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Spanish
in the world
The
Spanish or Castilian language is one of the Romance languages derived from
Latin. The first written sample of which there is evidence dates back to
the 10th century.
Spanish
is the official language of about twenty countries, one of the three
languages generally regarded as the official language and working language
of numerous international organisations and the second universal language
of communication in the world today. Its growth was constant for four
centuries, but has increased at exponential rates in the last century. At
the end of the 19th century, approximately 60 million people spoke
Spanish. Today, with almost 400 million speakers, it is the fourth most
spoken language in the world, after Chinese, English and Hindi. It is the
mother tongue of people on four continents, although the majority of
Spanish speakers, nine out of every ten, live in America. Taking into
account the countries in which Spanish is an official language-
approximately 6 per cent of the world population, compared to English
speakers who account for 8.9 per cent and French speakers who make up 1.8
per cent of the world population. The most moderate projections forecast
that in the year 2050 there will be approximately 550 million Spanish
speakers only in countries where it is an official language. Therefore,
this does not include Hispanics in the United States -currently the fifth
Spanish-speaking country in the world- nor those who speak Spanish as
their second or third language. In recent years, the demand for teaching
Spanish as a foreign language has at least doubled. The Cervantes
Institute is the institute responsible for the dispersion of the Spanish
language and Spanish culture throughout the world and has centres in 25
countries, to which we must add the Cervantes lecture rooms in
universities and the Network of Associated and Accredited Centres. The
number of enrolments to study Spanish in the Cervantes Institute rise
between 15 and 20 per cent every year. Spanish is probably the most
homogeneous language of all the important international languages today, a
factor that makes it easy to understand and learn. It is also a
prestigious, first-rate language that for centuries has contributed some
of its most splendid works to world culture, such as the creation of the
modern novel with el Quijote. The cultural aspect is without a doubt one
of its greatest qualities, as demonstrated by the thousands of Hispanists
who for two centuries have studied the Spanish language and culture.
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Properties in Spain 
airports:
