Latin America or South America or North America? It can be pretty mind-boggling, especially for someone like myself from little Ireland who has no connection to the Americas whatsoever.
I remember, at one point, my housemate, who was Mexican, being annoyed because I referred to the United States as “America,” not taking into consideration that there are a lot of countries in America that are not just the States!
So, here is an article as an apology to my friend. After studying it for some time, I finally learned the differences, and I am here to teach you the same. I’ve also gotten Latin America and Caribbean travel expert, journalist, and long-time expat Carley Rojas Avila on board to help review the information and provide some oversight.
In short, Latin America is the region in the Americas where the Romance languages are spoken. Romance languages are a group of languages that originated from Vulgar Latin, and they include Spanish, Portuguese, and French.
To understand more about Latin America, let’s explore the continents and the parts of the continents that are included in Latin America.
What is North America?
North America is one of seven continents, which are large landmasses divided into several countries. It stretches from the Alaskan island chain to the Isthmus of Panama in Central America. Beyond that is the South American continent.
North America has 23 countries, according to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook: Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States.
Learn more about the North American Countries.
What is South America?
South America is another continent, a large landmass divided into various countries. It starts where the North American continent ends—in Central America beyond Panama and continues right down to the South.
According to the CIA World Factbook, there are 12 countries in South America. These countries are Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
Learn more about the South American Countries.
What is Latin America?
Now that we understand North and South America let us explain Latin America.
Latin America is not a particular country or continent. It refers to a region in the Americas where Romance languages, primarily Spanish and Portuguese, are spoken.
The region of Latin America generally includes countries from the North and South American continents where these languages dominate due to historical colonization by Spain and Portugal.
“It is important to keep in mind that the term Latin America is a fluid one and can mean different things to different people,” says Rojas Avila. “Though there are a few commonly held ideas of the countries and territories that are a part of Latin America, not everyone is in total agreement, a fact that is itself important to keep in mind.”
Latin America country and territory list
There are 20 countries in Latin America today. The following countries belong to Latin America:
- Argentina
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Chile
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Cuba
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Guatemala
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Mexico
- Nicaragua
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
As the above list only contains countries, we did not include Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is a territory, not a country, and it is also considered part of Latin America.
French America
French-speaking countries, regions, and islands located in the Americas are sometimes considered to be a part of Latin America, though most people generally associate Latin America only with countries where Spanish and Portuguese are spoken.
The following territories that speak French (French America) are sometimes included. Please note that these are not sovereign, independent nations but owned by foreign countries:
- French Guiana
- Guadeloupe
- Martinique
- Saint Barthélemy
- Saint Martin
Countries that are not part of Latin America
“While some countries are located in South America and the Caribbean, they are not considered part of Latin America due to their linguistic and cultural heritage,” says Rojas Avila. These include countries like Belize, Guyana, and Suriname.
For instance, in Guyana, English is spoken, so this country is not considered a part of Latin America. Similarly, Suriname doesn’t speak a Romance language; rather, they speak Dutch, a Germanic language.
Another country not considered a part of Latin America is the Caribbean island of Jamaica. Jamaica is largely surrounded by Latin American countries, but it is not considered Latin American either, as the official language is English, and the majority speak Jamaican Patois, a type of English creole.
The same is true of a number of other Caribbean islands, including the Cayman Islands and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands.
Another country that may appear on lists of Latin American countries is Belize. However, Belize is not a Latin American country because its people speak English as their official language, and they largely speak Belizean Creole.
While the territories that speak French are sometimes considered Latin American, culturally, they tend to be quite different from places in the Americas where Spanish and Portuguese dominate. Therefore, I made a special mention that they are sometimes included as Latin American.
Recommended reading: Country Flags of Latin America
Official languages spoken by Latin American countries
The following are the official languages spoken by Latin American countries.
Latin American Country | Capital City | Language (Official) |
---|---|---|
Argentina | Buenos Aires | Spanish |
Bolivia | La Paz (administrative capital), Sucre (constitutional capital) | Spanish, Quechua, Aymara, Guarani |
Brazil | Brasília | Portuguese |
Chile | Santiago | Spanish |
Colombia | Bogota | Spanish |
Costa Rica | San José | Spanish |
Cuba | Havana | Spanish |
Dominican Republic | Santo Domingo | Spanish |
Ecuador | Quito | Spanish (Castilian) |
El Salvador | San Salvador | Spanish |
Guatemala | Guatemala City | Spanish |
Haiti | Port-au-Prince | French, Creole |
Honduras | Tegucigalpa | Spanish |
Mexico | Mexico City | No official language* |
Nicaragua | Managua | Spanish |
Panama | Panama City | Spanish |
Paraguay | Asunción | Spanish, Guarani |
Peru | Lima | Spanish, Quechua, Aymara |
Uruguay | Montevideo | Spanish |
Venezuela | Caracas | Spanish |
*Although Mexico does not have an official language, approximately 93.8% of its population, or about 123 million people, speak Spanish.
Latin American and Caribbean states
There are 33 Latin American and Caribbean states, according to the United Nations.
The members of the United Nations are sovereign states divided into regional groups, such as “African States” and “Asia-Pacific States.” They also have another grouping, known as “Latin American and Caribbean states.”
If you want to refer to the entire region of Latin America and the Caribbean as a whole, here are its members:
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Bolivia (Plurinational State of)
- Brazil
- Chile
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Cuba
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Jamaica
- Mexico
- Nicaragua
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Suriname
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Uruguay
- Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)
Recommended reading: How Many Countries Are There in the World?
Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. A teacher for seven years, she has been committed to providing students with the best learning opportunities possible, both domestically and abroad. Dedicated to unlocking students' potential, Caitriona has taught English in several countries and continues to explore new cultures through her travels.