Latin Americans

Latin Americans are persons who are nationals of nations in Latin America (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). The nations of Latin America and its diasporas are multi-ethnic and multi-racial in nature. In terms of ethnicity, Latin Americans are a pan-ethnic group that includes individuals from a variety of ethnic and national origins. Therefore, some Latin Americans may not see their nationality as a distinct ethnic group, but rather identify with a blend of their nationality, ethnicity, and ancestral roots. This is especially true in Brazil. All Latin Americans, with the exception of the indigenous Amerindian people, descend from Old World forebears who landed in the Americas as early as 1492. Spanish, Portuguese, Africans of colour, Italians, Lebanese, and Japanese have established huge diasporas across Latin America, making it the world's greatest concentration of these ethnic groups. There are also significant German (the second biggest after the United Nations), French, Palestinian (the largest outside of the Arab states), Chinese, and Jewish diasporas in the area.

Countries and diaspora communities differ in their ethnic and/or racial composition: some have a preponderance of European-Amerindian or mestizo populations; others have a majority of Amerindians; others are largely inhabited by individuals of European descent; others are mostly mulatto. In addition, various black, Asian, and zambo (mixed black and Amerindian) populations may be found in the majority of nations. White Latinos are the single biggest group in the country. Together with persons who have some European heritage, they account for almost all of the country's population.

It is possible to find Latin Americans and their descendants practically everywhere in the globe, although they are most concentrated in heavily crowded metropolitan regions. The United States, Spain, Canada, Italy, and Japan are the most major migratory destinations for Latin Americans, followed by the European Union.