Zachary Martin, age 13, of Marquette, Mich., for his question:

WHY DO WE CALL IT LATIN AMERICA?

Mexico and all of the countries and other political units south of it to the southern tip of South America make up the area we call Latin America. Most of the people in this large region share a common background.

The people in Latin America have language, religion, arts and customs that have come largely from Spain, Portugal and France, and they are based on those of ancient Rome or Latium. Because of this "Latin" culture, the people are called Latins and the region is called Latin America.

Most Latin Americans are of European descent, but many have mixed white, Indian and black ancestry. Brazil and several Central American and West Indian countries have large black populations.