1. Countries that make up the region: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Venezuela.
2. Population: 588,649,000 (2010)
   Urban population: 79.6% (2010)
3. GDP: US$ 2,760,840.9 millions (2010)
   GDP per capita: US$ 4,789.2 (2010)
   Unemployment: 7.6% (2010)
4. Politics and society: In addition to speaking Latin-based languages, the countries of Latin America share a common past characterized by colonial pressure from European powers and the marked geopolitical influence of the US, as well as a long history of political instability and a present focused on democratic strengthening, in a continual struggle to overcome the scourges of poverty, social inequality and violence.
5. Internet penetration: 34.5% (2010)
   Mobile phone penetration: 90% (2010)
6. Illiteracy: 8.3% age15+ (2010)
7. Publishing industry: The traditional industry has considerable magnitude in the region, in spite of piracy and other growing problems such as low demand. In the survey carried out by the Regional Centre for the Promotion of Books in Latin America and the Caribbean (CERLALC ) in 2009, 50% of publishing companies claimed their sales had increased (67%: 2008), while 26% acknowledged that they had fallen. One of the best performing sectors was that of children’s and teenage literature, along with travel guides. Bookstores show an increasing tendency to cater to demand from their clients through the Internet (35%). With regard to pricing policies, Argentina is the only country in the region to operate with fixed prices. Mexico has passed the fixed-price law but it is not being properly enforced since the corresponding regulations have yet to be drawn up.

Sources: Anuario estadístico de América Latina y el Caribe, December 2010; Cepal; Cuent, David: “América Latina es el segundo mercado de celulares más grande del mundo”, BBC Mundo, 7th October, 2010; Internet World Stats, “Internet usage statistics”, (2010), Internet World Stats; CERLALC.