North America

• Spanish is the national language of Mexico and is spoken by the majority of its population. However, even in North America's English-majority countries, the United States and Canada, a significant number of the population speaks Spanish as a result of Latin American immigration. Currently more than 10 percent of the United States population speaks Spanish, according to the CIA World Factbook, and in Canada there are an estimated 500,000 Spanish speakers, a figure that is growing at 3 percent annually.
  
  

South America

• Spanish is the most widely spoken language in Central America and on the South American continent. In fact, Spanish is the national language of most South American countries, which includes Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay and Venezuela. This is due to the Spanish colonization that took place throughout most of the continent from the 16th to 19th centuries. Spanish also is spoken widely along the border areas of Brazil, where Portuguese is mainly spoken.
  
  

Europe

• Spain is the historical birthplace of the Spanish language. Today Spanish is the primary official language of the country of Spain and one of the official languages of the European Union. Spain currently encourages the use of Spanish around the world through the Cervantes Institute, an organization that promotes Spanish language and culture. Though not the official language, Spanish is widely spoken in neighboring Andorra and Gibraltar. Spanish also is spoken by a significant population in Portugal and France, and to a lesser degree, in the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy.
  
  

Africa

• Spanish is an official language spoken by the majority of the population in Equatorial Guinea, a former Spanish colony. In addition, Spanish is an official language in Spain's North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, which are considered an integral part of Spain's territory. There are an estimated 20,000 Spanish speakers in Morocco, according to the Ethnologue Languages of the World, primarily due to the fact that Spain once held territory there (in addition to Ceuta and Melilla).