<P> The distinction between Latin America and Anglo - America is a convention based on the predominant languages in the Americas by which Romance - language and English - speaking cultures are distinguished . Neither area is culturally or linguistically homogeneous; in substantial portions of Latin America (e.g., highland Peru, Bolivia, Mexico, Guatemala), Native American cultures and, to a lesser extent, Amerindian languages, are predominant, and in other areas, the influence of African cultures is strong (e.g., the Caribbean basin--including parts of Colombia and Venezuela). </P> <P> The term is not without controversy . Historian Mauricio Tenorio - Trillo explores at length the "allure and power" of the idea of Latin America . He remarks at the outset, "The idea of' Latin America' ought to have vanished with the obsolescence of racial theory...But it is not easy to declare something dead when it can hardly be said to have existed," going on to say, "The term is here to stay, and it is important ." Following in the tradition of Chilean writer Francisco Bilbao, who excluded Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay from his early conceptualization of Latin America, Chilean historian Jaime Eyzaguirre has criticized the term Latin America for "disguising" and "diluting" the Spanish character of a region (i.e. Hispanic America) with the inclusion of nations that according to him do not share the same pattern of conquest and colonization . </P> <P> Latin America can be subdivided into several subregions based on geography, politics, demographics and culture . If defined as all of the Americas south of the United States, the basic geographical subregions are North America, Central America, the Caribbean and South America; the latter contains further politico - geographical subdivisions such as the Southern Cone, the Guianas and the Andean states . It may be subdivided on linguistic grounds into Hispanic America, Portuguese America and French America . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th> Flag </Th> <Th> Arms </Th> <Th> Name </Th> <Th> Area (km2) </Th> <Th> Population (2016) </Th> <Th> Population density (per km2) </Th> <Th> Capital </Th> <Th> Name (s) in official language (s) </Th> <Th> Time (s) zone (s) </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Argentina </Td> <Td> 2,780,400 </Td> <Td> 43,847,430 </Td> <Td> 14.4 </Td> <Td> Buenos Aires </Td> <Td> Argentina </Td> <Td> UTC / GMT - 3 hours </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Bolivia </Td> <Td> 1,098,581 </Td> <Td> 10,887,882 </Td> <Td> 9 </Td> <Td> Sucre and La Paz </Td> <Td> Bolivia; Buliwya; Wuliwya; Volívia </Td> <Td> UTC / GMT - 4 hours </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Brazil </Td> <Td> 8,515,767 </Td> <Td> 207,652,865 </Td> <Td> 23.6 </Td> <Td> Brasília </Td> <Td> Brasil </Td> <Td> UTC / GMT - 2 hours (Fernando de Noronha) UTC / GMT - 3 hours (Brasília) UTC / GMT - 4 hours (Amazonas) UTC / GMT - 5 hours (Acre) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Chile </Td> <Td> 756,096 </Td> <Td> 17,909,754 </Td> <Td> 23 </Td> <Td> Santiago </Td> <Td> Chile </Td> <Td> UTC / GMT - 3 hours (Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica) <P> UTC / GMT - 4 hours (Continental Chile) </P> <P> UTC / GMT - 5 hours (Easter Island) </P> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Colombia </Td> <Td> 1,141,748 </Td> <Td> 48,653,419 </Td> <Td> 41.5 </Td> <Td> Bogotá </Td> <Td> Colombia </Td> <Td> UTC / GMT - 5 hours </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Costa Rica </Td> <Td> 51,100 </Td> <Td> 4,857,274 </Td> <Td> 91.3 </Td> <Td> San José </Td> <Td> Costa Rica </Td> <Td> UTC / GMT - 6 hours </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Cuba </Td> <Td> 109,884 </Td> <Td> 11,475,982 </Td> <Td> 100.6 </Td> <Td> Havana </Td> <Td> Cuba </Td> <Td> UTC / GMT - 4 hours </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Dominican Republic </Td> <Td> 48,442 </Td> <Td> 10,648,791 </Td> <Td> 210.9 </Td> <Td> Santo Domingo </Td> <Td> República Dominicana </Td> <Td> UTC / GMT - 4 hours </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Ecuador </Td> <Td> 283,560 </Td> <Td> 16,385,068 </Td> <Td> 54.4 </Td> <Td> Quito </Td> <Td> Ecuador </Td> <Td> UTC / GMT - 5 hours </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> El Salvador </Td> <Td> 21,040 </Td> <Td> 6,344,722 </Td> <Td> 290.3 </Td> <Td> San Salvador </Td> <Td> El Salvador </Td> <Td> UTC / GMT - 6 hours </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> French Guiana * </Td> <Td> 83,534 </Td> <Td> 275,713 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Cayenne </Td> <Td> Guyane </Td> <Td> UTC / GMT - 3 hours </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Guadeloupe * </Td> <Td> 1,628 </Td> <Td> 449,975 </Td> <Td> 250 </Td> <Td> Basse - Terre </Td> <Td> Guadeloupe </Td> <Td> UTC / GMT - 4 hours </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Guatemala </Td> <Td> 108,889 </Td> <Td> 16,582,469 </Td> <Td> 129 </Td> <Td> Guatemala City </Td> <Td> Guatemala </Td> <Td> UTC / GMT - 6 hours </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Haiti </Td> <Td> 27,750 </Td> <Td> 10,847,334 </Td> <Td> 350 </Td> <Td> Port - au - Prince </Td> <Td> Haïti; Ayiti </Td> <Td> UTC / GMT - 4 hours </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Honduras </Td> <Td> 112,492 </Td> <Td> 9,112,867 </Td> <Td> 76 </Td> <Td> Tegucigalpa </Td> <Td> Honduras </Td> <Td> UTC / GMT - 6 hours </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Martinique * </Td> <Td> 1,128 </Td> <Td> 385,103 </Td> <Td> 340 </Td> <Td> Fort - de-France </Td> <Td> Martinique </Td> <Td> UTC / GMT - 4 hours </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Mexico </Td> <Td> 1,964 375 </Td> <Td> 127,540,423 </Td> <Td> 57 </Td> <Td> Mexico City </Td> <Td> México </Td> <Td> UTC / GMT - 5 hours (Zona Sureste) UTC / GMT - 6 hours (Zona Centro) UTC / GMT - 7 hours (Zona Pacífico) UTC / GMT - 8 hours (Zona Noroeste) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Nicaragua </Td> <Td> 130,375 </Td> <Td> 6,149,928 </Td> <Td> 44.3 </Td> <Td> Managua </Td> <Td> Nicaragua </Td> <Td> UTC / GMT - 6 hours </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Panama </Td> <Td> 75,517 </Td> <Td> 4,034,119 </Td> <Td> 54.2 </Td> <Td> Panama City </Td> <Td> Panamá </Td> <Td> UTC / GMT - 5 hours </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Paraguay </Td> <Td> 406,752 </Td> <Td> 6,725,308 </Td> <Td> 14.2 </Td> <Td> Asunción </Td> <Td> Paraguay; Tetã Paraguái </Td> <Td> UTC / GMT - 4 hours </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Peru </Td> <Td> 1,285,216 </Td> <Td> 31,773,839 </Td> <Td> 23 </Td> <Td> Lima </Td> <Td> Perú; Piruw </Td> <Td> UTC / GMT - 4 hours </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Puerto Rico * </Td> <Td> 9,104 </Td> <Td> 3,667,903 </Td> <Td> 397 </Td> <Td> San Juan </Td> <Td> Puerto Rico </Td> <Td> UTC / GMT - 4 hours </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Saint Barthélemy * </Td> <Td> 53.2 </Td> <Td> 9,000 </Td> <Td> 682 </Td> <Td> Gustavia </Td> <Td> Saint - Barthélemy </Td> <Td> UTC / GMT - 4 hours </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Saint Martin * </Td> <Td> 25 </Td> <Td> 39,000 </Td> <Td> 361 </Td> <Td> Marigot </Td> <Td> Saint - Martin </Td> <Td> UTC / GMT - 4 hours </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Uruguay </Td> <Td> 176,215 </Td> <Td> 3,444,006 </Td> <Td> 18.87 </Td> <Td> Montevideo </Td> <Td> Uruguay </Td> <Td> UTC / GMT - 3 hours </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Venezuela </Td> <Td> 916,445 </Td> <Td> 31,568,179 </Td> <Td> 31.59 </Td> <Td> Caracas </Td> <Td> Venezuela </Td> <Td> UTC / GMT--4: 00 hours </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Total </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 20,111,457 </Td> <Td> 626,741,000 </Td> </Tr> </Table>

Is latin america the same as central america