What do we mean by Latin America?

Latin America

We often use the name “Latin America” when speaking of countries located South of the United States.  It  comes from the fact that these countries were settled largely by the Spanish and Portuguese, and  as a result, have many of the Latin Cultural traditions.

The term includes Mexico, Central America, South America, and most of the West Indies.

The name Latin America comes from the fact that almost Portuguese and French settlers who spoke languages that grew out of Latin – spoken by the ancient Romans.

As a result, most people speak one of those languages.  Their religion, arts and customs came largely from these southern European countries.

Because of this “Latin culture,” the people are often called Latin Americans and the countries in which they lie are collectively called Latin America.

Not all people like to use the term “Latin America.” Other names that are sometimes used include Spanish America, Indo-America and Ibero-America.–Dick Rogers