Who speaks Spanish?

Mexico

• Capital: Mexico, D.F. (Mexico City)

• Most Spanish-speakers of any country in the world

• Mexico City is the second biggest city in the world

• Home of the ancient Mayas and Aztecs

Spain

• Capital: Madrid

• The first country to speak Spanish

• Was the most powerful country in the world in the 16th and 17th centuries

• The worldwide leader in Solar Power

• 2010 World Cup Champions

• Common to eat cereal with chocolate milk

Argentina

• Capital (Buenos Aires)

• Largest Spanish-speaking country (by land area)

Chile

• Capital: Santiago

• Southernmost point in South America (Tierra del Fuego – Land of Fire)

• 4672 miles long and only 109 kilometers wide

• Amazing skiing and snowboarding (Andes)

Bolivia

• Capital: La Paz

• Named after South American Libertador Simon Bolivar

• 197 inches of rain per year – 16.5 feet!– Chapel Hill – 49 inches – 4 feet

Peru

• Capital: Lima

• Very culturally diverse – very high indigenous population

• Home of the Ancient Incas– Machu Picchu – “Lost city of the Incas” – one

of the New Seven Wonders of the World

Uruguay

• Capital: Montevideo

• 88% of the population is of European descent

• Site of the first World Cup

Paraguay

• Capital: Asuncion

• Asuncion is ranked as the least expensive city in the world to live in

Colombia

• Capital: Bogota

• Colombia is named for Christopher Columbus

• Does not have seasons – consistent weather year round

Venezuela

• Capital: Caracas

• Name means “Little Venice” after the houses built on stilts that were discovered by the first Europeans

• Huge producer of oil

Honduras

• Capital: Tegucigalpa

• Home to rainforests, mountains, and lowland plains

• Was also home to the Ancient Maya civilization

Ecuador

• Capital: Quito

• The Galapagos Islands are part of Ecuador’s territory

• The country is named Ecuador because it lies on the equator

• 25% of the population is indigenous

Guatemala

• Capital: Guatemala City

• Tikal – Ancient Maya ruins

• The majority of the population of Guatemala lives in Guatemala City

El Salvador

• Capital: San Salvador

• El Salvador means “the savior”

• The smallest at most densely populated Spanish-speaking country in the Americas

Nicaragua

• Capital: Managua

• Largest country in Central America

• Lake Nicaragua is the largest lake in Central America

• Very diverse geographically and ecologically

Costa Rica

• Capital: San Jose

• Name means “Rich coast”

• Has no military

• Extremely biologically diverse

• Ranked First in the Americas in the Environmental Performance Index

Panama

• Capital: Panama City

• Home to the Panama Canal – only passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific between Tierra del Fuego and Canada

• Uses United States currency

Dominican Republic

• Capital: Santo Domingo

• Along with Haiti, comprises the island of Hispaniola

• Located in the Caribbean

• Has a very large population of Haitian immigrants

Cuba

• Capital: Havana

• One of the few socialist countries in the world

• United States Embargo against Cuba

Equatorial Guinea

• Capital: Malabo

• Only Spanish-speaking county in Africa

• Main export was cocoa until large oil reserves were discovered in 1996

• French is the second official language

• The least populated Spanish-speaking country

Puerto Rico

• Capital: San Juan

• Not an independent country. Technically an unincorporated territory of the USA