Countries That Speak Spanish

If you think Spanish is only spoken in Spain and Mexico, we would urge you to think again. Believe it or not, there are 21 nations in this world where Spanish is highly popular, and is also the official language. More than 450 million people in this world speak this language, and there are also more who are learning it.

In fact, it's the second most popular foreign language that people are learning after English. It is also the third most widely spoken language after English and Chinese. Be it USA, Europe, countries in South America, or Mexico, the population of people speaking Spanish is increasing every day. In USA, Spanish speaking people are the largest minority groups.

Before we talk about the countries, let us learn a bit more about the history of this language. It originated from the Vulgar Latin, which the Romans introduced in the Iberian Peninsula during the Second Punic War around 210 BCE.

It was also influenced by some of the local languages, like Celtiberian, Basque, and some parts of Arabic. It is a branch of the Indo-European family and also a part of the Italic language sub family.

The modern version developed during the 15th century, and even now, it adopts foreign words and also develops new words. It spread to other parts of the world when Spain set up colonies in Africa, South America and also parts of the Asia Pacific. Now, it is the third most popular language, and is also one of the six official languages of the United Nations.

Although spoken in many countries, this language is spoken with a variety of dialects. The style in Mexico is very different from the style in Spain. Similarly, the Hispanic population in North America speaks differently. The style spoken in Latin America and South America is definitely very different.

Along with the dialect, the vocabulary of this lovely language is also different in different places. For instance, in Spain, the word computer is called 'el ordenador', while in Latin America, it is called 'la computadora'. Also, in Spain, the 'you-plural' form is called 'vosotros/as', while in other places, the word 'ustedes' is commonly used.

Again, in Spain, the word earring is called 'arete', and in Mexico, it's called 'pendiente'. Similarly, the word monkey is called 'mono' in Spain, and 'chango' in Mexico. It is to be noted that while the vocabulary and terminology differ, the grammar is almost the same. The list of countries that speak Spanish are given ahead, along with their capitals.

There are several countries in South America where this dialect is spoken as an official language. They include:

• Quito, Ecuador
• Asuncion, Paraguay
• Lima, Peru
• Caracas, Venezuela
• Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Santiago, Chile
• Bogota, Colombia
• Montevideo, Uruguay
• La Paz, Bolivia

Here are some countries where this is the first language.

• Havana, Cuba
• Mexico City, Mexico
• Panama City, Panama
• Managua, Nicaragua
• Guatemala City, Guatemala
• San Salvador, El Salvador
• San Jose, Costa Rica
• Tegucigalpa, Honduras
• Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
• San Juan, Puerto Rico

Unbelievably, some places in Africa speak this language as well. Unlike South, Central, and North America, there is only one country in Africa, where it is the official language of the people. It is the Equatorial Guinea in West Africa, and its capital is Malabo. Besides, French is also one of the official language in some of the countries of Africa.

The first name that comes into everyone's mind while talking about Europe, of course where else but Spain, where Spanish is the first language and the official language, and it's capital is Madrid. There are some more countries where people speak it too, though it is not the official one.

The countries are:

• Ankara, Turkey
• Washington, DC, USA
• London, UK
• Kingston, Jamaica
• Wellington, New Zealand
• Beijing, China
• Moscow, Russia
• Helsinki, Finland
• Bern, Switzerland
• Athens, Greece

• Brasilia, Brazil
• Tokyo, Japan
• Paris, France
• Ottawa, Canada
• Berlin, Germany
• Andorra
• Belize
• Gibraltar

Remember that this tongue is spoken in these countries only by the minority groups. However, it is widely spoken in the Philippines, as well as some parts of Trinidad.

Slowly, it will become more popular with so many people learning it due to various reasons; the way it sounds, the sweetness of it, and of course, to be able to talk to the dark-eyed, dark-haired, and good-looking guys ... and yes girls too! So, adios people!