9 countries, one language
Central & North America | Caribbean
Costa Rica
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People often say “¡Pura Vida!” as a greeting or positive expression.
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Has had no army since 1948.
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Over 25% of its territory is protected.
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Generates most of its electricity from renewable sources.
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Home to more than 5% of global biodiversity.
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Costa Rican Spanish often uses the diminutive “‑ico.”
Cuba
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Cuban son gave rise to many Latin rhythms.
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Keeps thousands of American cars from the 1950s.
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Its education system reaches nearly 100% literacy.
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Many Cuban Spanish words come from Taíno.
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Havana is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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One of the world’s historic leaders in rum production.
Dominican Republic
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Shares Hispaniola island with Haiti.
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Merengue was born here.
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Site of the first permanent European settlement in the Americas.
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Dominican amber can contain very ancient fossils.
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Baseball is the national sport.
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Dominican Spanish often drops the final “s” in speech.
Guatemala
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Recognizes 22 Mayan languages.
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Tikal was one of the largest Mayan cities.
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The quetzal is both the national bird and the currency.
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Antigua Guatemala was a major colonial city.
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Many communities preserve traditional clothing.
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Spanish incorporates numerous Mayan loanwords.
Honduras
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Home to the impressive Mayan ruins of Copán.
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Has one of the largest coral reefs in the world.
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Honduran Spanish preserves many indigenous words.
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The “fish rain” is a popular phenomenon in Yoro.
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Coffee is one of its main products.
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The Bay Islands are famous for diving.
Mexico
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Has 68 recognized indigenous languages.
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Chocolate was consumed by Mayans and Aztecs before reaching Europe.
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UNAM is one of the largest universities in the world.
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Mexican Spanish retains many Nahuatl words.
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It is the country with the most Spanish speakers worldwide.
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Day of the Dead is recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Nicaragua
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Hosts the largest lake in Central America.
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Freshwater sharks live in that lake.
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Voseo is the common way of speaking.
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Poet Rubén Darío renewed Spanish literature.
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Has beaches on both the Pacific and Caribbean.
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Preserves indigenous and Afro‑Caribbean traditions.
Panama
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The Panama Canal connects two oceans.
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The “Panama hat” was not originally made there.
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Uses the US dollar alongside its national currency.
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Has great cultural diversity.
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The isthmus emerged about three million years ago.
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Its position influenced Spanish with many English loanwords.
El Salvador
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Smallest country in continental Central America.
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Uses the US dollar.
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Nahuat is still preserved in some communities.
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Has more than twenty volcanoes.
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Pupusas were declared Cultural Heritage.
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Voseo is very common.
