...Latin America is more than just an exotic travel destination for Americans or any travelers from around the world for that matter. Though Latin America is filled with several breath-taking wonders of the world; including their crystal clear waters and beautiful sandy white beaches, tropical rain forests, and ancient historical landmarks. Latin America’s tranquil atmosphere should not be underestimated as the little more than underdeveloped sibling. After examining the history, politics, and economic stand point of the countries in Latin America, they have many similarities with the United States and several differences that should be taken into consideration when dealing with United States foreign policy with Latin American countries. What is Latin America? Where is Latin America? What countries are considered to be a part of Latin American? These are the initial questions a person thinks about when Latin America comes into a discussion. Around the world people will have their own ideas and stereotypes about Latin America, but here are the facts. The term Latin America is used to describe the countries in the sub regions of the Americas that were once the old colonies of European nations. The reference to Latin corresponds to the fact that as product of the colonization from the European nations the languages now spoken in these countries are Latin based. The languages spoken are derived from the so called “Romance tongues” of Spain, Portugal, and France. Latin America...
Words: 2616 - Pages: 11
...In Latin America, the popularity of the sport is growing rapidly and the most recent of talent into the NBA is migrating from Latin America. The cultural popularity of the sport was growing exponentially and is well documented in China with the likes of Yao Ming and Jeremy Lin who are Asian sensations. With Latin American backgrounds integrating into the game of basketball, I wonder how these international translations are in turn changing the game we see at home. In Latin America, where the climate and geographies are so much different than the one in the United States, we find growth in basketball. Though the NBA in Latin America is growing, it is still not a hit in Central and South America. Though whenever you go either it is Latin America, China, America, etc… there is always someone playing the game. Even in the likes of Mexico, they are mostly known for militant based political revolution than anything else, but basketball courts do exist. The courts might be used for other things like farming during the day, but you will always see some kid playing and working on his game. Just like what I do when I am in my hometown hooping outside of my house, no court just the concrete and the hoop I have next to my garage. The growth of basketball throughout Latin America region is unexpected, only because they compete for national attention in their number one sport soccer. Basketball has to compete in Central American countries like El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Cuba, and...
Words: 4536 - Pages: 19
...Daniel Lopez Mr.Stanton 10 December 2014 Final Essay During the 1700s and early 1800s, Enlightenment ideas started to take place in Latin America. Many of these ideas that took place appealed to the people because it taught that every man was free and equal. These ideas were especially important to countries who were being ruled by an oversea power or to a nation where slavery existed. The Enlightenment helped inspire Latin American independence from colonial domination driven by social structure, a very important event among Latin American cultures in regards to quality of life and equality. During this time, the Napoleon invasion of Spain helped ignite a wide spread revolt. Latin American leaders saw an opportunity to reject foreign dominance and to demand independence from colonial rule. Although Latin America was inspired as a whole, the countries of Haiti and Mexico were greatly influenced by the movement. Haiti had over a half million enslaved Africans working on sugar plantations owned by the French. Sugar was a hugely profitable cash crop at the time; however, plantation owners would not improve the poor working conditions for slaves. In the late 1700s, a group of about 100,000 slaves revolted and soon a man named Toussaint L’Ouverture became their leader. During the early 1800s, L'Ouverture was sent to a French prison where he eventually died. During his time in prison, Haiti refused to quit its revolt and soon gained Independence in 1804. Without the ideas of the...
Words: 532 - Pages: 3
...Research project: The relationship between: the annual growth rate of GDP per capita and the public expenditure in Latin America. F29 F33 F43 O19 My goal for this research project is to examine the relationships that exists in between the annual growth rate per capita and public expenditure in Latin America. What I wanted to see is if a higher growth rate of GDP meant that a higher percentage was spent in the public sector. Data was gathered from the ECLAC, The World Bank and also the International Monetary Fund. Introduction The reason I was very attracted in this research is because as someone born in South America and lately Latin America has been doing better than before, and visiting South America the past year I have seen how infrastructure has improved lately so I was very interested in seeing how big of a role public expenditure plays in countries that are developing. Expenditure on welfare, health and education are an essential part of what governments do to enhance the quality of life of their citizens and the human capital base of their societies. My focus on public and social expenditure in Latin America is mainly guided by the concern of how Governments utilizes existing policies and seeing how these theories and policies have helped increase Latin America’s GDP. In Latin America we find a great variation in social policy regimes; ranging from Uruguay and Argentina, where a large majority of the population is covered by social policy and has decent...
Words: 2169 - Pages: 9
...Culture is the way of life for a group of people. Latin America has a very rich culture, which is deeply affected by its many geographical features. Culture includes language, day-to-day practices, religion, food, clothing, celebrations, and arts. Latin America’s physical features include rivers, mountains, deserts, rain forests, archipelagos, and other landforms. These features can provide resources for the inhabitants, or create barriers, thus affecting how they live. These physical features decide what they eat, grow, and produce. In Columbia, the volcanic mountains provide fertile soil which is suitable for growing coffee beans, plantain, beans, and other plants. The Amazon River provides water for the crops. Oil can be drilled for and...
Words: 348 - Pages: 2
...Research on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean Read the following articles in GGR: pp.151-230 These readings review the status of research in women's and gender studies in countries in Latin America and the Caribbean After I read the articles, I see women from Latin America and the Caribbean are facing similar issue with women from Asia and Africa. Sure that women’s right has come a long way and women role have change from only working in the houses or farms to working outside of the house support their families’ financial, but still they are suffer from gender inequality, poverty, and violence. Women are often treated as subordination to men in many ways like in economic or social life and when they want to work they are disadvantaged by childcare and housework responsibilities. To me, it seems like Latin America and the Caribbean special in Puerto Rico and Cuba have made more progress in women’s right than in Africa or Asia. Violence against women is still a serious problem in Latin America and the Caribbean. High rate of women have been a victim of sexual, physical, or psychological violence by partners just because they are women and seen as the weaker sex, even though there is law to protect women but usually get overlook especially in cases of domestic violence. I am also agree with Marta Nunez Sarmiento that there are more studies on women than men and in gender studies we should look on men perspective too. Cuban women have gained women equal in economic...
Words: 366 - Pages: 2
...Spanish / Latin America is a great and wonderful area that has been impacted and influenced by different people. An important group that helped contribute to the Spanish America were African slaves. These people brought literature, religion, culture, food, dancing and even family traditions to this wonderful country. They also helped to influence many famous dances and the food we eat today. It is amazing how African traditions and cultures are still alive and today used by people worldwide. In this article, I will talk about the wonderful influences and contributions of African Americans to make Latin America what it is today. It is clear that Latin America would not be what it is today without the contributions of Africans. Literature is heavily influenced by African American and can be seen in my famous writtings.Relatos Africanamericanos is a great book that gives extensive information about the contributions of Africans. The Boy King was forced to go to Brazil, but helped freedmen and creates unity and respect among other Africans. Assistant and also worked at the same veneration of Our Sonora del Rosario. (93) cases in Cuba many blacks were forced to become communist to even publish their books and had to spend a lot to get publicity. These stories written by African Americans represent many cultures tradition. They also talk about an important issue in the world, racism. One of my favorite stories is 'The African Granny' this story exposes how racism played a role...
Words: 809 - Pages: 4
...Marketing—Informal Market While both, the local business investment and foreign direct investment (FDI) have been strong in many parts of Latin America, it would be naïve to think about marketing in the region without thinking about the informal market/itinerate vendors or role of informality. This form of marketing has been in place for centuries and as one travels throughout Latin America one sees its pervasiveness and its impact on individuals and local economies. Generally, each city in Latin America has a central open market. Here vendors have situated themselves in positions of heavy traffic so that they can implement their daily ritual of selling, buying, negotiating and exchanging money for goods and goods for goods. This approach to...
Words: 715 - Pages: 3
...The economy in Colonial Latin America was complex and contained elements of similarity to the mother country system. Although many of the colonies’ economies in Latin America are influenced by the parent country, there different in nuance. Steve Stern does a great job of showing Colonial Latin America utilize attributes from both capitalism and feudalism to create its own sense of an economic system. The fusion of feudalism and capitalism helped to sustain slavery and provide European colonists with political and monetary power over indigenous people living in Latin America. Systematic forced labor proved Stern was correct about how European settlers established a feudalistic society in the Americas. The first establishment of forced labor came in the form of the Encomienda. The Encomienda allowed conquistadors to control Indigenous...
Words: 1208 - Pages: 5
...both in the literature associated with this movement and the amount of leaders that nominally subscribed to this theory. In Latin America, specifically, liberalism took a very unique path that culminated in the abandonment and complete rejection of these theories. The adoption of liberal policies both economically and socially moved from adhering very strictly to the theory at first (whilst being disconnected from reality) to the eventual degradation and disassociation of liberal ideals around the 1930’s. The initial adoption was due to the closeness of Latin American intellectuals with their European and American counterparts, while the shift towards autochthonous movements was caused as a response against the ever-present influence of Europe over the Latin American subcontinent and the effects of positivism. Liberalism is defined by a set of policies, ideas, and beliefs that hold individual autonomy, equality, and freedom as the pillars of human life. From this basic concept the economic ideas of laissez-faire economics and free markets are developed. Further on, democracy naturally stems from this idea that people are autonomous, rational, free agents that are capable of having decision making power and thus elect the best person possible amongst a pool of potential candidates. This ideology resonated with many social elites in Latin America as it justified their position in the world. The revolutions and wars of independence that occurred in the 19th century are...
Words: 1593 - Pages: 7
...This paper will discuss the poverty in Latin America. Latin America has always been in poverty and although there have been some ups and downs, the poverty level remains great. First, we will discuss the region that is known as Latin America, the determining factors of poverty, the statistics and history of the poverty in Latin America and the future of the poverty in Latin America. Latin America refers to the areas of America in which the Spanish or Portuguese languages prevail. These areas include Mexico, most of Central and South America, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Brazil. Latin America can be subdivided into different regions, such as North America, South America, Central America and the Caribbean. (Wikipedia, Retrieved 2010). Latin America consists of many different ethnic backgrounds and races. It is one of the most diverse regions in the world. Some of the predominant races/backgrounds include European-Amerindians (Mestizo), Amerindians, European, Mulatto, Black, Asian and Zambo (mixed Black and Amerindian). Latin America continues to be challenged by inequality and poverty. Poverty is defined as, “the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions.” (Merriam-Webster, Retrieved 2010). According to the World Bank, nearly 25% of the population of Latin America lives on less than $2.00 a day. At least 182 million people are living in poverty in Latin America and at least 68 million people are living in extreme...
Words: 805 - Pages: 4
...Race: The Cultural and Political Power of an Illusion in Latin America Race has been the most arguable and controversial subject in Latin American history. Since 16th century it has created a great deal of prejudice among Latin American people, it has been referred, as biological characteristics later modified to a social statue such are education, wealth and language. It has been under a heavy influence of cultural and political power where people were classified from their biological characteristics to their wealth. Through the time race has become the main tool for state creation and regulation. Race has become a status, which has structured and organized the nation but the term “race” has never itself been stable. In today’s Latin America modern theory of “race” has meaning of a political power, status and regulation, it’s a states way of monitoring and controlling of the heterogeneous nation. Race gradually has become a political cultural and economic power for Latin American state. In this paper I will argue about the idea that race in Latin America gradually has became just an illusion, a tool by which people were controlled structured and manipulated. Various articles will be presented to support and illustrate the transformation of the word “race “ and its cultural and political influence on Latin America. I will talk about the colonial to republic period idea of “race “ In Latin America and how the meaning of the word was manipulated. I will discuss the colonial...
Words: 1875 - Pages: 8
...Revolts in Latin America I. Discontent Fans the Fires • Spanish born peninsulares dominated Latin American political and social life. • Many creoles resented their second-class status. • Creoles were European-descended Latin Americans. • Mestizos were people of Native American and European descent. • Mulattoes were people of African and European descent. • Mestizos and Mulattoes were angry because they were being denied the status, wealth and power that the white people had. • Enslaved Africans that worked on plantations wanted freedom. • In the 1700s, educated creoles became Enlightened as they watched colonists in North America throw off British rule. However, many creoles were reluctant to do anything. • Napoleon’s invasion of Spain in 1808 sparked the rebellion in Latin America. II. Slaves Win Freedom for Haiti • Revolution had erupted in a French-ruled colony on the island of Hispaniola. • French planters in Haiti owned very profitable sugar plantations. • The half a million slaves who worked on these plantations were overworked and underfed • The rebels were fortunate to find an intelligent and skillful leader in Toussaint L’Ouverture. • Toussaint L’Ouverture was a self-educated former slave but he was untrained. However, he was a brilliant general and inspiring commander. • Toussaint’s army faced many enemies like when the mulattoes joined French planters against the rebels. • Napoleon Bonaparte sent a large army to reconquer the former colony. Toussaint...
Words: 429 - Pages: 2
...Inequality: The Most Pressing Problem in Latin America Throughout the years, Latin America has experienced dramatic political, social, and economic changes amongst it’s numerous countries. As time went on, various leaders brought grand ideas to the table in hopes of bettering the region. However, in most cases, the outcome was far from grand, failing to address social conflicts that derived from deep inequality and high levels of poverty. Without successfully conquering the underlying causes of conflict within the region, change in a positive direction for Latin America does not exist. This paper will define inequality as the most pressing problem that Latin American countries continue to face, and how inequality, discrimination, poverty, and crime violence stem from the underlying problem of inequality. As a result, social programs currently in place fail to properly address the issues of inequality and poverty within Latin America, thus being unsuccessful. In their literature review of the Southern Commands, Jorge Castaneda and Patricio Navia remind the reader that, “be it in the Caribbean heat or in the Andes-mountain cold, the uniform and lasting defining characteristic of Latin America is inequality” (82). They continue to explain that, “Latin America brings together – often within the same countries, same cities and occasionally even the same neighborhoods – the wealth and prosperity of the most-industrialized nations in the world and the dispossession, despair and hopelessness...
Words: 1071 - Pages: 5
...popular books, “Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent” in 1971, and gives readers a left-winged perspective of the history of the post-colonial Americas. Throughout this book, Galeano presents the argument that the underdevelopment of Latin America resulted because of exploitation. Since the 15th century, Latin America served as a location where European countries could be made wealthier. The Latin American continent has suffered massively in terms of constant abuse and capitalism of their natural resources from colonial nations. The book begins with the history of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the West Indies and the discovery of...
Words: 637 - Pages: 3
