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A majority of Latinos are Christian, with a majority of those Christians being Catholic. There are Latinos of all faiths and denominations.

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Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project

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Explore the geographic distribution and demographics of America's major religious groups.

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Latinos and people from Latin America speak Spanish, Portuguese, French, Jamaican Creole, Mayan and Quechua, the language of the Incas and Dutch. Most of the diverse language comes from the different cultures that live in Latin America, thus creating a melting pot.

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Latin America typically refers to the nations of South and Central America, but technically it refers to all the countries that once belonged to the empires of Spain and Portugal during the discovery of the American continents. As such, it also includes many of the Caribbean island nations, as well as Mexico, Brazil and Colombia. Because of the heritage of these nations, Spanish and Portuguese are most commonly spoken, but there are many other languages in the region as well.

Spanish

Spanish, as it is spoken in the Americas, is not the same Spanish as spoken in Spain. They are different dialects of the same language, and Spanish in Latin America is referred to as Latinoamerica, and Spanish in Spain is referred to as castellano. Spanish is the most widely spoken language in Latin America, and it is the primary language in every South American country except Brazil, Suriname and French Guyana, as well as Puerto Rico, Cuba and several other islands.

Portuguese

Portuguese is spoken throughout South America, but it is the primary language of only one nation: Brazil. Brazil is the most populous and largest country in South America, so even though Portuguese is not the primary language elsewhere on the continent, almost half the population of South America speaks it. Though the Portuguese spoken in Brazil differs from the Portuguese spoken in Portugal, it is not considered a different language.

Other Languages

English is widely spoken in Latin America, especially in areas that are popular tourist destinations, in cities and among young people. It is not a native language of any Latin American nation. French is spoken in certain areas of Latin America, including Haiti and French Guyana, where it is the primary language. Due to large native populations in the South American interior, as well as a melting pot of languages in the Caribbean, it is difficult to say how many other languages and dialects are spoken in Latin America, but other languages include Jamaican Creole, Mayan and Quechua, the language of the Incas. Dutch is also spoken in the Latin American region, in both Suriname in South America and on some Caribbean islands. However, Dutch is spoken in countries that were not part of the Spanish and Portuguese empires, so according to that definition, these nations are not part of Latin America.

About the Author

Beau Prichard has been a freelance writer and editor since 1999. He specializes in fiction, travel and writing coaching. He has traveled in the United Kingdom, Europe, Mexico and Australia. Prichard grew up in New Zealand and holds a Bachelor of Arts in writing from George Fox University.

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What Languages Do Latin Americans Speak?

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Latin America typically refers to the nations of South and Central America, but technically it refers to all the countries that once belonged to the empires of Spain and Portugal during the discovery of the American continents. As such, it also includes many of the Caribbean island nations, as well as Mexico, Brazil ...

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People in Latin America speak of course Spanish, but also Portuguese, English, and French. This is because of people all around the world going to Latin America and blending all the cultures.

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Latin America typically refers to the nations of South and Central America, but technically it refers to all the countries that once belonged to the empires of Spain and Portugal during the discovery of the American continents. As such, it also includes many of the Caribbean island nations, as well as Mexico, Brazil and Colombia. Because of the heritage of these nations, Spanish and Portuguese are most commonly spoken, but there are many other languages in the region as well.

Spanish

Spanish, as it is spoken in the Americas, is not the same Spanish as spoken in Spain. They are different dialects of the same language, and Spanish in Latin America is referred to as Latinoamerica, and Spanish in Spain is referred to as castellano. Spanish is the most widely spoken language in Latin America, and it is the primary language in every South American country except Brazil, Suriname and French Guyana, as well as Puerto Rico, Cuba and several other islands.

Portuguese

Portuguese is spoken throughout South America, but it is the primary language of only one nation: Brazil. Brazil is the most populous and largest country in South America, so even though Portuguese is not the primary language elsewhere on the continent, almost half the population of South America speaks it. Though the Portuguese spoken in Brazil differs from the Portuguese spoken in Portugal, it is not considered a different language.

Other Languages

English is widely spoken in Latin America, especially in areas that are popular tourist destinations, in cities and among young people. It is not a native language of any Latin American nation. French is spoken in certain areas of Latin America, including Haiti and French Guyana, where it is the primary language. Due to large native populations in the South American interior, as well as a melting pot of languages in the Caribbean, it is difficult to say how many other languages and dialects are spoken in Latin America, but other languages include Jamaican Creole, Mayan and Quechua, the language of the Incas. Dutch is also spoken in the Latin American region, in both Suriname in South America and on some Caribbean islands. However, Dutch is spoken in countries that were not part of the Spanish and Portuguese empires, so according to that definition, these nations are not part of Latin America.

About the Author

Beau Prichard has been a freelance writer and editor since 1999. He specializes in fiction, travel and writing coaching. He has traveled in the United Kingdom, Europe, Mexico and Australia. Prichard grew up in New Zealand and holds a Bachelor of Arts in writing from George Fox University.

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What Languages Do Latin Americans Speak?

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Latin America typically refers to the nations of South and Central America, but technically it refers to all the countries that once belonged to the empires of Spain and Portugal during the discovery of the American continents. As such, it also includes many of the Caribbean island nations, as well as Mexico, Brazil ...

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The Olmec, Maya, Inca, and Aztec were already in existence when the Spanish arrived.

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Pyramids in Latin America - Ancient History - HISTORY.com

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Find out more about the history of Pyramids in Latin America, including videos, interesting articles, pictures, historical features and more. Get all the facts on HISTORY.com

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Cesar Chavez was an important union leader which was influenced by his early experience as a migrant worker, (he founded the National Farm Workers Association). He stressed nonviolent methods and eventually brought attention for this cause; boycotts, marches, and hunger strikes. Eventually he was able to secure raises and improve farm worker’s conditions in many states.

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Mexican American Cesar Chavez (1927-1993) was a prominent union leader and labor organizer. Hardened by his early experience as a manual laborer, Chavez founded the National Farm Workers Association in 1962. His union joined with the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee in its first strike against grape growers in California, and the two organizations later merged to become the United Farm Workers. Stressing nonviolent methods, Chavez drew attention for his causes via boycotts, marches and hunger strikes. Despite conflicts with the Teamsters union and legal barriers, he was able to secure raises and improve conditions for farm workers in California, Texas, Arizona and Florida.

Born in Yuma, Arizona, to immigrant parents, Chavez moved to California with his family in 1939. For the next ten years they moved up and down the state working in the fields. During this period Chavez encountered the conditions that he would dedicate his life to changing: wretched migrant camps, corrupt labor contractors, meager wages for backbreaking work, bitter racism.

His introduction to labor organizing began in 1952 when he met Father Donald McDonnell, an activist Catholic priest, and Fred Ross, an organizer with the Community Service Organization, who recruited Chavez to join his group. Within a few years Chavez had become national director, but in 1962 resigned to devote his energies to organizing a union for farm workers.

A major turning point came in September 1965 when the fledgling Farm Workers Association voted to join a strike that had been initiated by Filipino farm workers in Delano's grape fields. Within months Chavez and his union became nationally known. Chavez's drawing on the imagery of the civil rights movement, his insistence on nonviolence, his reliance on volunteers from urban universities and religious organizations, his alliance with organized labor, and his use of mass mobilizing techniques such as a famous march on Sacramento in 1966 brought the grape strike and consumer boycott into the national consciousness. The boycott in particular was responsible for pressuring the growers to recognize the United Farm Workers ( ufw; renamed after the union joined the afl-cio). The first contracts were signed in 1966, but were followed by more years of strife. In 1968 Chavez went on a fast for twenty-five days to protest the increasing advocacy of violence within the union. Victory came finally on July 29, 1970, when twenty-six Delano growers formally signed contracts recognizing the ufw and bringing peace to the vineyards.

That same year the Teamsters' union challenged the ufw in the Salinas valley by signing sweetheart contracts with the growers there. Thus began a bloody four-year struggle. Finally in 1973, the Teamsters signed a jurisdictional agreement that temporarily ended the strife.

Believing that the only permanent solution to the problems of farm workers lay in legislation, Chavez supported the passage of California's Agricultural Labor Relations Act (the first of its kind in the nation), which promised to end the cycle of misery and exploitation and ensure justice for the workers. These promises, however, proved to be short-lived as grower opposition and a series of hostile governors undercut the effectiveness of the law.

After 1976 Chavez led the union through a major reorganization, intended to improve efficiency and outreach to the public. In 1984 in response to the grape industry's refusal to control the use of pesticides on its crops, Chavez inaugurated an international boycott of table grapes.

For thirty years Chavez tenaciously devoted himself to the problems of some of the poorest workers in America. The movement he inspired succeeded in raising salaries and improving working conditions for farm workers in California, Texas, Arizona, and Florida.

The Reader's Companion to American History. Eric Foner and John A. Garraty, Editors. Copyright © 1991 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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Mexican American Cesar Chavez (1927-1993) was a prominent union leader and labor organizer. Hardened by his early experience as a manual laborer, Chavez founded the National Farm Workers Association in 1962. His union joined with the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee in its first strike against grape growers in California, and the two organizations later merged to become the United Farm Workers.

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Ted Cruz is a famous Hispanic writer. He is famous because he ran for president. I have not read any of his works.

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The Charlotte Latin American Festival is at Symphony Park at South Park Mall(4400 Sharon Rd). It is on October 14th from 12 to 8. It is $10 per person and free for kids 8 and under. It has a selection of Latin American food, crafts, music, and dances

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About 27.3 million Latinos in the US are eligible to vote which represents about 12% of the voting community.

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Significant growth in the number of Latino eligible voters has helped make the U.S. electorate more racially and ethnically diverse than ever this year. According to Pew Research Center projections, a record 27.3 million Latinos are eligible to cast ballots, representing 12% of all eligible voters.

Since 2012, the number of Hispanic eligible voters has increased by 4 million, accounting for 37% of the growth in all eligible voters during that span. The Hispanic share of eligible voters in several key battleground states has also gone up.

Latinos have favored the Democratic Party over the Republican Party in every presidential election since at least the 1980s, but their electoral impact has long been limited by low voter turnout and a population concentrated in non-battleground states. Despite large growth in the number of eligible Latino voters, it remains to be seen whether their turnout will set a record in November.

Here are key facts about the Latino vote in 2016.

1 Millennials make up 44% of Latino eligible voters and are the main driver of growth in the Latino electorate. From 2012 to 2016, 3.2 million young U.S.-born Latinos came of age and turned 18, accounting for 80% of the increase in Latino eligible voters during this time.

2 Among Latino registered voters who are "absolutely certain" they will vote, one-in-five will be voting for the first time, according to Pew Research Center's National Survey of Latinos, published this month. Among Millennial voters, 36% say they will be casting a ballot for the first time, compared with 9% of non-Millennial voters ages 36 and older.

3 There are only a handful of competitive states in this year's presidential election where Latinos account for a significant share of the vote. Out of seven competitive states, Latinos have a significant presence in three: Arizona (22%), Florida (18%) and Nevada (17%). Latinos make up 5% or less of eligible voters in each of the remaining four: Georgia, Iowa, North Carolina and Ohio. At the same time, the impact of the Latino vote on the presidential race is lessened by the fact that more than half (52%) of all Latino eligible voters live in the non-battleground states of California, Texas and New York.

4 Hispanic registered voters have grown more dissatisfied with the nation's direction. In 2016, 57% of Hispanic voters say they are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the country, up from 50% in 2012. Among them, those born in the U.S. are more dissatisfied than immigrants, 63% to 45%.

5 A slightly lower share of Latino registered voters say they are sure they will vote this year compared with four years ago. This year, 69% of Latinos are "absolutely certain" they will vote in November, down from 77% in 2012. In past elections, the Latino voter turnout rate has lagged that of other groups. For example, in 2012 Latinos had a turnout rate of 48%, compared with 67% for blacks and 64% for whites.

6 Latinos have long viewed the Democratic Party as having more concern for Latinos than the Republican Party, but their views of Democrats have fluctuated. In 2016, 54% of Latino registered voters say the Democratic Party has more concern for Latinos than the Republican Party, while 11% say the same of the GOP. Democrats have maintained this advantage since 2012, though the share of Latinos who say Democrats have more concern for Latinos has declined modestly since then, when 61% said this. About one-in-four Latino voters say there is no difference between the parties on this measure.

7 Hillary Clinton has more enthusiastic support from older Latinos than from Millennial Latinos. Two-thirds (64%) of Millennial Latinos (ages 18 to 35) who back Clinton say their support is more a vote against Donald Trump than for Clinton. The reverse is true among older, non-Millennial Latino voters (ages 36 and older): 65% say their support of Clinton is more a vote for her than against Trump. Overall, more than half (55%) of Latino registered voters who back Clinton say their vote is more a vote for Clinton than against Trump.

8 Three-quarters of Hispanic registered voters say they have discussed Trump's comments about Hispanics or other groups with family, friends or coworkers. Those who have discussed Trump's controversial comments on Hispanics, Mexican immigrants and other groups in the past year have given more thought to the election and are more certain they will vote.

Category: 5 Facts

Topics: Hispanic/Latino Vote, Voter Demographics, Hispanic/Latino Demographics, Voter Participation, 2016 Election, U.S. Political Parties, Generations and Age

Jens Manuel Krogstad is a writer/editor focusing on Hispanics, immigration and demographics at Pew Research Center.

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Significant growth in the number of Latino eligible voters has helped make the U.S. electorate more racially and ethnically diverse than ever this year. According to Pew Research Center projections, a record 27.3 million Latinos are eligible to cast ballots, representing 12% of all eligible voters.

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Hispanic is basically based on whether you or your family speak the language of Spanish whereas Latino is focusing more on geographic location, that being Latin America.  Spanish is a language, and it’s also a term referring to nationality.

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The words "Hispanic," "Latino" and "Spanish" all have different meanings, and Kat Lazo is here to clear it up.

In a video from Bustle, the YouTube personality, who frequently discusses feminism and social norms in her videos, took to the streets of New York to ask people if they knew the difference before giving her explanation. Spoiler: not many people did.

(Note: The Venn Diagram in the video incorrectly identifies Brazil, French Guiana, Guadaloupe, Haiti, Martinique, Saint Barthélemy and Saint Martin as places that share the characteristics of both Latino and Hispanic populations. In fact, Brazilians would fit within the most widely accepted definition of "Latino," but not "Hispanic." Many argue that the French-speaking country of Haiti and territories of French Guiana, Guadaloupe, Martinique, Saint Barthélemy also belong to the region of Latin America, but their populations are not Hispanic. Saint Martin is a predominately Dutch-speaking Caribbean island with a sizable French-speaking minority, so most of its population is neither Latino nor Hispanic.)

Luckily, Lazo explained how the terms differ. In short, "Hispanic" focuses on Spanish-speaking origin. This means Spain is included, but Brazil is not because Brazilians speak Portuguese. "Latino" refers to people of Latin American origin. This includes Brazil and excludes Spain.

"Hispanic is basically based on whether you or your family speak the language of Spanish whereas Latino is focusing more on geographic location, that being Latin America," Lazo said in the video.

One man on the streets of New York helped Lazo with her explanation when he talked about his experience with the term "Spanish." "I hate when people call me Spanish because I'm not," he said. "If you're Spanish it's because you're from Spain."

It's important to note that just because people speak Spanish, it doesn't mean they're Spanish. It's a language, and it's also a term referring to nationality.

And there you have it. They may just be three words, but they pack quite a meaningful punch.
Also on The Huffington Post:

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A Quick Breakdown Of The Difference Between Hispanic, Latino And Spanish

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The words "Hispanic," "Latino" and "Spanish" all have different meanings, and Kat Lazo is here to clear it up. In a video from Bustle, the YouTube personality, who frequently discusses feminism and social norms in her videos, took to the streets of New York to ask people if they knew the difference before giving her explanation.

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The 3 largest Hispanic origin groups living in the US are Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban.

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Pew Research Center's Hispanic Trends Project

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U.S. Hispanic Origin Groups, by Population, 2013

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Graphic: U.S. Hispanic Origin Groups, by Population, 2013

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http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/03/01/afro-latino-a-deeply-rooted-identity-among-u-s-hispanics/
Their ancestors migrated to different parts of South America from slave trade which is the reason why some places have a higher population of Afro-Latinos.

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Latinos are of many different races. There is not one race that is defined has Latino. The term Latino includes everyone from a Spanish-speaking origin.

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The "Hola Festival" is happening in Uptown Charlotte where around 60,000 people are coming together and celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month.

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Hola Charlotte Festival 2017 Join us as we come together to celebrate and enjoy Latin culture in Uptown Charlotte! Connect with the 60,000 attendees expected to join Charlotte's Official Hispanic Heritage Festival in 2017!

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Latinos and people from Latin America speak Spanish, Portuguese, French, Jamaican, Dutch, and multiple more.

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Latin America typically refers to the nations of South and Central America, but technically it refers to all the countries that once belonged to the empires of Spain and Portugal during the discovery of the American continents. As such, it also includes many of the Caribbean island nations, as well as Mexico, Brazil and Colombia. Because of the heritage of these nations, Spanish and Portuguese are most commonly spoken, but there are many other languages in the region as well.

Spanish

Spanish, as it is spoken in the Americas, is not the same Spanish as spoken in Spain. They are different dialects of the same language, and Spanish in Latin America is referred to as Latinoamerica, and Spanish in Spain is referred to as castellano. Spanish is the most widely spoken language in Latin America, and it is the primary language in every South American country except Brazil, Suriname and French Guyana, as well as Puerto Rico, Cuba and several other islands.

Portuguese

Portuguese is spoken throughout South America, but it is the primary language of only one nation: Brazil. Brazil is the most populous and largest country in South America, so even though Portuguese is not the primary language elsewhere on the continent, almost half the population of South America speaks it. Though the Portuguese spoken in Brazil differs from the Portuguese spoken in Portugal, it is not considered a different language.

Other Languages

English is widely spoken in Latin America, especially in areas that are popular tourist destinations, in cities and among young people. It is not a native language of any Latin American nation. French is spoken in certain areas of Latin America, including Haiti and French Guyana, where it is the primary language. Due to large native populations in the South American interior, as well as a melting pot of languages in the Caribbean, it is difficult to say how many other languages and dialects are spoken in Latin America, but other languages include Jamaican Creole, Mayan and Quechua, the language of the Incas. Dutch is also spoken in the Latin American region, in both Suriname in South America and on some Caribbean islands. However, Dutch is spoken in countries that were not part of the Spanish and Portuguese empires, so according to that definition, these nations are not part of Latin America.

About the Author

Beau Prichard has been a freelance writer and editor since 1999. He specializes in fiction, travel and writing coaching. He has traveled in the United Kingdom, Europe, Mexico and Australia. Prichard grew up in New Zealand and holds a Bachelor of Arts in writing from George Fox University.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What Languages Do Latin Americans Speak?

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Latin America typically refers to the nations of South and Central America, but technically it refers to all the countries that once belonged to the empires of Spain and Portugal during the discovery of the American continents. As such, it also includes many of the Caribbean island nations, as well as Mexico, Brazil ...

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There is a difference between the terms "Spanish", "Hispanic", and "Latino". Hispanic refers to people of Spanish-speaking origin. Because Brazilians speak Portuguese, they would not be Hispanic. However, someone from Spain would be Hispanic. Spanish is a language, but it's also a term referring to nationality. Just because a person speaks Spanish, doesn't mean they are Spanish. Latino is more of a geographic term, referencing to people from Latin American origin. That means that Latino would include someone from Brazil, but exclude someone from Spain.

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The words "Hispanic," "Latino" and "Spanish" all have different meanings, and Kat Lazo is here to clear it up.

In a video from Bustle, the YouTube personality, who frequently discusses feminism and social norms in her videos, took to the streets of New York to ask people if they knew the difference before giving her explanation. Spoiler: not many people did.

(Note: The Venn Diagram in the video incorrectly identifies Brazil, French Guiana, Guadaloupe, Haiti, Martinique, Saint Barthélemy and Saint Martin as places that share the characteristics of both Latino and Hispanic populations. In fact, Brazilians would fit within the most widely accepted definition of "Latino," but not "Hispanic." Many argue that the French-speaking country of Haiti and territories of French Guiana, Guadaloupe, Martinique, Saint Barthélemy also belong to the region of Latin America, but their populations are not Hispanic. Saint Martin is a predominately Dutch-speaking Caribbean island with a sizable French-speaking minority, so most of its population is neither Latino nor Hispanic.)

Luckily, Lazo explained how the terms differ. In short, "Hispanic" focuses on Spanish-speaking origin. This means Spain is included, but Brazil is not because Brazilians speak Portuguese. "Latino" refers to people of Latin American origin. This includes Brazil and excludes Spain.

"Hispanic is basically based on whether you or your family speak the language of Spanish whereas Latino is focusing more on geographic location, that being Latin America," Lazo said in the video.

One man on the streets of New York helped Lazo with her explanation when he talked about his experience with the term "Spanish." "I hate when people call me Spanish because I'm not," he said. "If you're Spanish it's because you're from Spain."

It's important to note that just because people speak Spanish, it doesn't mean they're Spanish. It's a language, and it's also a term referring to nationality.

And there you have it. They may just be three words, but they pack quite a meaningful punch.
Also on The Huffington Post:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A Quick Breakdown Of The Difference Between Hispanic, Latino And Spanish

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The words "Hispanic," "Latino" and "Spanish" all have different meanings, and Kat Lazo is here to clear it up. In a video from Bustle, the YouTube personality, who frequently discusses feminism and social norms in her videos, took to the streets of New York to ask people if they knew the difference before giving her explanation.

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The top five US cities with the highest Hispanic population are New York City, Los Angles, Houston, San Antonio, and Chicago.

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US News is a recognized leader in college, grad school, hospital, mutual fund, and car rankings. Track elected officials, research health conditions, and find news you can use in politics, business, health, and education.

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US cities like Los Angeles, San Diego, San Antonio, San Francisco, El Paso, Las Vegas, Sacramento and Fresco are US cities that have Spanish origins.

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This will be the first of several weeks in a row featuring foreign language origins of U.S. cities. Eleven of the 50 largest U.S. cities have Spanish names (not including Colorado Springs, which has some English in its name). All eleven of these cities used to be part of Mexico, before they were ceded to the U.S.

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There are about 56.6 million Hispanics living in the United States, which makes up 17.6 percent of the nation's population.

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This fact sheet presents a range of updated statistics describing the demographic state of the nation's Latino population.

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Latin America is located in Central America and some of South America. Latin American countries include Costa Rica, Guatamala, Nicaragua, and Panama.

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List of Latin American Countries | North America, South America, & the Caribbean

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Latin America is generally understood to consist of the entire continent of South America in addition to Mexico, Central America, and the islands of the Caribbean whose inhabitants speak a Romance language. The peoples of this large area shared the experience of conquest and colonization by the

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After the Spanish conquistadors arrived, the native population died due to the diseases they brought with them

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Researchers from Germany and the United States suggest that the European conquest triggered the loss of more than half the Native American population. The results of their study provide new insight into the demise of the indigenous population. Experts recognise that Native Americans died while at war or due to diseases when Europeans first arrived in the Americas; the question this latest study addresses is how the overall population was impacted by the conquest. Extensive genetic analysis proved that a transient contradiction in population sizes by some 50% occurred approximately 500 years ago. The findings substantiate historical records indicating how the European settlers impacted the peoples of North and South America: diseases, wars, famine and slavery all played a part. The study was presented in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Using the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of Native American women in North and South America, a two-man research team from the Göttingen University in Germany and the University of Washington in the United States drew up a family tree of contemporary and ancient Native peoples.

Overall, 137 mitochondrial genomes and 63 old subsequences of this genome were assessed. The researchers pointed out that the mitochondrial genome is passed on through the maternal lineage. Sophisticated bioinformational methods indicated how the Native American population peaked around 5 000 years ago and then remained constant for millennia. About 500 years ago later, the population shrank by half.

'These losses were not limited to specific regions, but rather distributed across both American continents, with the severest impacts occurring in the most densely populated regions,' said Dr Lars Fehren-Schmitz of the Göttingen University. This decline did not last very long; the indigenous population started to grow again quite quickly. 'This new population growth suggests that the cause of the decline can only be attributable to fast- and short-acting factors, for example, from diseases brought over by the Europeans in combination with war and famine, and was not due to centuries-long processes, as is commonly assumed,' he added.

Said Brendan O'Fallon of the University of Washington: 'We really saw a big, sudden decrease in population among the Native Americans about 500 years ago. That's, of course, right when the Europeans first arrived. It was sort of a new line of evidence that, really, confirmed, I think, what a lot of people's previous suspicions were but maybe hadn't really been documented in this one area.

'The basic idea behind that is that when a population size is fairly small, lots of people tend to share the same ancestors at about the same time. The bigger the population size, the longer it takes everyone to find a common ancestor. So, the tree is just overall bigger.'

The duo also spatially reconstructed the historical population trends on North and South America by mapping the quick spread along the coastlines and across the continents of the first humans to settle in America. Approximately 15 000 to 17 000 years ago, these peoples migrated from Asia by crossing the Bering Strait, which today lies below sea level. But it was only later, after the individual groups had acclimatised to their new environments, that the population sizes grew substantially, according to the duo.

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How the European conquest affected Native Americans

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Researchers from Germany and the United States suggest that the European conquest triggered the loss of more than half the Native American population. The results of their study provide new insight into the demise of the indigenous population.

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California, Texas, and Florida are the top highest American Hispanic populations.

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Pew Research Center's Hispanic Trends Project

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4. Ranking the Latino population in the states

By 2014, eight states had Latino populations of at least 1 million: California, Texas, Florida, New York, Illinois, Arizona, New Jersey and Colorado.

With 15 million Hispanics residing in California, its Hispanic population accounts for more than a quarter (27%) of the nation's Hispanic population. California also passed a milestone in 2014, when the state's Hispanic population was for the first time ever the largest of any racial or ethnic group.

Following California is Texas. Nearly one-in-five Hispanics nationwide (19%) reside in Texas, where the Hispanic population reached 10.4 million in 2014. In third place is Florida, with 4.8 million Hispanics, accounting for nearly one-in-ten (9%) of the nation's Hispanics.

Nearly half (48%) of New Mexico's population is Latino, the highest share among the states. New Mexico is followed by California and Texas, whose populations are 39% Latino in each. Nearly one-third of Arizona's population (31%) was Latino in 2014, as were about a quarter of Nevada's (28%) and Florida's (24%). In Colorado (21%), New Jersey (19%), New York (19%) and Illinois (17%) about one-in-five people were Latino.

From 2000 to 2014, the Latino population in South Dakota grew fastest among the 50 states and the District of Columbia. South Dakota's Latino population has nearly tripled, reaching 29,000 in 2014 - up from 10,000 in 2000. The Latino populations in Tennessee and South Carolina have also nearly tripled. In 2014, Tennessee had 322,000 Latinos, up from 117,000 in 2000, and South Carolina had 258,000 Latinos in 2014, up from 95,000 in 2000. North Dakota and other Southern states rounded out the top 10 states for Latino population growth.

The Hispanic population in North Dakota, however, has been the fastest-growing between 2007 and 2014 - the number of Hispanics has nearly doubled in that time. In 2014, about 18,000 Hispanics lived in North Dakota, up from 9,000 in 2007. Others in the top five for the fastest-growing state Hispanic populations between 2007 and 2014 are Kentucky (66%), Louisiana (64%), Delaware (64%) and Maryland (60%).

In most of the states, the Latino populations were majority U.S. born in 2014. But in the District of Columbia, 53% of Latinos are foreign born. And in Maryland, 50% are foreign born. With the exception of New Jersey, each of the top 10 states for the share of Latinos that are foreign born was located in the South.

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4. Ranking the Latino population in the states

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By 2014, eight states had Latino populations of at least 1 million: California, Texas, Florida, New York, Illinois, Arizona, New Jersey and Colorado. With 15 million Hispanics residing in California, its Hispanic population accounts for more than a quarter (27%) of the nation's Hispanic population.

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A famous Hispanic actors is George Lopez. He is a producer and an actor. He is known for Lopez Tonight and George Lopez. He is married to Ann Serrano Lopez.

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George Lopez at an event for The Proposal (2009)