Spanish Speaking Countries Around The World

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Spanish Speaking Countries around the World

Spoken by 400 million people worldwide, Spanish is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world — in fact it is the second most spoken language coming in runner up to Chinese (Mandarin).

But where Spanish really packs a punch is on the number of Spanish speaking countries that use it as their official language. Currently, 20 countries around the world use Spanish as their official tongue.

Impressive as that may seem, English, with 59, tops the chart of languages with the highest number of countries using it as their official language. French — spoken by 29 countries — and Arabic — spoken by 27 — complete the top 3 ahead of Spanish.

So, what does ‘official language’ mean? According to the Cambridge English Dictionary it refers to “the language or one of the languages that is accepted by a country’s government, is taught in schools, used in the courts of law, etc.”

Countries can, therefore, have more than one official language, as is the case in Canada where both French and English have been official languages since the first Official Languages Act was enacted in 1969.

Bolivia, however, takes official languages to the extreme with a whopping 39 registered languages, giving primacy to Spanish.

The country’s high count of official languages is mainly due to their diverse range of indigenous languages which they seek to acknowledge and strive to preserve.

Spanish Speaking Countries and their Capital Cities

Here is a full list, in alphabetical order, of the 20 countries where Spanish is the official language, along with their capital cities.

If you want to up your general knowledge, or boss the Geography questions in Trivial Pursuit then this one’s for you.

Note that alongside the countries the respective Academy of Language is listed where applicable.

These Academies form part of the Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española (ASALE) or Association of the Spanish Language Academies, founded in 1951.

The association’s purpose is to maintain the integrity, diffusion and growth of the Spanish language.

Country Capital City Academy of Language
Argentina Buenos aires Academia Argentina de Letras
Bolivia Sucre Academia Boliviana de la Lengua
Chile Santiago Academia Chilena de la Lengua
Colombia Bogotá Academia Colombiana de la Lengua
Costa Rica San José Academia Costarricense de la Lengua
Cuba Havana Academia Cubana de la Lengua
Dominican Republic Santo Domingo Academia Dominicana de la Lengua
Ecuador Quito Academia Ecuatoriana de la Lengua
El Salvador El Salvador Academia Salvadoreña de la Lengua
Equatorial Guinea Malabo Academia Ecuatoguineana de la Lengua Española
Guatemala Guatemala City Academia Guatemalteca de la Lengua
Honduras Tegucigalpa Academia Hondureña de la Lengua
Mexico Mexico City Academia Mexicana de la Lengua
Nicaragua Managua Academia Nicaragüense de la Lengua
Panama Panama City Academia Panameña de la Lengua
Paraguay Asunción Academia Paraguaya de la Lengua Española
Peru Lima Academia Peruana de la Lengua
Spain Madrid Real Academia Española
Uruguay Montevideo Academia Nacional de Letras de Uruguay
Venezuela Caracas Academia Venezolana de la Lengua

Equatorial Guinea, huh?

Yes, you did read that right! Equatorial Guinea is the only country on the continent of Africa that has Spanish as their official language.

In addition to this small part of Africa, and of course Spain, Spanish will open the door to Hispanic America.

This consists of Mexico, the whole of Central America (excluding Belize), and the great majority of the South American continent, with the exception of Brazil, Suriname, Guyana, and French Guiana.

Spanish Speaking Countries Collections

Hispanic America and other similar terms, which are often confused or unclear, are defined below with the Spanish equivalent:

Hispanic America – Hispanoamérica:

This refers to the collective of Spanish Speaking nations within the Americas. Hispanoamérica in Spanish, also known as América Hispana o América Española. It is usually seen as an assemblage of the old Spanish colonies.

Latin America – Latinoamérica:

This refers to the group of territories within the Americas that predominantly speak romance languages, such as Spanish, French, and Portuguese.Latinoamérica in Spanish, also known as América Latina.

Iberoamerica – Iberoamérica:

This refers to a region in the Americas which comprises countries and territories where Spanish or Portuguese are predominant languages. These are usually former territories of Spain and Portugal.

So it is equivalent to Hispanic America with the inclusion of Brazil. Iberoamérica in Spanish.

Spanish Speaking Countries Map

Spanish is a romance language derived from Latin. It is also known as Castilian because it originated from a dialect spoken in ‘Castilla’, Spain.

It was quickly spread through the whole of what is now Spain and then taken to the New World during the conquest. The below map, courtesy of StepMap, shows each of the official Spanish-speaking countries:

Finally, apart from these 20 countries there are other places where Spanish is spoken by a large percentage of the local population, yet Spanish is not in their list of official languages. Such territories include Belize, Puerto Rico, Andorra, and The Republic of the Philippines.

If you have travel plans to visit a Spanish-speaking country, check out our FREE Spanish Survival Crash Course. Sign up, and we’ll send you everything you need to know to grasp basic Spanish for your trip, right to your inbox.