top of page
Search
Writer's pictureMaría Palomares Tarí

THE SPANISH LANGUAGE: 10 NEW SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT ITS WORLDWIDE INFLUENCE







Second most studied language in the world and more than 460 million native speakers… Yes, we are back talking about the Spanish language, and it’s no wonder!


Ready for some Spanish culture and language facts?

  • The name of Spain comes from the name that he Romans gave to the country, Hispania.

  • The oldest restaurant in the world is located in Madrid, Spain. And speaking of food and drink, Spain has the highest number of bars and restaurants per person in the entire Europe!

  • The Christmas Lottery in Spain is the biggest in the world, and also one of the oldest, having started in 1812. It is called ‘El Gordo’, which literally translates as the Fat One.

  • By 2050, one of three people (33.3%) will speak Spanish in the USA.

  • After Latin, Spanish had the biggest historic-cultural influence from Arabic, with about 4000 words of Arab origin.

  • Mexico introduced corn and chillies to the world. In Mexico, chills peppers are essential ingredient in their gastronomical heritage. You can find over 150 chillies in the country and countless uses of them. By the way, not all chillies add heat, there are many that add fragrance, color and texture.

  • Spain is the only European country with cities on the African continent. The cities of Melilla and Ceuta are in Morocco, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. They use Spanish infrastructure, currency and language.

  • Mexico is geographically the largest Spanish speaking country in the world, followed by Colombia, Argentina and Spain.

  • In Spain, Tuesday the 13th is considered the unlucky (not Friday).


Do you know any other interesting facts about Spanish culture or language? Leave us a comment telling us about it!




Comments


bottom of page