View source for Hispanophone

{{Short description|Anything related to the Spanish language}}
[[File:Map-Hispanophone World.svg|thumb|upright=1.8|Geographic distribution of the Spanish language: {{legend|#045a8d|Official majority language}}
{{legend|#0674b6|Co-official or administrative language but not majority native language}}
{{legend|#9bbae1|Secondary language (more than 20% Spanish speakers) or culturally important}}]]

'''Hispanophone''' (Spanish: ''Hispanohablante'') refers to anything related to the [[Spanish language]]. The term is derived from the [[Latin language|Latin]] word ''Hispanicus'' ("Spanish") which refers to anything pertaining to the historic Roman province of [[Hispania]] ("Spain"), and the word "[[wikt:phone|phone]]". Hispanophone is linked to [[Hispanic culture]] which is the legacy of the vast and prolonged [[Spanish Empire]], and the sense of identity of these people is sometimes referred by the term ''[[Hispanidad]]'' (Hispanicity).

The Spanish-speaking world, also called the Hispanosphere, encompasses the following geographical areas: [[Spain]], [[Hispanic America]], [[Equatorial Guinea]], and portions of the United States (namely the [[Southwestern United States|Southwest]] and [[Florida]]).<ref name=":0">[https://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/espanol_lengua_viva/pdf/espanol_lengua_viva_2022.pdf El español: una lengua viva - Informe 2022], [[Instituto Cervantes]]. Retrieved 29 March 2022. (in Spanish)</ref> When used in the broader sense to include areas where the local culture has been heavily impacted by Hispanic influences, the former [[Spanish East Indies]] colonies of [[Philippines]] and (to a lesser extent) [[Guam]] are also included. 

In addition to the general definition of Hispanophone, some groups in the Hispanic world make a distinction between [[Castilian languages|Castilian]]-speaking{{efn-lr|{{langx|es|link=no|castellanohablante}}, {{lang|es|castellanoparlante|italic=yes}}, or {{lang|es|castellanófono|italic=yes}}}} and Spanish-speaking, with the former term denoting the speakers of the Spanish language—[[names given to the Spanish language|also known as Castilian]]—and the latter the speakers of the Spanish or Hispanic languages (i.e. the [[languages of Spain]] or the [[languages of Hispanic America|languages of the Hispanic nations]]). 

==The Hispanosphere==
[[File:Flag of the Hispanic peoples.svg|thumb|250px|[[Flag of the Hispanic People]], adopted 12 October 1932]]

There are an estimated 474.7 million native Spanish speakers and about 100 million second and foreign language speakers around the world as of 2022, totaling 574 million Hispanophones in total.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/insights/ethnologue200/|title=What are the top 200 most spoken languages?|website=Ethnologue|date=2022}}</ref> This makes Spanish the [[List of languages by number of native speakers|second most natively spoken language]] and [[List of languages by total number of speakers|fourth most spoken language]] overall globally. The vast majority of Hispanophones are concentrated in the Hispanosphere, the countries and territories where Spanish is a native or significant language.

===Countries===
{{See also|Hispanidad|Spanish Empire}}
[[File:Lang-es.gif|thumb|250px|Countries where Spanish is considered the official language ''de jure'' or ''de facto'']]

During the Spanish period between 1492 and 1898, many people from Spain [[Spanish colonization of the Americas|migrated to the new lands they had conquered]]. The [[Spaniards]] took with them their language and culture, and integrated within the society they had settled, creating a large empire that stretched all over the world and producing several multiracial populations. Their influences are found in the following continents and countries that were originally colonized by the Spaniards.<ref name="GlobalSpanish">{{cite book | title=The Global Spanish Empire: Five Hundred Years of Place Making and Pluralism | publisher=[[University of Arizona Press]] | author=Beaule, Christine; John G. Douglass | year=2020 | pages=62, 128, 133, 292 | isbn=9780816541386}}</ref>

{{main|List of countries and territories where Spanish is an official language}}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right"
|-
! Rank !! style="text-align:center"|Country/territory!!style="text-align:center"|Spanish-speaking<br />population<ref name=":0" />!! Area (km<sup>2</sup>) !! Area (sq mi)
|-
| 1 || align=left| {{flag|Mexico}} ||130,118,356||1,964,375||761,610
|-
| 2 || align="left"| {{flag|United States}}{{refn|group=sn|Note: Spanish is the second most spoken language in the U.S. and has no official status except in New Mexico.}}||56,757,391||9,147,593||3,531,905
|-
| 3 || align="left" |{{flag|Colombia}}||51,609,474||1,141,748||440,831
|-
| 4 || align=left|{{flag|Spain}}||47,615,034||505,944||195,365
|-
| 5 || align=left| {{flag|Argentina}} ||46,234,830||2,780,400||1,073,500
|-
| 6 || align=left| {{flag|Peru}} ||33,470,569||1,285,215||496,225
|-
| 7 || align=left| {{flag|Venezuela}} ||33,360,238||916,445||353,841
|-
| 8 || align=left| {{flag|Chile}} ||19,828,563||756,102||291,930
|-
| 9 || align=left| {{flag|Guatemala}}||17,357,886||108,889||42,042
|-
| 10 || align=left| {{flag|Ecuador}}||16,149,014||283,561||109,484
|-
| 11 || align=left| {{flag|Bolivia}}||12,006,031||1,098,581||424,164
|-
| 12 || align=left| {{flag|Cuba}}||11,305,652||109,884||42,426
|-
| 13 || align=left| {{flag|Dominican Republic}} ||10,621,938||48,671||18,792
|-
| 14 || align=left| {{flag|Honduras}} ||9,523,621||112,492||43,433
|-
| 15 || align=left| {{flag|Paraguay}}||7,453,695||406,752||157,065
|-
| 16 || align=left| {{flag|Nicaragua}}||6,779,100||130,374||50,338
|-
| 17 || align=left| {{flag|El Salvador}}||6,550,389||21,041||8,124
|-
| 18 || align=left| {{flag|Costa Rica}} ||5,213,374||51,179||19,760
|-
| 19 || align=left| {{flag|Panama}}||4,446,964||75,417||29,119
|-
| 20 || align=left| {{flag|Uruguay}}||3,444,263||181,034||69,898
|-
| 21 || align=left| {{flag|Puerto Rico}}|| 3,285,874 ||9,104||3,515
|-
| 22 || align=left| {{flag|Equatorial Guinea}} ||1,454,789||28,052||10,831
|-
!
!Total
|534,276,236
|21,162,853
|8,174,198
|}

=== Judeo-Spanish (Ladino) ===
''Main Article: [[Judaeo-Spanish]], See Also: [[Sephardic Jews]]''

Following the Spanish Inquisition in 1492, [[Sephardic Jews]] who were expelled from Spain brought their language to their new lands. This language is now known as Judeo Spanish or ''Ladino'', and retains many unique grammatical structures from Old Castilian, in addition to other older Iberian languages such as Old Catalan, Galician, Asturleonese, Old Aragonese, and Mozarabic. The language is traditionally written in Hebrew script (using Rashi script), however has in modern times often been written with the Latin script. The vast majority of speakers lived in the Ottoman Empire (specifically Anatolia and the Levant), Morocco, and the Balkans, with a minority in Italy, Greece, Brazil, and other locations along the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. In 2017, the language was officially recognised as a dialect of Spanish by the Royal Spanish Academy. As of 2018, Ethnologue estimated around 51,000 people to speak the language natively. Ethnologue has categorised the language as endangered. <ref>{{Cite news |title=Ladino Language (LAD) – L1 & L2 Speakers, Status, Map, Endangered Level & Official Use {{!}} Ethnologue Free |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/lad/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250805055754/https://www.ethnologue.com/language/lad/ |archive-date=2025-08-05 |access-date=2025-11-17 |work=Ethnologue (Free All) |language=en-US}}</ref>{{reflist|group=sn}}

==Geographic distribution of Spanish speakers==
===Europe===
====Spain====
{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2023}}
{{Main|Languages of Spain}}

[[File:Spain languages-en.svg|thumb|The languages of Spain]]

The modern-day nationalities that live in the region of ancient [[Hispania]] are the [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]], Spanish, Andorran and [[Gibraltarian]] people. [[History of Spain|Historically]], the modern country of Spain was formed by the accretion of several independent [[Iberian Peninsula|Iberian]] kingdoms through dynastic inheritance, conquest and the will of the local elites. These kingdoms had their own nationalistic{{clarify|date=September 2021}} loyalties and political borders.

Today, there is no single Castilian–Spanish{{clarify|date=September 2021}} identity for the whole country. Spain is a ''de facto'' [[plurinationalism|plurinational state]].{{citation needed|date=September 2021}} Many Spanish citizens feel no conflict in recognising their multiple ethnic identities at the same time. Spain is a culturally heterogeneous country, home to a wide range of cultures, each one with its own customs and traditions. Some such cultures have [[languages of Spain|their own language]]. Since the beginning of the [[transition to democracy in Spain]] and the creation of the Spanish ''[[autonomous communities]]'', after [[Francoist Spain]], there have been many movements towards more autonomy ([[decentralisation|delegation of powers]]) in certain territories of the country, some with the aim of achieving full independence and others with the goal of improving the system of devolution and the state of the autonomies (or self-government entities).

The existence of multiple distinct cultures in Spain allows an analogy to be drawn to the United Kingdom.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}} Using the term Spanish for someone of Spanish descent would then be expected to be equivalent to using [[British people|Briton]] to describe someone descending from some part of the United Kingdom. Cultures within the United Kingdom, such as English, Irish, [[Scottish people|Scottish]], and [[Welsh people|Welsh]], would then correspond in this analogy to cultures within Spain such as [[Castilian people|Castilian]], [[Catalan people|Catalan]], [[Galician people|Galician]] and [[Basque people|Basque]] among others. In contrast with Spain, because of centuries of gradual and mutual consolidation across the Iberian Peninsula, such distinctions tend to be blurred. It is a subtle, yet important, distinction.

In Spain, as in the United Kingdom, the economically dominant territories—[[Kingdom of Castile|Castile]] and England—spread their language for mutual communication. However, the political dominance in the United Kingdom tends to be sharper compared to Spain, where most of [[History of Spain#Dynastic union of the Catholic Monarchs|medieval realms]] do not correspond with the actual boundaries of the autonomous communities, and the crown was unified into a sole [[Monarchy of Spain|monarch]].

===Americas===
====Hispanic America====
{{Main|Hispanic America}}

{{Further|Spanish colonization of the Americas}}
<!-- Hidden until the section is expanded: [[File:Dialectos del idioma español en Argentina.png|thumb|Different [[Rioplatense Spanish|dialects of Spanish]] spoken in [[Argentina]].]] -->
Spanish is the most widely-spoken language of the Americas, as well as the official language in a great part of the Americas.

====United States====
{{Hispanic and Latino Americans}}
{{Main|Hispanic and Latino Americans|History of Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States|l1 = }}

====Origins and demography====
[[File:Spanish spoken at home in the United States 2019.svg|thumb|Percentage of the U.S. population aged 5 and over who speak the [[Spanish language in the United States|Spanish language at home]] in 2019, by states.]]
[[File:Hispanic and Latino Americans by county.png|thumb|Distribution of [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanics in the U.S.]] in the [[2020 United States census]].]]

U.S. Hispanics are citizens of the United States whose ancestry or national origin is of any of the nations composing the Hispanosphere. A Hispanic person's status is independent from whether or not he or she speaks the Spanish language, for not all Hispanic Americans speak Spanish. A Hispanic person may be of any race (White, Amerindian, mixed, Black, Asian or Pacific Islander). {{As of|2013}} Hispanics accounted for 17.1% of the population, around 53.2 million people.<ref>[https://www.census.gov/population/hispanic/files/2013/CPS-2013%20-%20Hispanic%20-%20FINAL%20tab1.xlsx Table 1. Population by Sex, Age, Hispanic Origin, and Race.] US Census Bureau, 2013.</ref> This was an increase of 29% since 2004, when Hispanics were 14.1% of the population (around 41.3 million people). The Hispanic growth rate over the July 1, 2003 to July 1, 2004, period was 3.6% — higher than any other ancestral group in the United States — and more than three times the rate of the nation's total population (at 1.0%). The projected Hispanic population of the United States for July 1, 2050, is 105.6 million people. According to this projection, Hispanics will constitute 25% of the nation's total population by the year 2050.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hispaniccouncil.org/en-2050-el-10-de-la-poblacion-mundial-hablara-espanol/|title=En 2050, el 10% de la población mundial hablará español|access-date=2018-12-23|archive-date=2021-04-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210402223003/https://www.hispaniccouncil.org/en-2050-el-10-de-la-poblacion-mundial-hablara-espanol/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://elpais.com/cultura/2017/11/27/actualidad/1511805887_509321.html|title=Los hispanohablantes ascienden ya a 572 millones de personas|newspaper=El País|date=November 28, 2017|via=elpais.com|access-date=December 23, 2018|archive-date=February 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209165751/https://elpais.com/cultura/2017/11/27/actualidad/1511805887_509321.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Historically, a continuous Hispanic presence in the territory of the United States has existed since the 16th century, earlier than any other group after the [[Native Americans in the United States|Amerindians]]. Spaniards pioneered the present-day United States. The first confirmed European landing on the continent was that of [[Juan Ponce de León]], who landed in 1513 on the shore he christened ''[[Florida|La Florida]]''. Within three decades of Ponce de León's landing, the Spanish became the first Europeans to reach the [[Appalachian Mountains]], the [[Mississippi River]], the [[Grand Canyon]], and the [[Great Plains]]. Spanish ships sailed along the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]], penetrating to present-day [[Bangor, Maine]], and up the [[West Coast of the United States|Pacific Coast]] as far as [[Oregon]].

In 1540 [[Hernando de Soto (explorer)|Hernando de Soto]] undertook an extensive exploration of the present United States. In the same year [[Francisco Vásquez de Coronado]] led 2,000 Spaniards and Mexican Indians across today's [[Arizona]]–Mexico border and traveled as far as central [[Kansas]], close to the exact geographic center of what is now the continental United States. Other Spanish explorers of the United States make up a long list that includes, among others, [[Lucas Vásquez de Ayllón]], [[Pánfilo de Narváez]], [[Sebastián Vizcaíno]], [[Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo]], [[Gaspar de Portolà]], [[Pedro Menéndez de Avilés]], [[Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca]], [[Tristán de Luna y Arellano]], and [[Juan de Oñate]]. In all, Spaniards probed half of today's lower 48 states before the first English colonization attempt at [[Roanoke Island]] in 1585.

The Spanish created the first permanent European settlement in the continental United States, at [[St. Augustine, Florida]], in 1565. [[Santa Fe, New Mexico]] also predates [[Jamestown, Virginia]] (founded in 1607) and [[Plymouth Colony]] (of ''[[Mayflower]]'' and [[Pilgrims]] fame, founded in 1620). Later came Spanish settlements in [[San Antonio]], [[Tucson]], [[San Diego]], Los Angeles, and San Francisco, to name just a few. The Spanish even established a [[Jesuit]] [[Ajacán Mission|mission]] in [[Virginia]]'s [[Chesapeake Bay]] 37 years before the founding of Jamestown.

Two iconic American stories have Spanish antecedents, too. Almost 80 years before [[John Smith of Jamestown|John Smith]]'s alleged rescue by [[Pocahontas]], a man by the name of [[Juan Ortiz de Zárate|Juan Ortiz]] told of his remarkably similar rescue from execution by an Indian girl. Spaniards also held a [[thanksgiving]]—56 years before the famous Pilgrims [[Harvest festival|festival]]—when they feasted near St. Augustine with Florida Indians, probably on stewed pork and garbanzo beans. As late as 1783, at the end of the [[American Revolutionary War]], Spain held claim to roughly half of today's continental United States (see [[New Spain]]); in 1775, Spanish ships even reached [[Alaska]]. From 1819 to 1848, the United States increased the nation's area by roughly a third of former Spanish and Mexican territory, including today's three most populous states: California, [[Texas]], and Florida. Hispanics became the first American citizens in the newly acquired [[Southwestern United States|Southwest]] territory and remained the ancestral majority in several states until the 20th century, and a large minority in the 21st century.

Hispanic Americans have fought in all the [[List of United States military history events|wars of the United States]] and have earned some of the highest distinctions awarded to U.S. soldiers ([[list of Hispanic Medal of Honor recipients]]).<ref>[http://www4.army.mil/otf/speech.php?story_id_key=9575 U.S. Army document] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070325083030/http://www4.army.mil/otf/speech.php?story_id_key=9575 |date=2007-03-25 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.houstonculture.org/hispanic/memorial.html The Hispanic Experience - Contributions to America's Defense] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070325083030/http://www4.army.mil/otf/speech.php?story_id_key=9575 |date=2007-03-25 }}. Houstonculture.org. Retrieved on 2013-07-12.</ref><ref>[http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/17.3.pdf U.S. Latino Patriots: From the American Revolution to Afghanistan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080227091931/http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/17.3.pdf |date=2008-02-27 }}, An Overview By Refugio I. Rochin and Lionel Fernández</ref> Historic figures in the United States have been Hispanic from early times. 

====National Hispanic Heritage Month====
The [[National Hispanic Heritage Month]] is celebrated in the United States from September 15 to October 15.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/feature/hispanic/|title=Hispanic Heritage Month -- National Register of Historic Places Official Website--Part of the National Park Service|work=nps.gov|access-date=2008-01-20|archive-date=2008-01-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080111134000/http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/feature/hispanic/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

====Diversity====
{{Main|Hispanic}}

{{More citations needed section|date=August 2022}}
The people of Hispanophone countries encompass many different ethnic backgrounds. Though in countries like the United States, Hispanics may often be stereotyped as having a typical [[Mediterranean race|Mediterranean]]/[[Amerindian]]/Southern European appearance - [[olive skin]], dark hair, and dark eyes.<ref>[http://nlcatp.org/typical-stereotypes-of-hispanics/ "Typical stereotypes of Hispanics"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170514022922/http://nlcatp.org/typical-stereotypes-of-hispanics/ |date=2017-05-14 }}, NLCATP (National Latino Council on Alcohol and Tobacco Prevention), March 14, 2014</ref><ref>[https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100503161421.htm Genetic makeup of Hispanic/Latino Americans influenced by Native American, European and African-American ancestries] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828230618/https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100503161421.htm |date=2017-08-28 }}, Science Daily, May 31, 2010</ref>

Most Hispanics in the United States have their origins in countries such as [[El Salvador]], [[Cuba]], and Mexico, with 90% of Salvadorans, 95% of Paraguayans, and 70%<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/379167/Mexico#tab=active~checked%2Citems~checked&title=Mexico%20--%20Britannica%20Online%20Encyclopedia|title=Mexico|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=2008-06-30|archive-date=2015-05-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150503165905/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/379167/Mexico#tab=active~checked%2Citems~checked&title=Mexico%20--%20Britannica%20Online%20Encyclopedia|url-status=live}}</ref> of Mexicans identifying as mestizo, with Mexico having the largest total mestizo population at over 66 million.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/ |title=The World Factbook |access-date=2008-06-23 |date=July 2008 <!-- estimates --> |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |archive-date=2013-05-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510200259/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In the United States, Hispanics, regardless of self-identified racial background, are labeled ''Hispanic'' by the U.S. census. They may have varying of European ancestry, such as Spanish origins, and Amerindian or African roots.<ref name="Origin"/> From 1850 to 1920, the U.S. Census form did not distinguish between whites and Mexican Americans.<ref name="rutgers"/> In 1930, the U.S. Census form asked for "color or race", and census enumerators were instructed to write ''W'' for white and ''Mex'' for Mexican.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}} In 1940 and 1950, the census reverted its decision and made Mexicans be classified as white again and thus the instructions were to "Report ''white'' (W) for Mexicans unless they were definitely of full Indigenous Indian or other non-white races (such as Black or Asian)."<ref name="rutgers">{{cite web|url=http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~vbashi/soc108-handout-census.htm|title=The Race Question<!-- Bot generated title -->|website=Rci.rutgers.edu|access-date=29 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007100347/http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~vbashi/soc108-handout-census.htm|archive-date=7 October 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>)

Of the over 35 million Hispanics counted in the [[United States Census, 2000|Federal 2000 Census]],{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}} 47.9% identified as [[White (people)|White]] (termed [[white Hispanic and Latino Americans|White Hispanic]] by the Census Bureau); 42.2% some other race; 6.3% two or more races; 2% Black or African American; 1.2% American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.3% Asian; and 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.census.gov/prod/2001pubs/cenbr01-1.pdf | title = Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin | access-date = 2006-12-27 | date = March 2001 | archive-date = 2019-05-01 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190501024010/https://www.census.gov/prod/2001pubs/cenbr01-1.pdf | url-status = live }}</ref> Even among those Hispanics who reported one race only, most would also possess at least some ancestral lineage from one or more other races, despite the fact that only 6.3% reported as such (this is also applicable to the non-Hispanics counted in the U.S. Census, although maybe in less proportion).

According to one study (Stephens et al. 2001), from the genetic perspective, Hispanics generally represent a differential mixture of European, Native American, and African ancestry, with the proportionate mix typically depending on country of origin.<ref name="Origin">[http://shrn.stanford.edu/workshops/revisitingrace/Risch_confound.pdf Stephens' study] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080227091932/http://shrn.stanford.edu/workshops/revisitingrace/Risch_confound.pdf |date=2008-02-27 }}, Stanford University</ref>

The populations of Iberia (both Spain and Portugal), like all European populations, have received multiple other influences, even though they are still largely descended from the prehistoric European populations, and to a greater degree than any other major group.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Dupanloup|first1=Isabelle|last2=Bertorelle|first2=Giorgio|last3=Chikhi|first3=Lounès|last4=Barbujani|first4=Guido|date=2004-07-01|title=Estimating the Impact of Prehistoric Admixture on the Genome of Europeans|journal=Molecular Biology and Evolution|language=en|volume=21|issue=7|pages=1361–1372|doi=10.1093/molbev/msh135|pmid=15044595|issn=0737-4038|doi-access=free}}</ref>

===Africa===
[[File:Dialects_of_Spanish_in_Africa.png|thumb|250x250px|Spanish dialects in [[Hispanic Africa]]]]

====Equatorial Guinea====
{{Main|Spanish Guinea}}

In the former Spanish province of [[Equatorial Guinea]], although Portuguese and French are co-official languages, the majority of the population speak Spanish.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dawkins |first1=Farida |title=How Equatorial Guinea became the only Spanish speaking country in Africa |url=https://face2faceafrica.com/article/how-equatorial-guinea-became-the-only-spanish-speaking-country-in-africa1 |website=Face2Face Africa |publisher=Babu Global |access-date=16 September 2019 |date=12 October 2018 |quote=It is spoken by 67.6% of the Equatorial Guinean population. |archive-date=9 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509171203/https://face2faceafrica.com/article/how-equatorial-guinea-became-the-only-spanish-speaking-country-in-africa1 |url-status=live }}</ref> There is a small minority of African people who possessed Spanish and other European ancestry. These individuals form less than 1% of the population.

====Morocco====
{{Main|Spanish protectorate in Morocco}}

Portions of the north coast of [[Morocco]] were a former Spanish protectorate and Spanish remains spoken by about 1.7 million people as of 2018. This makes Morocco the country with the most Spanish speakers outside the Hispanophone world unless the United States is excluded.<ref>{{cite web|title=Spanish|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/spa|publisher=Ethnologue|access-date=28 January 2018}}</ref> However, demand for Spanish and overall competency in the language has fallen since the start of the 21st century and the most popular foreign language is now English (as French is considered a second and mandatory language in the country).<ref>Peregil, Francisco. [https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2018/01/17/inenglish/1516186447_450455.html Morocco's diminishing interest in learning Spanish], [[El País]], 17 Jan 2018.</ref>

====Spanish territories in North Africa====
{{Main|Autonomous communities of Spain}}

{{See also|Plazas de soberanía|Ceuta|Melilla|Chafarinas Islands|Alhucemas Islands|Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera|Canary Islands}}

Since the [[Reconquista]], Spain has held numerous emplacements in North Africa. Most of them were promptly lost, but to date, with an approximate population of 143,000 people, the [[Autonomous Communities of Spain|autonomous cities]] of [[Ceuta]] and [[Melilla]], which constitute the two ''plazas de soberanía mayores'' (Major Territories under [Spanish] Sovereignty) remained Spanish, and the [[Chafarinas Islands]], the [[Peñón de Alhucemas]] and the [[Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera]], which constitute the three ''plazas de soberanía menores'' (Minor Territories under [Spanish] Sovereignty), still forming part of Spain. The [[Canary Islands]], a constituent part of Spain's main territorial subdivisions, are also located in North Africa.

====Western Sahara====
{{Main|Spanish Sahara}}

Spanish is maintained as a secondary language alongside the official Arabic in the [[Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic]], a partially recognized state that claims [[Western Sahara]], whose territory formerly comprised the Spanish colony of [[Spanish Sahara]] and now is mostly occupied by [[Morocco]]. However, Spanish is not a native language in the territory, and the Moroccan government uses Arabic and French in its administration of Western Sahara and the number of Spanish speakers in the territory itself is rather trivial compared to the former two languages.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/anuario/anuario_06-07/pdf/paises_3.pdf|title=El Español en los Campamentos de Refugiados Saharauis (Tinduf, Argelia)|author=Candela Romero, Pilar  |publisher=cvc.cervantes.es |access-date=20 May 2015}}</ref>

===Asia===
====Philippines====
[[File:Idioma chabacano.png|thumb|Map of the [[Chabacano]] language in [[Zamboanga (province)|Zamboanga]] in the [[Philippine Islands]]]]
{{see also|Spanish Filipinos|Philippine Spanish|Chavacano|Captaincy General of the Philippines}}

In the [[Philippines]], the [[Spanish Filipino]] population which mostly descends from those Spanish colonists who arrived during the [[Captaincy General of the Philippines|Spanish colonial period]] remains influential in Filipino society despite its small numbers. However, the vast majority of Spanish Filipinos today no longer speak Spanish. Instead, most now exclusively speak [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]] or other local Philippine languages and English.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20071204-104897/The_loss_of_Spanish |title=The loss of Spanish |first=Ambeth |last=Ocampo |author-link=Ambeth Ocampo |date=4 December 2007 |publisher=Philippine Daily Inquirer (INQUIRER.net) |location=Makati City, Philippines |at=Opinion |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120311211640/http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20071204-104897/The_loss_of_Spanish |archive-date=11 March 2012 |url-status=dead |access-date=26 July 2010 }}</ref> Nevertheless, the only Spanish-based creole language in Asia called [[Chavacano]] was developed on the islands and is spoken by roughly a million people.

Section 7, Article XIV of the [[1987 Constitution|1987 Philippine Constitution]] specifies Spanish (along with [[Arabic]]) a language to "be promoted on a voluntary and optional basis", while the [[Philippine Academy of the Spanish Language]] ({{langx|es|link=no|Academia Filipina de la Lengua Española}}) remains the state regulating body for the language. [[Castilian Spanish]] is the sole dialectal standard taught in schools, while [[Philippine Spanish]] (the local variant of the language which developed during the colonial era) currently has a few thousand native speakers left and is close to extinction.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.realinstitutoelcano.org/wps/portal/rielcano/contenido?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=%2Felcano%2Felcano_es%2Fzonas_es%2Fasia-pacifico%2Fari27-2009|title=Nuevas perspectivas para la lengua española en Filipinas (ARI)|access-date=June 12, 2013|archive-date=February 9, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209231124/http://www.realinstitutoelcano.org/wps/portal/rielcano/contenido?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=%2Felcano%2Felcano_es%2Fzonas_es%2Fasia-pacifico%2Fari27-2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Despite its rapid decline in the 20th century, there has been a revival of interest in the Spanish language since the first decade of the 21st century among select circles. Under the rule of President [[Gloria Macapagal Arroyo]] (herself a fluent speaker), Spanish was re-introduced into the [[Education in the Philippines|educational system]] as an elective language in secondary schools. Nevertheless, the Spanish language's presence in the country and its cultural influence continues to decline and is no longer present in daily life outside the numerous [[Spanish language in the Philippines#Influence on the languages of the Philippines|loanwords of Spanish origin]] in Philippine languages.<ref>{{cite news|language=es|url=https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-54724887|title=Por qué Filipinas no es un país hispanoparlante si fue una colonia de España durante 300 años (y qué huellas quedan de la lengua de Cervantes)|newspaper=BBC News Mundo|location=|date=30 January 2021|access-date=31 January 2021|archive-date=30 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210130181828/https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-54724887|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Pacific Islands===
====Easter Island (Rapa Nui)====
[[File:Rano Raraku quarry.jpg|thumb|[[Easter Island]], part of [[Chile]], is the only island in [[Oceania]] whose official language is Spanish.<ref>[https://larepublica.pe/mundo/2023/10/03/este-es-el-unico-lugar-de-oceania-que-habla-espanol-y-tiene-vinculo-con-chile-desde-hace-135-anos-peru-filipinas-espana-estados-unidos-isla-de-pascua-rapa-nui-policarpo-toro-idiomas-ingles-castellano-tagalo-chino-mandarin-video-44856 Este es el único lugar de Oceanía que habla español y tiene vínculo con Chile desde hace 135 años] La República (03/10/2023)</ref>]]

Spanish is the official language of [[Easter Island]], a territorial possession of Chile in [[Polynesia]].

====Mariana Islands====
{{Main|Guam|Northern Mariana Islands}}

The [[Mariana Islands]] (today split between the [[United States territory]] of [[Guam]] and the [[Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands]]) were formerly governed as a part of the [[Spanish East Indies]], and thus many [[Chamorros]] possess some degree of Spanish admixture.

While most people living on these islands no longer speak Spanish, the native [[Chamorro language]] exhibits a noticeable Spanish influence in its vocabulary. Many Chamorros have also preserved Hispanic cultural elements such as [[party|fiesta]]s, [[cockfight]]ing, and the [[Catholic]] faith despite having integrated with the American way of life.

Spanish surnames are still prevalent on Guam, it is spoken by Catholic people and [[Puerto Ricans]], and the custom of women keeping their maiden names after marriage is a both byproduct of Spanish culture on these islands as well as the [[matrilineal]] structure of indigenous [[Chamorro people|Chamorro]] culture.

===Antarctica===
[[File:Orcadas Base.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Orcadas Base]], an Argentine scientific station, is the oldest operating Antarctic base and the oldest with a permanent population (since 1907).]]
[[File:Villa_Las_Estrellas.jpg|thumb|The Chilean nucleus [[Villa Las Estrellas]] for the civilian population at the [[Base Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva]], located on the [[Fildes Peninsula]] of [[King George Island (South Shetland Islands)|King George Island]] in the South Shetland islands]]

In [[Antarctica]], there are only two civilian localities and both are inhabited primarily by native Spanish speakers. One of them is the Argentine [[Fortín Sargento Cabral]], which has 66 inhabitants.<ref>[http://www.losandes.com.ar/notas/2010/10/25/primer-resultado-censo-antartida-viven-personas-523229.asp Primer resultado del Censo: en la Antártida viven 230 personas] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121120190324/http://www.losandes.com.ar/notas/2010/10/25/primer-resultado-censo-antartida-viven-personas-523229.asp}} en: ''Los Andes''. Retrieved 25 October 2010.</ref> The other is the Chilean town of [[Villa Las Estrellas]], which has a population of 150 inhabitants in summer and 80 inhabitants in winter. In each of them there is a school where students study and do research in Spanish. The [[Orcadas Base]], an Argentine scientific station, is the oldest base in all of Antarctica still in operation and the oldest with a permanent population (since 1907).

The following countries operate scientific bases in Antarctica:
{|border=0 class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
!Country
!Permanent Research Stations
!Summer Research Stations
!Total
!Map
|-
|Argentina
|6
|7
|'''13'''
| rowspan="6" |[[File:Antártida hispana.png|350px]]
|-
|Chile
|4
|5
|'''9'''
|-
|Uruguay
|1
|1
|'''2'''
|-
|Spain
|0
|2
|'''2'''
|-
|Peru
|0
|1
|'''1'''
|-
|Ecuador
|0
|1
|'''1'''
|}
{{See also|Argentine Antarctica|Chilean Antarctic Territory|Uruguayan Antarctica}}

==Religion==
The Spanish and the Portuguese took the Christian faith to their colonies in the Americas, Africa, and Asia; [[Roman Catholicism]] remains the predominant religion amongst most Hispanics.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pewforum.org/2012/12/18/global-religious-landscape-christians/|title=Christians|work=Pew Research Center|date=December 18, 2012|access-date=December 28, 2020|archive-date=July 5, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130705090247/http://www.pewforum.org/global-religious-landscape-christians.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> A significant minority of Spanish speakers are also either [[Protestant]]<ref>Latinobarometro, Opinion Publica Latinoamericana, Enero 2018.</ref> or not affiliated with any religion.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! width="170 px" style="background:Lavender; color:Black"| Countries
! Population Total
! width="170 px" style="background:Lavender; color:Black" | Christians %
! Christian Population
! width="170 px" style="background:Lavender; color:Black" | Unaffiliated %
! Unaffiliated Population
! width="170 px" style="background:Lavender; color:Black"| Other religions %
! Other religions Population
!Source
|-
|{{flag|Argentina}}
|43,830,000||85.4%
|37,420,000
||12.1%
|5,320,000
||2.5%
|1,090,000
|<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/religious-projection-table/2020/percent/all/|title=Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050|website=www.pewforum.org|date=2 April 2015|access-date=2020-10-18|archive-date=2019-12-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221014350/https://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/religious-projection-table/2020/percent/all/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|{{flag|Bolivia}}
|11,830,000||94.0%
|11,120,000
||4.1%
|480,000
||1.9%
|230,000
|<ref name="auto"/>
|-
|{{flag|Chile}}
|18,540,000||88.3%
|16,380,000
||9.7%
|1,800,000
||2.0%
|360,000
|<ref name="auto"/>
|-
|{{flag|Colombia}}
|52,160,000||92.3%
|48,150,000
||6.7%
|3,510,000
||1.0%
|500,000
|<ref name="auto"/>
|-
|{{flag|Costa Rica}}
|5,270,000
|90.8%
|4,780,000
|8.0%
|420,000
|1.2%
|70,000
|<ref name="auto"/>
|-
|{{flag|Cuba}}
|11,230,000
|58.9%
|6,610,000
|23.2%
|2,600,000
|17.9%
|2,020,000
|<ref name="auto"/>
|-
|{{flag|Dominican Republic}}
|11,280,000
|88.0%
|9,930,000
|10.9%
|1,230,000
|1.1%
|120,000
|<ref name="auto"/>
|-
|{{flag|Ecuador}}
|16,480,000||94.0%
|15,490,000
||5.6%
|920,000
||0.4%
|70,000
|<ref name="auto"/>
|-
|{{flag|El Salvador}}
|6,670,000
|88.0%
|5,870,000
|11.2%
|740,000
|0.8%
|60,000
|<ref name="auto"/>
|-
|{{flag|Equatorial Guinea}}
|860,000
|88.7%
|770,000
|5.0%
|40,000
|6.3%
|50,000
|<ref name="auto"/>
|-
|{{flag|Guatemala}}
|18,210,000
|95.3%
|17,360,000
|3.9%
|720,000
|0.8%
|130,000
|<ref name="auto"/>
|-
|{{flag|Honduras}}
|9,090,000
|87.5%
|7,950,000
|10.5%
|950,000
|2.0%
|190,000
|<ref name="auto"/>
|-
|{{flag|Mexico}}
|126,010,000
|94.1%
|118,570,000
|5.7%
|7,240,000
|0.2%
|200,000
|<ref name="auto"/>
|-
|{{flag|Nicaragua}}
|6,690,000
|85.3%
|5,710,000
|13.0%
|870,000
|1.7%
|110,000
|<ref name="auto"/>
|-
|{{flag|Panama}}
|4,020,000
|92.7%
|3,720,000
|5.0%
|200,000
|2.3%
|100,000
|<ref name="auto"/>
|-
|{{flag|Paraguay}}
|7,630,000||96.9%
|7,390,000
||1.1%
|90,000
||2.0%
|150,000
|<ref name="auto"/>
|-
|{{flag|Peru}}
|32,920,000||95.4%
|31,420,000
||3.1%
|1,010,000
||1.5%
|490,000
|<ref name="auto"/>
|-
|{{Flag|Philippines}}
|109,035,343
|92.4%
|102,794,183
|0.1%
|111,249
|5.8%
|6,452,448
|<ref name="auto" />
|-
|{{flag|Puerto Rico}}{{refn|group=sn|Note: Puerto Rico is [[Political status of Puerto Rico|a territory]] of the {{flag|United States}}.}}
|3,790,000
|90.5%
|3,660,000
|7.3%
|80,000
|2.2%
|40,000
|<ref name="auto"/>
|-
|{{flag|Spain}}
|48,400,000
|75.2%
|34,410,000
|21.0%
|10,190,000
|3.8%
|1,800,000
|<ref name="auto"/>
|-
|{{flag|United States}}
|333,287,557||63.0%
|209,971,161
||29.0%
|96,653,392
||8.0%
|26,663,005
|<ref name="auto"/>
|-
|{{flag|Uruguay}}
|3,490,000||57.0%
|1,990,000
||41.5%
|1,450,000
||1.5%
|50,000
|<ref name="auto"/>
|-
|{{flag|Venezuela}}
|33,010,000||89.5%
|29,540,000
||9.7%
|3,220,000
||0.8%
|250,000
|<ref name="auto"/>
|}
{{reflist|group=sn}}

==See also==
* [[List of countries and territories where Spanish is an official language]]
* [[Spanish-based creole languages]]
* [[Flag of the Hispanic people|Flag of the Hispanic People]]
* [[Hispanic]]
* [[Hispanidad|Hispanicity]]
* [[Hispanism]] and [[Panhispanism]]
* [[Hispanophobia]]
* [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Latino]]
* [[Language geography]] and ''[[Sprachraum]]''
* ''[[Lingua franca]]'' and [[World language]]
* [[Anglophone]], [[Francophone]], [[Lusophone]], the corresponding words relating to use of the English, French, and Portuguese languages, respectively
* [[List of lingua francas |List of link languages]]
* [[Dialect continuum]]
* [[Geolinguistics]]
* [[Language geography]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist-lr}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Phones}}
{{Countries and languages lists}}

[[Category:Geographical distribution of the Spanish language| ]]
[[Category:Hispanidad|*]]
[[Category:Spanish language|*]]
[[Category:Country classifications]]
[[Category:Cultural regions]]
[[Category:Spanish diaspora]]