SPANISH SPEAKING COUNTRIES IN THE AMERICAS

Spanish is an official language in various North American countries.

The most important Spanish speaking country in North America is Mexico.

In the Caribbean Region, Spanish is mostly spoken in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico has also declared English as an official language.

In Central America, Spanish is mostly spoken in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. A particular situation can be found in Belize, where English is the official language, but a high percentage of the population speak Spanish as their first language.

South American countries where Spanish is the official language.

In South America, there are numerous Spanish speaking countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Other languages that are also spoken in South America are Portuguese (Brazil), Dutch (Surinam), English (Guyana and the Falkland Islands), and French (French Guiana).

Most of these countries also still use various native tongues that have not died out, and continue to produce their own specific culture in music, arts and crafts.

POLITICAL MAP OF LATIN AMERICA

This map is in the Public Domain. Source: the University of Texas

Comments.

This short summary shows the extreme variety to be found in all this territory that lies “south of the River Grande” and which it will be my pleasure to explore through the various posts to this Blog.

There are several indigenous languages still in use in Spanish America.  Some of the most important ones include Nahuatl, still spoken in Mexico. Quechua is spoken in present day Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador and Aymara is still used in Peru, Bolivia and the North of Chile.

In all the countries of Spanish America, many place names reflect the languages of the specific area where the place is located. The arts and crafts also maintain the basic characteristics of the area where they originate.

It is this rich diversity that makes Spanish America such a fascinating study!

SPANISH VERSION

Este post enumera los países de habla hispana en Norte y Sur América. Los términos son fáciles de comprender y no necesitan mayor traducción.

Otros idiomas europeos que se hablan en Sur America son los siguientes: Portugués (Brazil), Holandés (Surinam), Inglés (Guyana y las islas Falklands), and Francés (French Guiana).

En los comentarios, se enumeran algunas lenguas nativas en uso en la actualidad, tales como Nahuatl, Quechua y Aymara. Se enfatiza también la gran variedad y riqueza cultural de esta enorme área.

LANGUAGE TIPS FOR ENGLISH

Words that go together! * Have a good time - * Have sympathy - * Do business- * A ball of string – *A bunch of carrots

LANGUAGE TIPS FOR SPANISH.

Expresiones de uso frecuente: * Dorar la píldora - * Echar leña al fuego - * En boca cerrada no entran moscas

How is your level of comprehension?          ¿Cómo está su nivel de comprensión?

© 2012  joanveronica  (Joan Robertson)

I will be very happy to receive your comments! Just click the word "comments" lower down.

LET'S CLARIFY SOME TERMS ABOUT THE AMERICAS

What is meant by "the Americas"?

People speak of “the Americas” to refer to the whole New World continent or Western Hemisphere, formed by North America and South America.

What are the boundaries for North America and for South America?

It is generally considered that North America has the following boundaries:

• ·    To the north, by the Arctic Ocean
• ·    To the east, by the Atlantic Ocean.
• ·    To the west and also south by the Pacific Ocean.
• ·    To the southeast by South America and the Caribbean.

This means that North America meets South America at the end of the Isthmus of Panama.

On the other hand, South America has the following boundaries:

•    To the west, by the Pacific Ocean
• ·  To the north and east, by the Atlantic Ocean.
• ·  To the northwest, by North America and the Caribbean Sea.
• ·  To the south, the Drake Passage could be considered a boundary.

There is still another term, that of Central America. This refers to the southern part of North America, bordering the Caribbean Sea.

What exactly is Latin America?

Another important concept is that of “Latin America”. This is the part of the Americas where Romance languages (derived from Latin) are primarily spoken. These languages are Spanish, Portuguese and French and they were introduced in the New World by the various conquests carried out by important European states in their efforts at Empire-building. Latin America is considered to include all the countries south of the United States, where these languages are spoken.

It becomes clear then, that Spanish America is that part of Latin America, where Spanish is the predominant language. This would exclude both the Portuguese and the French speaking areas.

This blog refers to territories that are located in North America, including the part called Central America, and in South America. That’s a big area, which promises to be very diverse and interesting!

Here are some good maps.

Map of North America

Source: Kaldari and Uwe Dedering, CC BY SA 3.0, by Wikimedia Commons.

Map of Central America.

Source: Public Domain, (US Govern.) by Wikimedia Commons

Map of South America

Source: Public Domain (US Govern.) by Wikimedia Commons.

SPANISH VERSION

En este post se ha explicado el término “las Américas”, que abarca todo el Nuevo Mundo y que incluye América del Norte y América del Sur. La línea divisoria se encuentra en el Istmo de Panamá.

Otro término es el de Centro América, que se refiere a la parte sur de América del Norte que bordea el Mar Caribe.

Y ¿qué se entiende por “América Latina”? Pues es aquella parte de las Américas que se extiende al sur de los Estados Unidos, donde  se hablan las lenguas Romances,  derivadas del latín. Estas lenguas son: español, portugués y francés.

Y finalmente, América Hispana es aquella parte de América Latina en la que el español es el idioma predominante. ¡Una extensa área que promete ser muy interesante!

LANGUAGE TIPS FOR ENGLISH.

Words that go together! * Have a holiday - * Make a mistake - * Catch a cold - * From dawn till dusk – A pack of cards - * Annual vacation

LANGUAGE TIPS FOR SPANISH.

Expresiones de uso frecuente: * A buen entendedor, pocas palabras - * Con la miel en los labios - * Dar en el clavo

How is your level of comprehension?          ¿Cómo está su nivel de comprensión?

© 2012  joanveronica  (Joan Robertson)

I will be very happy to receive your comments! Just click the word "comments" lower down.

JOAN VERONICA'S BLOG ABOUT SPANISH AMERICA

Hi there, welcome to my Blog.

Why did I choose this topic?

Basically because I live in one of the countries (Chile) and because I am bilingual, my languages are English and Spanish.

I can mange some French and some German, but only at a survival level, so my aim is to link my two strong languages.

And why would anyone write about Spanish America?  

The answer would be that there is so much to discover and learn about in this fascinating area of the world.

In my opinion, Spanish America has it all: a mysterious pre-history, several great ancient civilizations, a spectacular geography, a great cultural variety, abundant natural resources and a biodiversity that is astonishing!

Writing posts for this Blog will allow me to indulge in an absorbing activity, which hopefully will serve to draw the English speaking nations closer to the Spanish nations in the Americas.

There are also large numbers of persons who either want to practice Spanish, or conversely, want to practice English. This Blog can be useful for them.

Then there are those that strive to achieve a good rating on the International Tests of English as a Second Language, which are necessary when applying to various Universities all over the world. I refer to the well known TOEFL, IELTS, GMAT and so on.

My Blog will have many articles that will serve as practice for those that intend to take the tests, and will provide helpful hints in that direction.

The bottom line is that I am very happy with my choice of topic!

SPANISH VERSION.

Bienvenidos a mi Blog sobre América Hispana.

Los artículos sobre este tema abarcarán múltiples aspectos de esta gran área, tan fascinante!

América Hispana tiene de todo: una misteriosa prehistoria, varias impresionantes cultura antiguas, una geografía espectacular, una enorme variedad cultural, abundantes recursos naturales y una bio-diversidad asombrosa!

Estos artículos también pueden ser útiles para aquellas personas que aspiran a rendir los Tests Internacionales para ingresar a las Universidades extranjeras, me refiero a TOEIC, IELTS, GMAT y otros. Les servirán de práctica para la comprensión del inglés.

LANGUAGE TIPS FOR ENGLISH.

Words that go together!  * Responsible for - * Happy about - * Good at - * Make good progress

 - * Take an exam  (These sets of words are called collocations)

LANGUAGE TIPS FOR SPANISH.

Expresiones de uso frecuente:  * Policía a la vista - * No hay nada que hacer - *Eso está por verse

How is your level of comprehension?     ¿Cómo está su nivel de comprensión?

Map of Spanish America

This image is provided by Wikipedia, author Heraldry, under GNU Free Documentation License. It shows the area of the Americas that includes Spanish speaking countries