Spaniards

People of Romance ancestry who are indigenous to Spain are referred to as Spaniards or Spanish people. In Spain, there are a number of different national and regional ethnic identities that reflect the country's complicated history. These identities include a number of different languages that are both indigenous and local linguistic descendants of the Roman-imposed Latin language. Of these languages, Spanish is the only one that is official throughout the entire country, and it is also the most widely spoken.

Basque, which is the only indigenous language of Iberia that has survived to the present day, is one of the most widely spoken regional languages. Other Romance languages evolved from Latin are also spoken widely in the area, such as Spanish, Catalan, and Galician. There are several communities who are located outside of Spain that have ancestors who immigrated from Spain and share aspects of a culture that is considered Hispanic. The most prominent example of these may be seen in Hispanic America, which is located in the Western Hemisphere.

A process of political agglomeration also proceeded among the Christian kingdoms, and the late 15th century saw the dynastic union of Castile and Aragon under the Catholic Monarchs. This event is frequently regarded the moment at which Spain emerged as a single nation. In the year 1512, Navarre was conquered by the Spanish. There was also a time period known as the Iberian Union, which was the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Portugal and the Spanish Crown. This union lasted from 1580 to 1640, and it was during this time that both kingdoms were controlled by Spanish Habsburg rulers.

It was also one of the first global empires, leaving behind a significant cultural and linguistic legacy. Today, there are over 570 million Hispanophones, which places Spanish as the world's second-most spoken native language, behind Mandarin Chinese. There were also numerous developments in the arts throughout the Golden Age, such as the advent of great artists such as Diego Velázquez. During this time period, there were also several improvements in technology. Don Quixote, perhaps the most well-known literary masterpiece to come out of Spain, was first published during the Golden Age.

Because to immigration in the latter half of the 20th century and the early 21st century, the population of Spain has grown increasingly diversified. Between the years 2000 and 2010, Spain has one of the greatest immigration rates per capita in the world, as well as the second biggest absolute net migration of any country in the world (after the United States). Castilians, Catalans, Andalusians, Valencians, Balearians, Canarians, Basques, and Galicians, amongst other people, make up the majority of the numerous regional and cultural populations.