What do immigrant populations look like in LA?
- Immigrant populations in Latin America consist of many sources and populations. In Mexico, there are millions of immigrants coming from Central America- from Nicaragua, Guatemala, Costa Rica, the Honduras, El Salvador, and more. Many of these people fleeing Central America also go to other regional powers, such as Brazil and Argentina. This is a major problem in Mexico- comparable if not greater than the problem the US faces with illegal immigration. Thousands of people flee Venezuela to the bordering Colombia and Brazil, as a result of the terrible economic conditions of Venezuela. Many flee dangerous situations in Mexico and Columbia to other countries regionally, such as the United States, Brazil, Argentina, and more. Not only this, but there are millions of immigrants from Axis countries to Argentina and Brazil: there are significant populations of Italian and German immigrants in Southern Brazil, for example. There are many dozens of instances of immigration on a large scale across the continent.
- In Latin America, language divides are drawn across colonial borders. The most spoken language of Latin America is Spanish, of course. Portuguese is one of the one of the spoken languages, spoken in Portugal. Many hundreds of indigenous languages are spoken across the continent, including Nahuatl, Quechua, and Zapotec. The list of indigenous languages is almost unrecordable , as there are hundreds. French is spoken in some countries, as well as English and Dutch. For example, Brazil, a historically Portuguese colony, speaks primarily Portuguese. However, as you move into the Amazon, you start to encounter cultures untouched by the Portuguese colonists, who speak mostly native languages. Outside of Portugal, the lands conquered by the Spanish speak primarily Spanish- with a tinge of indigenous languages that once owned the lands. French Guiana speaks French as a result of its French Colonization, Suriname speaks Dutch as a result of its Dutch Colonization, and Guyana and Belize speaks English as a result of its British Colonization.