The term "Latin America" is here defined as "those countries south of the United States, located in North America and South America, which were colonized primarily by Spain and Portugal, as well as the countries of the Caribbean." Hence, Mexico, located on North America, is here classified as part of Latin America.

This distinction is made to facilitate organizing units within a World Geography course. Of course, teachers are free to divide the globe any way they see fit, when designing a course.

If you are looking for our free educational materials on the Caribbean, South America, Central America, or Mexico, they will be found within this unit.