CULTURES OF LATIN AMERICA SS6G4 The student will describe the cultural characteristics of people who live in Latin America and the Caribbean

ELEMENTS O Describe the results of blending of ethnic groups in Latin America and the Caribbean. O Explain why Latin America is a region based on the languages of Portuguese and Spanish. O Evaluate how the literacy rate affects the standard of living

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS O How has the blending of ethnic groups impacted the people and the culture in Latin America? O Why are the Spanish and Portuguese languages and religions significant in the cultural development of Latin America & the Caribbean? O What is the relationship between the literacy rate of people in Latin America and the Caribbean and their standard of living?

Languages In Latin America o Unlike Europe, Latin America is not dominated by many languages o The main languages of Latin America are Spanish, English and Portuguese o Other languages spoken are French and Dutch

LANGUAGES IN LATIN AMERICA O Spanish O Most countries in Latin America O Dutch O Suriname O Portuguese O Brazil O French O Haiti, French Guiana O English O Jamaica, Bahamas, Guyana

O Latin America is dominated by many ethnic groups O Two major ethnic groups are present O Mestizos O Blend of Spanish and Native American Heritage O Started by Spanish explorers marrying Natives in the New World O Mulattos O Blend of European and African Heritage O Started by European explorers bringing slaves to Latin America and marrying them ETHNIC GROUPS OF LATIN AMERICA

RELIGION IN LATIN AMERICA o Nearly all Latin Americans worship Christianity o Latin Americans are mostly Catholic, mainly in the countries that speak French, Dutch, and Spanish o Some Latin Americans are Protestant, mainly in the countries that speak English o Christianity arrived to Latin America due to explorers, mostly from Spain, spreading the religion to the New World

LATIN AMERICA AND THE STANDARD OF LIVING and LITEARCY RATE O The region of Latin America has a high literacy rate O Percentage of adults who can read and write O Most of the countries in Latin America have a high literacy rate O Highest literacy rate is Cuba, at 99%, while the lowest is Haiti, at 52% O Standard of living in Latin America is moderate, or in the middle O Measure of a country’s quality of life O Most countries in Latin America have a high standard of living, though many countries are low due to a large amount of rural areas