Cuba

Dominican Republic

Caribbean

Spain

Europe

Argentina

Bolivia

Chile

Colombia

Costa Rica

Ecuador

El Salvador

Guatemala

Honduras

Nicaragua

Panama

Paraguay

Peru

Uruguay

Venezuela

Latin America

Puerto Rico (U.S.)

None

Mexico

North America

Equatorial Guinea

Sub-Saharan Africa

A world map shows the countries where Spanish is an official or de facto language. These countries are highlighted in light orange and include Spain, Central America, and the western region of South America (Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Chile).

Countries where Spanish is an official (or serves as a de facto) language

Countries

World

Ethnologue

Spanish as Official or de facto Language

Newfoundland and Labrador

Map of global ocean circulation sinks, marked by blue circles. Key sinks are located in the North Atlantic (near Greenland and Labrador Sea) and in the Southern Ocean (Weddell Sea near Antarctica).

Circulation sinks are source areas for deep water in high-latitude regions where surface water cools, increases in density, and sinks.

Circulation Sinks

NOAA

Ocean Circulation Sinks

Alaska

Arizona

Utah

Yukon

Northwest Territories

District of Columbia

Florida

Idaho

New Hampshire

Rhode Island

Vermont

Washington

Wyoming

Nunavut

Montana

Maine

North Dakota

Kentucky

Nova Scotia

Virginia

Delaware

Prince Edward Island

Saskatchewan

Mississippi

West Virginia

Nebraska

Texas

Missouri

Louisiana

Hawaii

North Carolina

Oregon

New Brunswick

Alabama

New Mexico

Kansas

Wisconsin

British Columbia

New Jersey

South Carolina

Michigan

Alberta

Connecticut

Pennsylvania

Colorado

Nevada

Massachusetts

Georgia

New York

Maryland

Québec

Manitoba

Oklahoma

Tennessee

Ontario

California

Arkansas

South Dakota

Ohio

Indiana

Minnesota

Iowa

Illinois

A global map shows lightning flashes per square kilometer per year (flashes per square kilometer per year).

Lightning flashes per square kilometer per year (flashes/km²/year)

Lightning Frequency

The map illustrates global lightning frequency. Areas with less than 0.1 flashes per square kilometer per year are shaded in light green and include most ocean regions, northern Canada, the Sahara Desert, and parts of western and northern Europe. Areas with 0.1 flashes per square kilometer per year are shaded in light yellow and are scattered along parts of oceanic regions and coastal regions. Regions with 0.2 flashes per square kilometer per year are shaded in light purple and include parts of oceanic regions, coastal regions in the north of Canada and Russia. Areas with 0.4 flashes per square kilometer per year are shaded in red and are scattered along the Atlantic ocean, coastal regions on the north of Russia, Indian Ocean, and Pacific ocean. Areas with 0.6 flashes per square kilometer per year to 1 flash per square kilometer per year are shaded in blue to light green, covering northern Canada, the contiguous United States (excluding the Southeast), parts of South America, much of northern region of Europe, most of Africa south of the Sahara, and most of South, East, and Southeast Asia, including south of Australia. Areas experiencing 2 to 10 flashes per square kilometer per year, indicated by pink to blue shades, include the Southeastern United States, parts of Central and South America, and large areas in Africa, South, East, and Southeast Asia. High lightning frequency regions (20 to 50 flashes per square kilometer per year) are highlighted in dark pink to dark red, located in Southeastern United States, Colombia in South America, Central Africa (notably the Democratic Republic of Congo), and Southeast Asia, particularly in Indonesia, Vietnam, and Cambodia.

Spanish as Official or de facto Language	Ocean Circulation Sinks	Lightning Frequency
Value	Ocean Circulation Sinks	Lightning Frequency	<0.1 flashes/km²/year	0.1 flashes/km²/year	0.2 flashes/km²/year	0.4 flashes/km²/year	0.6 flashes/km²/year	0.8 flashes/km²/year	1 flash/km²/year	2 flashes/km²/year	4 flashes/km²/year	6 flashes/km²/year	8 flashes/km²/year	10 flashes/km²/year	20 flashes/km²/year	30 flashes/km²/year





	10.5%	24.4%	16.4%	8.63%	6.27%	9.50%	4.67%	3.58%	14.1%	25.7%	10.1%	11.3%	14.8%	42.6%	30.6%	47.1%