Latin+American+Culture

toc =Latin america=

In most common contemporary usage, Latin America refers only to those territories in the Americas where the [|Spanish] or [|Portuguese] languages prevail: [|Mexico], most of [|Central] and [|South America], plus [|Cuba], the [|Dominican Republic] and [|Puerto Rico] in the [|Caribbean]

National Symbols
dependencies ||~ [|United States] dependency ||
 * ~ [|Independent Countries] ||~ [|French] dependencies ||~ [|Netherlands]
 * * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Flag_of_Argentina.svg/22px-Flag_of_Argentina.svg.png width="22" height="14" caption="Flag of Argentina" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_Argentina.svg"]] [|Argentina]
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/48/Flag_of_Bolivia.svg/22px-Flag_of_Bolivia.svg.png width="22" height="15" caption="Flag of Bolivia" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_Bolivia.svg"]] [|Bolivia]
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/Flag_of_Brazil.svg/22px-Flag_of_Brazil.svg.png width="22" height="15" caption="Flag of Brazil" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_Brazil.svg"]] [|Brazil]
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/78/Flag_of_Chile.svg/22px-Flag_of_Chile.svg.png width="22" height="15" caption="Flag of Chile" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_Chile.svg"]] [|Chile]
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Flag_of_Colombia.svg/22px-Flag_of_Colombia.svg.png width="22" height="15" caption="Flag of Colombia" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_Colombia.svg"]] [|Colombia]
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/Flag_of_Costa_Rica.svg/22px-Flag_of_Costa_Rica.svg.png width="22" height="13" caption="Flag of Costa Rica" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_Costa_Rica.svg"]] [|Costa Rica]
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/Flag_of_Cuba.svg/22px-Flag_of_Cuba.svg.png width="22" height="11" caption="Flag of Cuba" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_Cuba.svg"]] [|Cuba]
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9f/Flag_of_the_Dominican_Republic.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_Dominican_Republic.svg.png width="22" height="14" caption="Flag of the Dominican Republic" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_the_Dominican_Republic.svg"]] [|Dominican Rep.]
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Flag_of_Ecuador.svg/22px-Flag_of_Ecuador.svg.png width="22" height="11" caption="Flag of Ecuador" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_Ecuador.svg"]] [|Ecuador]
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/34/Flag_of_El_Salvador.svg/22px-Flag_of_El_Salvador.svg.png width="22" height="12" caption="Flag of El Salvador" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_El_Salvador.svg"]] [|El Salvador] || * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Flag_of_Guatemala.svg/22px-Flag_of_Guatemala.svg.png width="22" height="14" caption="Flag of Guatemala" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_Guatemala.svg"]] [|Guatemala]
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/Flag_of_Haiti.svg/22px-Flag_of_Haiti.svg.png width="22" height="13" caption="Flag of Haiti" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_Haiti.svg"]] [|Haiti]
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/82/Flag_of_Honduras.svg/22px-Flag_of_Honduras.svg.png width="22" height="11" caption="Flag of Honduras" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_Honduras.svg"]] [|Honduras]
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Flag_of_Mexico.svg/22px-Flag_of_Mexico.svg.png width="22" height="13" caption="Flag of Mexico" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_Mexico.svg"]] [|Mexico]
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Flag_of_Nicaragua.svg/22px-Flag_of_Nicaragua.svg.png width="22" height="13" caption="Flag of Nicaragua" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_Nicaragua.svg"]] [|Nicaragua]
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ab/Flag_of_Panama.svg/22px-Flag_of_Panama.svg.png width="22" height="15" caption="Flag of Panama" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_Panama.svg"]] [|Panama]
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/27/Flag_of_Paraguay.svg/22px-Flag_of_Paraguay.svg.png width="22" height="13" caption="Flag of Paraguay" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_Paraguay.svg"]] [|Paraguay]
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/Flag_of_Peru.svg/22px-Flag_of_Peru.svg.png width="22" height="15" caption="Flag of Peru" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_Peru.svg"]] [|Peru]
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Flag_of_Uruguay.svg/22px-Flag_of_Uruguay.svg.png width="22" height="15" caption="Flag of Uruguay" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_Uruguay.svg"]] [|Uruguay]
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/Flag_of_Venezuela.svg/22px-Flag_of_Venezuela.svg.png width="22" height="15" caption="Flag of Venezuela" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_Venezuela.svg"]] [|Venezuela] || * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/Flag_of_France.svg/22px-Flag_of_France.svg.png width="22" height="15" caption="Flag of French Guiana" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_France.svg"]] [|French Guiana]
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/Flag_of_France.svg/22px-Flag_of_France.svg.png width="22" height="15" caption="Flag of Guadeloupe" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_France.svg"]] [|Guadeloupe]
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/Flag_of_France.svg/22px-Flag_of_France.svg.png width="22" height="15" caption="Flag of Martinique" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_France.svg"]] [|Martinique]
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/Flag_of_France.svg/22px-Flag_of_France.svg.png width="22" height="15" caption="Flag of Saint Barthélemy" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_France.svg"]] [|Saint Barthélemy]
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/Flag_of_France.svg/22px-Flag_of_France.svg.png width="22" height="15" caption="Flag of Saint Martin (France)" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_France.svg"]] [|Saint Martin]
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/Flag_of_France.svg/22px-Flag_of_France.svg.png width="22" height="15" caption="Flag of Saint Pierre and Miquelon" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_France.svg"]] [|Saint Pierre and Miquelon] || * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Flag_of_Aruba.svg/22px-Flag_of_Aruba.svg.png width="22" height="15" caption="Flag of Aruba" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_Aruba.svg"]] [|Aruba]
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d5/Flag_of_the_Netherlands_Antilles.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_Netherlands_Antilles.svg.png width="22" height="15" caption="Flag of the Netherlands Antilles" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_the_Netherlands_Antilles.svg"]] [|Netherlands Antilles] || * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/Flag_of_Puerto_Rico.svg/22px-Flag_of_Puerto_Rico.svg.png width="22" height="15" caption="Flag of Puerto Rico" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_Puerto_Rico.svg"]] [|Puerto Rico] ||

Most Prevalent Religions
The vast majority of Latin Americans are [|Christians], mostly [|Roman Catholics]. However, membership in the Roman Catholic Church in Latin America is declining while membership in [|Protestant] churches is increasing. Brazil has an active [|quasi-socialist] Roman Catholic movement known as [|Liberation Theology]. Practitioners of the [|Buddhist], [|Jewish], [|Islamic], [|Hindu], [|Bahá'í], and indigenous denominations and religions exist. Various [|Afro-Latin American] traditions such as [|Santería] and [|Macumba], tribal-voodoo religions, are also practiced.

Common National Holidays
Public holidays include most of the Catholic holidays.
 * Nature of the Holidays
 * Ways to Celebrate
 * Celebrations that Affect School Days

Language(s) Spoken
//See also: [|Indigenous languages of the Americas]// Romance languages in Latin America: **Green**-Spanish; **Orange**-Portuguese; **Blue**-French [|Castillian Spanish] is the predominant language in the majority of Latin American countries. [|Portuguese] is spoken primarily in Brazil, the most populous country in the region. [|French] is spoken in some countries of the [|Caribbean] (notably the dependencies of [|Guadeloupe], [|Martinique], and [|French Guiana] as well as the sovereign island-nation of [|Haiti]). [|Dutch] is the official language of some Caribbean islands and in [|Suriname] on the continent; however, as Dutch is a [|Germanic language], these territories are not considered part of Latin America. Other European languages spoken in Latin America include: [|English], by some groups in [|Argentina], [|Nicaragua], [|Panama], and [|Puerto Rico]; [|German], in southern [|Brazil], southern [|Chile], Argentina, and German-speaking villages in northern [|Venezuela]; [|Italian], in Brazil, Argentina, [|Uruguay] and, to a lesser extent, Venezuela; and [|Welsh], in southern Argentina. In several nations, especially in the [|Caribbean] region, [|creole languages] are spoken. The most widely-spoken creole language in the Caribbean and Latin America in general is [|Haitian Creole], the predominant language of [|Haiti]; it is derived primarily from French and certain [|West African] tongues with some [|Amerindian] and Spanish influences as well. Creole languages of mainland Latin America, similarly, are derived from European languages and various African tongues. [|Native American languages] are widely spoken in [|Peru], [|Guatemala], [|Bolivia], [|Paraguay], and to a lesser degree, in [|Mexico], [|Ecuador] and [|Chile]. In absolute numbers, Mexico contains the largest population of indigenous-language speakers of any country in the Americas, surpassing those of the Amerindian-majority countries of Guatemala, Bolivia and the Amerindian-plurality country of Peru. In Latin American countries not named above, the population of speakers of indigenous languages is tiny or non-existent. In [|Peru], [|Quechua] is an official language, alongside Spanish and any other indigenous language in the areas where they predominate. In [|Ecuador], while holding no official status, the closely-related [|Quichua] is a recognized language of the indigenous people under the country's constitution; however, it is only spoken by a few groups in the country's highlands. In [|Bolivia], [|Aymara], Quechua and Guaraní hold official status alongside Spanish. [|Guarani] is, along with Spanish, an official language of [|Paraguay], and is spoken by a majority of the population (who are, for the most part, bilingual), and it is co-official with Spanish in the [|Argentine] province of [|Corrientes]. In [|Nicaragua], Spanish is the official language, but on the country's Caribbean coast English and indigenous languages such as [|Miskito], [|Sumo], and [|Rama] also hold official status. [|Colombia] recognizes all indigenous languages spoken within its territory as official, though fewer than 1% of its population are native speakers of these. [|Nahuatl] is one of the 62 native languages spoken by indigenous people in Mexico, which are officially recognized by the government as "national languages", along with Spanish.
 * Proper Greeting