Latin America refers to countries in the Americas where Romance (Latin-derived) languages are spoken.

This definition, however, is not meant to include Canada, in spite of its large Frenchspeaking population. Latin American countries generally lie south of the United States. By extension, some writers and commentators, particularly in the United States, apply the term to the whole region south of the United States, including the non-Romance-speaking countries such as Suriname, Jamaica, and Guyana, due to similar economic, political and social histories and present-day conditions. Before the arrival of Europeans in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, the region was home to many indigenous peoples, many of which had advanced civilizations, most notably, the Aztec, Inca and Maya. By the end of the sixteenth century large areas of what would become Latin America was colonized by European settlers, primarily from Spain, Portugal and to a lesser extent, France and the Netherlands (in Brazil). Latin America (Spanish: Amrica Latina or Latino America; Portuguese: Amrica Latina; French: Amrique latine) is a region of the Americas where Romance languages (i.e., those derived from Latin) particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French are primarily spoken.[3][4] Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km (7,880,000 sq mi), almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area. As of 2010, its population was estimated at more than 590 million and its combined GDP at 5.16 trillion United States dollars (6.27 trillion at PPP). The Latin American expected economic growth rate is at about 5.7% for 2010 and 4% in 2011. Subdivisions Common sub regions in Latin America Latin America can be subdivided into several sub regions based on geography, politics, demographics and culture. The basic geographical sub regions are North America, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America; the latter contains further politico-geographical subdivisions such as the Southern Cone and the Andean states. It may be subdivided on linguistic grounds into Hispanic America and Portuguese America. Language With 40% of Hispanic and Latino Americans being immigrants, and with many of the 60% who are U.S.-born being the children or grandchildren of immigrants, bilingualism is the norm in the community at large: at home, at least 69% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans over age five are bilingual in English and Spanish, whereas up to 22% are monolingual English-speakers, and 9% are monolingual Spanish-speakers; another 0.4% speak a language other than English and Spanish at home. In all, a full 90% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans speak English, and at least 78% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans speak Spanish. Spanish is the oldest European language in the United States, spoken uninterruptedly for four and a half centuries, since the foundation of St. Augustine. The usual pattern is monolingual Spanish use among new migrants or older foreign-born Hispanics, complete bilingualism among long-settled immigrants and the children of immigrants, and the sole use of English, or both English and either Spangles or colloquial Spanish by the third generation and beyond.