Spanish Speaking Countries

Spanish Speaking Countries 15 minutes of 2nd Period

Argentina Official name: Republic of ArgentinaCapital: Buenos AiresPopulation: 40.3 millionOfficial language: Spanish Date of independence, or formation date: 1816Date when current borders were established: 1816National day: May 25

Argentina Occupying most of the southern portion of South America, Argentina extends 3460 km (2150 miles) from the Gran Chaco to Tierra del Fuego. The Andes mountains in the west run north–south, forming a natural border with Chile. To the east they slope down to the fertile central Pampas, the region known as Entre Ríos. Agriculture, especially wheat, fruit, and beef, and energy resources are Argentina's main sources of wealth. Politics in Argentina was characterized in the past by periods of military rule, but in 1983 the country returned to multiparty democracy.

Bolivia Official name: Republic of BoliviaCapital: La Paz (administrative); Sucre (judicial)Population: 9.86 millionOfficial language: Spanish, Quechua, and Aymara Date of independence, or formation date: 1825Date when current borders were established: 1938National day: Aug 6

Bolivia Bolivia lies landlocked high in central South America, and is one of the continent's poorest nations. Over half of the population lives on the altiplano, the windswept plateau between two ranges of the Andes, 3500 m (11,500 ft) above sea level. La Paz is the highest capital in the world and Bolivia has the world's highest golf course, ski run, and soccer stadium. The eastern lowland regions are tropical and underdeveloped but are rapidly being colonized. Coca farming is illegal, but Bolivia is the world's third-largest coca producer.

Chile Official name: Republic of ChileCapital: SantiagoPopulation: 17 millionOfficial language: Spanish Date of independence, or formation date: 1818Date when current borders were established: 1883National day: Sept 18

Chile Chile extends in a narrow ribbon 4350 km (2700 miles) down the Pacific coast of South America. Its extraordinary shape means that its physical geography ranges from the deserts of the High Andes in the north to fertile valleys in the center, while in the south are the fjords, lakes, and deep sea channels of the Southern Andes. In 1989, Chile returned to elected civilian rule, following a popular rejection of the Pinochet dictatorship. Copper exports are key to Chile's economic growth.

Colombia Official name: Republic of ColombiaCapital: BogotáPopulation: 45.7 millionOfficial language: Spanish Date of independence, or formation date: 1819Date when current borders were established: 1903National day: July 20

Colombia Lying in northwest South America, Colombia has coastlines on both the Caribbean and the Pacific. The east is densely forested and sparsely populated, and separated from the western coastal plains by the Andes mountains. The Andes divide into three ranges (cordilleras) in Colombia. The eastern range is divided from the two western ranges by the densely populated Magdalena River valley. The Colombian lowlands are very wet, hot, and fertile, supporting two harvests and allowing many crops to be planted at any time of year. A state plagued by instability and violence, with over three million internally displaced people, Colombia is noted for its coffee, emeralds, gold, and narcotics trafficking.

Costa Rica Official name: Republic of Costa RicaCapital: San JoséPopulation: 4.58 millionOfficial language: Spanish Date of independence, or formation date: 1838Date when current borders were established: 1838National day: Sept 15

Costa Rica Spanning the Central American isthmus and wedged between Nicaragua and Panama, Costa Rica was under Spanish rule until 1821 and gained full independence in 1838. From 1948 until the end of the 1980s, it had the most developed welfare state in Central America. Costa Rica is nominally a multiparty democracy, but two parties dominate. Its army was abolished in 1948; the 1949 constitution then forbade national armies.

Cuba Official name: Republic of CubaCapital: HavanaPopulation: 11.2 millionOfficial language: Spanish Date of independence, or formation date: 1902Date when current borders were established: 1902National day: Jan 1

Cuba The Caribbean's largest island, Cuba has widely cultivated lowlands which fall between three mountainous areas. The fertile soil of the lowlands supports the sugarcane, rice, and coffee plantations. Sugar, the country's major export, suffers from underinvestment, low yields, and fluctuating world prices. A former Spanish colony, Cuba in 1959 became the only communist state in the Americas. In 1962, the deployment of Soviet nuclear missiles on the island shocked the US and brought the two superpowers close to war. The Castro regime is still very much in control, but, since the collapse of the USSR, the US sees Cuba as less of a threat. Veteran president Fidel handed power to his brother Raúl in 2006 due to serious health problems.

Ecuador Official name: Republic of EcuadorCapital: QuitoPopulation: 13.6 millionOfficial language: Spanish Date of independence, or formation date: 1830Date when current borders were established: 1942National day: Aug 10

Ecuador Once part of the Inca heartland, Ecuador lies on the western coast of South America. It was ruled by Spain from 1533, when the last Inca emperor was executed, until independence in 1830. Most Ecuadorians live either in the lowland coastal region or in the Andean Sierra. The Amerindian community is deeply involved in politics. Massive depreciation of the national currency, the sucre, forced the government to adopt the US dollar in 2000.

El Salvador Official name: Republic of El SalvadorCapital: San SalvadorPopulation: 6.16 millionOfficial language: Spanish Date of independence, or formation date: 1841Date when current borders were established: 1841National day: Sept 15

El Salvador The smallest and most densely populated Central American republic, El Salvador won full independence in 1841. Located on the Pacific coast, it lies within a zone of seismic activity. Between 1981 and 1991, El Salvador was engulfed in a civil war between US-backed right-wing government forces and left-wing FMLN guerrillas. Since the UN-brokered peace agreement, the country has been concentrating on rebuilding its shattered economy.

Spain Official name: Kingdom of SpainCapital: MadridPopulation: 44.9 millionOfficial language: Spanish, Galician, Basque, and Catalan Date of independence, or formation date: 1492Date when current borders were established: 1713National day: Oct 12

Spain The major part of the Iberian peninsula in southwest Europe, Spain has both an Atlantic and a Mediterranean coast, and is dominated by a central plateau. After the death of Gen. Franco in 1975, the country managed a rapid and relatively peaceful transition to democracy under the supervision of King Juan Carlos I. Since EU membership in 1986, there has been an increasing devolution of power to the regions. The socialists were returned to power in 2004 when the public turned against the two-term center-right regime following the Madrid train bombings.

United States Official name: United States of AmericaCapital: Washington D.C.Population: 315 millionOfficial language: English Date of independence, or formation date: 1776Date when current borders were established: 1959National day: July 4

United States The main landmass of the United States is bounded by Canada and Mexico and contains 48 of its 50 states. The two others, Alaska at the northwest tip of the Americas and Hawaii in the Pacific, became states in 1959. The US was not built on ethnic identity but on a concept of nationhood intimately bound up with the 18th-century founding fathers' ideas of democracy and liberty – still powerful touchstones in both a political and an economic sense. Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, the US holds a unique position – but arouses extreme opinions – as the sole world superpower. Its political, military, and economic dominance means that its foreign policy in particular is the subject of global interest, criticism, and debate.

Guatemala Official name: Republic of GuatemalaCapital: Guatemala CityPopulation: 14 millionOfficial language: Spanish Date of independence, or formation date: 1838Date when current borders were established: 1838National day: Sept 15

Guatemala The largest and most populous of the states of the Central American isthmus, Guatemala was home to the ancient Mayan civilization. Its fertile Pacific and Caribbean coastal lowlands give way to the highlands which dominate the country. Guatemala was governed by a military regime from 1954 to 1986, and civil war continued for another decade. Tropical Storm Stan brought torrential rain and landslides in 2005 that wiped out entire villages, killing thousands.

Equatorial Guinea Official name: Republic of Equatorial GuineaCapital: MalaboPopulation: 676,300Official language: Spanish and French Date of independence, or formation date: 1968Date when current borders were established: 1968National day: Oct 12

Equatorial Guinea Comprising five islands and the territory of Río Muni on the west coast of Africa, Equatorial Guinea lies just north of the equator. Mangrove swamps border the mainland coast. The republic gained its independence in 1968 after 190 years of Spanish rule. Multipartyism was accepted in 1991, but the fairness of subsequent general elections has been questioned. Oil production has sparked economic growth.

Honduras Official name: Republic of HondurasCapital: TegucigalpaPopulation: 7.47 millionOfficial language: Spanish Date of independence, or formation date: 1838Date when current borders were established: 1838

Honduras Most of Honduras is mountainous terrain, with a small sheltered Pacific coast to the south and a broad Caribbean shoreline to the north, including part of the virtually uninhabited Mosquito Coast. After a succession of military governments it returned to full civilian rule in 1984. In 1998 Honduras was devastated by Hurricane Mitch, which resulted in the death of at least 5600 people and damage estimated at some $3 billion.

Mexico Official name: United Mexican StatesCapital: Mexico CityPopulation: 110 millionOfficial language: Spanish Date of independence, or formation date: 1836Date when current borders were established: 1848National day: Sept 16

Mexico Mexico separates the US from the rest of Latin America. Coastal plains along its Pacific and Caribbean seaboards rise into an arid central plateau, which includes the world's second-biggest conurbation, Mexico City, built on the site of the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlán. Colonized by the Spanish for its silver mines, Mexico achieved independence in 1836. In the "Epic Revolution" of 1910–1920, in which 250,000 died, much of modern Mexico's structure was established. In 1994, Mexico signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Nicaragua Official name: Republic of NicaraguaCapital: ManaguaPopulation: 5.74 millionOfficial language: Spanish Date of independence, or formation date: 1838Date when current borders were established: 1838National day: Sept 15

Nicaragua Bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east, Nicaragua lies at the heart of Central America. After more than 40 years of dictatorship, the Sandinista revolution in 1978 led to social reforms, but also to a decade of civil war, which almost destroyed the economy. Right-wing parties have held power since the Sandinistas unexpectedly lost the 1990 elections. Despite the devastation of Hurricane Mitch in 1998, the economy is slowly strengthening.

Panama Official name: Republic of PanamaCapital: Panama CityPopulation: 3.45 millionOfficial language: Spanish Date of independence, or formation date: 1903Date when current borders were established: 1903National day: Nov 3

Panama Panama is the southernmost of the seven countries occupying the isthmus that joins North and South America. The rainforests of the southeastern Darien region are some of the most pristine left in the Americas. Elected governments have held power since the US invasion of 1989. Panama's traditional economic strength is its banking sector. The Panama Canal is a major international shipping route; control of the Canal Zone was returned by the US on December 31, 1999.

Paraguay Official name: Republic of ParaguayCapital: AsunciónPopulation: 6.35 millionOfficial language: Spanish and Guaraní Date of independence, or formation date: 1811Date when current borders were established: 1938National day: May 14

Spanish Speaking Countries