Spanish Speaking Countries of the World

1. Spanish Speaking Countries of the World Spanish Enrichment Ms. Kunkel Hunter Hylton

2. Cuba • Population: 11.4 million • Primary Language: Spanish • Primary Religion: Roman Catholic • Government Type: Communism • Imports: petroleum, food, machinery and equipment, chemicals • Exports: sugar, nickel, tobacco, fish, medical products, citrus, coffee • Geographical Features: mostly flat to rolling plains, with rugged hills and mountains in the southeast, largest country in Caribbean and westernmost island of the Greater Antilles

3. Dominican Republic • Population:11.8 million • Primary Language: Spanish • Primary Religion: Roman Catholic • Government Type: Democratic Republic • Imports: foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton and fabrics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals • Exports: ferronickel, sugar, gold, silver, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, meats, consumer goods • Geographical Features: rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed, shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti

4. Puerto Rico • Population: 3.98 million • Primary Languages: Spanish, English • Primary Religion: Roman Catholic • Government Type: Commonwealth • Imports: chemicals, machinery and equipment, clothing, food, fish, petroleum products • Exports: chemicals, electronics, apparel, canned tuna, rum, beverage concentrates, medical equipment • Geographical Features: mostly mountains with coastal plain belt in north; mountains precipitous to sea on west coast; sandy beaches along most coastal areas, important location along the Mona Passage - a key shipping lane to the Panama Canal; San Juan is one of the biggest and best natural harbors in the Caribbean; many small rivers and high central mountains ensure land is well watered; south coast relatively dry; fertile coastal plain belt in north

5. Mexico • Population: 112.47 million • Primary Language: Spanish and other indigenous languages • Primary Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant • Government Type: Federal Republic • Imports: metalworking machines, steel mill products, agricultural machinery, electrical equipment, car parts for assembly, repair parts for motor vehicles, aircraft, and aircraft parts • Exports: manufactured goods, oil and oil products, silver, fruits, vegetables, coffee, cotton • Geographical Features: high, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus; desert, strategic location on southern border of US; corn (maize), one of the world's major grain crops, is thought to have originated in Mexico

6. Guatemala • Population: 13.55 million • Primary Languages: Spanish, Amerindan languages (23 officially recognized Amerindian languages, including Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam, Garifuna, and Xinca) • Primary Religion: Roman Catholic, Protestant, indigenous Mayan beliefs • Government Type: Constitutional Democratic Republic • Imports: fuels, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, grain, fertilizers, electricity • Exports: coffee, sugar, petroleum, apparel, bananas, fruits and vegetables, cardamom • Geographical Features: mostly mountains with narrow coastal plains and rolling limestone plateau, no natural harbors on west coast

7. El Salvador • Population: 6.05 million • Primary Languages: Spanish, Nahua • Primary Religion: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormon • Government Type: Republic • Imports: raw materials, consumer goods, capital goods, fuels, foodstuffs, petroleum, electricity • Exports: offshore assembly exports, coffee, sugar, textiles and apparel, gold, ethanol, chemicals, electricity, iron and steel manufactures • Geographical Features: mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau, smallest Central American country and only one without a coastline on Caribbean Sea

8. Honduras • Population: 7.99 million • Primary Languages: Spanish, Amerindian dialects • Primary Religion: Roman Catholic, Protestant • Government Type: Democratic Constitutional Republic • Imports: machinery and transport equipment, industrial raw materials, chemical products, fuels, foodstuffs • Exports: apparel, coffee, shrimp, wire harnessing, cigars, bananas, gold, palm oil, fruit, lobster, lumber • Geographical Features: mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains, has only a short Pacific coast but a long Caribbean shoreline, including the virtually uninhabited eastern Mosquito Coast

9. Nicaragua • Population: 5.99 million • Primary Language: Spanish • Primary Religion: Roman Catholic, Evangelical, Moravian, Jehovah's Witness • Government Type: Republic • Imports: consumer goods, machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum products • Exports: coffee, beef, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, sugar, gold, peanuts; textiles and apparel • Geographical Features: extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes, largest country in Central America; contains the largest freshwater body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua

10. Costa Rica • Population: 4.52 million • Primary Language: Spanish • Primary Religion: Roman Catholic, Evangelical, Jehovah's Witnesses, other Protestant • Government Type: Democratic Republic • Imports: raw materials, consumer goods, capital equipment, petroleum, construction materials • Exports: bananas, pineapples, coffee, melons, ornamental plants, sugar; beef; seafood; electronic components, medical equipment • Geographical Features: coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major volcanoes, four volcanoes, two of them active, rise near the capital of San Jose in the center of the country; one of the volcanoes, Irazu, erupted destructively in 1963-65

11. Panama • Population: 3.41 million • Primary Language: Spanish • Primary Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant • Government Type: Constitutional Democracy • Imports: bananas, sugar, shrimp, coffee, clothing • Exports: capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods, chemicals • Geographical Features: interior mostly steep, rugged mountains and dissected, upland plains; coastal areas largely plains and rolling hills, strategic location on eastern end of isthmus forming land bridge connecting North and South America; controls Panama Canal that links North Atlantic Ocean via Caribbean Sea with North Pacific Ocean

12. Venezuela • Population: 27.22 million • Primary Language: Spanish • Primary Religion: Roman Catholic • Government Type: Federal Republic • Imports: raw materials, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, construction • materials • Exports: petroleum, bauxite and aluminum, steel, chemicals, agricultural products, basic manufactures • Geographical Features: Andes Mountains and Maracaibo Lowlands in northwest; central plains (llanos); Guiana Highlands in southeast, on major sea and air routes linking North and South America; Angel Falls in the Guiana Highlands is the world's highest waterfall

13. Colombia • Population: 44.20 million • Primary Language: Spanish • Primary Religion: Roman Catholic • Government Type: Republic; Executive Branch dominates government structure • Imports: industrial equipment, transportation equipment, consumer goods, chemicals, paper products, fuels, electricity • Exports: petroleum, coffee, coal, nickel, emeralds, apparel, bananas, cut flowers • Geographical Features: flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high Andes Mountains, eastern lowland plains, only South American country with coastlines on both the North Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea

14. Ecuador • Population: 14.79 million • Primary Language: Spanish • Primary Religions: Roman Catholic • Government Type: Republic • Imports: industrial materials, fuels and lubricants, nondurable consumer goods • Exports: petroleum, bananas, cut flowers, shrimp, cacao, coffee, hemp, wood, fish • Geographical Features: coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente), Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active volcano in world

15. Peru • Population: 29.90 million • Primary Language: Spanish, Quechua, Aymara • Primary Religions: Roman Catholic, Evangelical • Government Type: Constitutional Republic • Imports: petroleum and petroleum products, plastics, machinery, vehicles, iron and steel, wheat, paper • Exports: copper, gold, zinc, crude petroleum and petroleum products, coffee, potatoes, asparagus, textiles, fishmeal • Geographical Features: western coastal plain (costa), high and rugged Andes in center (sierra), eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva), shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake, with Bolivia; a remote slope of Nevado Mismi, a 5,316 m peak, is the ultimate source of the Amazon River

16. Chile • Population: 16.74 million • Primary Language: Spanish • Primary Religions: Roman Catholic, Evangelical, Jehovah's Witness • Government Type: Republic • Imports: petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, electrical and telecommunications equipment, industrial machinery, vehicles, natural gas • Exports: copper, fruit, fish products, paper and pulp, chemicals, wine • Geographical Features: low coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged Andes in east, strategic location relative to sea lanes between Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage); Atacama Desert is one of world's driest regions

17. Argentina • Population: 41.34 million • Primary Language: Spanish • Primary Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish • Government Type: Republic • Imports: machinery, motor vehicles, petroleum and natural gas, organic chemicals, plastics • Exports:soybeans and derivatives, petroleum and gas, vehicles, corn, wheat • Geographical Features: rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to rolling plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western border, second-largest country in South America (after Brazil); strategic location relative to sea lanes between the South Atlantic and the South Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage); diverse geophysical landscapes range from tropical climates in the north to tundra in the far south; Cerro Aconcagua is the Western Hemisphere's tallest mountain, while Laguna del Carbon is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere

18. Uruguay • Population: 3.51 million • Primary Language: Spanish, Portunol, Brazilero • Primary Religion: Roman Catholic, Non-Catholic Christians, Nondenominational, Jewish, Atheist or Agnostic • Government Type: Constitutional Republic • Imports: crude petroleum and petroleum products, machinery, chemicals, road vehicles, paper, plastics • Exports: meat, rice, leather products, wool, fish, dairy products • Geographical Features: mostly rolling plains and low hills; fertile coastal lowland, second-smallest South American country (after Suriname); most of the low-lying landscape (three-quarters of the country) is grassland, ideal for cattle and sheep raising

19. Paraguay • Population: 6.37 million • Primary Language: Spanish, Guarani • Primary Religion: Roman Catholic, Protestant • Government Type: Constitutional Republic • Imports: road vehicles, consumer goods, tobacco, petroleum products, electrical machinery, tractors, chemicals, vehicle parts • Exports: soybeans, feed, cotton, meat, edible oils, electricity, wood, leather • Geographical Features: grassy plains and wooded hills east of Rio Paraguay; Gran Chaco region west of Rio Paraguay mostly low, marshy plain near the river, and dry forest and thorny scrub elsewhere, landlocked; lies between Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil; population concentrated in southern part of country

20. Bolivia • Population: 9.94 million • Primary Language: Spanish, Quechua, Aymara • Primary Religion: Roman Cath0lic, Protestant • Government Type: Republic, but the new constitution defines Bolivia as a "Social Unitarian State" • Imports: petroleum products, plastics, paper, aircraft and aircraft parts, prepared foods, automobiles, insecticides, soybeans • Exports: natural gas, soybeans and soy products, crude petroleum, zinc ore, tin • Geographical Features: rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano), hills, lowland plains of the Amazon Basin, landlocked; shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake (elevation 3,805 m), with Peru

21. Sources: • CIA World Factbook: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/ • Yahoo! Images: http://images.yahoo.com • Google Images: http://www.google.com/images