20 Spanish speaking locations

MEXICO

• Mexican Spanish is the language as spoken in Mexico and parts of the U.S
• slightly less than three times the size of Texas
• border countries: Belize and  Guatemala
• Terrain: high, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus; desert

Spain

• Terrain: large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills; Pyrenees in north
• Natural hazards: periodic droughts
• Population: 40,491,052
• Languages spoken:  Spanish 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%

COLUMBIA

• Climate: tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands
• Terrain: flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high Andes Mountains, eastern lowland plains
• Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, copper, emeralds, hydropower
• Hazards: highlands subject to volcanic eruptions; occasional earthquakes; periodic droughts

AREGENTINA

• Boarding Countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Chile , Paraguay , and Uruguay 
• Climate: mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest
• Population: 40.482 million
• Languages: Spanish (official), English, Italian, German, French

PERU

• Population: 29,180,900
• hazards: earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, landslides, mild volcanic activity
• The majority of Peruvians speak Peruvian coast Spanish  
• Peruvian independence was declared in 1821

VENEZUELA

• Climate: tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands
• Population: 26,414,816
• Ethnic groups: Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Arab, German, African, indigenous people
• Spanish was introduced to Venezuela by the conquistadors 

ECUADOR

• Climate: tropical along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher elevations; tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands
• Natural hazards: frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity; floods; periodic droughts
• Population: 13,927,650
• Languages: Spanish (official), Amerindian languages (especially Quechua)

CHILE

• Population: 16,454,143
• Climate: temperate; desert in north; Mediterranean in central region; cool and damp in south
• Languages: Spanish
• Natural resources: copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum, hydropower

GUATEMALA

• The Maya civilization flourished in Guatemala and surrounding regions during the first millennium A.D.
• Population: 13,002,206
• Climate: tropical; hot, humid in lowlands; cooler in highlands
• Guatemala won its independence in 1821

CUBA

• discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492   
• Population: 11,423,952
• Environment - current issues: air and water pollution; biodiversity loss; deforestation
• Natural hazards: the east coast is subject to hurricanes from August to October

BOLIVIA

• Bolivia, named after independence fighter Simon BOLIVAR, broke away from Spanish rule in 1825;
• Democratic civilian rule was established in 1982
• Location: Central South America, southwest of Brazil
• slightly less than three times the size of Montana

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

• Explored and claimed by Christopher COLUMBUS on his first voyage in 1492
• Location: Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti
• Climate: tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall
• Ethnic groups: mixed 73%, white 16%, black 11%

HONDURAS

• Once part of Spain's vast empire in the New World, Honduras became an independent nation in 1821
• After two and a half decades of mostly military rule, a freely elected civilian government came to power in 1982
• Climate: subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains
• frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; extremely susceptible to damaging hurricanes and floods along the Caribbean coast

PARAGUAY

• Location: Central South America, northeast of Argentina
• Natural resources: hydropower, timber, iron ore, manganese, limestone
• The unique features of Paraguayan Spanish developed in part due to Paraguay's early isolation
• Languages: Spanish (official), Guarani (official)
• Boarders: Argentina Bolivia, Brazil 

EL SALVADOR

• El Salvador achieved independence from Spain in 1821 and from the Central American Federation in 1839
• Location: Middle America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and Honduras
• Terrain: mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau
• known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes very destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity; extremely susceptible to hurricanes

NICARAAGUA

• The Pacific coast of Nicaragua was settled as a Spanish colony from Panama in the early 16th century
• Independence from Spain was declared in 1821 and the country became an independent republic in 1838
• destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes
• Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8%

COSTA RICA

• disease from mosquito-infested swamps, brutal heat, resistance by natives, and pirate raids
• In 1821, Costa Rica became one of several Central American provinces that jointly declared their independence from Spain
• Middle America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama
• Ethnic groups: white (including mestizo) 94%, black 3%, Amerindian 1%, Chinese 1%, other 1%

PURETO RICO

• The island was claimed by the Spanish Crown in 1493
• slightly less than three times the size of Rhode Island
• Natural hazards: periodic droughts; hurricanes
• white (mostly Spanish origin) 80.5%, black 8%, Amerindian 0.4%, Asian 0.2%, mixed and other 10.9%

PANAMA

• The Panama Canal was built by the US Army Corps of Engineers between 1904 and 1914
• Natural hazards: occasional severe storms and forest fires in the Darien area
• slightly smaller than South Carolina
• Location: Middle America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica

URUGUAY

• Location: Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Argentina and Brazil
• slightly smaller than the state of Washington
• Climate: warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown
• Population: 3,477,77

EQUATORIAL GUINEA

• Founded Oct. 12 1968
• Population: 757,014
• Capital: Malabo  
• Official languages: Spanish · Portuguese · French
• Small country loccated in central Africa

PUERTO RICO fAVORITE PAGE

• BEST KNOWN FOR ITS RUM, BACARDI IS THE DISTILLERY LOCATED IN PUERTO RICO
• THE CHIEF OF THE STATE IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
• coast line over 270 miles long
• most popular game in puerto rico is cock fighting
• Not a country, but a common wealth territory of the united states

map of Spanish speaking countires