'''Latin America''' is the region of the Americas where Romance languages — those derived from Latin — are officially or primarily spoken. The other American linguistic region, by its official European language, is Anglo-America, where English predominates.

Definition

Definitions for what Latin America comprises vary:

* From a strict cultural and linguistic perspective,it would be all countries and territories where Romance languages — Spanish, Portuguese, French, and their creoles - are spoken.

* In the most usual perspective, Latin America includes territories in the Americas where Spanish or Portuguese prevail: Mexico and most of Central America, South America, and (per land area and population) the Caribbean. This is synonymous with Ibero-America. Territories where other Romance languages such as French (e.g., Quebec in Canada) or derivatives like Papiamento or Kreyol predominate are frequently not reckoned as parts of Latin America in this view, despite the French origins of the concept. In the same way, the Dutch-speaking Surinam, Netherlands Antilles and Aruba and other English-speaking countries of the Americas are also not considered as parts of Latin America in this view.

* Sometimes, particularly in the United States, the term "Latin America" is used to refer to ''all'' of the Americas south of the U.S., including countries such as Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Barbados and Suriname where non-Romance languages prevail. Conversely, it is often used in Brazil to designate the Spanish-speaking countries within this area.

Geopolitically, Latin America is divided into 20 independent countries and several dependent territories. Brazil is by far the largest country of Latin America, both in area and population. Its official language, Portuguese, sets it apart from other Latin American countries, which predominately use Spanish as their official language.

Etymology

thumb|right|A terrain map of Latin America
Originally a political term, '''Amerique Latine''' was coined by French emperor Napoleon III, who cited ''Amerique Latine'' and ''Indochine'' as goals for expansion during his reign. While the term helped him stake a claim to those territories, it eventually came to embody those parts of the Americas that speak Romance languages initially brought by settlers from Spain, Portugal and, in a minor extent, France in the 15th and 16th centuries. An alternate etymology points to Michel Chevalier, who mentioned the term in 1836. Article licensed under GNU Free Documentation License. See the Wikipedia article "Latin_America"