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Definitions of Latin America vary. From a and most of Central America , South America , and part of the Caribbean in which Haiti (a non-Hispanic country) is generally included. There is also an important Latin American cultural presence in the USA (e.g. California and the Southwest, and cities such as New York and Miami). Sometimes the areas influenced by France (particularly Haiti) are also included. There is also increasing attention to the relations between Latin America and the Caribbean as a whole. See further discussion of definitions at Latin America .

The rich mosaic of Latin American culture is the product of many influences, including:

  • Pre-Columbian Cultures , whose importance is today particularly notable in countries such as Guatemala, Peru, and Paraguay.

  • European Culture , owing to the region's history of colonization by Spain, Portugal, and France. European influence is particularly marked in so-called High Culture , such as literature, painting, Literature and Music. Moreover, this imperial history left an enduring mark of their influence in their languages, which are spoken throughout Central (including the Caribbean), South and North America (México and many parts of the USA). In addition, nineteenth- and twentieth-century immigration (e.g from Italy, Germany, and Eastern Europe) also transformed especially countries such as Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil (particular the southeast and southern regions)and Venezuela.

  • The introduction of slaves from Africa, which has influenced for instance dance and religion, especially in countries such as Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, and Cuba.

  • Increasingly, the United States, particularly via Mass Culture such as cinema and TV.


In this sense, it might be strictly more accurate to speak of "Indo-Afro-Latin American culture."


POPULATION


The population of Latin America is an Amalgam of ethnic groups. The composition varies from country to country; some have a predominance of a racially mixed ( Mestizo ) population, some have a high percentage of people of Amerindian origin, some are dominated by inhabitants of European origin and Brazil particularly has a high proportion who are of Africans,japanese and germany origin.


Demographics


Latin America has a very diverse population, with many Ethnic Groups and different ancestries. Only in three countries do the Amerindian s make up the majority of the population. This is the case of Peru , Guatemala and Bolivia . In the rest of the Continent, most of the Native American descendants are of mixed race ancestry.

Since the and the Spaniards to the rest of the region. An intensive race mixing between the Europeans and the Amerindians occurred and their descendants (known as Mestizo s) make up the majority of the population in several Latin American countries, such as Mexico , Chile , Colombia , Ecuador , El Salvador , Honduras , Puerto Rico , etc.

Starting in the late 16th Century , a large number of African Slave s were brought to Latin America, the majority of whom were sent to the Caribbean and Brazil. Nowadays, Blacks make up the majority of the population in most Caribbean countries. Many of the African slaves in Latin America mixed with the Europeans and their descendants (known as Mulattoes ) make up the majority of the population in some countries, such as Cuba , and large porcentages in Brazil, Colombia, etc. Mixes between the Blacks and Amerindians also occurred, and their descendants are known as Zambo s. Many Latin American countries also have a substantial tri-racial population, which ancestry is a mix of Amerindians, Whites and Blacks.

Large amounts of European immigrants arrived in Latin America in the late , Spaniards , Portuguese , Germans and, to a much smaller extent, Irish , Poles , Russians , Welsh , Ukrainians , French , Jews , etc.

In this same period, many immigrants came from the Middle-East and Asia , including India ns, Lebanese , Syria ns, and, more recently, Koreans , Chinese and Japanese (mainly in Brazil).

This racial diversity has profoundly influenced Religion , Music , and Politics , and gave rise to a weak feeling of identity in parts of these mixed cultures. This opaque cultural heritage is (arguably improperly) called Latin or Latino in United States' English. Outside of the U.S., and in many languages (especially romance ones) " Latino " just means " Latin ", referring to cultures and peoples that can trace their heritage back to the ancient Roman Empire . Latin American is the proper term.