Spanish and Latin American Culture

The Spanish language is the second most-common language in the United States after English. There are more Spanish speakers in the U.S. than there are speakers of Chinese, French, Hawaiian, and the Native American languages combined. According to the 2007 American Community Survey conducted by the United States Census Bureau, Spanish is the primary language spoken at home by over 34 million people aged 5 or older. (source: Wikipedia)

United States of America
Location: North America
Status: UN Member Country
Capital City: Washington, DC
Main Cities: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco
Population: 260,513,000
Area: 9,372,610 km2
Currency: 1 US dollar = 100 cents
Languages: English, Spanish, and over 30 others
Religions: Protestant, Roman Catholic, Judaism
 

Not all U.S. Hispanics speak Spanish, of course, but almost all U.S. Spanish speakers are Hispanic, and the Hispanic population is growing rapidly. In 1989, the nation's Hispanic population was estimated to be 20.1 million, a 39 percent increase over the 1980 Census figure of 14.5 million. The rate of increase for the total U.S. population was 9.5 percent, but for the non-Hispanic population it was 7.5 percent. Hispanics were 8.2 percent of the population in 1989, compared to 6.5 percent in 1980 (Hispanic Policy Development Project, 1990). 

The Hispanic Policy Development Project (HPDP, 1990) has projected the following U.S. Hispanic population figures: 

1990: 22,024,000 
1995: 27,692,000, and 
2000: 34,818,000. 

Due to immigration and natural increase, the number of U.S. Spanish speakers will continue to grow (for example, Word, 1989), but the recent study by Veltman (1988) sharply contradicts the widespread impression that Hispanic immigrants to the United States resist learning English.  (source: ERICDigests.org)

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Spanish is the national language of the following countries:

Europe

Spain (Reino de España)
Status: UN Member Country
Capital City: Madrid
Main Cities: Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Zaragoza
Population: 39,214,000
Area: 504,780 km2
Currency: 1 euro = 100 cents
Languages: Spanish, Basque, Galician, Catalan
Religions: Roman Catholic

 

Africa

Equatorial Guinea (República de Guinea Ecuatorial)
Location: West Africa
Status: UN Member Country
Capital City: Malabo
Main Cities: Bata
Population: 389,000
Area: 28,050 km2
Currency: 1 CFA franc = 100 centimes (no longer used)
Languages: Spanish, Fang, Bubi, English
Religions: Roman Catholic

 

North and Central America

México (Estados Unidos Mexicanos)
Location: North America
Status: UN Member Country
Capital City: Mexico City
Main Cities: Guadalajara, Monterrey, Puebla
Population: 91,840,000
Area: 1,958,200 km2
Currency: 1 Mexican peso = 100 centavos
Languages: Spanish
Religions: Roman Catholic  

Costa Rica (República de Costa Rica)
Location: Central America
Status: UN Member Country
Capital City: San José
Main Cities: Alajuela, Cartago
Population: 3,347,000
Area: 51,100 km2
Currency: 1 colón = 100 céntimos
Languages: Spanish
Religions: Roman Catholic

 

Cuba (República de Cuba)
Location: Caribbean
Status: UN Member Country
Capital City: Havana (La Habana)
Main Cities: Santiago de Cuba, Camagüey
Population: 11,000,000
Area: 110,860 km2
Currency: 1 Cuban peso = 100 centavos
Languages: Spanish
Religions: Roman Catholic

 

Dominican Republic (República Dominicana)
Location: Caribbean
Status: UN Member Country
Capital City: Santo Domingo
Main Cities: Santiago de los Caballeros, La Vega
Population: 7,769,000
Area: 48,730 km2
Currency: 1 Dominican peso = 100 centavos
Languages: Spanish
Religions: Roman Catholic

 

El Salvador (República de El Salvador)
Location: Central America
Status:
Capital City: San Salvador
Main Cities: 
Population: 6,200,000
Area: 21,040 km2
Currency: 1 US dollar = 100 cents (The Colón  dropped in 2001)

 

 

Guatemala (República de Guatemala)
Location: Central America
Status: UN Member Country
Capital City: Guatemala City (Guatemala)
Main Cities: Quezaltenango, Puertos Barrios, Cobán
Population: 10,322,000
Area: 108,890 km2
Currency: 1 Guatemalan quetzal = 100 centavos
Languages: Spanish, Indian dialects
Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant

 

Honduras (República de Honduras)
Location: Central America
Status: UN Member Country
Capital City: Tegucigalpa
Main Cities: San Pedro Sula, Choluteca, Ceiba
Population: 5,797,000
Area: 112,090 km2
Currency: 1 Honduran lempira = 100 centavos
Languages: Spanish, English, Indian dialects
Religions: Roman Catholic

 

Nicaragua (República de Nicaragua)
Location: Central America
Status: UN Member Country
Capital City: Managua
Main Cities: León, Chinandega
Population: 4,275,000
Area: 130,000 km2
Currency: 1 córdoba oro = 100 centavos
Languages: Spanish
Religions: Roman Catholic

 

Panamá (República de Panamá)
Location: Central America
Status: UN Member Country
Capital City: Panamá City (Panamá)
Main Cities: Colón, David
Population: 2,611,000
Area: 77,080 km2
Currency: 1 balboa = 100 centésimos
Languages: Spanish
Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Muslim

 

Puerto Rico (Commonwealth of Puerto Rico)
Location: Caribbean
Status: US Commonwealth
Capital City: San Juan
Population: 3,658,000
Area: 8900 km2
Currency: 1 US dollar = 100 cents
Languages: Spanish, English

 

 

South America

Argentina (República Argentina)
Location: South America
Status: UN Member Country
Capital City: Buenos Aires
Main Cities: Córdoba, Rosario, Mendoza, Mar del Plata
Population: 33,875,000
Area: 2,766,890 km2
Currency: 1 peso
Languages: Spanish
Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant (more information about Argentina)

 

Bolivia (República de Bolivia)
Location: South America
Status: UN Member Country
Capital City: La Paz
Main Cities: Cochabamba, Oruro, Santa Cruz, Sucre (Judicial Capital)
Population: 7,888,000
Area: 1,098,580 km2
Currency: 1 Bolivian peso = 100 centavos
Languages: Spanish, Quechua, Aymará
Religions: Roman Catholic

 

Chile (República de Chile)
Location: South America
Status: UN Member Country
Capital City: Santiago
Main Cities: Viña del Mar, Valparaiso, Concepción
Population: 14,026,000
Area: 756,950 km2
Currency: 1 Chilean peso = 100 centavos
Languages: Spanish
Religions: Roman Catholic

 

Colombia (República de Colombia)
Location: South America
Status: UN Member Country
Capital City: Bogotá
Main Cities: Medellín, Cali, Barranquilla, Bucaramanga
Population: 34,545,000
Area: 1,138,910 km2
Currency: 1 Colombian peso = 100 centavos
Languages: Spanish, over 100 Indian dialects
Religions: Roman Catholic

 

Ecuador (República del Ecuador)
Location: South America
Status: UN Member Country
Capital City: Quito
Main Cities: Guayaquil, Cuenca
Population: 11,566,000
Area: 283,560 km2
Currency: 1 US dollar = 100 cents
Languages: Spanish, Quechua
Religions: Roman Catholic

 

Paraguay (República del Paraguay)
Location: South America
Status: UN Member Country
Capital City: Asunción
Main Cities: Ciudad del Este, Encarnación
Population: 4,767,000
Area: 406,750 km2
Currency: 1 Paraguayan guaraní = 100 céntimos
Languages: Spanish, Guaraní
Religions: Roman Catholic

 

Peru (República del Perú)
Location: South America
Status: UN Member Country
Capital City: Lima
Main Cities: Arequipa, Lambayeque, Trujillo, Chiclayo
Population: 23,381,000
Area: 1,285,220 km2
Currency: 1 nuevo sol = 100 céntimos
Languages: Spanish, Quechua, Aymará
Religions: Roman Catholic

 

Uruguay (República Oriental del Uruguay)
Location: South America
Status: UN Member Country
Capital City: Montevideo
Main Cities: Salto, Paysandú
Population: 3,167,000
Area: 177,410 km2
Currency: 1 Uruguayan new peso = 100 centésimos
Languages: Spanish
Religions: Roman Catholic

 

Venezuela (República Bolivariana de Venezuela)
Location: South America
Status: UN Member Country
Capital City: Caracas
Main Cities: Maracaibo, Barquisimeto, Valencia
Population: 21,051,000
Area: 912,050 km2
Currency: 1 bolívar = 100 céntimos
Languages: Spanish
Religions: Roman Catholic

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Spanish Language Newspapers