central Spain to sail along the west coast of Africa while Portugal explored the area. Mining is a major economic sector for Chile, Peru and Bolivia whose economies depend heavily on it. Originally 'America' referred only to the southern part of the land mass but over time it came to refer to the entire New World. In Latin America a Caste Society or Caste System was created by white elites to try to rationalize processes in operation.

Guatemala is by far the most populous country in Central America with its greatest linguistic diversity; it's known for its rich Mayan culture.

Leave Reply

All fileds with * are required