CAPITULO PRELIMINAR El MUNDO HISPANO

MEXICO 60% mestizo (Indigenous with Spanish) 30% Indigenous 9% White 1% Other

Capital – Ciudad de Mexico - 25 Million - 3 rd largest city in world - after Tokyo and Seoul

Yucatan peninsula – Mayan ruins Beaches Cancun y Cozumel 4 famous beaches on other coasts - Acapulco – Puerto Vallarta – Mazatlan - Los Cabos

CENTROAMERICA Beaches are popular because most of the countries have coasts on both Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Small countries Belize – English speaking Smallest nation – El Salvador

CENTROAMERICA Importance of Panama – Provides route / access to the two oceans

Caribbean Ocean – Puerto Rico / Republica Dominicana / Cuba

Beneath Central America and the Caribbean is South America home to 9 Hispanic countries. This is southern hemisphere so the seasons are opposite.

Spain is known as LA MADRE PATRIA to all of the Hispanic countries in the Americas. = The mother country It is situated in Europe …on the Iberian Peninsula with its neighbor, Portugal.

Spain has no indigenous population. It’s descendents are from Europe and Africa. For 700 years it was under varying degrees of control by the Moors, who spoke Arabic.

For this reason there are many examples of Arabic influences in Spain and ultimately in Latin America. 30% + of the Spanish language derives from Arabic. We also see influence in architecture, music, and food.

45 Million people of Hispanic origin in the U.S. 15% of our population This is larger number than the entire population of many Hispanic countries!!!

By 2042 native speakers of Spanish will outnumber native speakers of English in this country.