Barbara Simpson, age 12, of Rome, N.Y., for her question:
WHY IS LATIN AMERICA CALLED BY THAT NAME?
The part of the world we call Latin America was most likely first populated more than 20,000 years before Columbus arrived in the Western Hemisphere by the people we now call American Indians. These people probably crossed from Asia on a land bridge during the earth's glacial period or traveled in boats across the Bering Strait.
Latin America is made up of Mexico and all of the countries and other territories that are located south of it. The area continues down to the southern tip of South America.
Almost all of the people who live in Latin America share a common culture and tradition. Their language, religion, arts and customs came primarily from Spain, Portugal and France and are based on those of ancient Rome, or Latium as it was called.
Because of the Latium tradition and culture, the people are called Latins and the entire area is called Latin America.
Today, most Latin American people are of European descent, although a large number have mixed white, Indian ind Negro ancestry. When the Europeans arrived in the 1500s, well organized civilizations had already been established by the Aztecs in Mexico, the Mayans in Central America and the Incas in South America.
Latin America isn't like the United States and Canada, where most of the people share in their region's wealth. In Latin America, most of the political power and money is held by a few wealthy families that own farmlands and factories. Most of the population is poor and uneducated.
Latin America has a population that increases about three percent each year. This growth is higher than that of any other region of the world. Each year, it becomes more difficult to give food, education, housing and jobs to the people.
Spanish is the official language in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatamela, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela.
Portuguese is the official language in Brazil, while English is the official one in the Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago. French is the official language in Haiti, while in Surinam it is Dutch.
While all the people in Latin America have religious freedom today, more than 90 percent of them are Catholics. The reason for this is that the; Roman Catholic Church dominated education for more than 300 years and continues to hold tremendous political power.
About three fifths of the people in Latin America live in crowded urban areas.