It has long been known as the land of sun, sangria � and whatever else was on offer � but now the culture and language of Spain are proving just as popular with a new generation of Scots.

It has long been known as the land of sun, sangria - and whatever else was on offer - but now the culture and language of Spain are proving just as popular with a new generation of Scots.

Figures released this week by the Scottish Qualifications Authority show that Spanish has overtaken German for the first time to become the second most popular language at Higher after French.

There are educational reasons for the trend.

A shortage of German teachers and a feeling that the language is unfashionable, despite its economic importance in Europe, has led to greater numbers of schools switching from German to Spanish.

At the same time, there has been a corresponding pressure from parents who holiday in Spain, in both the independent and state sectors, to offer Spanish, as well as other languages.

Hutchesons' Grammar School in Glasgow said that, this year, almost the same number of pupils sat Higher Spanish as Higher French.

"We believe it is the idea of the practical use of Spanish when on holiday which has spurred the growth of Spanish teaching here," said a spokeswoman.

Pupils are also aware that the Spanish-speaking world offers great opportunities for travel and work when taking a gap year between school and university.

John Cassidy, who runs Quest Overseas, a UK-based company that organises gap years to Peru and Eucador, said interest in travelling to Latin America was higher than ever.

"There is a lot more interest now. Spanish was always one of the less well studied languages, but because of global markets and cheaper air fares people are seeing Latin America not only as accessible, but also less daunting."

These trends reflects the growing importance of the Spanish language, which is now spoken by more than 500 million people worldwide.

Not only is it the first language of Spain and 18 different countries in Latin America, it remains a key language in the Philippines and in certain parts of West and North Africa. It has also become a mainstream language in the United States. Los Angeles is the second largest Spanish-speaking city in the world, after Mexico City.

Federico Palomera, the Spanish consul general in Scotland, said the increase in the number of pupils studying Spanish in Scotland also reflected these global trends.

"This is very welcome news and reflects the importance of the Spanish language in the world today as the most commonly spoken mother tongue," he said.

"The popularity of the language has also been reflected in an upsurge in the popularity of Spanish and Latin American culture.

"Spain is no longer a place for visitors from the UK just to roast on the sand, but it is a place to discover art, music and cuisine."

Joanna McPake, director of the Scottish Centre for Information on Language Teaching, based at Strathclyde University, said any increase in language study was to be welcomed, but she expressed concern about the decline in German.

She believes a better way for schools to proceed other than offering one or the other is to offer a greater range of languages.

"Spanish is important, but that does not mean that it should expand at the expense of German and it is unfortunate because German is also a major language in the European context and Germany and France are our major export partners," she said.

"I think the answer is to see a wider range of languages being studied. It is a good idea to have greater diversity of language learning. There are many languages of importance - not just French - and we need to look at the range of other countries we want to engage with."