- What is Latin America?
- Uses of the term "Latin America"
- Latin America population
- Latin American economy
- Health in Latin America
- Poverty in Latin America
- Latin American languages
- Religion of Latin America
- Tourism in Latin America
- Latin American art
- Science and technology in Latin America
We explain what Latin America is, what its population, economy and religions are like. Also, information on health, poverty and science.
What is Latin America?
Latin America or Latin America is the set of American nations descended from the Spanish, Portuguese and French colonies established from the 16th century. It includes the various degrees of miscegenation produced in them between ethnic groups and cultures: European, American aboriginal and African black. The latter reached the continent enslaved by Europeans.
We refer to one of the most diverse regions geographically, biologically and culturally. It is made up of 21 countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico (state associated with the States States), Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela.
These nations are spread over an area of more than twenty million square kilometers, almost 13.5% of the surface area of the planet.
In principle, its history begins more than 4,000 years ago, with the first pre-Columbian cultures that emerged in Mesoamerica or in the Inca region, and extends over more than three thousand years until his traumatic encounter with the Spanish settlers.
At that time, in the 15th century, a long and bloody war of conquest began, decimating the indigenous population of the continent. It also opened the doors for the emergence of a new culture, often called melting pot, due to its high levels of mixing, with the incorporation of Africans into the colonies, especially in the Caribbean region.
The independence of most Latin American countries occurred between the 19th and 20th centuries, the result of the European crises that led to the time for the Independence Wars. In addition, various regional integration projects were carried out, which gave more or less results.
Over time, the region It has been consolidating itself as one of the sites of greatest economic and cultural interest in the West, despite its enormous discrepancies, inequalities and his curious sense of identity in the midst of diversity.
Uses of the term "Latin America"
It is, in principle, a geographical, cultural and ethnic region. However, even so, it is always difficult to define it in precise terms, given the enormous racial, cultural, linguistic and historical diversity of the region.
On the other hand, it can be understood as the union of several subregions, such as the Caribbean and the Antilles, the Andes, the Río de la Plata, the Gran Chaco, the Amazon, Central America and the former Mesoamerican region.
For this reason, different terms are often used to name it, such as Latin america (only those nations where Spanish is spoken) or Iberoamerica (to include in the category before Brazil). In fact, the term itself Latin America comes from french Latin america, to oppose this region to Anglo-Saxon America, the result of English colonization.
Despite having its detractors, the term Latin America has the advantage of also including French colonies that have had little historical contact with the rest of the countries. nations. For this reason, “Latin America and the Caribbean” is often used to refer to the geographic region below the United States, including French, English, or Dutch-speaking nations.
Latin America population
In Latin America there are around 617,685 million people, in a predominantly young and predominantly urban population. In fact, 82% of the population resides in cities.
Especially in the large metropolitan regions of cities such as Mexico City (around 20 million inhabitants), Sao Paolo (around 19 million inhabitants), Buenos Aires (around 12 million inhabitants) or Rio de Janeiro (around 10 million inhabitants), to name just The main.
The Latin American population is ethnically diverse, with a predominance of four large groups:
- Amerindians and descendants of native peoples.
- Creole whites of European descent.
- African American descendants of the colony's slaves.
- A very varied range of mestizos, since it was a region with an intense syncretism.
In addition, Latin America has subsequently received migrants from Europe, Asia and the Middle East, being one of the great receivers of migratory flows in the world.
Latin American economy
The Latin American region is uneven in its economic performance and economic policies, which is why it has been an unstable region from early times. It is possible to differentiate three Latin American economic groups, which are:
- Countries with economies of free market, which follow the models of the United States and Europe, for example: Peru, Chile, Mexico and Colombia, founding countries of the Pacific League, along with Panama or Costa Rica.
- Countries with mixed economies and protectionist models, focused on the social market economy, such as Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay.
- Countries with closed or semi-closed economies, generally following the economic model Marxist, as are Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua.
The economies Latin American countries tend to depend on the export of goods and services, generally from the raw material. There are countries agricultural, ranchers and miners, being the perfect example of the latter Venezuela, the only purely oil country in the region.
The most economically developed countries according to their GDP per capita are Chile (19,474 US $), Argentina (18,709 US $) and Panama (16,993 US $). On the other hand, the highest rates of human development (HDI) are registered in Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Costa Rica and Panama.
Health in Latin America
This is another area in which Latin America is highly unequal, although broadly it can be said that there are problems in accessibility, segmentation and social protection, generally derived from the poverty.
For example, according to figures from ECLAC, in countries such as Ecuador and Guatemala the lessons wealthy absorb 30% of public spending on Health, relegating the poor to just over 12%. On the other hand, in countries such as Chile, Costa Rica and Uruguay 30% of public spending on health is directed to the protection of the least favored.
In most countries the budget deficit is the main impediment in public health care.
Poverty in Latin America
Poverty is one of the great problems of Latin America. In all the countries that compose it, there are important poverty indicators, the most serious cases being those of Honduras (65.7%), Mexico (60.6%) and Argentina (30.3%).
Other particular cases, such as that of Venezuela, are the result of debate and controversy, as they do not have credible official figures. However, poverty in recent years has reached levels of humanitarian emergency, as the mortality childhood, the recurrence of eradicated diseases and generating an exodus of around four million people in less than four years.
On the other hand, in the rest of the Latin American continent, according to historical estimates by the World Bank, the middle class registered a sustained and significant growth of around 50%, reaching almost 30% of the total population of the region.
The same happens with the violence Urban crime and crime, which in some countries such as Honduras, El Salvador, Venezuela, Guatemala and Brazil reaches astronomical figures, while in other countries it is associated more with historical-political processes, as is the case of Colombian paramilitarism.
In other words, both poverty and violence present unequal indices depending on the country.
Latin American languages
In Latin America the Romance languages arrived from Europe during the colony, which are Spanish (66%), Portuguese (33%) and French (1%) predominate. However, there are also an important number of living aboriginal languages, such as:
- Quechua. With 9 to 14 million speakers between Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina and Ecuador.
- The Guarani. With 7 to 12 million speakers between Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia.
- Aymara. With 2 to 3 million speakers between Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru.
- Nahuatl. With 1.3 to 1.5 million speakers in Mexico.
- Mayan .. With 0.9 to 1.2 million speakers between Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico.
Religion of Latin America
In this region, the religion The majority is Catholic Christianity, inherited from the Spanish and Portuguese colony, and with an important participation in the history of the continent since the arrival of the European colonizers. However, there is a growing representation of other Protestant Christian sects, especially in countries with the highest proportion of poverty.
In some countries with an indigenous ethnic majority, rites and religious practices from pre-Columbian times are preserved, especially in Bolivia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru. For example, the celebration of the day of the dead and the rites of the Pachamama.
On the other hand, in the Caribbean region, Africanity left its cultural mark, preserving the Yoruba religion or that of other enslaved African peoples, known as Santeria, Candomblé, Macumba or Voodoo. These rites have less formal acceptance in most countries, although they are part of the cultural background from countries such as Cuba, Brazil, Haiti, the Dominican Republic or Venezuela.
Tourism in Latin America
The striking Latin American culture is an important tourist attraction, despite the fact that living conditions do not always accompany the incentive. Mexico has been the most visited country by the sightseeing International of Latin America for several years, and is among the 10 most attractive countries in the world for tourism, receiving more than 30 million visitors annually.
Tourism is an important source of income in the region. Nations such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, the Dominican Republic or Colombia invest significant resources in promoting it, receiving annually between 4 and 6 million tourists in their territories.
Latin American art
The art Latin America is as complex and diverse as its culture. The constant investigation of these countries in their identity and their history has often paid off in various areas:
- Literature. The region has several Nobel Prize winners among poets and storytellers such as Gabriela Mistral, Miguel Ángel Asturias, Pablo Neruda, Octavio Paz, Mario Vargas Llosa and Gabriel García Márquez.
- Painting. It includes world-renowned names such as Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Armando Reverón, Wilfredo Lam, Fernando Botero, Remedios Varo, Xul Solar, Julio Le Parc or Carlos Cruz-Diez.
- Music. Has alternated between classicism European and the incorporation of American rhythms, using popular influence.
Latin American art is so vast that it would require an article in itself, but muralism, painting, and painting also stand out among its talents. movie theater (especially in Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and Cuba), the architecture and the theater.
Latin American culture has gone through various periods of flourishing and abundance. Its complex history of conflicts, wars and contradictions has spawned one of the most unique cultures in the West.
Science and technology in Latin America
The scientific field and technological Latin America is not negligible, despite the fact that its development models were for years dependent on the importation of knowledge from Europe and especially from the United States. The astronomy It is an area of great development, especially in Chile, and in other observation centers in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela and Mexico.
In fact, in Costa Rica a plasma engine was developed since 2005, which allowed new space missions, since this country is, together with the United States, the only one in which it has been possible to discharge plasma in the laboratory.
Brazil tends to lead in technology investment. It was the first Latin American country to put its own satellites into orbit in 1985, followed by Argentina in 1990, and then several South American countries. Between 2007 and 2008, Brazil experienced the highest scientific growth in the world, surpassing Russia and the Netherlands and ranking 13th globally.