Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages — primarily Spanish and Portuguese — are predominantly spoken.
The term was coined by Chilean politician Francisco Bilbao in 1856 at a Paris conference and gained wider use during the 1860s under Napoleon III, whose government invoked shared Latin heritage to justify French intervention in Mexico. Because Latin America is defined by cultural and linguistic identity rather than strict geography, its boundaries cross continents: it includes most of Central America, South America and parts of the Caribbean, as well as North American countries such as Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. English- or Dutch-speaking nations like Guyana, Belize and Suriname are typically excluded. The region encompasses Hispanic America (Spanish-speaking nations) and Brazil, where Portuguese is spoken. Related terms include Ibero-America, which adds Spain and Portugal themselves to the group.
Latin America’s vast span of ecosystems — Amazonian rainforest, Andean highlands, Patagonian steppe, Central American cloud forest — has made it a focal point for natural-history exploration and conservation for more than two centuries.
