Latin America
The term Latin America is used loosely to refer to all the American countries south of the United States: used this way, it covers the whole of South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
It is used in a strict sense to refer solely to the nations in those geographical regions where the Spanish and Portuguese languages predominate; this narrower definition excludes the countries and territories where English and other languages are spoken (Jamaica, Belize, Guyana, Suriname, Haiti, etc.).
A Latino is a person of Latin American heritage, or from a Latin American culture.
Etymological note: Treating the term literally, one might expect the term to apply to cultures and regions in the Americas deriving from cultures speaking Romance languages (those descended from Latin). However, French-speaking areas of the Americas, such as Quebec and Acadia in Canada, are not generally considered part of Latin America. Yet this was the original intention of the term. "Latin America" was first proposed during the French occupation of Mexico (1862-1867), when Napoleon III supported Archduke Maximilian's pretensions to be emperor of Mexico. The French hoped that an inclusive notion of "Latin" America would support their cause. Mexican citizens eventually expelled the French while retaining the term "Latino" is perhaps one of history's more charming ironies.
The alternative term Iberoamerica is sometimes used to refer to the nations that were formerly colonies of Spain and Portugal, as these two countries are located on the Iberian peninsula.
The Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI) takes this defintion a step further, by including Spain and Portugal (often termed the Mother Countries of Latin America) among its member states, in addition to their Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking former colonies in America.
The Latin American countries, taking the term in its strict sense, are:
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