Latin America is a large region. It includes part of the countries of North America, most of the countries of Central and South America. Its borders extend from the United States in the north to Antarctica in the south. The area is about 12 million kilometers, washed by the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
The name “America Latina” was introduced into use in the 19th century by Emperor Napoleon III, who united the list of countries where Romance (Latin) languages are spoken. Spanish and Portuguese are widely used in these countries. In all these territories, Spanish is the official language, with the exception of Brazil, where Portuguese is the official language.
Looking at the map of Latin America, you will notice that the largest number of countries are located in Central America. These are small states located along the Panama Canal. The largest countries are in the Atlantic region, such as Brazil and Argentina.
Initially, all these territories were inhabited by Indians who lived in a primitive system. After the conquest of America by the Spaniards and Portuguese, the indigenous population was gradually displaced, exterminated and driven into inaccessible places. But unlike North America, the Indians of the southern hemisphere for the most part survived, many tribes assimilated with emigrants from Europe. Since the Spanish language and the Catholic religion were actively propagated by Europeans, Latin American countries are now the largest region professing Catholicism.
Information! The official language is mainly Spanish, but each country uses a different dialect.
The states of this region have diverse economies and political structures. All of them were previously colonies of developed European states, but over the last century almost all have gained independence.
Latin American countries are deservedly very popular among tourists. Here, no one will be indifferent to the breathtaking natural landscapes. These places are mainly visited by travelers who have seen many countries, and it is difficult to surprise them with anything. These are not poor people; they mostly stay in 5* hotels.
Let's look at which countries are part of Latin America.
Latin America on the world map occupies 1/7 of our planet in the Western Hemisphere. It consists of 33 independent states with a total population of about 600 million people. The geographical features of these countries are as follows:
The largest country in the region is Brazil, the smallest is Suriname. Let's look at the list of Latin American countries and try to briefly describe them. The list of countries is as follows:
Interesting! The island of Saint Barth is a reserve for oligarchs from all over the world; with its high prices, this state scares off many ordinary tourists.
As you can see, all Latin American countries have striking features in culture and nature. This continent is rich in natural resources, water and green resources, and has unique historical values.
As elsewhere in the world, in Latin America there is a tendency to move from villages to large cities. People move to cities in order to find work and arrange their lives. Let's look at which cities matter most.
In recent decades, this region has been actively developing, and the main emphasis is on tourism. The combination of a warm climate, wide sandy beaches, tropical forests, and historical attractions attracts more and more tourists from all over the world. Latin America is a real treasure trove for travelers.
Uruguay. The area of Brazil is 8512 thousand km2, according to this indicator the country ranks 5th in the world after Russia, and. The population is 159.7 million people, the form of government is a republic, the capital is (1.5 million inhabitants).
The basis of Brazil's relief is the Amazonian lowland - a huge swampy plain covered with dense jungle and indented by rivers.
In the north and south, respectively, are the Guiana and Brazilian plateaus - plains with a pronounced dry period, located high above sea level. Most of the country's territory is located between the southern tropics, equatorial and subequatorial, only tropical on the southeast coast. The temperature here is constantly high, rarely dropping below +20 °C. In the western part of Brazil, precipitation falls up to 2500 mm throughout the year; in the rest of the territory, the main precipitation falls in the summer.
The country's population is quite diverse in its ethnic and racial composition. Until the mid-19th century, Brazil was a country, so a large part of the population is made up of descendants of Portuguese colonists. Together with other immigrants, they make up the majority of the population - 55%. Representatives of the Negroid and mulatto communities also live in Brazil. In the depths, tribes have survived that are at a fairly low level of development. The level of urbanization in the country is very high - 78%, the largest cities are Sao Paulo (16.5 million inhabitants), (10.2 million), Belo Horizonte (3.8 million).
Most of the country is covered with forests, which makes forestry one of the country's specialization industries. The jungle has huge reserves of valuable timber, but unregulated logging is destroying unique forests. The government of the country is forced to take measures to preserve the forest. Brazil is also rich in: manganese, nickel, and there are deposits of bauxite and gold.
Brazil is the most important country in South America and its economic development is rapid. Agriculture is at a high level, corn, rice, sugar cane, citrus fruits, coffee, and cocoa beans are grown. In addition, industry is also developing: mining,...
Venezuela is a country in the northern part of South America. It has access to the Caribbean Sea (Atlantic Ocean), bordered by Guyana in the east, in the south and Colombia in the west. Area - 912 thousand km2, population - 21.6 million people. According to the form of government, it is a republic, the capital is (3 million inhabitants).
Most of the country is located in the east, the Guiana Plateau is located in the east, and the Andes ranges are in the west. The climate is mainly subequatorial, in the north of the country it is tropical. It is warm throughout the year, with precipitation ranging from 4000 mm in the foothills of the Andes to 700 mm on the plateau. The country is crossed from south to north by the Orinoco River, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean. On its tributary, the Churun River, which originates on the Guiana Plateau, is the highest in the world.
Venezuela was a colony until 1630, so the majority of the country is of Spanish origin. The majority of the population consists of mestizos and mulattoes, the share of the indigenous population is insignificant. A very high level of urbanization -93%, but Venezuela, like many other Latin American cities, is characterized by a "false" . The largest cities are Caracas, Maracaibo (1.6 million people), Valencia (1.4 million people).
The most important element of the Venezuelan economy is oil production and refining; Venezuela is one of the OPEC member countries. In general, this is with an average level of economic development. Other important industries besides oil are metallurgy, textiles, and food. Cattle are raised, rice, corn, coffee, citrus fruits are grown, and fishing is developed.
Argentina is the second largest country in the world and is located in the southern part of the continent. It borders in the west with Chile, in the north with Bolivia and Paraguay, in the northeast with Uruguay, and has access to the Atlantic Ocean. Area - 2763 thousand km2, population - 34.6 million people. According to the form of government, it is a republic, the capital is Buenos Aires (11.8 million inhabitants).
It is a collection of countries located in territories that were previously dependent on European metropolises. These countries occupy part of South and North America, as well as the isthmus between them. Latin America is an amazing land of mysterious civilizations such as the Aztecs and Mayans, as well as brave caballeros, sultry beauties, unique traditions and cultures. A group of Romance languages (Spanish and French) is used as official languages.
Below are the countries and capitals of Latin America, as well as their brief characteristics.
In addition, Latin America includes the following territories: Puerto Rico (US territory) and the territories of French Guiana, Martinique, Guadeloupe, San Martin and San Barthelemy.
Latin America is incredibly rich in interesting places. Here are located 3 of the 7 new wonders of the world. All attractions of Latin America can be divided into natural and man-made objects, as well as cities and villages of ancient civilizations.
The concept of "Latin America"
Note 1
This completely conventional concept unites all continental countries located south of the United States and the West Indies. The territories of Latin America were colonized by the Spaniards, Portuguese, and French. England, France and the USA had numerous colonies here. In Latin America, the predominant Romance languages are Spanish and Portuguese, which are derived from Latin.
The term "Latin America" was coined as a political term by Napoleon III$, the French emperor. At that time, both Latin America and Indochina were considered nothing less than a sphere of special French interests, so the term originally denoted those parts of America where Romance languages were spoken. Since the conquest, there has been a forced imposition of languages, so in many modern countries in the region, Spanish has become the official language. The exception is Brazil, where the official language is Portuguese. Both languages function in the region as national variants. They are characterized by their own linguistic characteristics, which, on the one hand, were influenced by Indian languages, and on the other hand, the autonomy of their development. In countries such as Haiti, Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, the official languages are English and French. The population of Suriname, the Antilles, and Aruba speaks Dutch.
Native American languages were displaced after the colonization of America. Only in Bolivia, Peru and Paraguay the Quechua, Aymara, and Guarani languages have been preserved and are official languages. In general, Latin America is bilingual and a number of countries practice multilingualism. Today, the term "Latin America" refers to a region that is united by supranational cultural interests and is a mixture of the cultures of the Romance peoples of Europe with Indian and African cultures, this is the difference between Latin America and the European cultures of Romance origin. The religious structure of Latin America is dominated by Catholics, because it was the only compulsory religion during the period of colonization, all other religions were brutally persecuted, suppressed by the Inquisition.
Latin America includes:
French territories are Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana. The territory of Puerto Rico is under US administration.
Note 2
Sometimes this list includes the Falkland Islands, Guyana, and Suriname, which are culturally and linguistically different from the rest of Latin America.
In general, Latin America is the largest region of the world, within which there are more than $30 independent states and a number of remaining colonial possessions. The continent is home to developing countries that have gone through a rather long path of independent development. Countries are far from homogeneous; they are distinguished from each other by their area, population, ethnic composition, and level of economic development. In addition, they are also distinguished by their political significance. For example, Brazil is the largest country in terms of area. The country occupies $40$% of the region's territory, which is $400$ times the area of El Salvador.
It has first place in the region and in terms of population. This state has the greatest economic potential and the most developed industry. In addition to Brazil, the La Plata countries include Uruguay and Paraguay, which have an agricultural-export specialization. Paraguay is a typically agrarian country, the most backward on the continent.
The Bahamas, which are still formally a colony of Britain, are considered a tiny state in Latin America, and $300,000 of the islanders call themselves subjects of the British Crown. The standard of living of the population of the islands is high and several times higher than the level of Argentina, Mexico, and Brazil. Not far from the Bahamas is one of the poorest countries in the world - Haiti. Mexico has the most complex and turbulent history, which marks the continuous struggle of Mexicans for their rights and independence against Spain and the United States.
Today, Mexico has achieved great success in developing its national economy and provides itself with most of the necessary industrial goods. Latin American countries belong to developing countries, but occupy an intermediate position - the pace and achieved level of economic development are significantly higher than the countries of the African continent, but lower than the countries of Asia. Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, which account for $2/3 of the region's industrial output, are included in the group of newly industrialized countries. These also include Chile, Venezuela, Colombia, and Peru. In their region, the countries have created several economic integration groups. This is the South American Common Market (MERCOSUR), which includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. The grouping covers $45$% of the population, $50$% of total GDP, $33$% of Latin America's foreign trade volume.
Note 3
If we compare the countries of Latin America with the developing countries of Asia and Africa, it must be said that many indicators of economic and social development of Latin American countries are significantly ahead of the independent countries of Asia and Africa. But even within the region itself, there are significant differences between countries in their levels of development.
The countries of Latin America are located in the western hemisphere of the planet south of the border with the United States. The first country in this composition is Mexico. Thus, Latin America includes the southern part of mainland North America, Central America, the West Indies Islands and mainland South America. On the western side the region is washed by the waters of the Pacific Ocean, on the eastern side by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
The region's area is $21$ million sq km, which is approximately $15$% of the total land area. Continental countries have natural borders between themselves, running either along large rivers or along mountain ranges. The majority of countries have open access to the oceans, except Bolivia and Paraguay, or are island states. The region is very close to the USA. The territory stretches from north to south for $13$ thousand km, and the maximum length from west to east is $5$ thousand km. Despite the remoteness of Latin America from other regions of the planet, its economic and geographical position is quite favorable for economic development.
This is facilitated by:
Note 4
If Brazil is the largest mainland state, then the largest island state is the Republic of Cuba, located at the junction of the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico and stretching for $1,250 km. The countries of the region are either republics or states within the British Commonwealth. The remaining countries are possessions of Great Britain, the USA, and the Netherlands. There have been no major political or other conflicts within this region.
This is explained as follows:
In Latin America with an area of 21 million square meters. km there are 46 states, more or less different from each other.
Several countries are the largest and most politically significant Latin American states.
Brazil
It is the largest country in Latin America with the largest population. The country is attractive to tourists for its nightclubs, impenetrable jungles and impressive waterfalls.
Mexico
A unique country, almost the most popular among travelers. Famous for the most popular beaches in the world, diving, ancient buildings of the Mayans and Aztecs.
Argentina
A country rich in a variety of attractions and entertainment (bullfighting, feeding predators, wine festivals, motorcycle racing, dolphin shows, etc.). The amazing nature of national parks with waterfalls and rare animals, skiing is an integral advantage of Argentina.
Costa Rica
This country is valued for its unique nature: volcanoes, nature reserves, mountain slopes, lakes, underwater national parks and exotic beaches.
Venezuela
This Latin American state attracts tourists with its unshakable ecosystem. The country can be proud of the highest waterfall in the world - Angel, rain forests of the Orinoco River and a wide variety of flora.
Peru
This is a mysterious country with objects of historical significance - Cusco, Machu Picchu.
Chile
A state with beautiful nature and popular ski resorts.
Bolivia
Multinational highland country with salt hotels and deserts, mountain lake Titicaca.
Colombia
This state is famous for its luxurious resorts, snow-capped Andes peaks, and frequent festivals and fairs.
Less developed countries in terms of economy and tourism include Panama, Uruguay, Paraguay, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Belize, Guiana and Guatemala.
The island states of Latin America include the countries of the West Indies:
Barbados;
- Grenada;
- Dominican Republic;
- Dominica;
- St. Vincent;
- Grenadines;
- St. Kitts;
- Nevis;
- Saint Lucia;
- Jamaica;
- Trinidad;
- Tobago;
- Antigua;
- Barbuda;
- The Bahamas is a tiny but rich state, with a high standard of living and economy, it is famous for its luxurious hotels and pink flamingos;
- Haiti is practically the poorest country in the world: corruption and dictatorship do not bring prosperity to the state, and frequent earthquakes only worsen the economic situation;
- Cuba is distinguished by inexpensive shopping, cigars, rum, as well as developed surfing and water skiing.
The world of Latin America is unusual and unique, as it is characterized not only by an interesting style of communication between people, but also by climatic features and unusually beautiful nature.
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