Los Países Hispanoparlantes
Spanish-speaking countries
How many are there?
• There are 22 different countries that speak
Spanish.
• They are in North America, Central
America, South America, Europe, and
Africa.
• Write in the country, capital, nationality,
and tidbits on your note sheet.
Counting Continents
• By the United States’ definition, there are 7
continents.
• By the rest of the world’s definition there
are 5 or 6 continents.
– The Americas are one continent and
Antarctica doesn’t count.
– That’s why there are 5 Olympic rings
representing the 5 continents.
#1 The United States
• el país:
– Los Estados Unidos de América
– EE.UU.
• la capital:
– Washington, D.C.
• nacionalidad:
– American
• The darker the blue, the more
Spanish speakers live there.
• We are the second-largest
Spanish-speaking country
behind Mexico with 45 million
Spanish speakers!
• We do not have an official
language.
Spanish-speakers by county
#2 Mexico
• el país:
– México
• la capital:
– México, D.F.
• nacionalidad:
– Mexican
• Also made up of states, so it is
the United States of Mexico.
• México, D.F. is the largest city
in the western hemisphere. It
was built over a lake, so some
of the buildings in downtown
sink a little every year.
• D.F. stands for Distrito Federal
Mexico City’s original layout
#3 Guatemala
• el país:
– Guatemala
• la capital:
– Ciudad de Guatemala
• nacionalidad:
– Guatemalan
• Has lots of ancient ruins
from Aztecs and Mayas.
• Many of the names come
from the native Aztec and
Mayan languages.
Mayan ruins in Guatemala
#4 Honduras
• el país:
– Honduras
• la capital:
– Tegucigalpa
• nacionalidad:
– Honduran
• Was the first country to
be called a “Banana
Republic” because it gets
most of its income from
exporting bananas.
• Also has lots of Mayan
ruins.
Banana market in Honduras
#5 El Salvador
• el país:
– El Salvador
• la capital:
– San Salvador
• nacionalidad:
– Salvadoran
• Is tiny but has lots of
volcanoes.
• Once went to war with
Honduras over a soccer
game.
Salvadorian Volcanoes
#6 Nicaragua
• el país:
– Nicaragua
• la capital:
– Managua
• nacionalidad:
– Nicarugauan
• Contains Lake
Nicaragua, which has
fresh-water sharks!
• National sport is
baseball.
Freshwater sharks!
#7 Costa Rica
• el país:
– Costa Rica
• la capital:
– San José
• nacionalidad:
– Costa Rican
• Does not have an army! It
is a relatively safe country
that tries to stay out of
international politics.
• Is a popular eco-tourist
destination for cloud forests,
volcanoes, and sea turtles.
Ziplining in a cloud forest
#8 Panamá
• el país:
– Panamá
• la capital:
– Ciudad de Panamá
• nacionalidad:
– Panaman
• Gets 1/3 of income from
the canal!
• Canal is the only way to
cross a boat from the
Atlantic to Pacific without
going all the way around
South America.
Panama Canal
#9 Cuba
• el país:
– Cuba
• la capital:
– La Habana
• nacionalidad:
– Cuban
• Is an island only 90 miles
from Florida, but Americans
are not allowed to visit.
• Is under the communist rule
of the Castro family, and the
U.S. has an embargo… no
trade, no travel.
American cars in Cuba
#10 La República Dominicana
• el país:
– La República
Dominicana
• la capital:
– Santo Domingo
• nacionalidad:
– dominicano
• Shares an island with
Haiti.
• Is the birthplace of
Latin dancing like the
merengue.
Salsa dancing in the Dominican
#11 Puerto Rico
• el país:
– Puerto Rico
• la capital:
– San Juán
• nacionalidad:
– Puerto Rican
• Is a tiny island that is
actually part of the United
States.
• Is not yet a state, so they
don’t pay taxes… but
they also don’t get
government
representation.
You can visit without a passport!
#12 Venezuela
• el país:
– Venezuela
• La capital:
– Caracas
• nacionalidad:
– Venezualan
• Has lots of shoreline on
the north end of South
America… and there’s
lots of oil there!
• Famous for Angel Falls,
the tallest waterfall in the
world.
Angel Falls
#13 Colombia
• el país:
– Colombia
• la capital:
– Bogotá
• nacionalidad:
– colombiano
• Gets most of its money
from exporting oil and
coffee.
• Also has a significant
drug trade, so it is one of
the least safe countries
for travel.
Coffee on the hillside in Colombia
#14 Ecuador
• el país:
– Ecuador
• la capital:
– Quito
• nacionalidad:
– Ecuadoran
• Gets its name because it
is right on the equator.
• Owns the Galapagos
Islands, which are a
national park and
international tourist
destination.
Famous animals on the Galapagos
#15 Perú
• el país:
– Perú
• la capital:
– Lima
• nacionalidad:
– Peruvian
• Is mostly mountainous –
the Andes mountains –
which is home to the
potato and the tomato.
• Is famous for Machu
Picchu, an ancient Incan
mountain ruin.
Machu Picchu
#16 Bolivia
• el país:
– Bolivia
• la capital:
– La Paz
• nacionalidad:
– boliviano
• Is mostly mountains
and has Lake Titicaca,
the highest lake in the
world.
• Has the world’s largest
salt deposit!
Bolivian salt flats
#17 Chile
• el país:
– Chile
• la capital:
– Santiago
• nacionalidad:
– Chilean
• Is made up of districts
numbered from 1 (in the
north) to 11 (in the south).
• On the north end it has
the Atacama Desert, the
driest desert in the world.
A sculpture in the Atacama Desert
#18 Argentina
• El país:
– Argentina
• La capital:
– Buenos Aires
• Nacionalidad:
– Argentine
• Famous for cowboys,
beef, grapes, and wine.
• Many families immigrated
from Italy and Germany,
so there is a lot of blonde
hair and blue eyes.
Argentine tango
#19 Uruguay
• el país:
– Uruguay
• la capital:
– Montevideo
• nacionalidad:
– Uruguayan
• 88% of population are
European immigrants
from Spain and Italy!
• It’s a super healthy
country – it has the
highest birthrates and
longest life expectancy in
South America!
Diego Forlán, soccer legend
#20 Paraguay
• el país:
– Paraguay
• la capital:
– Asunción
• nacionalidad:
– Paraguayan
• Known for the Guaraní,
the native group there.
• Has the largest
hydroelectric plant in
the world.
Massive hydroelectric plant
#21 España
• El país:
– España
• La capital:
– Madrid
• Nacionalidad:
– Spanish
• Is the country that sent
explorers to the new world,
which is why so many Latin
American countries speak
Spanish.
• Has beautiful old cities and
also deserts. Has lots of
Arabic influence because
it’s so close to Africa.
Beautiful European cities
#22 Guinea Ecuatorial
• el país:
– Guinea Ecuatorial
• la capital:
– Malabo
• nacionalidad:
– Guinean
• Is the only Spanishspeaking country in
Africa.
• Populated by Spanish
Jews who were exiled
back in the 15th century.
Gorillas in Guinea