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With an area of 2,780,400 km², Argentina is the largest Spanish-speaking country on the planet. Its territory includes the Andes Mountains, glacial lakes (pictured), and the grasslands of the Pampas. The dialect of Spanish spoken there is known as 'Rioplatense Spanish'.

In Bolivia we can find a huge variety of dialects of Spanish, in addition to some important indigenous languages. The Spanish spoken in this region has been heavily influenced by Quechua and Aymara. Pictured, the imperial city of Potosí.

Chilean Spanish is the most difficult to classify. It's the most recognizable thanks to its melody, its idioms, and its disruptiveness: it is the fastest-changing language in the Spanish-speaking world. Pictured, Ahu Tongariki on Easter Island.

Every Colombian knows the difference between costeños (coastal inhabitants) and cachacos (those living in the highlands inland). This refers to two dialectal 'superzones': inland and coastal. Pictured, Plaza de la Aduana in Cartagena de Indias.

Central Americans can immediately identify the tico accent, although this stereotype belongs only to the Central Valley, where the country's main cities are found. Pictured, the Arenal volcano.

The Spanish spoken in Cuba has been enriched and modified by the language of the Taíno Indians who lived on the island before Spanish colonization, responsible for words such as 'canoa,' 'hamaca,' and 'tabaco.' Pictured, Plaza de la Catedral in Havana.

The Spanish spoken in this small nation has huge regional and social variations. In some towns, a Spanish-Quechua interlanguage known as media lengua has developed. Pictured, Lake Quilotoa.

Salvadoran Spanish is part of what is known as Central American Spanish, characterized by a common use of 'voseo' (the use of 'vos' as a second-person singular pronoun) and a large indigenous population which — to a greater or lesser extent — retains its original languages. Pictured, Tazumal Archaeological Park.

In Spain, in addition to the co-official languages (Catalan, Galician, and Basque), there is a huge variety of dialects, such as Andalusian or Canarian, which are linked to geography, socioeconomic aspects, and other cultural aspects. Pictured, Plaza Mayor in Madrid.

Although Spanish is the official language, it is used as a second or third language by many residents, as the population is composed of diverse ethnic groups that make up over 75% of the total population. Pictured, the city of Antigua Guatemala.

Spain's acquisition of Equatorial Guinea from Portugal in the 18th century explains why more than 74% of this tiny Central African country speaks Spanish fluently. Seven indigenous languages of the Bantu family, Portuguese, and French are also spoken.

Honduras is home to a complex mosaic of ethnolinguistic variations, archaisms, and results of linguistic evolution. The regional features of its Spanish are shared with Guatemala, Nicaragua, and El Salvador. Pictured, the island of Roatán.

The linguistic and cultural richness of indigenous languages has enriched the Spanish language spoken in Mexico, as it includes words that reflect the identity of the native population. Pictured, the archaeological zone of Palenque.

The Spanish of Nicaragua is very similar to that of Honduras and El Salvador. Listeners say that it is a 'soft' and 'melodic' language with a vocabulary that borrows hundreds of words from Nahuatl. Pictured, Parque Central in Granada.

The Spanish spoken in Panama corresponds to a local variant of Caribbean Spanish. Alongside this, there are numerous indigenous languages that are recognized and protected. Also notable is the influence of English on its vocabulary. Pictured, the archaeological site of Panamá Viejo.

More than 70% of Paraguayans speak Guaraní and 68.2% speak Spanish. About half the population can speak both languages, but the proportion of Guaraní speakers is higher in terms of fluency. Pictured, the Saltos del Monday.

Peru, as the seat of one of the main indigenous civilizations (the Inca Empire), was also the scene of an intense contact between Spanish and Quechua, which has contributed numerous words to Peruvian Spanish. Pictured, the archaeological site of Moray.

Puerto Rican Spanish is a variant of Caribbean Spanish, with its own characteristics. The influence of the indigenous language on the language brought over by the Spaniards is still evident today. Pictured, Juan Diego Falls in El Yunque Natural Park.

Dominican Spanish is a variety of Caribbean Spanish distinguished by sounds that are very similar to the Andalusian dialect.Pictured, the Primada de América Cathedral in Santo Domingo (the oldest in the Americas).

Rioplatense Spanish is one of the major dialectal groups in South America, spoken in the area of the Río de la Plata Basin, i.e., in much of Argentina and in the whole of Uruguay. Pictured, the Teatro Solís in Montevideo.

Venezuelan Spanish shares many characteristics with other Caribbean variants, despite being a country located in South America. This is explained by the economic influence of the mainland on the livelihood of the islands. Pictured, aerial view of Caracas.