And the following dependencies:
|
To France
|
To the United Kingdom
|
To the Netherlands
|
To the United States
|
NOTE: The asterisk denotes places where Latin based languages are not predominant. These places, although not Latin in a strictly linguistic point of view, are certainly part of Latin America on a geopolitical and economic perspective.
| Countries |
| Belize |
| Costa Rica |
| El Salvador |
| Guatemala |
| Honduras |
| Nicaragua |
| Panama |
| Countries |
| Anguilla (UK) |
| Antigua and Barbuda |
|
Aruba (Netherlands)
|
| Bahamas |
| British Virgin Islands (UK) |
|
Cayman Islands (UK)
|
| Cuba |
| Dominica |
| Grenada |
|
Guadeloupe (Fr.)
|
| Dominican Republic |
| Haiti |
| Jamaica |
| Martinique (Fr.) |
| Montserrat (UK) |
| Netherlands Antilles (Netherlands) |
| Puerto Rico (U.S. commonwealth) |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis |
| Saint Lucia |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
| Trinidad and Tobago |
| Turks and Caicos Islands (UK) |
| United States Virgin Islands (U.S.) |
| Countries |
| Argentina |
| Bolivia |
| Brazil |
| Chile |
| Colombia |
| Ecuador |
| Falkland Islands (UK) |
| French Guyana (Fr.) |
| Guyana |
| Paraguay |
| Peru |
| Suriname |
| Uruguay |
| Venezuela |
| Location: | Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east-southeast of Puerto Rico |
| Area: | total: 442.6 sq km (Antigua 280 sq km;
Barbuda 161 sq km) land: 442.6 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Population: | 68,722 (July 2005 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 29.67 years male: 29.19 years female: 30.15 years (2005 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | black, British, Portuguese, Lebanese, Syrian |
| Religions: | Christian, (predominantly Anglican with other Protestant, and some Roman Catholic) |
| Languages: | English (official), local dialects |
| Capital: | Saint John's (Antigua) |
| Independence: | 1 November 1981 (from UK) |
| Unemployment rate: | 11% (2001 est.) |
| Location: | Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Chile and Uruguay |
| Area: | total: 2,766,890 sq km land: 2,736,690 sq km water: 30,200 sq km |
| Population: | 39,537,943 (July 2005 est.) |
| Median Age: | total: 29.42 years male: 28.52 years female: 30.4 years (2005 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | white (mostly Spanish and Italian) 97%, mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry), Amerindian, or other non-white groups 3% |
| Religions: | nominally Roman Catholic 92% (less than 20% practicing), Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 4% |
| Languages: | Spanish (official), English, Italian, German, French |
| Capital: | Buenos Aires |
| Independence: | 9 July 1816 (from Spain) |
| Unemployment rate: | 14.8% (2004 est.) |
| Location: | Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida, northeast of Cuba |
| Area: | total: 13,940 sq km land: 10,070 sq km water: 3,870 sq km |
| Population: | 301,790 |
| Median age: | total: 27.55 years male: 26.78 years female: 28.34 years (2005 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3% |
| Religions: | Baptist 35.4%, Anglican 15.1%, Roman Catholic 13.5%, Pentecostal 8.1%, Church of God 4.8%, Methodist 4.2%, other Christian 15.2%, none or unspecified 2.9%, other 0.8% (2000 census) |
| Languages: | English (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants) |
| Capital: | Nassau |
| Independence: | 10 July 1973 (from UK) |
| Unemployment rate: | 10.2% (2004 est.) |
| Location: | Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela |
| Area: | total: 431 sq km land: 431 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Population: | 279,254 (July 2005 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 34.15 years male: 32.99 years female: 35.28 years (2005 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | black 90%, white 4%, Asian and mixed 6% |
| Religions: | Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%, other 12%), Roman Catholic 4%, none 17%, other 12% |
| Languages: | English |
| Capital: | Bridgetown |
| Independence: | 30 November 1966 (from UK) |
| Unemployment rate: | 10.7% (2003 est.) |
| Location: | Central South America, southwest of Brazil |
| Area: | total: 1,098,580 sq km land: 1,084,390 sq km water: 14,190 sq km |
| Population: | 8,857,870 (July 2005 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 21.47 years male: 20.79 years female: 22.17 years (2005 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | Quechua 30%, mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry) 30%, Aymara 25%, white 15% |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant (Evangelical Methodist) 5% |
| Languages: | Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara (official) |
| Capital: | La Paz (seat of government); Sucre (legal capital and seat of judiciary) |
| Independence: | 6 August 1825 (from Spain) |
| Unemployment rate: | 9.2% in urban areas note: widespread underemployment (2003 est.) |
| Location: | Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico |
| Area: | total: 22,966 sq km land: 22,806 sq km water: 160 sq km |
| Population: | 279,457 (July 2005 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 19.35 years male: 19.21 years female: 19.49 years (2005 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, other 9.7% |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 49.6%, Protestant 27% (Pentecostal 7.4%, Anglican 5.3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5.2%, Mennonite 4.1%, Methodist 3.5%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.5%), other 14%, none 9.4% (2000) |
| Languages: | English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole |
| Capital: | Belmopan |
| Independence: | 21 September 1981 (from UK) |
| Unemployment rate: | 12.9% (2003) |
| Location: | Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean |
| Area: | total: 8,511,965 sq km land: 8,456,510 sq km water: 55,455 sq km |
| Population: | 186,112,794 |
| Median age: | total: 27.81 years male: 27.06 years female: 28.57 years (2005 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | white 53.7%, mulatto (mixed white and black) 38.5%, black 6.2%, other (includes Japanese, Arab, Amerindian) 0.9%, unspecified 0.7% (2000 census) |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic (nominal) 73.6%, Protestant 15.4%, Spriritualist 1.3%, Bantu/voodoo 0.3%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.2%, none 7.4% (2000 census) |
| Languages: | Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French |
| Capital: | Brasilia |
| Independence: | 7 September 1822 (from Portugal) |
| Unemployment rate: | 11.5% (2004 est.) |
| Location: | Southern South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Argentina and Peru |
| Area: | total: 756,950 sq km land: 748,800 sq km water: 8,150 sq km |
| Population: | 15,980,912 (July 2005 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 30.07 years male: 29.17 years female: 31.05 years (2005 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | white and white-Amerindian 95%, Amerindian 3%, other 2% |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 11% |
| Languages: | Spanish |
| Capital: | Santiago |
| Independence: | 18 September 1810 (from Spain) |
| Unemployment rate: | 8.5% (2004 est.) |
| Location: | Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Panama and Venezuela, and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Ecuador and Panama |
| Area: | total: 1,138,910 sq km land: 1,038,700 sq km water: 100,210 sq km |
| Population: | 42,954,279 (July 2005 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 26.04 years male: 25.14 years female: 26.93 years (2005 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | mestizo 58%, white 20%, mulatto 14%, black 4%, mixed black-Amerindian 3%, Amerindian 1% |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 90%, other 10% |
| Languages: | Spanish |
| Capital: | Bogota |
| Independence: | 20 July 1810 (from Spain) |
| Unemployment rate: | 13.6% (2004 est.) |
| Location: | Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama |
| Area: | total: 51,100 sq km land: 50,660 sq km water: 440 sq km |
| Population: | 4,016,173 (July 2005 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 26.03 years male: 25.59 years female: 26.5 years (2005 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | white (including mestizo) 94%, black 3%, Amerindian 1%, Chinese 1%, other 1% |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 76.3%, Evangelical 13.7%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.3%, other Protestant 0.7%, other 4.8%, none 3.2% |
| Languages: | Spanish (official), English |
| Capital: | San Jose |
| Independence: | 15 September 1821 (from Spain) |
| Unemployment rate: | 6.6% (2004 est.) |
| Location: | Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, 150 km south of Key West, Florida |
| Area: | total: 110,860 sq km land: 110,860 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Population: | 11,346,670 (July 2005 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 35.36 years male: 34.73 years female: 35.98 years (2005 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | mulatto 51%, white 37%, black 11%, Chinese 1% |
| Religions: | nominally 85% Roman Catholic prior to CASTRO assuming power; Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, and Santeria are also represented |
| Languages: | Spanish |
| Capital: | Havana |
| Independence: | 20 May 1902 (from Spain 10 December 1898; administered by the US from 1898 to 1902) |
| Unemployment rate: | 2.5% (2004 est.) |
| Location: | Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, about one-half of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago |
| Area: | total: 754 sq km land: 754 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Population: | 69,029 (July 2005 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 29.59 years male: 29.26 years female: 29.95 years (2005 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | black, mixed black and European, European, Syrian, Carib Amerindian |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 77%, Protestant 15% (Methodist 5%, Pentecostal 3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3%, Baptist 2%, other 2%), other 6%, none 2% |
| Languages: | English (official), French patois |
| Capital: | Roseau |
| Independence: | 3 November 1978 (from UK) |
| Unemployment rate: | 23% (2000 est.) |
| Location: | Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti |
| Area: | total: 48,730 sq km land: 48,380 sq km water: 350 sq km |
| Population: | 8,950,034 (July 2005 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 23.88 years male: 23.68 years female: 24.09 years (2005 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | white 16%, black 11%, mixed 73% |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 95% |
| Languages: | Spanish |
| Capital: | Santo Domingo |
| Independence: | 27 February 1844 (from Haiti) |
| Unemployment rate: | 17% (2004 est.) |
| Location: | Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Colombia and Peru |
| Area: | total: 283,560 sq km land: 276,840 sq km water: 6,720 sq km |
| Population: | 13,363,593 (July 2005 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 23.27 years male: 22.82 years female: 23.74 years (2005 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 65%, Amerindian 25%, Spanish and others 7%, black 3% |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 95%, other 5% |
| Languages: | Spanish (official), Amerindian languages (especially Quechua) |
| Capital: | Quito |
| Independence: | 24 May 1822 (from Spain) |
| Unemployment rate: | 11.1%; note - underemployment of 47% (2004 est.) |
| Location: | Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and Honduras |
| Area: | total: 21,040 sq km land: 20,720 sq km water: 320 sq km |
| Population: | 6,704,932 (July 2005 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 21.57 years male: 20.44 years female: 22.69 years (2005 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | mestizo 90%, white 9%, Amerindian 1% |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 83%, other 17% note: there is extensive activity by Protestant groups throughout the country; by the end of 1992, there were an estimated 1 million Protestant evangelicals in El Salvador |
| Languages: | Spanish, Nahua (among some Amerindians) |
| Capital: | San Salvador |
| Independence: | 15 September 1821 (from Spain) |
| Unemployment rate: | 6.3% - but the economy has much underemployment (2004 est.) |
| Location: | Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago |
| Area: | total: 344 sq km land: 344 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Population: | 89,502 (July 2005 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 21.26 years male: 21.73 years female: 20.76 years (2005 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | black 82%, mixed black and European 13%, European and East Indian 5%, and trace of Arawak/Carib Amerindian |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 53%, Anglican 13.8%, other Protestant 33.2% |
| Languages: | English (official), French patois |
| Capital: | Saint George's |
| Independence: | 7 February 1974 (from UK) |
| Unemployment rate: | 12.5% (2000) |
| Location: | Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between El Salvador and Mexico, and bordering the Gulf of Honduras (Caribbean Sea) between Honduras and Belize |
| Area: | total: 108,890 sq km land: 108,430 sq km water: 460 sq km |
| Population: | 14,655,189 (July 2005 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 18.47 years male: 18.25 years female: 18.71 years (2005 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | Mestizo (mixed Amerindian-Spanish - in local Spanish called Ladino) and European 59.4%, K'iche 9.1%, Kaqchikel 8.4%, Mam 7.9%, Q'eqchi 6.3%, other Mayan 8.6%, indigenous non-Mayan 0.2%, other 0.1% (2001 census) |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic, Protestant, indigenous Mayan beliefs |
| Languages: | Spanish 60%, Amerindian languages 40% (23 officially recognized Amerindian languages, including Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam, Garifuna, and Xinca) |
| Capital: | Guatemala |
| Independence: | 15 September 1821 (from Spain) |
| Unemployment rate: | 7.5% (2003 est.) |
| Location: | Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Suriname and Venezuela |
| Area: | total: 214,970 sq km land: 196,850 sq km water: 18,120 sq km |
| Population: | 765,283 |
| Median age: | total: 26.91 years male: 26.44 years female: 27.4 years (2005 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | East Indian 50%, black 36%, Amerindian 7%, white, Chinese, and mixed 7% |
| Religions: | Christian 50%, Hindu 35%, Muslim 10%, other 5% |
| Languages: | English, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Hindi, Urdu |
| Capital: | Georgetown |
| Independence: | 26 May 1966 (from UK) |
| Unemployment rate: | 9.1% (understated) (2000) |
| Location: | Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the Dominican Republic |
| Area: | total: 27,750 sq km land: 27,560 sq km water: 190 sq km |
| Population: | 8,121,622 |
| Median age: | total: 18.03 years male: 17.63 years female: 18.44 years (2005 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | black 95%, mulatto and white 5% |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 16% (Baptist 10%,
Pentecostal 4%, Adventist 1%, other 1%), none 1%, other 3%
(1982) note: roughly half of the population practices Voodoo |
| Languages: | French (official), Creole (official) |
| Capital: | Port-au-Prince |
| Independence: | 1 January 1804 (from France) |
| Unemployment rate: | widespread unemployment and underemployment; more than two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs (2002 est.) |
| Location: | Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Nicaragua and bordering the Gulf of Fonseca (North Pacific Ocean), between El Salvador and Nicaragua |
| Area: | total: 112,090 sq km land: 111,890 sq km water: 200 sq km |
| Population: | 6,975,204 (July 2005 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 19.15 years male: 18.75 years female: 19.56 years (2005 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | mestizo (mixed Amerindian and European) 90%, Amerindian 7%, black 2%, white 1% |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant 3% |
| Languages: | Spanish, Amerindian dialects |
| Capital: | Tegucigalpa |
| Independence: | 15 September 1821 (from Spain) |
| Unemployment rate: | 28.5% (2004 est.) |
| Location: | Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba |
| Area: | total: 10,991 sq km land: 10,831 sq km water: 160 sq km |
| Population: | 2,731,832 (July 2005 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 27.25 years male: 26.55 years female: 27.97 years (2005 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | black 90.9%, East Indian 1.3%, white 0.2%, Chinese 0.2%, mixed 7.3%, other 0.1% |
| Religions: | Protestant 61.3% (Church of God 21.2%, Baptist 8.8%, Anglican 5.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 9%, Pentecostal 7.6%, Methodist 2.7%, United Church 2.7%, Brethren 1.1%, Jehovah's Witness 1.6%, Moravian 1.1%), Roman Catholic 4%, other including some spiritual cults 34.7% |
| Languages: | English, patois English |
| Capital: | Kingston |
| Independence: | 6 August 1962 (from UK) |
| Unemployment rate: | 15% (2004 est.) |
| Location: | Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, between Belize and the US and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and the US |
| Area: | total: 1,972,550 sq km land: 1,923,040 sq km water: 49,510 sq km |
| Population: | 106,202,903 (July 2005 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 24.93 years male: 24.04 years female: 25.85 years (2005 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%, white 9%, other 1% |
| Religions: | nominally Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%, other 5% |
| Languages: | Spanish, various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional indigenous languages |
| Capital: | Mexico (Distrito Federal) |
| Independence: | 16 September 1810 (from Spain) |
| Unemployment rate: | 3.2% plus underemployment of perhaps 25% (2004 est.) |
| Location: | Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras |
| Area: | total: 129,494 sq km land: 120,254 sq km water: 9,240 sq km |
| Population: | 5,465,100 (July 2005 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 20.56 years male: 20.15 years female: 20.98 years (2005 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Amerindian 5% |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 72.9%, Evangelical 15.1%, Moravian 1.5%, Episcopal 0.1%, other 1.9%, none 8.5% (1995 census) |
| Languages: | Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other
0.8% (1995 census) note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast |
| Capital: | Managua |
| Independence: | 15 September 1821 (from Spain) |
| Unemployment rate: | 7.8% plus underemployment of 46.5% (2003 est.) |
| Location: | Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica |
| Area: | total: 78,200 sq km land: 75,990 sq km water: 2,210 sq km |
| Population: | 3,039,150 (July 2005 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 26.18 years male: 25.89 years female: 26.48 years (2005 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 70%, Amerindian and mixed (West Indian) 14%, white 10%, Amerindian 6% |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 15% |
| Languages: | Spanish (official), English 14%; note - many Panamanians bilingual |
| Capital: | Panama |
| Independence: | 3 November 1903 (from Colombia; became independent from Spain 28 November 1821) |
| Unemployment rate: | 12.6% (2004 est.) |
| Location: | Central South America, northeast of Argentina |
| Area: | total: 406,750 sq km land: 397,300 sq km water: 9,450 sq km |
| Population: | 6,347,884 (July 2005 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 21.2 years male: 20.94 years female: 21.46 years (2005 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | mestizo (mixed Spanish and Amerindian) 95%, other 5% |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 90%, Mennonite and other Protestant 10% |
| Languages: | Spanish (official), Guarani (official) |
| Capital: | Asuncion |
| Independence: | 14 May 1811 (from Spain) |
| Unemployment rate: | 15.1% (2004 est.) |
| Location: | Western South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Chile and Ecuador |
| Area: | total: 1,285,220 sq km land: 1.28 million sq km water: 5,220 sq km |
| Population: | 27,925,628 (July 2005 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 24.95 years male: 24.69 years female: 25.21 years (2005 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | Amerindian 45%, mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 37%, white 15%, black, Japanese, Chinese, and other 3% |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 81%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.4%, other Christian 0.7%, other 0.6%, unspecified or none 16.3% (2003 est.) |
| Languages: | Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara, and a large number of minor Amazonian languages |
| Capital: | Lima |
| Independence: | 28 July 1821 (from Spain) |
| Unemployment rate: | 9.6% in metropolitan Lima; widespread underemployment (2004 est.) |
| Location: | Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of the Dominican Republic |
| Area: | total: 9,104 sq km land: 8,959 sq km water: 145 sq km |
| Population: | 3,916,632 (July 2005 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 34.23 years male: 32.5 years female: 35.87 years (2005 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | white (mostly Spanish origin) 80.5%, black 8%, Amerindian 0.4%, Asian 0.2%, mixed and other 10.9% |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant and other 15% |
| Languages: | Spanish, English |
| Capital: | San Juan |
| Independence: | none (commonwealth associated with the US) |
| Unemployment rate: | 12% (2002) |
| Location: | Caribbean, islands in the Caribbean Sea, about one-third of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago |
| Area: | total: 261 sq km (Saint Kitts 168 sq km;
Nevis 93 sq km) land: 261 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Population: | 38,958 (July 2005 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 27.6 years male: 26.78 years female: 28.38 years (2005 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | predominantly black; some British, Portuguese, and Lebanese |
| Religions: | Anglican, other Protestant, Roman Catholic |
| Languages: | English |
| Capital: | Basseterre |
| Independence: | 19 September 1983 (from UK) |
| Unemployment rate: | 4.5% (1997) |
| Location: | Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago |
| Area: | total: 616 sq km land: 606 sq km water: 10 sq km |
| Population: | 166,312 (July 2005 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 24.81 years male: 24.03 years female: 25.66 years (2005 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | black 90%, mixed 6%, East Indian 3%, white 1% |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 67.5%, Seventh Day Adventist 8.5%, Pentecostal 5.7%, Anglican 2%, Evangelical 2%, other Christian 5.1%, Rastafarian 2.1%, other 1.1%, unspecified 1.5%, none 4.5% (2001 census) |
| Languages: | English (official), French patois |
| Capital: | Castries |
| Independence: | 22 February 1979 (from UK) |
| Unemployment rate: | 20% (2003 est.) |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 
| Location: | Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago |
| Area: | total: 389 sq km (Saint Vincent 344 sq
km) land: 389 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Population: | 117,534 (July 2005 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 26.36 years male: 26.21 years female: 26.53 years (2005 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | black 66%, mixed 19%, East Indian 6%, Carib Amerindian 2%, other 7% |
| Religions: | Anglican 47%, Methodist 28%, Roman Catholic 13%, Hindu, Seventh-Day Adventist, other Protestant |
| Languages: | English, French patois |
| Capital: | Kingstown |
| Independence: | 27 October 1979 (from UK) |
| Unemployment rate: | 15% (2001 est.) |
| Location: | Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and Pyrenees Mountains, southwest of France |
| Area: | total: 504,782 sq km land: 499,542 sq km water: 5,240 sq km |
| Population: | 40,341,462 (July 2005 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 39.51 years male: 38.18 years female: 40.93 years (2005 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 94%, other 6% |
| Languages: | Castilian Spanish 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%; note - Castilian is the official language nationwide; the other languages are official regionally |
| Capital: | Madrid |
| Independence: | the Iberian peninsula was characterized by a variety of independent kingdoms prior to the Moslem occupation that began in the early 8th century A. D. and lasted nearly seven centuries; the small Christian redoubts of the north began the reconquest almost immediately, culminating in the seizure of Granada in 1492; this event completed the unification of several kingdoms and is traditionally considered the forging of present-day Spain |
| Unemployment rate: | 10.4% (2004 est.) |
| Location: | Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between French Guiana and Guyana |
| Area: | total: 163,270 sq km land: 161,470 sq km water: 1,800 sq km |
| Population: | 438,144 (July 2005 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 26.13 years male: 25.72 years female: 26.58 years (2005 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | Hindustani (also known locally as "East Indians"; their ancestors emigrated from northern India in the latter part of the 19th century) 37%, Creole (mixed white and black) 31%, Javanese 15%, "Maroons" (their African ancestors were brought to the country in the 17th and 18th centuries as slaves and escaped to the interior) 10%, Amerindian 2%, Chinese 2%, white 1%, other 2% |
| Religions: | Hindu 27.4%, Protestant 25.2% (predominantly Moravian), Roman Catholic 22.8%, Muslim 19.6%, indigenous beliefs 5% |
| Languages: | Dutch (official), English (widely spoken), Sranang Tongo (Surinamese, sometimes called Taki-Taki, is native language of Creoles and much of the younger population and is lingua franca among others), Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Javanese |
| Capital: | Paramaribo |
| Independence: | 25 November 1975 (from Netherlands) |
| Unemployment rate: | 17% (2000) |
| Location: | Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela |
| Area: | total: 5,128 sq km land: 5,128 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Population: | 1,088,644 (July 2005 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 30.91 years male: 30.46 years female: 31.44 years (2005 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | Indian (South Asian) 40%, African 37.5%, mixed 20.5%, other 1.2%, unspecified 0.8% (2000 census) |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 26%, Hindu 22.5%, Anglican 7.8%, Baptist 7.2%, Pentecostal 6.8%, Seventh Day Adventist 4%, other Christian 5.8%, Muslim 5.8%, other 10.8%, unspecified 1.4%, none 1.9% (2000 census) |
| Languages: | English (official), Hindi, French, Spanish, Chinese |
| Capital: | Port-of-Spain |
| Independence: | 31 August 1962 (from UK) |
| Unemployment rate: | 10.4% (2004 est.) |
| Location: | Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Argentina and Brazil |
| Area: | total: 176,220 sq km land: 173,620 sq km water: 2,600 sq km |
| Population: | 3,415,920 (July 2005 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 32.46 years male: 31.02 years female: 33.95 years (2005 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | white 88%, mestizo 8%, black 4%, Amerindian (practically nonexistent) |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 66% (less than half of the adult population attends church regularly), Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, nonprofessing or other 31% |
| Languages: | Spanish, Portunol, or Brazilero (Portuguese-Spanish mix on the Brazilian frontier) |
| Capital: | Montevideo |
| Independence: | 25 August 1825 (from Brazil) |
| Unemployment rate: | 13% (2004 est.) |
| Location: | Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean between Colombia and Guyana |
| Area: | total: 912,050 sq km land: 882,050 sq km water: 30,000 sq km |
| Population: | 25,375,281 (July 2005 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 25.6 years male: 24.98 years female: 26.24 years (2005 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Arab, German, African, indigenous people |
| Religions: | nominally Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%, other 2% |
| Languages: | Spanish (official), numerous indigenous dialects |
| Capital: | Caracas |
| Independence: | 5 July 1811 (from Spain) |
| Unemployment rate: | 17.1% (2004 est.) |