Southern Cone#Language

File:Köppen-Geiger Southern Cone Map.png

In most cases, the term "Southern Cone" refers specifically to Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay, due to their geographical, cultural, ethnic, and economic similarities.

Brazil's four southernmost states (Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and São Paulo) share characteristics with Argentina, and Uruguay (high standard of living, subtropical and temperate climate, high levels of industrialization and strong European ethnic component due to immigration), the other states are more similar to the other South American countries in these issues.

When the definition is not limited to entire countries, the states of the South Region and the state of São Paulo are generally included.

Due to the geographical proximity, common history, geography and political cycles, Paraguay is sometimes included in what is meant by Southern Cone, geographically speaking, but excluded due to differences in climate, economy and development, and cultural identity.

While Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and Southern Brazil are located in the southernmost part of South America, with temperate climates and a dominant European ancestry shaping their demographics and culture, Paraguay is a landlocked country further north, with a subtropical climate and a unique cultural identity rooted in its Guaraní heritage.

Economically, Paraguay has a lower Human Development Index (HDI) compared to the Southern Cone countries, which rank among the highest in Latin America. Paraguay’s economy, focused on agriculture and hydroelectric power, is also less diversified and globally integrated.

The climates are mostly Mediterranean temperate, but include humid subtropical, highland tropical, maritime temperate, sub-Antarctic temperate, highland cold, desert and semi-arid temperate regions. (Except for the northern regions of Argentina (thermal equator in January), the whole country of Paraguay, the Argentina-Brazil border and the interior of the Atacama Desert). The region rarely suffers from heat. In addition to that, the winter presents mostly cold temperatures. Strong and constant wind and high humidity are what brings low temperatures in the winter.

One of the most peculiar plants of the region is the Araucaria tree, which can be found in Chile, Argentina and parts of Brazil. The only native group of conifers found in the southern hemisphere had its origin in the Southern Cone. Araucaria angustifolia, once widespread in Southern Brazil, is now a critically endangered species, protected by law. The prairies region of central Argentina, Uruguay and southern Brazil is known as the Pampas.

Central Chile has Mediterranean vegetation and a Mediterranean climate, grading southward into an oceanic climate. The Atacama, Patagonian and Monte deserts form a diagonal of arid lands separating the woodlands, croplands and pastures of La Plata basin from Central and Southern Chile. Apart from the desert diagonal, the north–south running Andes form a major divide in the Southern Cone and constitute, for most of its part in the southern cone, the Argentina–Chile border. In the east the river systems of the La Plata basin form natural barriers and sea lanes between Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.

The Atacama Desert is the driest place on Earth, with some regions having no recorded rainfall in history.

File:Cono-sur-anual-sat.gif|Satellite images of the Southern Cone month by month.

File:Ischigualasto national park.jpg|Landforms in the Monte Desert at Ischigualasto, Argentina. Much of the southern cone is covered by the Arid Diagonal of which Monte Desert is part.

File:Cabanas curarrehue.jpg|Snow in the winter in Curarrehue, Chile.

File:L' automne rouge.JPG|Autumn in Bariloche, Argentina.

File:Aconcagua (aerial).jpg|Located in between Chile and Argentina, Aconcagua, almost 7000 meters high, is the highest mountain on Earth outside the Himalayas, and continues to rise.

File:Neve na SC-438 em São Joaquim.JPG|Snow in the winter of the Planalto Serrano mountain range of the state of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil.

File:Jacarandas at Plaza Miserere.jpg|Jacarandas in bloom in Buenos Aires, Argentina during spring.

File:Campo Departamento Conhelo.jpg|The extensive temperate prairies of the Pampas in the center of Argentina.

Image:Planisferio Latitud templada comparada.png and central region of Canada in North America, Ireland, England, the Netherlands, Northern Germany, Poland and Belarus in Europe, and the Altai Mountains and Lake Baikal, Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands in Asia.]]

Image:Mate-gourds.jpg, as shown in the picture, is a typical beverage from the Southern Cone. ]]

File:Southern Cone Cultural Map.jpg

Besides sharing languages and colonial heritage, in this area, there was extensive European immigration during the 19th- and 20th-centuries, who, with their descendants, have strongly influenced the culture, social life and politics of these countries. Immigration reshaped the modern-day societies of Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay, countries where the influx of newcomers was massive.

The residents of the states of the Southern Cone are avid players and fans of football, with top-notch teams competing in the sport. Argentina has won the FIFA World Cup three times, while Uruguay has won the cup twice; they are the only national teams along with Brazil outside Europe to have won the cup. Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Brazil have all hosted the World Cup. Additionally, national teams from the region have won several Olympic medals in football. Also, football clubs from the Southern Cone countries have won large numbers of club competitions in South-American competitions, Pan-American competitions, and world-FIFA Club World Cup-level competitions.

Gauchos (Argentina and Uruguay) and Huasos (Chile) are horsemen that are considered icons of national identity (like cowboys); they are featured in the epic poem Martín Fierro.

The Asado (barbecue) is a culinary tradition typical of the Southern Cone main countries and was developed by gauchos and huasos.

Mate is a popular infusion throughout the Southern Cone.

Image:Nercón.jpg (pictured) in the Southern Cone]]

Like the rest of Latin America, most residents of the Southern Cone are members of the Catholic Church,{{cite web |author=Analysis |date=19 December 2011 |title=Global Christianity |url=http://www.pewforum.org/Christian/Global-Christianity-exec.aspx |access-date=17 August 2012 |publisher=Pew Research Center}} with a minority of Protestants, including a significant Lutheran population in South Brazil and South Chile. Other religions also present in the southern cone include Islam, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Buddhism, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Daoism. Jewish communities have thrived in cities of Argentina and Uruguay.

While the Southern Cone has been conservative in some aspects of religion, it has had a tradition of social reform and liberation theology has been followed by many in the Catholic Church. Uruguay, where agnosticism and atheism is common, has a policy of strong separation of church and state; it is one of the most secular countries in the Americas.[http://www.morris.umn.edu/academic/laas/Uruguay.html Latin American Area Studies: Uruguay] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100714153604/http://www.morris.umn.edu/academic/laas/Uruguay.html|date=2010-07-14}}, University of Minnesota Uruguay, Chile and Argentina, in that order, have the least religious residents in South America, according to their responses about the significance of religion in their lives. According to the Pew Research Center, 28% of Uruguayans, 43% of Argentines, and 41% of Chileans think of religion 'very important in their lives,' contrasting with the higher values given by the residents of countries such as Peru (72%), Colombia (77%) and Ecuador (76%).{{cite web |date=13 November 2014 |title=Religion in Latin America, Widespread Change in a Historically Catholic Region |url=http://www.pewforum.org/2014/11/13/religion-in-latin-america/# |access-date=March 4, 2015 |publisher=Pew Research Center}}

The Southern Cone produced the first pope from the Western Hemisphere, Pope Francis, elected in 2013, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina.{{cite web |last=Stefon |first=Matt |date=14 September 2023 |title=Francis |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Francis-I-pope |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica}}

In a 2014 social survey, residents rated their countries as 'good places for gay or lesbian people to live;' the following percentages said 'yes' in Uruguay (71%), Argentina (68%), and Chile (52%).{{cite web |last=Mccarthy |first=Justin |date=27 August 2014 |title=Nearly 3 in 10 Worldwide See Their Areas as Good for Gays |url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/175520/nearly-worldwide-areas-good-gays.aspx |access-date=6 January 2021 |publisher=Gallup}}

The overwhelming majority, including those of recent immigrant background, speak Spanish (in Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay) or Portuguese in the case of Southern Brazil. The Spanish-speaking countries of the Southern Cone are divided into two main dialects:

• Castellano Rioplatense (River Plate Spanish), spoken in Argentina and Uruguay, where the accent and daily language is heavily influenced by 19th-20th century Italian immigrants, has a particular intonation famously recognized by Spanish speakers from around the world. It is sometimes unofficially referred to as "Castellano Argentino/Argentine Spanish" due to the majority of the speakers (by population) being Argentines. Preliminary research has shown that Rioplatense Spanish has intonation patterns that resemble those of Italian dialects in the Naples region, differing markedly from those of other forms of Spanish.{{cite journal |last1=Colantoni |first1=Laura |last2=Gurlekian |first2=Jorge |title=Convergence and intonation: historical evidence from Buenos Aires Spanish |journal=Bilingualism: Language and Cognition |date=August 2004 |volume=7 |issue=2 |pages=107–119 |doi=10.1017/S1366728904001488 |s2cid=56111230 |hdl=11336/118441 |hdl-access=free }} Buenos Aires, Rosario, and Montevideo had a massive influx of Italian immigrant settlers from the mid-19th until mid-20th centuries. Researchers note that the development of this dialect is a relatively recent phenomenon, developing at the beginning of the 20th century with the main wave of Italian immigration.
• Castellano Chileno (Chilean Spanish), spoken in Chile, features multiple accents, but one of its most common characteristics is the omission of the letter "s" when pronouncing words. For example, "Los chilenos" is pronounced as "Lo' chileno'." Additionally, in informal and colloquial speech (especially among close friends), the use of reverential voseo is common. This phenomenon changes phrases like "¿Dónde estás?" ("Where are you?") into "¿Dónde estáis?". However, since Chileans often omit the final "s," the resulting pronunciation is "¿Dónde estai?"

These dialects share common traits, such as a number of Lunfardo and Quechua words.

Minor languages and dialects include Cordobés, Cuyo, and Portuñol, a hybrid between Rioplatense and Brazilian Portuguese that is spoken in Uruguay on the border with Brazil.

Some Native American groups, especially in rural areas, continue to speak autochthonous languages, including Mapudungun (also known as Mapuche), Quechua, Aymara, and Guarani. The first is primarily spoken in Araucanía and adjacent areas of Patagonia, in southern Argentina and Chile. Guarani is the official language of Paraguay, the most widely spoken language in that country, and in 2010, the city of Tacuru, in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, adopted Guarani as the official language, besides Portuguese. It is also a co-official language in the northeastern Argentine provinces of Corrientes and Misiones.[http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=36670 "Official languages include indigenous"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220132046/http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=36670 |date=2012-02-20 }}, IPS News

Italian (mostly its Northern dialects, such as Venetian), is spoken in rural communities across Argentina, Southern Brazil, and São Paulo where immigrants had settled.

German, in various dialects, is mostly spoken in Southern Chile and Southern Brazil. As well as in the Chaco (Paraguay) by Mennonites. It is the second most spoken mother tongue in Brazil.{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/language/hrx|title=Hunsrückish|publisher=Ethnologue|access-date=20 July 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/country/BR|title=Standard German|publisher=Ethnologue|access-date=20 July 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://graduate.olivet.edu/news-events/news/second-most-spoken-languages-around-world|title=Olivet Second Most Spoken Languages Around the World|date=7 April 2015|publisher=olivet.edu|access-date=29 March 2016|archive-date=29 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180729003624/https://graduate.olivet.edu/news-events/news/second-most-spoken-languages-around-world|url-status=dead}}

The Southern Cone is also known to have high English proficiency compared to other South American countries. This language is spoken in the Falkland Islands, a British Overseas Territory (disputed by Argentina).

Polish, Dutch and Ukrainian are also spoken in Southern Brazil. Dutch is spoken in Chile as well, and Ukrainian is used in Argentina as well. Croatian and other Slavic languages are also spoken in the southernmost areas of Chilean Patagonia, reflecting patterns of immigration and settlement. Yiddish can be heard mainly in Buenos Aires, Argentina and São Paulo, Brazil. In Brazil, Japanese is spoken by immigrant communities in the states of São Paulo and Paraná. By descendants in Argentina and Chile, Welsh is spoken by descendants of immigrants in the Patagonia region.

Comparison of selected words

Below there are selected words to show vocabulary in the dialects of the countries of the Southern Cone and other Spanish-speaking countries in South America and the dialect of Portuguese spoken in Brazil.

{{Main|Demographics of the Southern Cone}}

Image:Southern cone density.png

File:Southern Cone at night.jpg

Image:CS_aglo.png

The population of Argentina, Chile and Uruguay is 40, 16.8 and 3.6 million respectively. Buenos Aires is the largest metropolitan area at 13.1 million and Santiago, Chile has 6.4 million. Uruguay's capital and largest city, Montevideo, has 1.8 million, and it receives many visitors on ferry boats across the Río de la Plata from Buenos Aires, {{convert|200|km|mi|abbr=on}} away.

By contrast, the Patagonia region of southern Chile and Argentina is very sparsely populated, with a population density of less than two people per square kilometer.

File:Ethnic map of Argentina and Uruguay.png

The population of the Southern Cone has been strongly influenced by waves of immigration from Europe in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. People of direct European descent, make up 88% of total population of Uruguay, 85% of the total population of Argentina and 65% of the total population of Chile. The remainder of the population in these countries consists predominantly of mestizos with a significant proportion of European ancestry.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LcabJ98-t1wC&pg=PA93 |title=Composición Étnica de las Tres Áreas Culturales del Continente Americano al Comienzo del Siglo XXI|isbn=978-970-757-052-8|language=es|author1=Fernández, Francisco Lizcano|year=2007|publisher=Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México }}[http://www.umng.edu.co/www/resources/idsocial.doc SOCIAL IDENTITY Marta Fierro Social Psychologist.] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090225203250/http://www.umng.edu.co/www/resources/idsocial.doc |date=February 25, 2009 }}{{unreliable source?|date=November 2020}}{{in lang|es}} [http://www.iidh.ed.cr/comunidades/diversidades/docs/div_docpublicaciones/Derecho%Braziliana/Cap.%202.%20Pensar%20a%20los%20indios,%20tarea%20de%20criollos.pdf massive immigration of European Argentina Uruguay Chile Brazil]{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{unreliable source?|date=November 2020}}{{cite journal |last1=Waiss |first1=Oscar |title=La literatura hispanoamericana y el exilio |trans-title=Spanish American literature and exile |language=es |journal=Anales de Literatura Hispanoamericana |volume=12 |year=1983 |pages=228–234 |url=https://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/ALHI/article/download/ALHI8383110228A/24330 }} In São Paulo, Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, and Santa Catarina self-identified white people are 61.3%; 70.0%; 82.3%; and 86.8% of the population respectively, with people of Italian, Polish and German ancestry predominating.{{cite web|url=http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/estatistica/populacao/condicaodevida/indicadoresminimos/sinteseindicsociais2010/SIS_2010.pdf|date=15 September 2010|title=Síntese de Indicadores Sociais | Uma Análise das Condições de Vida da População Brasileira 2010|access-date=12 July 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120104153035/http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/estatistica/populacao/condicaodevida/indicadoresminimos/sinteseindicsociais2010/SIS_2010.pdf|archive-date=4 January 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://www.immigrazione-altoadige.net/personal/ensayo/migraciones/italiani%20sudamerica.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110221195630/http://www.immigrazione-altoadige.net/personal/ensayo/migraciones/italiani%20sudamerica.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=2011-02-21|title=Immigrazione Italiana nell'America del Sud (Argentina, Uruguay e Brasile)|first=Miguel|last=Angel García|year=2003}}{{cite journal |last1=Levy |first1=Maria Stella Ferreira |title=O papel da migração internacional na evolução da população brasileira (1872 a 1972) |journal=Revista de Saúde Pública |date=June 1974 |volume=8 |pages=49–90 |doi=10.1590/S0034-89101974000500003 |doi-access=free }}

Italians started to emigrate to the Southern Cone as early as the second half of the 17th century,{{cite web |url=http://www.oni.escuelas.edu.ar/olimpi98/BajarondelosBarcos/Colectividades/Italia/itaprin.htm |title=Colectividad Italiana |access-date=2011-09-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140612125453/http://www.oni.escuelas.edu.ar/olimpi98/BajarondelosBarcos/Colectividades/Italia/itaprin.htm |archive-date=2014-06-12 }} and it became a mass phenomenon between 1880 and 1920 when Italy was facing social and economic disturbances.[http://www.oni.escuelas.edu.ar/olimpi98/BajarondelosBarcos/frames.htm O.N.I.-Department of Education of Argentina] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915043427/http://www.oni.escuelas.edu.ar/olimpi98/BajarondelosBarcos/frames.htm |date=2008-09-15 }} As a consequence of mass Italian immigration, the Southern Cone has the largest Italian diaspora in the world, with people of Italian descent being the majority in many places, with the highest percentage being in Argentina (62.5% Italian),{{cite web|url =http://infouniversidades.siu.edu.ar/noticia.php?titulo=historias_de_inmigrantes_italianos_en_argentina&id=1432#.U2cKkYHa70s |title=Historias de inmigrantes italianos en Argentina |date=14 November 2011 |author =Departamento de Derecho y Ciencias Políticas de la Universidad Nacional de La Matanza |publisher=infouniversidades.siu.edu.ar |language=es |quote=Se estima que en la actualidad, el 90% de la población argentina tiene alguna ascendencia europea y que al menos 25 millones están relacionados con algún inmigrante de Italia.}} and in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina (60% Italian).{{cite web |url=http://www.italianossa.com.br/estatistica.asp |title=Imigração italiana por Estados e Regiões do Brasil |access-date=2 December 2014 |archive-date=29 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129031845/http://www.italianossa.com.br/estatistica.asp |url-status=dead }} Among all Italians who immigrated to Brazil, 70% went to the State of São Paulo. In consequence, the State of São Paulo has more people with Italian ancestry than any region of Italy itself,{{cite web|first=Liésio|last=Pereira|url=http://www.radiobras.gov.br/especiais/saopaulo450/sp450_mat10_2004.htm|title=A capital paulista tem sotaque italiano|language=pt|publisher=radiobras.gov.br|access-date=10 September 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060728203731/http://www.radiobras.gov.br/especiais/saopaulo450/sp450_mat10_2004.htm|archive-date=28 July 2006}} with São Paulo city being the most populous city with Italian ancestry in the world,{{Cite web |title=Brazil – the Country and its People |url=http://www.brazil.org.uk/resources/documents/bs-primary03.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021152752/http://www.brazil.org.uk/resources/documents/bs-primary03.pdf |archive-date=October 21, 2014 |access-date=November 26, 2014 |publisher=www.brazil.org.uk}} of the 10 million inhabitants of São Paulo city, 60% (6 million people) have full or partial Italian ancestry (the largest city of Italy is Rome, with 2.5 million inhabitants).{{cite web|url=http://www.radiobras.gov.br/especiais/saopaulo450/sp450_mat10_2004.htm|language=pt|title=A capital paulista tem sotaque italiano|last=Pereira|first=Liésio|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080623002947/http://www.radiobras.gov.br/especiais/saopaulo450/sp450_mat10_2004.htm|archive-date=2008-06-23}}{{Cite web |title=Tudo sobre São Paulo SP |url=http://www.encontrasaopaulo.com.br/sobre-sao-paulo.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160323153154/http://www.encontrasaopaulo.com.br/sobre-sao-paulo.html |archive-date=March 23, 2016 |access-date=March 25, 2016 |publisher=EncontraSP}} Small towns, such as Nova Veneza, have as much as 95% of their population of Italian descent.{{Cite web|url=http://www.portalveneza.com.br/a_cidade.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080819191657/http://www.portalveneza.com.br/a_cidade.php|url-status=dead|title=Nova Veneza (in Portuguese)|archive-date=August 19, 2008}}

The region also has a large German diaspora (second largest after the United States),{{cite web|author=Wilhelm Bleek |url=http://www.bpb.de/wissen/08937231579775312662617270950640,1,0,Auslandsdeutsche.html#art1 |title=Auslandsdeutsche |trans-title=Germans abroad |language=de |publisher=German Federal Agency for Civic Education |date=2003 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110310052559/http://www.bpb.de/wissen/08937231579775312662617270950640%2C1%2C0%2CAuslandsdeutsche.html |archive-date=2011-03-10 }} with People of German descent being 25% of the population of Rio Grande do Sul and 35% of the population of Santa Catarina.{{cite web|url=https://estado.rs.gov.br/final-da-copa-tem-torcida-especial-de-descendentes-de-alemaes-e-imigrantes-argentinos-no-estado|language=pt|title=Final da Copa tem torcida especial de descendentes de alemães e imigrantes argentinos no Estado

|year=2014}}{{cite web|title=Santa Catarina|url=http://www.cbo2015.com.br/temas/cbo2015/arquivos/hospedagem/santa-catarina.pdf|publisher=O Estado de S. Paulo|language=pt|year=2015}} Residents of German descent even predominate in South Chile due to German colonization of Valdivia, Osorno and Llanquihue.

Mestizos make up 15.8% of the population and are a majority in Paraguay. Native Americans make up 3% of the population, living in communities in Araucanía region in Chile. Mulattoes (people of European and African ancestry) mostly in Uruguay (0.2%), and Asians (1.0%), mostly in Argentina, the remaining 1.2%.[https://books.google.com/books?id=GZBnvD3b_qQC&pg=PA238 Historia de las repúblicas de la Plata], Manuel González Llana

There is also a strong Arab presence in the Southern Cone, with people of full or at least partial Arab ancestry being 5% of the population of Uruguay and Chile, 9.8% of the population of Brazil, and 11% of the population of Argentina.{{cite web|date=10 October 2013|access-date=7 January 2021|work=International Business Times|title=Arabs In The Andes? Chile, The Unlikely Long-Term Home Of A Large Palestinian Community|url=https://www.ibtimes.com/arabs-andes-chile-unlikely-long-term-home-large-palestinian-community-1449718#:~:text=On%20the%20whole%2C%20some%20800%2C000,percent%20of%20the%20total%20population.}}{{cite web|url=https://www.lorientlejour.com/article/1710/Les_Libanais_d%2527Uruguay%252C_la_troisieme_communaute_du_pays_apres_les_Espagnols_et_les_Italiens.html|year=2008|title=Les Libanais d'Uruguay, la troisième communauté du pays après les Espagnols et les Italiens

|language=fr|publisher=L'Orient-Le Jour}}{{cite web|url=http://www.fearab.org.ar/inmigracion_sirio_libanesa_en_argentina.php |title=Inmigración sirio-libanesa en Argentina |language=es |publisher=Fearab.org.ar |access-date=13 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100620004217/http://www.fearab.org.ar/inmigracion_sirio_libanesa_en_argentina.php |archive-date=20 June 2010 }} Brazil has the largest number of Arabs outside the Middle East, with 20 million Brazilians being descendants of Arabs,{{cite book|author=Silvia Ferabolli|title=Arab Regionalism: A Post-Structural Perspective|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R5CbBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA151|date=25 September 2014|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-65803-0|page=151|quote=According to estimates by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), countersigned by the League of Arab States, Brazil has the largest Arab colony outside their countries of origin. There are estimated 15 million Arabs living in Brazil today, with some researchers suggesting numbers around 20 million.}}{{cite book|author=Paul Amar|title=The Middle East and Brazil: Perspectives on the New Global South|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XGKuCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA40|date=15 July 2014|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=978-0-253-01496-2|page=40|quote=there are, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, more than sixteen million Arabs and descendants of Arabs in Brazil, constituting the largest community of Arabs descent outside of the Middle East.}} while the Palestinian community in Chile is considered the largest outside the Arab world.{{citation|periodical=El Economista|url=http://ecodiario.eleconomista.es/sociedad/noticias/1028142/02/09/Los-palestinos-miran-con-esperanza-su-futuro-en-Chile-sin-olvidar-Gaza-e-Irak.html|date=2009-02-11|access-date=2009-07-29|title=Los palestinos miran con esperanza su futuro en Chile sin olvidar Gaza e Irak}}

Since interethnic marriages are widespread in Latin America, complex ethnic classifications emerged, including more than a dozen of "racial" categories created in 18th century Hispanic America, with notorious examples being castizo, morisco and {{lang|es|cambujo}}. In Brazil, about 190 "racial" categories were detected by the Census of 1976.{{cite journal |last1=Salzano |first1=Francisco M |title=Interethnic variability and admixture in Latin America - social implications |journal=Revista de Biología Tropical |date=24 July 2014 |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=405–15 |doi=10.15517/rbt.v1i2.15273 |pmid=17361535 |doi-access=free }}

A study conducted on 218 individuals in 2010 by the Argentine geneticist Daniel Corach, has established that the genetic map of Argentina is composed of 79% different European ethnicities (mainly Spanish and Italian ethnicities), 18% of different indigenous ethnicities, and 4.3% of African ethnic groups, in which 63.6% of the tested group had at least one ancestor who was Indigenous.{{cite journal |last1=Corach |first1=Daniel |last2=Lao |first2=Oscar |last3=Bobillo |first3=Cecilia |last4=Van Der Gaag |first4=Kristiaan |last5=Zuniga |first5=Sofia |last6=Vermeulen |first6=Mark |last7=Van Duijn |first7=Kate |last8=Goedbloed |first8=Miriam |last9=Vallone |first9=Peter M. |last10=Parson |first10=Walther |last11=De Knijff |first11=Peter |last12=Kayser |first12=Manfred |date=January 2010 |title=Inferring Continental Ancestry of Argentines from Autosomal, Y-Chromosomal and Mitochondrial DNA: Genetic Ancestry in Extant Argentines |journal=Annals of Human Genetics |volume=74 |issue=1 |pages=65–76 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-1809.2009.00556.x |pmid=20059473 |s2cid=5908692 |hdl-access=free |hdl=11336/14301}}{{cite journal |last1=Avena |first1=Sergio A. |last2=Goicoechea |first2=Alicia S. |last3=Rey |first3=Jorge |last4=Dugoujon |first4=Jean M. |last5=Dejean |first5=Cristina B. |last6=Carnese |first6=Francisco R. |date=April 2006 |title=Mezcla génica en una muestra poblacional de la ciudad de Buenos Aires |trans-title=Gene mixture in a population sample from Buenos Aires City |url=http://www.scielo.org.ar/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0025-76802006000200004 |journal=Medicina (Buenos Aires) |language=es |volume=66 |issue=2 |pages=113–118 |pmid=16715758}}

An autosomal DNA study from 2009 found the composition of the Argentine population to be 78.5% European, 17.3% Amerindian, and 4.2% Sub-Saharan African (SSA). Blacks made up 25% of the population of Buenos Aires in 1810, 1822 and 1838. In 1887, the government decided to cease asking Argentine citizens about their race. According to Laura López, it was a way to "hide" the Black population, not only from the Census, but also from public opinion.{{cite web|url=http://www.clarin.com/diario/2005/04/02/sociedad/s-04815.htm|title=Negros en el país: censan cuántos hay y cómo viven|last=Clarin.com|date=2 April 2005|access-date=13 April 2012|archive-date=13 April 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090413152641/http://www.clarin.com/diario/2005/04/02/sociedad/s-04815.htm|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Argentina.html|title=Argentina|first=Ben|last=Cahoon|website=www.worldstatesmen.org}}

Multiple studies concluded that Whites make 50-65% of the Chilean population and the CIA concluded that 89% are Whites, Castizos and Mestizos.{{cite web |title=5.2.6. Estructura racial |url=http://mazinger.sisib.uchile.cl/repositorio/lb/ciencias_quimicas_y_farmaceuticas/medinae/cap2/5b6.html |work=La Universidad de Chile |access-date=2007-08-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016124831/http://mazinger.sisib.uchile.cl/repositorio/lb/ciencias_quimicas_y_farmaceuticas/medinae/cap2/5b6.html |archive-date=2007-10-16}} ([http://mazinger.sisib.uchile.cl/repositorio/lb/ciencias_quimicas_y_farmaceuticas/medinae/ Main page] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090916211140/http://mazinger.sisib.uchile.cl/repositorio/lb/ciencias_quimicas_y_farmaceuticas/medinae/ |date=2009-09-16 }}){{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/chile/ |title=The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency |website=www.cia.gov |date=12 January 2022}}{{cite journal |last1=Fuentes |first1=Macarena |last2=Pulgar |first2=Iván |last3=Gallo |first3=Carla |last4=Bortolini |first4=María-Cátira |last5=Canizales-Quinteros |first5=Samuel |last6=Bedoya |first6=Gabriel |last7=González-José |first7=Rolando |last8=Ruiz-Linares |first8=Andrés |last9=Rothhammer |first9=Francisco |date=March 2014 |title=Geografía génica de Chile: Distribución regional de los aportes genéticos americanos, europeos y africanos |trans-title=Gene geography of Chile: regional distribution of American, European and African genetic contributions |journal=Revista médica de Chile |language=es |volume=142 |issue=3 |pages=281–289 |doi=10.4067/S0034-98872014000300001 |pmid=25052264 |doi-access=free |hdl-access=free |hdl=10183/118734}} The use of mitochondrial DNA and Y chromosome test results show the following: The European component is predominant (91.0%, versus 9.0% of the aboriginal one) in the Chilean upper class,{{cite journal |last1=Zemelman |first1=Viviana |last2=von Beck |first2=Petra |last3=Alvarado |first3=Orlando |last4=Valenzuela |first4=Carlos Y |date=August 2002 |title=Dimorfismo sexual en la pigmentación de la piel, color de ojos y pelo y presencia de pecas en adolescentes chilenos en dos estratos socioeconómicos |trans-title=Sexual dimorphism in skin, eye and hair color and the presence of freckles in Chilean teenagers from two socioeconomic strata |journal=Revista médica de Chile |language=es |volume=130 |issue=8 |pages=879–84 |doi=10.4067/S0034-98872002000800006 |pmid=12360796 |doi-access=free}} the middle classes, 66.8%-62.3% European component{{cite journal |last1=Acuña |first1=M |last2=Jorquera |first2=H |last3=Cifuentes |first3=L |last4=Armanet |first4=L |date=30 June 2002 |title=Frequency of the hypervariable DNA loci D18S849, D3S1744, D12S1090 and D1S80 in a mixed ancestry population of Chilean blood donors |url=http://www.funpecrp.com.br/gmr/year2002/vol2-1/gmr0004_abstract.htm |journal=Genetics and Molecular Research |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=139–46 |pmid=14963840 |hdl=2250/163988}} and 37.7%-33.2 of mixed aboriginal{{Cite journal |author1=M. Acuña |author2=H. Jorquera |author3=L. Cifuentes |author4=L. Armanet |date=2002 |title=Frequency of the hypervariable DNA loci D18S849, D3S1744, D12S1090 and D1S80 in a mixed ancestry population of Chilean blood donors |url=http://www.funpecrp.com.br/gmr/year2002/vol2-1/gmr0004_full_text.htm |journal=Genet. Mol. Res. |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=139–146 |issn=1676-5680}} and lower classes at 55–52.9% European component and 47.1%-45% mix of Aboriginal.

A DNA study from 2009, published in the American Journal of Human Biology, showed the genetical composition of Uruguay to be mainly European, but with Native American (which varies from 1% to 20% in different parts of the country) and also SSA (7% to 15% in different parts of the country).{{cite journal |last1=Bonilla |first1=Carolina |last2=Bertoni |first2=Bernardo |last3=González |first3=Susana |last4=Cardoso |first4=Horacio |last5=Brum-Zorrilla |first5=Nadir |last6=Sans |first6=Mónica |title=Substantial native American female contribution to the population of Tacuarembó, Uruguay, reveals past episodes of sex-biased gene flow |journal=American Journal of Human Biology |date=2004 |volume=16 |issue=3 |pages=289–297 |doi=10.1002/ajhb.20025 |pmid=15101054 |s2cid=34341356 }}

Similar to the rest of Latin America, the genetic ancestry of the population of the Southern Cone reflects the history of the continent: the Iberian colonizers were mostly men who arrived without women. European immigration to this part of the world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries [http://www.oni.escuelas.edu.ar/olimpi98/fronterasculturales/datos/cap-pop.html Juan Bialet Massé en su informe sobre "El estado de las clases obreras en el interior del país"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927103010/http://www.oni.escuelas.edu.ar/olimpi98/fronterasculturales/datos/cap-pop.html |date=September 27, 2011 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.cepal.org/es/publicaciones/2394-etnicidad-y-ciudadania-en-america-latina-la-accion-colectiva-de-los-pueblos|title=Etnicidad y ciudadanía en América Latina: la acción colectiva de los pueblos indígenas|first=Comisión Económica para América Latina y el|last=Caribe|date=27 October 2014|website=www.cepal.org|access-date=2016-05-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170901022609/http://www.cepal.org/es/publicaciones/2394-etnicidad-y-ciudadania-en-america-latina-la-accion-colectiva-de-los-pueblos|archive-date=2017-09-01|url-status=dead}} brought more European and Middle Eastern components to the local population.

File:Human Development Index of Southern Cone Subregions..png

The Southern Cone is the most prosperous region in Latin America. The region has relatively high standard of living and quality of life. Chile's, Argentina's, and Uruguay's HDIs — (0.860), (0.849) and (0.830) — are the highest in Latin America, similar to European countries like Croatia, Portugal, Slovakia, Hungary or Romania. {{cite web|url=https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/specific-country-data#/countries/URY|title=Human Development Report 2021/2022|language=en|publisher=United Nations Development Programme|date=8 September 2022|access-date=16 November 2023}}

The region has a high life expectancy, and access to health care and education.{{cite web|url=http://www.hiru.com/es/geografia/geografia_05000.html|title=El Cono Sur|language=es|date=4 September 2006|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060904085421/http://www.hiru.com/es/geografia/geografia_05000.html|archive-date=4 September 2006}} In Uruguay, illiteracy technically does not exist.

From an economic point of view, the Southern Cone countries has been praised for being the most Libertarian and pro Free market in Latin America that gave them the profile of "emerging economies".

Crime rate is significantly lower in this region compared other countries in Latin America.

Since the return to democracy, Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay have experienced significant democratic stability. After enduring military dictatorships during the 1970s and 1980s, each country transitioned to democratic governance, leading to a more open and participatory political environment.

! Country

! GDP per
capita
(PPP){{cite web |url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2014/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=57&pr.y=10&sy=2015&ey=2015&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=311%2C336%2C213%2C263%2C313%2C268%2C316%2C343%2C339%2C273%2C218%2C278%2C223%2C283%2C228%2C288%2C233%2C293%2C238%2C361%2C321%2C362%2C243%2C364%2C248%2C366%2C253%2C369%2C328%2C298%2C258%2C299&s=PPPPC&grp=0&a= |title= World Economic Outlook Database|date=October 2014 |website=imf.org |publisher=International Monetary Fund |access-date=February 15, 2015}}
(2015 estimates)
USD

! Income
equality{{cite web|url=http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI/|title=UNDP}}
(2015)
Gini index

! Human
Develop.{{cite web|title=Table 1: Human Development Index Trends|url=http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/hdr_2015_statistical_annex.pdf|access-date=2015-12-15| author=UNDP Human Development Report 2015 Update}} page 25–26
(2014 estimates)
HDI

! Environmental
Perform.{{cite web |title=Environmental Performance Index 2014 |url=http://epi.yale.edu/epi |access-date=2015-02-15 |publisher=Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy; Center for International Earth Science Information Network at Columbia University |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140126083909/http://epi.yale.edu/epi |archive-date=2014-01-26 }}
(2014)
EPI !! Failed States Index{{cite web|url=http://ffp.statesindex.org/rankings-2014 |title=Failed States Index Scores 2014 |publisher=The Fund for Peace |date=2015-02-15 |access-date=2015-02-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150215183647/http://ffp.statesindex.org/rankings-2014 |archive-date=February 15, 2015 }}
2014 !! Lack of Corruption{{cite web|url=http://www.transparency.org/cpi2014/results/|title=How corrupt is your country?|first=Transparency International|last=e.V.|website=www.transparency.org|access-date=2015-02-16|archive-date=2018-07-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180718083411/https://www.transparency.org/cpi2014/results|url-status=dead}}
2014 !! Economic Freedom
2015 !! Peace
2014 !! Democracy{{cite web|url=http://graphics.eiu.com/PDF/Democracy_Index_2010_web.pdf |title=Democracy Index 2010 |access-date=2011-01-07}}
2010

{{See also|Politics of Argentina|Politics of Chile|Politics of Uruguay}}

During the second half of 20th century, these countries were in some periods ruled by right-wing juntas, military nationalistic dictatorships.

Around the 1970s, these regimes collaborated in Plan Cóndor against leftist opposition, including urban guerrillas.{{cite web | url = http://www.el-universal.com.mx/editoriales/34023.html | author = Victor Flores Olea | title = Editoriales - El Universal - 10 de abril 2006 : Operacion Condor | publisher = El Universal (Mexico) | access-date = 2009-03-24 | language = es | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070628021303/http://www.el-universal.com.mx/editoriales/34023.html | archive-date = 2007-06-28 | url-status = dead }}

However, by the early 1980s Argentina and Uruguay restored their democracies; Chile followed suit in 1990.

Timeline of presidents

• Caribbean South America
• The Guianas
• Northern Mexico
• Northern Triangle of Central America

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{{Reflist}}

• {{Commons category-inline}}

{{Regions of the world}}

{{Authority control}}