Portal:Latin America

LATIN AMERICA PORTAL

Latin America was traditionally defined as the regions of the Americas where Spanish, the language of Spain, and Portuguese, the language of Portugal, were spoken. In practice, however, virtually all of the Western Hemisphere except the United States, Canada, and the non- Hispanophone countries of the Caribbean have tended to come under the heading of Latin America. Other areas where languages derived from Latin (such as French, Papiamento or Kreyol) predominate are sometimes included and sometimes excluded from Latin America, depending on the speaker.

Countries of Latin America

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Hurricane Dennis was an early-forming major hurricane in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico during the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. Dennis was the fourth named storm, second hurricane, and first major hurricane of the season. In July, the hurricane set several records for early season hurricane activity, becoming both the earliest formation of a fourth tropical cyclone and the strongest Atlantic hurricane ever to form before August, according to available records.

Dennis hit Cuba twice as a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, and made landfall on the Florida Panhandle in the United States as a Category 3 storm less than a year after Hurricane Ivan did so. Dennis caused at least 89 deaths (42 direct) in the U.S. and Caribbean and caused $2.23 billion (2005 US dollars) in damages to the United States, as well as an approximately equal amount of damage in the Caribbean, primarily on Cuba. (image courtesy of UWisc CIMSS.)

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The habanero chile ( Capsicum chinense Jacquin) (Spanish, from Havana) is the most intensely spicy chile pepper of the Capsicum genus. Unripe habaneros are green, but the colour at maturity varies. Common colors are orange and red, but white, brown, and pink are also seen. Typically a ripe habanero is 2–6 cm (1–2½ in) long.

Although habaneros are believed to have originated in Cuba, it is nonetheless an important part of cuisine in the Yucatán peninsula, where it is often served roasted as a condiment with meals. Approximately 1,500 tons are harvested annually in the Yucatán.

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Categories

Main Category:

• Latin America

Detailed information about the Latin America can be found under these sub-categories:

• Caribbean
• Central America
• Latin American culture
• South America

Languages of Latin America

• Romance
  • Spanish
  • Portuguese
  • French
  • Haitian Creole
• Indigenous languages of the Americas
  • Mayan languages
  • Guaraní
  • Nahuatl
  • Aymara
  • Quechua

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Wikiprojects

• Latin America countries
  • Argentina
  • Brazil
  • Chile
  • Colombia
    • Colombian Departments
  • Cuba
  • Ecuador
  • Dominican Republic
  • Mexico
  • Peru
  • Puerto Rico
  • Uruguay
  • Venezuela

• Mesoamerica

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