The Latin beat

Sheer numbers justify the importance of Spanish in today's changing, shrinking world.

* More than 400 million people speak Spanish worldwide, the third most widely spoken language after English and Mandarin * It is the official language in 21 countries, including Argentina, Cuba, El Salvador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay * It is the second language of the United States, where 25 million people speak it at home. It is said there will be more Spanish speakers than English ones in the U.S. by 2050