Hispanidad

The Hispanidad (English: Hispanics) are the community formed by all the people and countries that share a common Hispanic heritage and cultural pattern. The 22 nations that are included are all Spanish-speaking countries.

The community can be classified into three geographic areas: Hispanic Europe (Spain and Andorra), Hispanic America (Spanish-speaking America), Hispanic Africa (Spanish-African territories, Equatorial Guinea). A few countries in the Asia-Pacific region also have historical Spanish influence, although they no longer have Spanish as their official language.

Various countries celebrate October 12 as the Día de la Hispanidad ("Day of Hispanicity" or "Hispanic Day") is celebrated as a national holiday. Since 1987 Spain has celebrated this holiday as its Fiesta Nacional de España In the other nations of the community, the day is also celebrated as a commemoration of the date in 1492 when Christopher Columbus discovered America, marking the beginning of the diffusion of Spanish language and culture as well as its lasting impact on the New world.