Hispanophone
Hispanophone refers to anything related to the Spanish language.
In a cultural, rather than merely linguistic sense, the notion of "Hispanophone" goes further than the above definition. The
When used in terms to refer to speakers of the Spanish language and the Spanish-speaking world, the Hispanosphere encompasses the following geographical areas: Spain, Hispanic America, Equatorial Guinea, and portions of the United States (namely the Southwest and Florida).[1] 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.
The terms are derived from the
The Hispanosphere
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.[2] This makes Spanish the second most natively spoken language and 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
During the Spanish period between 1492 and 1898, many people from Spain 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.[3]
Rank | Country/territory | Spanish-speaking population[1] |
Area (km2) | Area (sq mi) |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mexico | 130,118,356 | 1,964,375 | 761,610 |
2 | United States[sn 1] | 56,757,391 | 9,147,593 | 3,531,905 |
3 | Colombia | 51,609,474 | 1,141,748 | 440,831 |
4 | Spain | 47,615,034 | 505,944 | 195,365 |
5 | Argentina | 46,234,830 | 2,780,400 | 1,073,500 |
6 | Peru | 33,470,569 | 1,285,215 | 496,225 |
7 | Venezuela | 33,360,238 | 916,445 | 353,841 |
8 | Chile | 19,828,563 | 756,102 | 291,930 |
9 | Guatemala | 17,357,886 | 108,889 | 42,042 |
10 | Ecuador | 16,149,014 | 283,561 | 109,484 |
11 | Bolivia | 12,006,031 | 1,098,581 | 424,164 |
12 | Cuba | 11,305,652 | 109,884 | 42,426 |
13 | Dominican Republic | 10,621,938 | 48,671 | 18,792 |
14 | Honduras | 9,523,621 | 112,492 | 43,433 |
15 | Paraguay | 7,453,695 | 406,752 | 157,065 |
16 | Nicaragua | 6,779,100 | 130,374 | 50,338 |
17 | El Salvador | 6,550,389 | 21,041 | 8,124 |
18 | Costa Rica | 5,213,374 | 51,179 | 19,760 |
19 | Panama | 4,446,964 | 75,417 | 29,119 |
20 | Uruguay | 3,444,263 | 181,034 | 69,898 |
21 | Puerto Rico | 3,285,874 | 9,104 | 3,515 |
22 | Equatorial Guinea | 1,454,789 | 28,052 | 10,831 |
Total | 534,276,236 | 21,162,853 | 8,174,198 |
- ^ Note: Spanish is the second most spoken language in the U.S. and has no official status except in New Mexico.
Geographic distribution of Spanish speakers
Europe
Spain
The modern-day people that live in the region of ancient
Today, there is no single Castilian–Spanish[
The existence of multiple distinct cultures in Spain allows an analogy to be drawn to the United Kingdom.[
In Spain, as in the United Kingdom, the economically dominant territories—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 medieval realms do not correspond with the actual boundaries of the autonomous communities, and the crown was unified into a sole monarch.
Americas
Hispanic America
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
Part of a series on |
Hispanic and Latino Americans |
---|
Origins and demography
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[update] Hispanics accounted for 17.1% of the population, around 53.2 million people.[4] 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.[5][6]
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 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 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, penetrating to present-day Bangor, Maine, and up the Pacific Coast as far as Oregon.
In 1540
The Spanish created the first permanent European settlement in the continental United States, at
37 years before the founding of Jamestown.Two iconic American stories have Spanish antecedents, too. Almost 80 years before
Hispanic Americans have fought in all the
National Hispanic Heritage Month
The National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated in the United States from September 15 to October 15.[10]
Diversity
This section needs additional citations for verification. (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
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%[13] of Mexicans identifying as mestizo, with Mexico having the largest total mestizo population at over 66 million.[14]
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.[15] From 1850 to 1920, the U.S. Census form did not distinguish between whites and Mexican Americans.[16] 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] 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)."[16])
Of the over 35 million Hispanics counted in the
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.[15]
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.[18]
Africa
Equatorial Guinea
In the former Spanish province of Equatorial Guinea, although Portuguese and French are co-official languages, the majority of the population speak Spanish.[19] 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
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.[20] 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).[21]
Spanish territories in North Africa
Since the
Western 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.[22]
Asia
Philippines
In the
Section 7, Article XIV of the
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 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 loanwords of Spanish origin in Philippine languages.[25]
Pacific Islands
Easter Island (Rapa Nui)
Spanish is the official language of Easter Island, a territorial possession of Chile in Polynesia.
Mariana Islands
The
While most people living on these islands no longer speak Spanish, the native
Spanish surnames are still prevalent on Guam, it is spoken by Catholic people and
Antarctica
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.[26] 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:
Country | Permanent Research Stations | Summer Research Stations | Total | Map |
---|---|---|---|---|
Argentina | 6 | 7 | 13 | |
Chile | 4 | 5 | 9 | |
Uruguay | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Spain | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
Peru | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Ecuador | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Religion
The Spanish and the Portuguese took the Christian faith to their colonies in the Americas, Africa, and Asia;
Countries | Population Total | Christians % | Christian Population | Unaffiliated % | Unaffiliated Population | Other religions % | Other religions Population | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Argentina | 43,830,000 | 85.4% | 37,420,000 | 12.1% | 5,320,000 | 2.5% | 1,090,000 | [29] |
Bolivia | 11,830,000 | 94.0% | 11,120,000 | 4.1% | 480,000 | 1.9% | 230,000 | [29] |
Chile | 18,540,000 | 88.3% | 16,380,000 | 9.7% | 1,800,000 | 2.0% | 360,000 | [29] |
Colombia | 52,160,000 | 92.3% | 48,150,000 | 6.7% | 3,510,000 | 1.0% | 500,000 | [29] |
Costa Rica | 5,270,000 | 90.8% | 4,780,000 | 8.0% | 420,000 | 1.2% | 70,000 | [29] |
Cuba | 11,230,000 | 58.9% | 6,610,000 | 23.2% | 2,600,000 | 17.9% | 2,020,000 | [29] |
Dominican Republic | 11,280,000 | 88.0% | 9,930,000 | 10.9% | 1,230,000 | 1.1% | 120,000 | [29] |
Ecuador | 16,480,000 | 94.0% | 15,490,000 | 5.6% | 920,000 | 0.4% | 70,000 | [29] |
El Salvador | 6,670,000 | 88.0% | 5,870,000 | 11.2% | 740,000 | 0.8% | 60,000 | [29] |
Equatorial Guinea | 860,000 | 88.7% | 770,000 | 5.0% | 40,000 | 6.3% | 50,000 | [29] |
Guatemala | 18,210,000 | 95.3% | 17,360,000 | 3.9% | 720,000 | 0.8% | 130,000 | [29] |
Honduras | 9,090,000 | 87.5% | 7,950,000 | 10.5% | 950,000 | 2.0% | 190,000 | [29] |
Mexico | 126,010,000 | 94.1% | 118,570,000 | 5.7% | 7,240,000 | 0.2% | 200,000 | [29] |
Nicaragua | 6,690,000 | 85.3% | 5,710,000 | 13.0% | 870,000 | 1.7% | 110,000 | [29] |
Panama | 4,020,000 | 92.7% | 3,720,000 | 5.0% | 200,000 | 2.3% | 100,000 | [29] |
Paraguay | 7,630,000 | 96.9% | 7,390,000 | 1.1% | 90,000 | 2.0% | 150,000 | [29] |
Peru | 32,920,000 | 95.4% | 31,420,000 | 3.1% | 1,010,000 | 1.5% | 490,000 | [29] |
Philippines | 109,035,343 | 92.4% | 102,794,183 | 0.1% | 111,249 | 5.8% | 6,452,448 | [29] |
Puerto Rico[sn 1] | 3,790,000 | 90.5% | 3,660,000 | 7.3% | 80,000 | 2.2% | 40,000 | [29] |
Spain | 48,400,000 | 75.2% | 34,410,000 | 21.0% | 10,190,000 | 3.8% | 1,800,000 | [29] |
United States | 333,287,557 | 63.0% | 209,971,161 | 29.0% | 96,653,392 | 8.0% | 26,663,005 | [29] |
Uruguay | 3,490,000 | 57.0% | 1,990,000 | 41.5% | 1,450,000 | 1.5% | 50,000 | [29] |
Venezuela | 33,010,000 | 89.5% | 29,540,000 | 9.7% | 3,220,000 | 0.8% | 250,000 | [29] |
- ^ Note: Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States.
See also
- List of countries where Spanish is an official language
- Flag of the Hispanic People
- List of hispanophones
- Hispanic
- Hispanicity
- Pan-Hispanism
- Hispanophobia
- Latino
- Language geography and Sprachraum
- Lingua franca and World language
- Lusophone, the corresponding words relating to use of the English, French, and Portuguese languages, respectively
Notes
- ^ Spanish: castellanohablante, castellanoparlante, or castellanófono
References
- ^ a b El español: una lengua viva - Informe 2022, Instituto Cervantes. Retrieved 29 March 2022. (in Spanish)
- ^ "What are the top 200 most spoken languages?". Ethnologue. 2022.
- ISBN 9780816541386.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ Table 1. Population by Sex, Age, Hispanic Origin, and Race. US Census Bureau, 2013.
- ^ "En 2050, el 10% de la población mundial hablará español". Archived from the original on 2021-04-02. Retrieved 2018-12-23.
- ^ "Los hispanohablantes ascienden ya a 572 millones de personas". El País. November 28, 2017. Archived from the original on February 9, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2018 – via elpais.com.
- ^ U.S. Army document Archived 2007-03-25 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ The Hispanic Experience - Contributions to America's Defense Archived 2007-03-25 at the Wayback Machine. Houstonculture.org. Retrieved on 2013-07-12.
- ^ U.S. Latino Patriots: From the American Revolution to Afghanistan Archived 2008-02-27 at the Wayback Machine, An Overview By Refugio I. Rochin and Lionel Fernández
- ^ "Hispanic Heritage Month -- National Register of Historic Places Official Website--Part of the National Park Service". nps.gov. Archived from the original on 2008-01-11. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
- ^ "Typical stereotypes of Hispanics" Archived 2017-05-14 at the Wayback Machine, NLCATP (National Latino Council on Alcohol and Tobacco Prevention), March 14, 2014
- ^ Genetic makeup of Hispanic/Latino Americans influenced by Native American, European and African-American ancestries Archived 2017-08-28 at the Wayback Machine, Science Daily, May 31, 2010
- ^ "Mexico". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 2015-05-03. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
- ^ "The World Factbook". Central Intelligence Agency. July 2008. Archived from the original on 2013-05-10. Retrieved 2008-06-23.
- ^ a b Stephens' study Archived 2008-02-27 at the Wayback Machine, Stanford University
- ^ a b "The Race Question". Rci.rutgers.edu. Archived from the original on 7 October 2008. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
- ^ "Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin" (PDF). March 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-05-01. Retrieved 2006-12-27.
- PMID 15044595.
- ^ Dawkins, Farida (12 October 2018). "How Equatorial Guinea became the only Spanish speaking country in Africa". Face2Face Africa. Babu Global. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
It is spoken by 67.6% of the Equatorial Guinean population.
- ^ "Spanish". Ethnologue. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
- ^ Peregil, Francisco. Morocco's diminishing interest in learning Spanish, El País, 17 Jan 2018.
- ^ Candela Romero, Pilar. "El Español en los Campamentos de Refugiados Saharauis (Tinduf, Argelia)" (PDF). cvc.cervantes.es. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
- ^ Ocampo, Ambeth (4 December 2007). "The loss of Spanish". Makati City, Philippines: Philippine Daily Inquirer (INQUIRER.net). Opinion. Archived from the original on 11 March 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
- ^ "Nuevas perspectivas para la lengua española en Filipinas (ARI)". Archived from the original on February 9, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
- ^ "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)". BBC News Mundo (in Spanish). 30 January 2021. Archived from the original on 30 January 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
- ^ Primer resultado del Censo: en la Antártida viven 230 personas Archived 2012-11-20 at the Wayback Machine en: Los Andes. Retrieved 25 October 2010.
- ^ "Christians". Pew Research Center. December 18, 2012. Archived from the original on July 5, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
- ^ Latinobarometro, Opinion Publica Latinoamericana, Enero 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050". www.pewforum.org. 2 April 2015. Archived from the original on 2019-12-21. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
External links
- Media related to Spanish-speaking countries and territories at Wikimedia Commons