Up to 40 million natives who speak 420 different native languages are now living on the vast continent of Latin America, local media said Monday citing a recent UNICEF survey.
The survey, conducted by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), showed a total of 522 native villages scattered across Latin America from Mexico to Argentina. Among the 21 countries involved in the survey, Brazil has 247 of the 522 native villages, while El Salvador has the fewest.
The natives account for 10 percent of the whole population of Latin America.
At least 420 different languages are still in use among the natives, including a few that scholars once thought had disappeared already, the survey said.
Together with the survey, the UNICEF also published a book and DVD of the native words and cultures.
Inge Sichra, who was in charge of the project, said the survey was trying to make people know more about the current life of the natives, with a hope of seeking solutions for social inequality. |