Ibero-America
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Ibero-America is a term which started to be used in the second half of the 19th century to refer collectively to the countries in the Americas which were formerly colonies of Spain or Portugal. Spain and Portugal are themselves included in some definitions, such as that of the Ibero-American Summit and the Organization of Ibero-American States. The Organization of Ibero-American States also includes Equatorial Guinea, in Central Africa.[1][2]
The prefix Ibero- refers to the Iberian peninsula in Europe, consisting of Spain, Portugal, Andorra, and Gibraltar. Ibero-America is formed by all Spanish-speaking countries in the Americas, in addition to Brazil, which is Portuguese-speaking, but excludes the French-speaking countries Haiti, French Guiana, Martinique and Guadeloupe. The exclusion of the French-speaking regions differentiates Ibero-America from Latin America, as well as the inclusion of the European states of the Iberian peninsula if they are included in the definition.
The term includes neither the United States (except for Puerto Rico), nor any of its fifty states, although a large part of its current territory was colonized by Spain and was under Spanish or Mexican rule longer than it has been under U.S. rule. (See History of Florida, History of Texas, Mexican Cession, and Gadsden Purchase.) While English is the most widely spoken language by far in the U.S., it has not been designated an official language (though some states have done so), and Spanish-speakers compose the second-largest language community nationwide.
Since 1991, the Iberoamerican Community of Nations has organized yearly summits, attended by the heads of state and government of the Ibero-American countries, including Spain and Portugal.[3][4]
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[edit] Countries and Population in Europe and America
- Spanish-speaking : (Over 400 million speakers)
Argentina 38,747,000
Bolivia 9,182,000
Chile 16,295,000
Colombia 45,600,000
Costa Rica 4,401,000
Cuba 11,269,000
Dominican Republic 8,895,000
Ecuador 13,228,000
El Salvador 6,881,000
Honduras 7,205,000
Guatemala 12,599,000
Mexico 107,029,000
Nicaragua 5,487,000
Panama 3,232,000
Paraguay 6,158,000
Peru 27,968,000
Puerto Rico 3,955,000
Spain 47,116,000
Uruguay 3,463,000
Venezuela 26,749,000
- Portuguese-speaking : (About 200 million speakers)
- Catalan-speaking :
Andorra 69,150 (in addition to about 7.5 million Catalan speakers from Spain, who are included in the Spanish population of this article)
[edit] See also
- Americas (terminology)
- Organization of Ibero-American States
- Latin America
- Hispanic America
- Portuguese colonization of the Americas
- Spanish colonization of the Americas
- Organización de Televisión Iberoamericana (OTI)
[edit] References
- ^ Presentación, Acerca de la OEI, Organización de Estados Iberoamericanos para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura. Accessed on line October 22, 2007.
- ^ Países, Cumbres Iberoamericanas de Jefes de Estado y de Gobierno. Accessed on line October 22, 2007.
- ^ Ibero-American Summit, Foreign Office, Republic of Brazil. Accessed on line October 22, 2007.
- ^ pp. 312–313, Spain: Democracy Regained, Ergasto Ramón Arango, Spain: Westview Press. ISBN 0813329159.
[edit] External links
- (Spanish) Digital News about Ibero-America (La Insignia)
- (Spanish) Digital History of Ibero-America from the 14th to the 18th century
- (Spanish) Cultural Magazine about Ibero-America (Pensar Iberoamerica)
- (Spanish) Official Web-site for one of the most important festivals devoted to Ibero-America (El Ojo de Iberoamerica)
- (Spanish) Ibero-America's Secretariat General Official Web-site (SEGIB)
- (Spanish) Official Web-site for the Organization of Ibero-American States OEI
- (Spanish) Official Web-site for the Organization of Ibero-American Youth (OIJ)
