HOMICIDE AND SUICIDE IN LATIN AMERICA AND EUROPE: A SPATIAL INTERPRETATION

To an increasing extent geographers are becoming interested in spatial variation of crime because criminal patterns in many cases tend to mirror other social and cultural characteristics. The task of analyzing spatial distribution of crime is made formidable, however, because many times data are woefully inadequate, especially on a world basis. Thedearth of international criminal statistics is reflected in the fact that not one single world map showing criminal patterns was available for reference in this study. To be sure, data exist. But many of them cannot be used for comparative purposes because of regional differences in both definitions and reporting practices. The most prolific source of statistical information is the United Nations Demographic Yearbook which contains, for many countries, mortality counts for fifty causes including suicide and homicide. Latin American and European nations traditionally have contributed more complete statistics than all other world regions, and it is for this reason that the present study will focus on Latin America and Europe