Spanish-speaking Countries Trivia Quiz

Answer:

Spanish, or "español" in Spanish, is one of the world's most widely spoken languages. It is a Romance language that originated in the Iberian Peninsula and has since spread to become the official or national language in numerous places across the globe. Spoken as the official language (or co-official) in twenty sovereign states and in Puerto Rico, in 2020 it had over 400 million speakers.

Spanish, also known as Castilian, has its roots in the Vulgar Latin spoken by the Roman settlers in the Iberian Peninsula. Over centuries, the language evolved, influenced by various cultures and languages, including Arabic, Celtic, and native Iberian languages. Spanish explorers, including Christopher Columbus and Hernán Cortés, played a pivotal role in spreading the Spanish language to the Americas during the Age of Exploration in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Spanish colonization led to the establishment of Spanish-speaking colonies across Latin America. The language gradually supplanted indigenous languages in many regions.

Probably most interestingly on the list is the West African country of Equatorial Guinea. When the Spanish colonized it in the 19th century, they imposed their language on the local population. It gained its independence from Spain in 1968. Today, the country maintains strong ties with Spain and made Spanish co-official along with Portuguese and French.

Spanish is considered one of the six official languages of the United Nations. In 2020, it was the second-most widely spoken language in the world by native speakers, after Mandarin Chinese. As a colonial language, it was also spoken in the Philippines for many years as well as in Spanish Morocco. In Andorra, Spanish is widely understood, perhaps because of its proximity to Spain, and similarly in Gibraltar.