BEAST OF MANY NATIONS: SHAKIRA

Shakira was born on February 2, 1977 in Barranquilla, Colombia. She is the only child of Nidia Ripoll and William Mebarak Chadid. Her paternal grandparents emigrated from Lebanon to New York City, where her father was born. From her mother, Nidia Ripoll, she has Spanish (Catalan and Castilian) and Italian descent

Shakira can speak English, Spanish, Italian, Arabic and Portuguese fluently.