ABSTRACT
Latin America is defined as, ‘everything in the Western Hemisphere south of the United States.’ 1 Although referring to one regional entirety in terms of socioeconomic and cultural factors, the reality of the situation is far more complex. Due to social, economic, ethnographic, cultural and environmental factors, immigration currents and natural resources, C.V. Guardia maintains that Latin America can be divided into at least five differentiated sub-regions. 2 Consequently, it is important to remember that Latin America is not a homogeneous region. There may be distinctive similarities in the problems experienced by each nation but the collection of nations contained within the collective of Latin America varies considerably in wealth, tradition, historical circumstances, ethnicity, economic development, cultural awareness and political outlook. There are common problems but no universal solutions. 3
