Spanish Language Overview

As an Iberian Romance language, alongside Galician, Portuguese, and Catalan, Spanish traces its roots to Latin, introduced to the Iberian Peninsula during the Roman conquest in the 3rd-2nd centuries BC. King Alfonso established Castilian as the official administrative language in the 13th century, solidifying its position as the primary language in what is now Spain. Despite this, other Latin languages like Galician, Catalan, and Basque continue to maintain relevance and significant usage in the region.

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After the fall of the Roman empire, there has been no Europe-based empire extending outside the continent.

The Spanish Empire was one of the largest empires in history.

It is the second most spoken language in the world, next to Mandarin Chinese. It is also the third most studied language in the world.

There are 21 Spanish-speaking countries in the world. It is the official language or the de facto language of Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

Thus, there is a significant Spanish-speaking population in the world. 

In the USA, Over 50 million people speak Spanish as their native or second language.

1. Español Mexicano y Centroamericano – Spoken in Mexico, Central America and USA.
2. Español Andino – Spoken in Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, and parts of Bolivia and Venezuela.
3. Español Rioplatense – Spoken in Argentina and Uruguay.
4. Español Caribeño – Spoken in the Caribbean region (Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, as well as in Panama, Venezuela, and the Caribbean coast of Colombia).
5. Español Chileno – Spoken in Chile
6. Español Filipino – Spoken in the Philippines.
7. Español Ibérico (o Español Europeo) – Spoken in Spain and neighboring countries. Spanish (Castilian), spoken by about 99% of Spaniards as a first or second language, Catalan / Valencian is spoken by 17%, Galician by 7%, and Basque by 2% of the population in Spain.

Compared to other languages, the difference in Spanish dialects around the world is not challenging to master. Spanish speakers from different countries can still communicate effectively without knowing the specific vernacular tongue.