Spanish, referred to as 'Castellano' covers Latin American and Continental Spanish. Espanol is referred to when speaking to non-Spanish speakers.
The difference between Latin American Spanish and Continental (European) Spanish is slight, similiar to American and British English. There are only some variations on words used.
European Spanish
Catalan, Galician, Basque
Spanish is also referred to as 'Castellano' (Castilian Spanish) which is the main official language and spoken through-out Spain. Catalan, Basque and Galician are different to Castilian Spanish but are still official languages as well as Castillian Spanish in their own regions. Catalan and Galician are very similar to Castilian Spanish whereas Basque has no similarity.
Dialects of Spanish in Spain:
- Castilian Spanish (most of Spain)
- Catalan (Catalonia)
- Galician (Galicia)
- Basque(Basque country)
The map to the left shows Iran, the main Farsi speaking country.
Catalan includes the Eastern most corner of Spain (see map) as well as the Balearic islands. In the written form it is very similar to Castillain Spanish and can be easily understood.
Galician includes the north western region of Spain and is a mix of Spanish and Portuguese and is understood in its written form by both Portuguese and Spanish.
Basque, in the north east of Spain is not similar to Castilian Spanish and not understood by other speakers.
These regional languages within Spain are classified as co-official languages in their native regions along with Castilian Spanish. Although used by Local Government, Commerce will use Castilain Spanish, unless specifically aimed at that particular region. Castilain Spanish is widely spoken and used more widely in Commerce in these regions than their regional languages.
Latin American Spanish
South American countries:
Central American countries:
Caribbean countries: