Hispanidad facts for kids

Hispanidad is a word that describes the community of people and nations that share the Spanish language and culture. It's like a big family of countries that speak Spanish and have similar traditions. There are 23 nations in this community, mostly Spanish-speaking, but also including the Philippines. These nations are found in four main areas: Spain, the Americas, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region.

Every year on October 12, many of these countries celebrate a special day called Hispanic Day, also known as Columbus Day. This day marks when Christopher Columbus first arrived in the Americas in 1492. This event led to Spain spreading its language and culture across the world, especially in the Americas. The old kingdom of Castile, in Spain, built a huge empire. Spanish culture and language mixed with the cultures of the native peoples, changing the world forever.

Spanish Speakers Around the World

Spanish is one of the most spoken languages in the world! More than 333 million people speak Spanish as their first language. If you count everyone who speaks Spanish, even if it's not their first language, the number goes up to over 395 million people! That's a lot of people who can understand each other!

Europe

In Europe, most Spanish speakers live in Spain. There are more than 30 million Spanish speakers there.

The Americas

The largest number of Spanish speakers live in the Americas. Over 300 million people speak Spanish in countries like Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, United States, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

Africa

In Africa, you'll find Spanish speakers mainly in Spain's overseas territories, like the Canary Islands, Ceuta, and Melilla. The country of Equatorial Guinea also speaks Spanish. Some people in Morocco and Western Sahara also have Spanish cultural ties. In total, about two million people in Africa speak Spanish.

Asia and the Pacific

The Philippines is the only country in Asia that still has strong Spanish influences in its culture and language. Many words in local languages there come from Spanish.

Other places in the Asia-Pacific region with Spanish connections include:

• Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands: These were once Spanish colonies. People there speak a language called Chamorro, which is a mix of local languages and Spanish.
• Caroline Islands: These islands are now part of the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau. People here also speak languages influenced by Spanish.
• Easter Island: This famous island is now part of Chile. Spanish is the official language there.

Images for kids

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  Ramiro de Maeztu, a writer who explored the idea of Hispanidad.

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  The priest Zacarías de Vizcarra helped spread the term "Hispanidad" in 1926.

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  The cover of a book called Defensa de la Hispanidad (1934), written by Ramiro de Maeztu.

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  Cardinal Gomá supported the ideas of Vizcarra and Maeztu.

See also

In Spanish: Hispanidad para niños