Spanish Speaking Countries of the World

Spanish EnrichmentMs. Kunkel

Hunter Hylton

Cuba Population: 11.4 million Primary Language: Spanish Primary Religion: Roman Catholic Government Type: Communism Imports: petroleum, food, machinery and equipment, chemicals Exports: sugar, nickel, tobacco, fish, medical products, citrus, coffee Geographical Features: mostly flat to rolling plains, with rugged hills and

mountains in the southeast, largest country in Caribbean and westernmost

island of the Greater Antilles

Dominican Republic Population:11.8 million Primary Language: Spanish Primary Religion: Roman Catholic Government Type: Democratic Republic Imports: foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton and fabrics, chemicals and

pharmaceuticals Exports: ferronickel, sugar, gold, silver, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, meats,

consumer goods Geographical Features: rugged highlands and mountains with fertile

valleys interspersed, shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti

Puerto Rico Population: 3.98 million Primary Languages: Spanish, English Primary Religion: Roman Catholic Government Type: Commonwealth Imports: chemicals, machinery and equipment, clothing, food, fish,

petroleum products Exports: chemicals, electronics, apparel, canned tuna, rum, beverage

concentrates, medical equipment Geographical Features: mostly mountains with coastal plain belt in north;

mountains precipitous to sea on west coast; sandy beaches along most coastal areas, important location along the Mona Passage - a key shipping lane to the Panama Canal; San Juan is one of the biggest and best natural harbors in the Caribbean; many small rivers and high central mountains ensure land is well watered; south coast relatively dry; fertile coastal plain belt in north

Mexico Population: 112.47 million Primary Language: Spanish and other indigenous languages Primary Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant Government Type: Federal Republic Imports: metalworking machines, steel mill products, agricultural

machinery, electrical equipment, car parts for assembly, repair parts for motor vehicles, aircraft, and aircraft parts

Exports: manufactured goods, oil and oil products, silver, fruits, vegetables, coffee, cotton

Geographical Features: high, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus; desert, strategic location on southern border of US; corn (maize), one of the world's major grain crops, is thought to have originated in Mexico

Guatemala Population: 13.55 million Primary Languages: Spanish, Amerindan languages (23 officially

recognized Amerindian languages, including Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam, Garifuna, and Xinca)

Primary Religion: Roman Catholic, Protestant, indigenous Mayan beliefs Government Type: Constitutional Democratic Republic Imports: fuels, machinery and transport equipment, construction

materials, grain, fertilizers, electricity Exports: coffee, sugar, petroleum, apparel, bananas, fruits and vegetables,

cardamom Geographical Features: mostly mountains with narrow coastal plains and

rolling limestone plateau, no natural harbors on west coast

El Salvador Population: 6.05 million Primary Languages: Spanish, Nahua Primary Religion: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jehovah's Witnesses,

Mormon Government Type: Republic Imports: raw materials, consumer goods, capital goods, fuels, foodstuffs,

petroleum, electricity Exports: offshore assembly exports, coffee, sugar, textiles and apparel,

gold, ethanol, chemicals, electricity, iron and steel manufactures Geographical Features: mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and

central plateau, smallest Central American country and only one without a coastline on Caribbean Sea

Honduras Population: 7.99 million Primary Languages: Spanish, Amerindian dialects Primary Religion: Roman Catholic, Protestant Government Type: Democratic Constitutional Republic Imports: machinery and transport equipment, industrial raw materials,

chemical products, fuels, foodstuffs Exports: apparel, coffee, shrimp, wire harnessing, cigars, bananas, gold,

palm oil, fruit, lobster, lumber Geographical Features: mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal

plains, has only a short Pacific coast but a long Caribbean shoreline, including the virtually uninhabited eastern Mosquito Coast

Nicaragua Population: 5.99 million Primary Language: Spanish Primary Religion: Roman Catholic, Evangelical, Moravian, Jehovah's Witness Government Type: Republic Imports: consumer goods, machinery and equipment, raw materials,

petroleum products Exports: coffee, beef, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, sugar, gold, peanuts;

textiles and apparel Geographical Features: extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central

interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes, largest country in Central America; contains the largest freshwater body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua

Costa Rica Population: 4.52 million Primary Language: Spanish Primary Religion: Roman Catholic, Evangelical, Jehovah's Witnesses, other

Protestant Government Type: Democratic Republic Imports: raw materials, consumer goods, capital equipment, petroleum,

construction materials Exports: bananas, pineapples, coffee, melons, ornamental plants, sugar; beef;

seafood; electronic components, medical equipment Geographical Features: coastal plains separated by rugged mountains

including over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major volcanoes, four volcanoes, two of them active, rise near the capital of San Jose in the center of the country; one of the volcanoes, Irazu, erupted destructively in

1963-65

Panama Population: 3.41 million Primary Language: Spanish Primary Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant Government Type: Constitutional Democracy Imports: bananas, sugar, shrimp, coffee, clothing Exports: capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods, chemicals Geographical Features: interior mostly steep, rugged mountains and

dissected, upland plains; coastal areas largely plains and rolling hills, strategic location on eastern end of isthmus forming land bridge connecting North and South America; controls Panama Canal that links

North Atlantic Ocean via Caribbean Sea with North Pacific Ocean

Venezuela Population: 27.22 million Primary Language: Spanish Primary Religion: Roman Catholic Government Type: Federal Republic Imports: raw materials, machinery and equipment, transport equipment,

construction materials Exports: petroleum, bauxite and aluminum, steel, chemicals, agricultural

products, basic manufactures Geographical Features: Andes Mountains and Maracaibo Lowlands in

northwest; central plains (llanos); Guiana Highlands in southeast, on major sea and air routes linking North and South America; Angel Falls in the

Guiana Highlands is the world's highest waterfall

Colombia Population: 44.20 million Primary Language: Spanish Primary Religion: Roman Catholic Government Type: Republic; Executive Branch dominates government

structure Imports: industrial equipment, transportation equipment, consumer goods,

chemicals, paper products, fuels, electricity Exports: petroleum, coffee, coal, nickel, emeralds, apparel, bananas, cut

flowers Geographical Features: flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high

Andes Mountains, eastern lowland plains, only South American country

with coastlines on both the North Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea

Ecuador Population: 14.79 million Primary Language: Spanish Primary Religions: Roman Catholic Government Type: Republic Imports: industrial materials, fuels and lubricants, nondurable consumer

goods Exports: petroleum, bananas, cut flowers, shrimp, cacao, coffee, hemp,

wood, fish Geographical Features: coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central

highlands (sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente), Cotopaxi in

Andes is highest active volcano in world

Peru Population: 29.90 million Primary Language: Spanish, Quechua, Aymara Primary Religions: Roman Catholic, Evangelical Government Type: Constitutional Republic Imports: petroleum and petroleum products, plastics, machinery, vehicles,

iron and steel, wheat, paper Exports: copper, gold, zinc, crude petroleum and petroleum products,

coffee, potatoes, asparagus, textiles, fishmeal Geographical Features: western coastal plain (costa), high and

rugged Andes in center (sierra), eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva), shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake, with Bolivia; a remote slope of Nevado Mismi, a 5,316 m peak, is the ultimate source of the Amazon River

Chile Population: 16.74 million Primary Language: Spanish Primary Religions: Roman Catholic, Evangelical, Jehovah's Witness Government Type: Republic Imports: petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, electrical and

telecommunications equipment, industrial machinery, vehicles, natural gas Exports: copper, fruit, fish products, paper and pulp, chemicals, wine Geographical Features: low coastal mountains; fertile central valley;

rugged Andes in east, strategic location relative to sea lanes between Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake

Passage); Atacama Desert is one of world's driest regions

Argentina Population: 41.34 million Primary Language: Spanish Primary Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish Government Type: Republic Imports: machinery, motor vehicles, petroleum and natural gas, organic chemicals,

plastics Exports: soybeans and derivatives, petroleum and gas, vehicles, corn, wheat Geographical Features: rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to rolling

plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western border, second-largest country in South America (after Brazil); strategic location relative to sea lanes between the South Atlantic and the South Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage); diverse geophysical landscapes range from tropical climates in the north to tundra in the far south; Cerro Aconcagua is the Western Hemisphere's tallest mountain, while Laguna del Carbon is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere

Uruguay Population: 3.51 million Primary Language: Spanish, Portunol, Brazilero Primary Religion: Roman Catholic, Non-Catholic Christians,

Nondenominational, Jewish, Atheist or Agnostic Government Type: Constitutional Republic Imports: crude petroleum and petroleum products, machinery, chemicals,

road vehicles, paper, plastics Exports: meat, rice, leather products, wool, fish, dairy products Geographical Features: mostly rolling plains and low hills; fertile coastal

lowland, second-smallest South American country (after Suriname); most of the low-lying landscape (three-quarters of the country) is grassland,

ideal for cattle and sheep raising

Paraguay Population: 6.37 million Primary Language: Spanish, Guarani Primary Religion: Roman Catholic, Protestant Government Type: Constitutional Republic Imports: road vehicles, consumer goods, tobacco, petroleum products,

electrical machinery, tractors, chemicals, vehicle parts Exports: soybeans, feed, cotton, meat, edible oils, electricity, wood, leather Geographical Features: grassy plains and wooded hills east of Rio

Paraguay; Gran Chaco region west of Rio Paraguay mostly low, marshy plain near the river, and dry forest and thorny scrub elsewhere, landlocked; lies between Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil; population

concentrated in southern part of country

Bolivia Population: 9.94 million Primary Language: Spanish, Quechua, Aymara Primary Religion: Roman Cath0lic, Protestant Government Type: Republic, but the new constitution defines Bolivia as a

"Social Unitarian State" Imports: petroleum products, plastics, paper, aircraft and aircraft parts,

prepared foods, automobiles, insecticides, soybeans Exports: natural gas, soybeans and soy products, crude petroleum, zinc

ore, tin Geographical Features: rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau

(Altiplano), hills, lowland plains of the Amazon Basin, landlocked; shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake (elevation 3,805

m), with Peru

Sources: CIA World Factbook:

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/ Yahoo! Images: http://images.yahoo.com Google Images: http://www.google.com/images