Subregions of Latin America based on Cultural and Language Geography 4031

 

The Subregions of Latin America in this WebMap are based upon the cultural and language geography of each subregion's peoples, economic systems, languages, and colonial influence.  Starting with the northernmost subregion, the subregion of Mexico (outlined in green) which is largely aligns with the 2022 United Mexican States municipal land borders. This is because of the population size in relation to the diversity of the population and the effect that it had on the culture and language of the subregion. Comparing this to subregion of Guatemala (outlined in pink), which is smaller in population and has a discrepancy of a dominant Hispanic heritage, the country of Belize. The Greater Antilles subregion (outlined in yellow) is determined through the large African heritage base from the importation of slave labor and the diversity of colonial influences in the region. The resulting subregion is defined by its larger roots in African culture, but also in previous Spanish Imperial rule over the majority of the population. The Lesser Antilles (outlined in light blue) is separate from the Greater Antilles due to the abundance of English and French speaking majorities of each modern country. The New Grenada subregion (outlined in lavender), denotes the more significant disconnect of European Hispanics and Latin American Hispanics in culture, with the encomienda system being more successful and Hispanics of European descent hold more economic and political power in the subregion. The Peru subregion (outlined in dark blue), is more distinct in the inclusion of physical landscape with a relation to cultural geography as the fallen Incan Empire was widely situated along the Andes mountains, leading to a more consistent cultural landscape while still holding a Spanish speaking majority. The La Plata subregion (outlined in purple) is another subregion tied more to the physical landscape as it is split between the grasslands to the south and the Amazon basin to the north. The subregion of Brazil is due to the large amount of Portuguese colonization and settlement, dominating as the main language and culture in the subregion. The final subregion is the Guyana subregion which is separate from the New Grenada subregion and Brazil due to the colonial influence of the British, French, and Dutch in the subregion. The subregions of Latin America are extremely diverse due to the historical landscape of the region and are divided to best reflect the cultural and language mesh of a population that is still changing.

Parker Boudloche