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Colombia. Internet usage indicators

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in northwestern South America. It is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil, to the south by Ecuador and Peru, to the North by the Caribbean Sea, and to the west by Panama and the Pacific Ocean. Mainland territory divided into four major geographic regions: Andean highlands (composed of three mountain ranges and intervening valley lowlands); Caribbean lowlands; Pacific lowlands; and Ilanos and tropical rainforest of eastern Colombia. Colombia also possesses small islands in both Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean.
Source: http://www.internetworldstats.com/sa/co.htm

Chile Telecommunications, Population and Internet Usage

Chile Internet Usage:
7,387,000 Internet users as of December/2007, 44.9% of the population, according to AMI.

Chile Population Estimate:
16,454,143 population for 2008, according to US Census Bureau

Gross National Income:
GNI per capita is US$ 9,876 ('07) according to World Bank

Chile Country Area and Maps:
755,482 sq km - see Chile maps

Chile Local Weather:
Check the local weather in Chile

Internet Growth and Population Statistics:

YEAR
Population
Internet Users
% Pen.
GNI p.c.
Usage Source

2000
15,789,194
1,757,400
26.2 %
$ 4,600
ITU

2006
15,666,967
6,700,000
42.8 %
$ 4,910('05)
AMI

2008
16,454,143
7,387,000
44.9 %
$ 9,876('07)
AMI

Note: GNI is Gross National Income per capita, and corresponds to
World Bank data for the years 2000 - 2007 in US dollars.

Source: chttp://www.internetworldstats.com/sa/cl.htm

Bolivia Internet Stats Usage and Market Report

Bolivia, officially The Republic of Bolivia, was named after Simon Bolivar, and is a landlocked country in central South America. It is bordered by Brazil on the north and east, Paraguay and Argentina on the south, and Chile and Peru on the west.
Source: http://www.internetworldstats.com/sa/bo.htm

Argentina Internet Stats

Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a South American country, second in size in the continent to Brazil and eighth in the world. Argentina occupies a continental surface area of 2,777,409 km² (1,078,000 sq mi) between the Andes mountain range in the west and the southern Atlantic Ocean in the east and south. It is bordered by Paraguay and Bolivia in the north, Brazil and Uruguay in the northeast, and Chile in the west and south.

Source: http://www.internetworldstats.com/sa/ar.htm

Latin American Internet Usage

Check here for interesting information regarding Latin American Internet Usage

http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats10.htm#spanish

Spanish in the Americas

Beginning in the 1400s, Spanish explorers, conquistadors, and colonizers carried their language to Central America, South America, and parts of North America.

Both the Castilian and Andalusian dialects made the trip. Castilian was used in administrative and cultural centers such as Mexico City, Mexico; Potosí, Bolivia; and Lima, Peru. These cities retained close links to the Spanish capital of Madrid, which was in the Castile region. But because many of the people involved in expeditions were from Andalucía, the Andalusian dialect also traveled to the Spanish colonies.

It became dominant in Argentina and Central America, which were regions remote from the influence of the Spanish government's administrative centers. Spain lost control of its American colonies in the 1800s, but the Spanish language remained and is now the official language of almost every Latin American nation.


The Spanish spoken in the Americas differs somewhat from European Spanish today because many words were borrowed from the languages of the indigenous peoples. Most of these words reflect features unique to the new territories, such as proper names, plants and animals, and geographic features.
Source: http://www.alsintl.com/resources

Origen del idioma español

Origen del idioma español

El idioma español se originó en la región suroeste de Europa conocida como la Península Ibérica. En algún momento a finales del siglo 6 A.C., los primeros habitantes de la región, los ibéricos, comenzaron a mezclarse con los celtas, pueblos nómadas de Europa central. Los dos grupos formaron un pueblo denominado Celtibéricos, hablantes de una forma de celta.

Bajo el gobierno del imperio romano, en 19 A.C., la región se hizo conocida como Hispania, y sus habitantes aprendieron el latín de comerciantes, colonizadores, administradores y soldados romanos. Cuando el latín clásico de las clases educadas de Roma se mezcló con las lenguas pre-romanas de los ibéricos, celtas y cartagineses, apareció una lengua llamada latín vulgar. Siguió los modelos básicos del latín pero tomó y añadió palabras de otras lenguas.

Incluso después que los visigodos, tribus germánicas de Europa oriental, invadieron Hispania en el siglo V D.C., el latín continuó siendo el idioma oficial del gobierno y la cultura hasta aproximadamente el año 719 D.C., cuando grupos islámicos de habla árabe del norte de África, llamados los moros, completaron su conquista de la región. El árabe y un dialecto afín llamado Mozárabe se hablaron ampliamente en la España islámica, excepto en unos cuantos reinos cristianos lejanos que se encontraban en el norte, como Asturias, en donde el latín vulgar sobrevivió.

Durante los siglos subsiguientes, los reinos cristianos reconquistaron paulatinamente la España en propiedad de los moros y retomaron el país lingüística, política, militar y culturalmente. Como los cristianos se trasladaron al sur, sus dialectos del latín vulgar se volvieron dominantes. En particular, el castellano, un dialecto que se originó en las llanuras del norte, se llevó a las regiones del sur y este castellano y andaluz
El idioma que resultó fue un idioma híbrido porque el castellano tomó muchas palabras del mozárabe, y se calcula que el español moderno cuenta con aproximadamente 4,000 palabras con raíces árabes.

La creación de un idioma español estandarizado basado en el dialecto castellano comenzó en el año 1200 con el rey Alfonso X, quien fue llamado el rey-erudito de Castilla y León. Él y su corte de eruditos adoptaron la ciudad de Toledo, un centro cultural en la planicie central, como la base de sus actividades. Ahí, los eruditos escribieron obras originales en castellano y tradujeron historias, crónicas y obras científicas, jurídicas y literarias de otros idiomas (principalmente de latín, griego y árabe.) En efecto, este esfuerzo histórico de traducción fue un vehículo importante para la diseminación del conocimiento en la Europa occidental antigua. Alfonso X también adoptó el castellano para el trabajo administrativo y todos los documentos y decretos oficiales.
El dialecto castellano de España ganó amplia aceptación durante el reinado de los monarcas católicos Isabel de Castilla y Fernando de Aragón, quienes completaron la reconquista de España en 1492 al expulsar a los moros de su última fortaleza en la ciudad de Granada. Isabel y Fernando hicieron el castellano el idioma oficial en su reino. En el mismo año que los moros fueron derrotados, apareció un libro importante: Arte de la lengua castellana (The Art of the Castilian Language) de Antonio de Nebrija. Fue el primer libro para estudiar e intentar definir la gramática de un idioma europeo.
El dialecto castellano de Toledo se convirtió en el estándar escrito y educativo en España, aun cuando permanecieron varios dialectos hablados. El más notable fue el andaluz, un dialecto que se hablaba en la ciudad del sur de Sevilla en la región de Andalucía.

Fuente: http://html.rincondelvago.com/origen-del-idioma-espanol.html

The Importance of Spanish in the World

The Importance of Spanish in the World

Today’s businesses cannot afford to ignore the attractive markets that the Spanish language offers. Spanish-speaking people constitute a huge community that shares products, services and culture; and offers businesses and institutions a truly unique growth potential.

· Spanish is the official language in 21 countries (Spain, Mexico, The Caribbean and most of South America).

· Spanish is the third most widely spoken language in the world, after English and Mandarin.

· Spanish is the second world language as a vehicle of international communication and the third as an international language of politics, economics and culture.

· Total of GDPs for Spanish speaking countries:$2.6 trillion.

· More than 400 million people speak Spanish worldwide.

The Spanish language is a powerful communication tool that reaches millions across America, Europe, Asia and Africa.
· Spain has become 3rd most desirable country to live based on standard of living, health and economy.

· Spain has one of Europe’s fastest growing property markets (largely due to outside investment).

· In the USA, Spanish has become the unofficial second language.
Source: Centos Translations
http://www.centostranslations.com/spanishworld.htm

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Spanish Language in the United States

Spanish Language in the United States

In 1565 Spanish conquerors and explorers established the settlement of Saint Augustine in what is now Florida. It was the first permanent European settlement in what is now the United States. In the 1600s and 1700s Spanish explorations and settlements extended the Spanish language North from Mexico into present-day Arizona, California, Southern Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. When the United States annexed these areas following the Mexican War (1846-1848), many of the region's Spanish-speaking inhabitants remained, creating a distinct linguistic and cultural population in the Southwestern United States.

After the Spanish-American War (1898), the United States gained control over Cuba, Guam, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico. Over time, many Spanish speakers from these countries moved to the mainland of North America. The immigrants primarily settled in neighborhoods in California, Florida, New York, and New Jersey, where they continued to use Spanish.

Immigration by Spanish speakers further increased during the 20th century. Many legal and illegal immigrants crossed the border between Mexico and the United States to work in agriculture and industry, and other immigrants fled political instability in Chile, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. Also, many Latin American students came to North America to study at colleges and universities.

The presence of Spanish in American culture grew throughout the late 20th century. As more native Spanish speakers sent their children to school, elementary and high schools established bilingual classes. Television executives also recognized the Spanish-speaking market and created television networks and shows in Spanish. The government printed forms and tests in Spanish. By the 1990s more than 17 million people in the United States spoke Spanish as their primary language at home.

Source: http://www.alsintl.com/resources