Banderas Hispánicas del Mundo About 470 million people speak Spanish as a native language, making it second only to Mandarin About 548 million speak Spanish as a first or second language Spanish is an official language in 20 countries, and is the second most widely spoken language in the United States.

Argentina Bolivia Chile Colombia Costa Rica Cuba Dominican Republic Ecuador El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Guatemala Honduras Mexico Nicaragua Panama Paraguay Peru Spain Uruguay Venezuela

Spain Red - hardiness, bravery, strength & valour Yellow - a symbol of generosity Crest is a symbol of Spanish monarchy The coat of arms is quartered to display the emblems of the traditional kingdoms of Spain (clockwise from upper left, Castile, Leon, Navarre, and Aragon)

Argentina White - peace and honesty Blue - represents many elements including vigilance, truth and loyalty, perseverance & justice ‘Sol de Mayo’: During the May Revolution, the sun is said to have broken through the clouds, when the new government was formed – led to independence Homage to Incas

Bolivia Red – Valour, bravery and strength Yellow – Generosity Green – Homage to Pachamama The Bolivian coat of arms shows a mountain and plains which represents the geography of the country. A llama is also shown representing the national animal The crossed muskets symbolize the struggle for independence The olive branches symbolize peace The condor symbolizes liberty

Chile White - the snow of the Andes Red - represents the blood of patriots who fought for independence Blue - the blue of the skies The Chile five pointed Single star is to emphasise the fact that Chile is an Unitarian republic as opposed to a Federal republic

Colombia Yellow - a symbol of generosity Red - hardiness, bravery, strength & valour Blue - vigilance, truth and loyalty, perseverance & justice Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela have similar flags as they were one country until 1830

Costa Rica White - peace and honesty Red - hardiness, bravery, strength & valour Blue - vigilance, truth and loyalty, perseverance & justice The volcanoes represent the three Costa Rica's mountain range systems The two oceans represent the Atlantic and Pacific The merchant ships sailing on each ocean represent the cultural and commercial exchange between Costa Rica and the rest of the world The rising sun represents Costa Rican prosperity The seven stars above the volcanoes represent the seven Costa Rican provinces - Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas, and San Jose

Cuba White - peace and honesty Red - hardiness, bravery, strength & valour Blue - vigilance, truth and loyalty, perseverance & justice Blue stripes refer to the three old divisions of the island White to the strength of the independent ideal Red triangle stands for equality, fraternity and freedom and the blood split in the struggle for independence The lone star symbolizes the absolute freedom among the Cuban people

Dominican Republic White - peace and honesty Red - hardiness, bravery, strength & valour Blue - vigilance, truth and loyalty, perseverance & justice Colours taken from Haitian flag, and altered to make a white cross to represent Christian faith The crest is made up of a bible, gold cross, and olive and palm to represent faith.

Ecuador Yellow - The crops and the fertile soil. Blue - The ocean and the clear skies Red - The blood spilled by the heroes who died in the name of their countrymen's Fatherland and Freedom The condor perched at the top offers the country shelter and protection and stands ready to strike out against any enemies Sun takes its place in the middle of the sky as a sacred symbol The Chimborazo Mountain is displayed being the highest in the Andes Range. The river is the river Guayas.

El Salvador White - peace and honesty Blue - the sea and the sky 5 volcanoes represent the five nations in Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica) The two oceans - Pacific & Atlantic Equilateral triangle representing the equality of individuals Rainbow representing hope The knot represents unity

Guatemala White - peace and honesty Blue - the sea and the sky The coat of arms includes a green and red quetzal ( the national bird of Guatemala) and a scroll bearing the inscription LIBERTAD 15 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 1821 Superimposed on a pair of crossed rifles and a pair of crossed swords indicating Guatemala's willingness to defend itself by war Framed by a wreath of olive leaves

Equatorial Guinea Green - natural resources, agriculture and jungles Blue - sea White - peace Red - blood shed by the fighters for independence. The six stars on the map represent the country's mainland and five islands

Honduras White - peace and honesty Blue - the sea and the sky - vigilance, truth and loyalty, perseverance & justice The Honduras emblem shows five stars representing the United Provinces of Central America of 1823 which also includes Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua

Mexico Green – Hope, independence White – Peace and Union Red – Blood of heroes The coat of arms is derived from an Aztec legend that their gods told them to build a city where they spot an eagle on a cactus eating a serpent, which is now Mexico City

Nicaragua Based on the original Federal Republic of Central America flag The 5 volcanoes represent the original 5 member states The Cap of Liberty represents national freedom The rays of the sun and the rainbow are symbolic of the bright future.

Panama The blue star represents the purity and honesty of the people and country of Panama The red star represents the authority and law in the country Colours also represent rival political parties and peace in which they operate.

Paraguay Paraguay has the only flag which have two different sides. Red - courage, equality and patriotism White - unity, purity and peace Blue - liberty, benevolence and truth. The front coat of arms represents May 14, 1811, the date of Paraguay's independence. The Treasury Seal on the reverse is a symbol of liberty.

Peru Red - blood that was spilled for the fight for independence White - peace and bravery. The Peruvian coat of arms includes the vicuña, the quina tree, and a cornucopia of gold – relation to Inca and Quechua people

Uruguay The sun emblem is the 'Sun of May'; it is a symbol of freedom and independence. The nine stripes represent the nine provinces of Uruguay, which existed at the time of the flags creation. The colors of the Uruguay flag were inspired by the flag of Argentina; while the United States national flag influenced the design.

Venezuela Stars represent the provinces which came together to make up Venezuela at the time of independence Political controversy over number of stars and inclusion of a crest. 8 stars – left wing politics