The Spanish-Speaking Countries Quiz at a Glance
Spanish is an official language in 20 countries: Spain, Equatorial Guinea and 18 countries in the Americas, from Mexico to Argentina. Puerto Rico, a US territory, makes 21. This page has them on a map, with their flags and capitals, and a free quiz: find each country, then find each country from its capital.
- Countries with Spanish official
- 20
- With Puerto Rico
- 21
- Most people
- Mexico, about 131.9 million
- Largest by area
- Argentina
- Only one in Africa
- Equatorial Guinea
- People in the 20 countries
- about 482 million
How to Play the quiz
- Click any country on the map to see its name before you start.
- Pick a round. In Countries, a country is named and you click it. In Capitals, a capital is named and you click its country.
- Small places (El Salvador, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Equatorial Guinea) have a ring around them, so you can tap them on a phone.
- Ten questions a round. The right country turns green after every answer.
Spanish is the second most spoken native language in the world, after Mandarin Chinese. Most of its speakers live in the Americas: 9 of the Spanish-speaking countries are in South America and 9 in North and Central America and the Caribbean. Spain is the only one in Europe and Equatorial Guinea the only one in Africa.
Which Countries Speak Spanish?
The 20 countries are Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Spain, Uruguay and Venezuela. Mexico has the most people, followed by Colombia, Spain and Argentina.
A few places are often counted and are not. Puerto Rico has Spanish as an official language but is a US territory, not a country. The United States has one of the largest Spanish-speaking populations in the world, but Spanish is not an official language there. In Belize many people speak Spanish, but the official language is English. The Philippines had Spanish as an official language until 1987.
Flags That Look Alike
Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela share yellow, blue and red, from their time as one country, Gran Colombia. Colombia's yellow band is twice as tall; Ecuador has a coat of arms in the middle; Venezuela has an arc of eight stars.
Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua all have blue, white and blue stripes, from the Federal Republic of Central America; the emblem in the middle tells them apart. Guatemala uses the same colours in vertical stripes.
Cuba and Puerto Rico have the same design with the colours swapped: Cuba has blue stripes and a red triangle, Puerto Rico red stripes and a blue triangle. Argentina and Uruguay both carry the Sun of May.
Capitals Worth Knowing
Bolivia has two: Sucre is the capital in the constitution, and La Paz is where the government sits. Three capitals take the country's name: Guatemala City, Mexico City and Panama City. Three start with San and are easy to mix up: San José (Costa Rica), San Salvador (El Salvador) and San Juan (Puerto Rico). The capital of Equatorial Guinea is Malabo, on the island of Bioko.
Spanish-Speaking Countries and Their Capitals
In alphabetical order. Puerto Rico is a US territory.
| # | Country | Capital | Continent | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Argentina | Buenos Aires | South America | 45.9 million |
| 2 | Bolivia | Sucre (La Paz is the seat of government) | South America | 12.6 million |
| 3 | Chile | Santiago | South America | 19.9 million |
| 4 | Colombia | Bogotá | South America | 53.4 million |
| 5 | Costa Rica | San José | North America | 5.2 million |
| 6 | Cuba | Havana | North America | 10.9 million |
| 7 | Dominican Republic | Santo Domingo | North America | 11.5 million |
| 8 | Ecuador | Quito | South America | 18.3 million |
| 9 | El Salvador | San Salvador | North America | 6.4 million |
| 10 | Equatorial Guinea | Malabo | Africa | 1.9 million |
| 11 | Guatemala | Guatemala City | North America | 18.7 million |
| 12 | Honduras | Tegucigalpa | North America | 11 million |
| 13 | Mexico | Mexico City | North America | 131.9 million |
| 14 | Nicaragua | Managua | North America | 7 million |
| 15 | Panama | Panama City | North America | 4.6 million |
| 16 | Paraguay | Asunción | South America | 7 million |
| 17 | Peru | Lima | South America | 34.6 million |
| 18 | Puerto Rico (US territory) | San Juan | North America | 3.2 million |
| 19 | Spain | Madrid | Europe | 49.4 million |
| 20 | Uruguay | Montevideo | South America | 3.4 million |
| 21 | Venezuela | Caracas | South America | 28.5 million |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Spanish-speaking countries are there?
Twenty countries have Spanish as an official language. Counting Puerto Rico, a US territory, there are 21 Spanish-speaking places.
Which Spanish-speaking country has the most people?
Mexico, with about 131.9 million people. Colombia is second.
Is Brazil a Spanish-speaking country?
No. Brazil speaks Portuguese. It is the largest country in South America that does not speak Spanish.
Which African country speaks Spanish?
Equatorial Guinea, a former Spanish colony. Spanish is an official language there together with French and Portuguese.
What is the capital of Bolivia?
Sucre is the constitutional capital and La Paz is the seat of government, so both answers are heard.
What is the smallest Spanish-speaking country?
El Salvador, at 21,041 km².
Is the quiz free?
Yes. It runs in your browser, on a phone or a computer, with no download and no account.
Made by Kashif Sulehria in Lahore, Pakistan. Updated September 28, 2026.