Latin America and South America are not exactly the same thing. South America is a geographical continent, while Latin America is a broader historical, linguistic and cultural region.
Mexico, for example, is part of Latin America but not South America. Guyana and Suriname are located in South America, although their classification as part of Latin America depends on the definition being used.
Understanding the difference between Latin America and South America helps explain the geography, languages and cultural diversity of the Americas.
What is South America?
South America is the southern part of the American landmass and the fourth-largest continent in the world.
It is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north and northwest, the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. The Isthmus of Panama connects it to North America, while the Drake Passage separates its southern tip from Antarctica.
South America is therefore primarily a geographical definition. Countries belong to South America because of their location, regardless of the languages spoken by their populations or their colonial history.
The continent is characterised by an extraordinary variety of landscapes. The Andes run along its western side, while the Amazon basin occupies much of the central and northern area.
Farther south are the Pampas and Patagonia. On the Pacific coast, the Atacama Desert stretches across northern Chile and neighbouring areas.
Which countries are in South America?
South America contains 12 independent countries:
- Argentina;
- Bolivia;
- Brazil;
- Chile;
- Colombia;
- Ecuador;
- Guyana;
- Paraguay;
- Peru;
- Suriname;
- Uruguay;
- Venezuela.
The United Nations statistical classification includes these 12 countries in South America.
French Guiana is also geographically located in South America, but it is not an independent country. It is an overseas department and region of France and one of the European Union’s outermost regions.
Brazil is the largest South American country by both area and population. Suriname is the smallest independent country on the continent by area.
What is Latin America?
Latin America is not a continent with universally fixed geographical borders. It is a historical, cultural and linguistic concept that generally includes the parts of the Americas where Spanish, Portuguese or French-derived languages are predominant.
Latin America commonly includes:
- Mexico;
- much of Central America;
- parts of the Caribbean;
- most or all of South America, depending on the definition.
The term therefore brings together territories located in different parts of the Americas.
Mexico is geographically part of North America, but it is also one of the largest and most influential Latin American countries. Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama are located in Central America but are also considered part of Latin America.
Cuba and the Dominican Republic are in the Caribbean and are generally classified as Latin American countries because of their historical and linguistic background.
A broad definition used by Encyclopaedia Britannica describes Latin America as South America, Mexico, Central America and the Romance-language areas of the Caribbean.
Latin America and South America: the main difference
The principal difference between Latin America and South America concerns the nature of the two terms:
- South America is a geographical continent;
- Latin America is a historical, linguistic and cultural region.
The two areas overlap, but they are not identical.
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Peru are both South American and Latin American. Mexico is Latin American but not South American.
Guyana and Suriname are South American because of their geographical location. Whether they are also described as Latin American depends on how broadly the term Latin America is defined.
The difference can be understood through one central question: are we describing where a country is located, or are we describing its historical and linguistic background?
South America answers the first question. Latin America usually answers the second.
Which countries are in Latin America?
There is no single list accepted in every academic, political and cultural context. Classifications can change according to whether the term is being used geographically, historically or linguistically.
The countries most commonly associated with Latin America include the following.
North America
- Mexico.
Central America
- Guatemala;
- El Salvador;
- Honduras;
- Nicaragua;
- Costa Rica;
- Panama.
Belize may also be included in broader regional definitions, although English is its official language.
The Caribbean
- Cuba;
- Dominican Republic;
- Haiti.
Haiti is commonly included because of its colonial history and the presence of French and Haitian Creole. Puerto Rico is culturally Latin American, although it is not an independent country.
South America
- Argentina;
- Bolivia;
- Brazil;
- Chile;
- Colombia;
- Ecuador;
- Paraguay;
- Peru;
- Uruguay;
- Venezuela.
Some broader classifications also include Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana because Latin America can be used as a regional term for South America, Central America, Mexico and parts of the Caribbean.
Other definitions place greater emphasis on Romance languages and Iberian colonial history. Under these narrower interpretations, Guyana and Suriname are often treated separately.
Are Guyana and Suriname part of Latin America?
Guyana and Suriname demonstrate why the difference between Latin America and South America is not always straightforward.
Both countries are geographically South American. However, their colonial and linguistic histories differ from those of most neighbouring countries.
Guyana
Guyana was formerly a British colony and became independent in 1966. English is its official language, although Guyanese Creole, Indigenous languages and languages connected to communities of Asian origin are also spoken.
Suriname
Suriname was formerly a Dutch colony and became independent in 1975. Dutch is its official language, while Sranan Tongo and several other languages reflect the country’s highly diverse population.
For these reasons, Guyana and Suriname are sometimes excluded from narrower linguistic definitions of Latin America.
However, broader geographical and institutional definitions may include them as part of the Latin American and Caribbean region. The answer therefore depends on the criteria being applied.
In every case, both Guyana and Suriname are unquestionably part of South America.
Which Latin American countries are not in South America?
Mexico is the most important example of a Latin American country that is not located in South America.
Geographically, Mexico is part of North America. Its predominant language, colonial history and cultural development nevertheless place it at the centre of Latin America.
The same principle applies to Spanish-speaking Central American countries such as:
- Guatemala;
- El Salvador;
- Honduras;
- Nicaragua;
- Costa Rica;
- Panama.
Cuba and the Dominican Republic are also part of Latin America but not South America. Both are Caribbean countries.
Latin America is consequently wider than South America. It crosses the conventional geographical divisions of North America, Central America, the Caribbean and South America.
Why is it called Latin America?
The word Latin refers to the Romance languages that developed from Latin.
In the Americas, the term primarily concerns Spanish and Portuguese, which spread through colonisation from the late 15th century onwards. French is also a Romance language and is included in some definitions of Latin America.
The expression became influential during the 19th century, when intellectuals and political figures began describing the Spanish-, Portuguese- and French-speaking societies of the Americas as a cultural area distinct from Anglo-America.
Latin America is therefore not a timeless or completely neutral expression. It emerged in a particular historical context and helped construct a shared regional identity.
That identity was shaped by European colonisation, struggles for independence and the presence of related languages. Nevertheless, the countries of Latin America continue to differ significantly in geography, social composition, political history and culture.
What languages are spoken in Latin America?
Spanish is the most widely spoken language in Latin America, but it is not the region’s only language.
Portuguese is the official and predominant language of Brazil, the largest country in South America. French and different French-based Creoles are spoken in Haiti and several Caribbean territories.
Latin America is also home to hundreds of Indigenous languages.
Guaraní is an official language of Paraguay alongside Spanish. Quechua is spoken in areas of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and neighbouring countries, while Aymara is particularly important in Bolivia and Peru.
Numerous Indigenous languages are also spoken across the Amazon basin. Creole languages developed through contact among European, African and Indigenous populations.
Defining Latin America entirely through European languages can therefore be limiting. The region existed before European colonisation, and Indigenous communities continue to preserve languages, identities and cultural traditions that predate the arrival of Spain and Portugal.
Is French Guiana part of Latin America?
French Guiana is geographically part of South America. Politically, it is an overseas department and region of France rather than an independent country.
It is also one of the European Union’s outermost regions. This means that part of the European Union is physically located in South America.
French Guiana can also be considered part of Latin America under a linguistic definition because French is a Romance language derived from Latin.
Its classification nevertheless depends on context. Geographically it is South American, politically it is French and European, and linguistically it may be included in Latin America.
French Guiana shows why geographical, political and cultural identities do not always follow the same borders.
Latin America is not a single culture
The expression Latin America can create the impression of a uniform cultural region. In reality, it includes many different societies.
Argentina’s national history is not identical to Mexico’s, just as Brazil’s cultural development cannot be treated as the same as Peru’s.
Caribbean societies developed under different conditions from those of the Andes, the Amazon or the Southern Cone. Each country also contains internal differences shaped by region, language, migration, social class and local history.
Indigenous, African, European, Asian and mixed cultural traditions have all contributed to the region.
Colonisation represents an important shared experience, but it did not produce identical societies. Land ownership, Indigenous resistance, slavery, migration, state formation and economic development followed different paths from one country to another.
Latin America is therefore better understood as a network of connected but distinct cultures, rather than a single homogeneous civilisation.
South America, Latin America and Hispanic America
Other expressions are sometimes used alongside Latin America and South America.
Hispanic America
Hispanic America refers to the American countries and territories where Spanish is predominant. It excludes Brazil because the main language of Brazil is Portuguese.
Ibero-America
Ibero-America generally includes the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries of the Americas. The term reflects their historical connections with the Iberian Peninsula.
South America
South America includes all countries located on the continent, regardless of language or colonial history. Guyana and Suriname are therefore South American even when a narrower definition excludes them from Latin America.
These expressions overlap, but they should not be used as exact synonyms.
Why does the difference matter?
Distinguishing Latin America from South America is not merely a geographical exercise.
Using the terms as synonyms can exclude Mexico, Central America and the Latin Caribbean from Latin American history. It can also obscure the position of Guyana and Suriname, which are fully part of South America despite their different linguistic histories.
The distinction also challenges the assumption that everyone in the region speaks Spanish or shares a single cultural identity.
Latin America and South America are shaped by multiple geographical, national, linguistic and historical identities. Understanding the terminology is a first step towards recognising that diversity.
Frequently asked questions
Are Latin America and South America the same?
No. South America is a geographical continent, while Latin America is a historical, linguistic and cultural region. They overlap, but they are not identical.
Is Mexico part of South America?
No. Mexico is geographically part of North America. It is considered part of Latin America because of its history, language and cultural development.
Is Brazil part of Latin America?
Yes. Brazil is both South American and Latin American. Portuguese, rather than Spanish, is its official language.
Are Guyana and Suriname Latin American countries?
The answer depends on the definition. Both are South American countries. They may be excluded from narrower linguistic definitions of Latin America because their official languages are English and Dutch, but broader regional definitions may include them.
Is French Guiana in South America?
Yes. French Guiana is geographically located in South America. It is not an independent country, but an overseas department and region of France and an outermost region of the European Union.
How many countries are in South America?
South America contains 12 independent countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela.
What is the difference between Latin American and South American?
South American describes a geographical origin from the continent of South America. Latin American refers to a wider historical and cultural region that also includes Mexico, Central America and parts of the Caribbean.
Is Latin America a continent?
No. Latin America is a historical, linguistic and cultural region that extends across different geographical areas of the Americas.
Latin America and South America are not synonyms
Latin America and South America describe two related but different realities.
South America is a geographical continent containing 12 independent countries. Latin America is a wider historical, linguistic and cultural region that generally includes Mexico, Central America, parts of the Caribbean and most or all of South America, depending on the chosen definition.
The difference can be summarised in five points:
- South America describes a geographical location;
- Latin America describes a historical and cultural region;
- many countries belong to both;
- some Latin American countries are not South American;
- some South American countries occupy a more complex position within definitions of Latin America.
Understanding the difference between Latin America and South America helps reveal the variety of languages, histories and identities that shape the Americas.