Why Study Spanish?
With more than 320 million native speakers worldwide, Spanish is immensely relevant in today's global community. Spoken officially in 21 countries and numerous international organizations, the language's popularity has expanded significantly in important regions like the United States and Europe. Today, Spanish is studied in record numbers thanks to its increasing economic and cultural relevance.
Spanish in the World
Spanish, also referred to as Castilian, is spoken by over 400 million people and is the official language in 21 countries (Mexico has the largest number of Spanish speakers at over 100 million). Many other countries hold significant Spanish-speaking populations, making Spanish the second most-spoken language in the world by native speakers after Mandarin Chinese.
Spanish has quickly grown in popularity as a second and third language across the globe, especially in English-speaking countries such as the United States (whose native Spanish-speaking population of 34 million people is the second-largest in the world, after Mexico). Many studies indicate that Spanish will become increasingly important in coming decades.
Originating in Northern Spain, Spanish came to dominate the Iberian Peninsula as the primary language of diplomacy and commerce. With the spread of the Spanish empire between the fifteenth and late nineteenth centuries to North, Central and South America; as well as parts of Africa and Asia, the language took on the global proportions it enjoys today.