Editing Spanish language (section)

=== Europe ===
{{main|Peninsular Spanish}}
[[File:Knowledge of Spanish in European Union.svg|thumb|Percentage of people who self reportedly know enough Spanish to hold a conversation, in the EU, 2005
{{legend|#554400|Native country}}
{{legend|#AA8800|More than 8.99%}}
{{legend|#E5B700|Between 4% and 8.99%}}
{{legend|#FFDD55|Between 1% and 3.99%}}
{{legend|#FFEEAA|Less than 1%}}]]

Spanish is the official language of [[Spain]]. Upon the emergence of the [[Castilian Crown]] as the dominant power in the Iberian Peninsula by the end of the Middle Ages, the Romance vernacular associated with this polity became increasingly used in instances of prestige and influence, and the distinction between "Castilian" and "Spanish" started to become blurred.<ref>{{Cite book|first=Clara|last=Mar-Molinero|title=The Politics of Language in the Spanish-Speaking World|year=2000|isbn=0-203-44372-1|location=London|publisher=[[Routledge]]|pages=19–20}}</ref> Hard policies imposing the language's hegemony in an intensely centralising Spanish state were established from the 18th century onward.{{Sfn|Mar-Molinero|2000|p=21}}

Other European territories in which it is also widely spoken include [[Gibraltar]] and [[Andorra]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3164.htm |title=Background Note: Andorra |publisher=U.S. Department of State: Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs |date=January 2007 |access-date=20 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170122194318/https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3164.htm |archive-date=22 January 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Spanish is also spoken by immigrant communities in other European countries, such as the [[United Kingdom]], [[France]], [[Italy]], and [[Germany]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/european_languages/languages/spanish.shtml |title=BBC Education — Languages Across Europe — Spanish |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |access-date=20 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120929052158/http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/european_languages/languages/spanish.shtml |archive-date=29 September 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> Spanish is an official language of the [[European Union]].