The term "Latin America" is used to describe the region of the Americas where the primary languages are Romance languages—mainly Spanish, Portuguese, and French—that descend from Latin. This area includes Mexico, Central and South America, and some Caribbean islands. The name was coined to emphasize the shared linguistic and cultural heritage stemming from the conquest and colonization by Spain and Portugal starting in the late 15th century. French influence also played a role in popularizing the term, especially in the 19th century, as a way to distinguish the region from Anglo-Saxon America (English- speaking countries like the US and Canada) and to highlight a common "Latin" cultural identity linked to Romance languages. The term originated in the mid-1800s and was notably used by the Chilean politician Francisco Bilbao in a Paris conference in 1856, and gained further prominence during the 1860s under French Emperor Napoleon III, who sought to justify French intervention in Mexico based on shared Latin roots with the region. Thus, the designation "Latin America" reflects this linguistic and colonial legacy rather than the direct use of the Latin language itself.