It is estimated that the combined total number of Spanish speakers is between 470 and 500 million, making it the third most spoken language by total number of speakers after Chinese, and English. Spanish is the second most widely spoken language in terms of native speakers. It is also the second most studied language in the world, after English. Most Spanish speakers are in Latin America; of all countries with a majority of Spanish speakers, only Spain is outside the Americas. Mexico has the most native speakers of any country. Spanish is the official language in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
Spanish is undoubtedly one of the most important languages in the world. Hispanic and Latin culture have shaped our culture in the past and continue to do it in the present. Spanish or Castilian (español or castellano in Spanish) is a Romance Language that evolved from several languages and dialects in the central-north of Iberia during the 9th century. Castilian evolved from Latin which had been introduced to the Iberian Peninsula by Romans.
