2. The Spanish empire once included parts of Italy and the
Netherlands, much of the Americas and the Caribbean, the
Philippines, and colonies in Africa. Today, Spain is a country of
rich regional and cultural traditions with a population of more
than 40 million people.

3. Spain was one of the most important provinces of the
ancient Roman empire. The Spanish language is very
closely related to Latin, the language of that empire.
Roman engineering also left its mark on the Spanish
landscape, and some Roman bridges are still in use
after almost 2,000 years! This photo shows the Roman
aqueduct in Segovia, which was constructed entirely
without mortar or clamps.

5. With a population of more than 100 million people, Mexico is
the most populous Spanish-speaking country. It has been shaped
by ancient indigenous civilizations, European colonialism, and
immigration, as well as by its proximity to the United States.

6. The Mayan city of Tulum, situated on a cliff overlooking
the Caribbean, was a major port from about 1200 until the
Spaniards arrived in the early 1500s. The Mayan civilization
dates from 750 B.C., and includes ancient cities throughout
southern Mexico, including the Yucatan Peninsula, and
parts of Central America. Today many people in these
areas speak one of approximately 30 languages and
dialects that developed from ancient Maya.

8. A chain of islands extending from the Bahamas in the north to
Trinidad in the south, the Caribbean or West Indies is a region of
extraordinary cultural and linguistic diversity. The Spanish-speaking
countries are Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic, which
occupies the eastern portion of the island of Hispaniola.

9. Christopher Columbus first
landed on the island of
Hispaniola in He returned
the following year with 1,000
colonists and founded Isabela,
the first European colony in
America, on the northern coast
of Hispaniola.