Many languages are spoken in the Americas. Some are derived from European languages, such as American English or Spanish, whilst others are spoken by the indigenous peoples, or are a mixture of influences, like the Creoles.
The most widespread language in South America is Spanish, although the most populous country there, Brazil, speaks Portuguese. In North America English is more common, though Spanish comes very close behind.
The nature of the American population brings with it huge variety. The majority of Americans are descended from historically recent foreign immigrants, who brought their own languages to their new homes. There are known to be more than 300 languages spoken in the USA, though mostly by relatively small groups of people.
Find out a little more about the countries in the Americas and the flags used to represent them by playing this quiz.
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During the Spanish conquest of Guatemala, the country was home to the K'iche. The K'iche, (or Qiche in Spanish) were descendants of the once great Mayan Empire
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Because of Paraguay's position in the centre of South America, it is sometimes known by the nickname 'Heart of America.' Also due to its geographical position Paraguay has been quite isolated in the past. It is currently enjoying an economic boom though, and has one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
Close inspection of the flag will reveal the name of the country written around the crest in its centre, which may have helped you to answer the question! |
Football is the most poular sport in Uruguay. Despite its small population (3.3 million) Uruguay has won the FIFA World Cup twice. It has also won the Copa America 15 times. That's more than any other country - including the mighty Brazil!
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The official flag of Martinique is the French Tricolour, although this flag has been unofficially in use since 1766. The snakes on the flag are said to be bothrops lanceolatus, a species of venomous pit viper native to the island
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The island is thought to have got its name from the Portuguese word for 'heart', because it was situated in the centre of a trade network. On a 16th century Dutch map Curaçao is named 'Quracao'
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The Dominican flag has 3 coloured cross on a green background. The green is for the lush vegetation of the island, whilst the 3 colours in the cross, as well as representing the Christian trinity, also symbolise the native people, fertile soil and pure water. Set upon the cross is a sisserou parrot, surrounded by 10 stars. The stars represent the 10 parishes of the island and the parrot is of a species found only on Dominica
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The French part of the island was formerly a part of Guadeloupe but voted to become a separate collectivity in 2003. The French government approved this in 2007. Sint Maarten, which is on the southern part of the island, is a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
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The flag, created in 1982, shows the flags of the Basques, the Bretons, and the Lower Normans on its left, and a ship on the right. The ship is said to be the Grande Hermine which was sailed by Jacques Cartier when he discovered the island in 1535
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The Mexican flag has three bands of colour: red, white and green. These were the colours of the army which won independence from the Spanish, but the flag also carries the image of an eagle, holding a snake in its talon and perched atop a cactus. The cactus grows from a rock which rises above a lake. The picture is a representation of an Aztec legend which tells how the city of Tenochtitlan came to be built. The modern capital, Mexico City, occupies the same spot as the ancient Aztec city
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The name 'Argentina' comes from the Latin for 'silver', and the country is thought to have been so named because of the legend telling of an abundance of the precious metal to be found in South America