Romance-speaking Europe

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Romance languages in Europe in the 21st century.

Romance-speaking Europe is the area of Europe where Romance languages are either official, co-official, or significantly used. It is a major linguistic subdivision of Europe alongside Germanic- and Slavic-speaking subdivisions.

The Romance European countries are France, Italy, Moldova, Portugal, Romania and Spain, as well as Monaco, San Marino, Andorra and the Vatican City. Many of these countries are members of the Latin Union. It also includes some regions from other countries, such as Wallonia in Belgium and the French- and Italian-speaking cantons of Switzerland as well as communities from other non-Romance European countries. Some Eastern Romance languages like Aromanian, Megleno-Romanian and Istro-Romanian are spread across the entire Balkans in small communities within Slavic-speaking countries, Greece and the European part of Turkey. The total population of all the Romance speaking areas in Europe is approximately 210,000,000, 42% of the European Union's population.

Contents

History [edit]

Romance languages in Europe in the 20th century.
Main article: History of the Roman Empire

The spread of the Roman Empire brought with it Vulgar Latin. After the fall of the empire, this started to break up into different dialects, and eventually, whole separate languages, resulting in the Romance languages of today.

Countries [edit]

Romance Europe
Countries / Territories Official language(s)  Religion Area Population GDP (nominal) Comments
Andorra Andorra Catalan Roman Catholic 468 85,082 4,510 —
Belgium Belgium All (whole country) French (co-official) Roman Catholic 17,005 4,407,705 514,593 —
Wallonia Wallonia French — 16,844 3,376,490 — —
Brussels-Capital Region Brussels French (co-official) — 161 1,031,215 — —
France France
(Metropolitan France)		 French Roman Catholic 551,695 63,460,000 2,559,850

Exceptions:

  • Alsace-Moselle and French Flanders have mostly Germanic roots; their languages are still used by the frontier workers (more than 40% for some places[1]).
  • Brittany is considered as a "Celtic nation", but in Eastern Brittany only French is spoken today.
  • Pays Basque shows a Basque identity, even if Basque language is spoken by few.
Italy Italy All (whole country) Italian Roman Catholic 301,318 60,813,326 2,198,732

Exceptions:
Aosta Valley French (co-official) — — — —
South Tyrol, Trentino, Veneto Ladin (co-official) — — — —
Moldova Moldova Romanian (de facto) Eastern Orthodox
(93.3%)		 33,846 3,559,500 7,003 —
Monaco Monaco French Roman Catholic 1.98 36,371 5,424 —
Portugal Portugal
 All (whole country) Portuguese Roman Catholic
(84%)		 92,212 10,581,949 237,831 —
Miranda do Douro, Vimioso, Mogadouro Mirandese (co-official) — — — — —
Romania Romania Romanian Eastern Orthodox
(86.7%)		 238,391 21,848,504 189,776

Exceptions:
San Marino San Marino Italian Roman Catholic 61.2 32,404 2,048 —
Spain Spain All (whole country) Spanish Roman Catholic 505,992 47,190,493 1,479,560

Exceptions:
Balearic Islands The Balearics Catalan (co-official) - - - -
 Catalonia Catalan
(Co-Official)
Aranese
(Co-Official)		 - - - -
 Galicia Galician
(Co-Official)		 - - - - -
 Valencia Catalan
(Co-Official)		 - - - -
Switzerland Switzerland All (whole country) Italian
French
Romansh		 - 41,285 8,000,001 660,761 -
 Graubünden Italian (co-official)
 Romansh (co-official)		 - 7,105 km² 187,920 - -
 Berne French
(Co-Official)		 - 5,959 km² 958,897 - -
 Fribourg French
(Co-Official)		 - 1,671 km² 258,252 - -
 Valais French
(Co-Official)		 - 5,224 km² 294,608 - -
 Vaud French
(Official)		 - 3212 km² 657,700 - -
 Neuchâtel French
(Official)		 - 803 km² 168,912 - -
 Geneva French
(Official)		 - 282 km² 433,235 - -
 Jura French
(Official)		 - 838 km² 69,222 - -
 Ticino Italian
(Official)		 - 2,812 km² 324,851 - -


Romance Europe
Countries / Territories Romance languages used Religion Area Population GDP (nominal) Comments
Andorra Andorra Catalan (official) Roman Catholic 468 85,082 4,510 —
Belgium Belgium Total (out of included areas) French (co-official) Roman Catholic 17,005 4,407,705 514,593 —
Wallonia Wallonia French — 16,844 3,376,490 — —
Brussels-Capital Region Brussels French (co-official) — 161 1,031,215 — —
Croatia Croatia Total (out of included areas) — Roman Catholic (87%) 56,594 4,290,612 63,842 —
Istria county Italian (co-official)
Istriot (unofficial)
Istro-Romanian (unofficial)		 — 2,820 206,344 — —
France France
(Metropolitan France)		 French (official) Roman Catholic 551,695 63,460,000 2,559,850

Exceptions:

  • Alsace-Moselle and French Flanders have mostly Germanic roots; their languages are still used by the frontier workers (more than 40% for some places[2]).
  • Brittany is considered as a "Celtic nation", but in Eastern Brittany only French is spoken today.
  • Pays Basque shows a Basque identity, even if Basque language is spoken by few.
Gibraltar Gibraltar Spanish (unofficial) Roman Catholic 6.8 29,431 1,106 As a British overseas territory, it has a sole official language of English even though the vast majority of the population is bilingual together with Spanish. In addition to this the majority of Gibraltarians speak Llanito (an Andalusian Spanish-based creole unique to Gibraltar) as their vernacular.
Greece Greece Total (out of included areas) — Eastern Orthodox — — — —
— Aromanian (unofficial)
Megleno-Romanian (unofficial)		 — 250,000
4,000		 299,275 —
Guernsey Guernsey French (unofficial) — 78 65,573 2,742 Guernsey and Jersey both have various use of French and Norman language, although admittedly in decline. In the case of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, this includes Guernesais and Sercquais. French was an official language of Alderney of Guernsey until the late 1960s.
Italy Italy Total (out of included areas) Italian (official) Roman Catholic 301,318 60,813,326 2,198,732

Exceptions:
Aosta Valley French (co-official) - - - -
South Tyrol, Trentino, Veneto Ladin (co-official) - - - -
Jersey Jersey French (co-official) — 116 97,857 5,100 Jersey and Guernsey both have various use of French and Norman language, although admittedly in decline. In the case of Jersey, this includes Jersey Law French and Jèrriais.
Luxembourg Luxembourg French (co-official) Roman Catholic
(87%)		 2,586.4 480,222 59,582 —
Republic of Macedonia Macedonia Total (out of included areas) — Eastern Orthodox
(64.7%)		 25,713 2,058,539 10,644 —
Kruševo, Skopje, Bitola, Štip Aromanian (official) — — 10,000 (est.) — —
Huma Megleno-Romanian (unofficial) — — 2,000 (est.) — —
Malta Malta Italian (unofficial) Roman Catholic
(98%)		 316 452,515 8,941 Although Maltese is a Semitic Language, a good portion of Maltese vocabulary is Romance, having been imported from Italian, Sicilian, and French.[3][4]
Moldova Moldova Romanian (de facto) Eastern Orthodox
(93.3%)		 33,846 3,559,500 7,003 —
Monaco Monaco French (official) — 1.98 36,371 5,424 —
Portugal Portugal

including the archipelagos:
Madeira Madeira
Azores Azores

 Portuguese
(Official)
Mirandese
(Regionally Co-Official)		 Roman Catholic
(84%)		 92,345 km² 10,642,836 $232,000,000,000 -
Romania Romania Romanian
(Official)		 Eastern Orthodox
(86.7%)		 238,392 km² 22,276,056 $256,900,000,000

Exceptions:
San Marino San Marino Italian
(Official)		 - 61 km² 29,615 $904,000,000 -
Serbia Serbia Total (out of included areas) Romanian
(Regionally Co-Official)
(Regionally Unofficial)		 - 28636 km² 60,000 (est.) $64,000,000,000 -
 Vojvodina Romanian
(Co-Official)		 Eastern Orthodox 21,506 km² 29,512 - -
Timočka Krajina Romanian
(Unofficial)		 Eastern Orthodox 7,130 km² 25,000 (est.) - -
Slovenia Slovenia Total (out of included areas) Italian
(Regionally Official)		 - 384.4 km² 78,846 $47,841,000,000 -
Piran Italian
(Official)		 - 44.6 km² 16,758 - -
Izola Italian
(Official)		 - 28.6 km² 14,549 - -
Koper Italian
(Official)		 - 311.2 km² 47,539 - -
Spain Spain Total (out of included areas) Spanish - 505,992 47,190,493 1,479,560

Exceptions:
 Aragon Aragonese
(Recognised)
Catalan
(Recognised)		 - 47,719 km² 1,277,471 -
 Asturias Asturian
(Recognised)		 - - - -
 Catalonia Catalan
(Co-Official)
Aranese
(Co-Official)		 - - - -
 Valencia Catalan (officially called Valencian)
(Co-Official)		 - - - -
 Balearic Islands Catalan
(Co-Official)		 - - - -
 Galicia Galician
(Co-Official)		 - - - - -
Switzerland Switzerland Total (out of included areas) Italian
(Regionally Official)
(Regionally Co-Official)
French
(Regionally Official
Reginally Co-Official)
Romansh
(Regionally Co-Official)		 - 27906 km² 3,353,597 $296,200,000,000 -
 Graubünden Italian
(Co-Official)
Romansh (Co-Official)		 - 7,105 km² 187,920 - -
 Berne French
(Co-Official)		 - 5,959 km² 958,897 - -
 Fribourg French
(Co-Official)		 - 1,671 km² 258,252 - -
 Valais French
(Co-Official)		 - 5,224 km² 294,608 - -
 Vaud French
(Official)		 - 3212 km² 657,700 - -
 Neuchâtel French
(Official)		 - 803 km² 168,912 - -
 Geneva French
(Official)		 - 282 km² 433,235 - -
 Jura French
(Official)		 - 838 km² 69,222 - -
 Ticino Italian
(Official)		 - 2,812 km² 324,851 - -
Ukraine Ukraine Total (out of included areas) Romanian
(Regionally Unofficial)		 - 54,184 km² 4,533,853 $364,300,000,000
 Odessa Oblast Romanian
(Unofficial)		 Eastern Orthodox 33,310 km² 2,387,543 - -
Zakarpattia Oblast Romanian
(Unofficial)		 Eastern Orthodox 12,777 km² 1,241,887 - -
 Chernivtsi Oblast Romanian
(Unofficial)		 Eastern Orthodox 8,097 km² 904,423 - -
Vatican City Vatican City Italian
(de facto)		 - 0.44 km² 821 - -

See also [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ RGP 1999 (exploitation principale), Fichiers SAPHIR, INSEE Alsace (French)(English)
  2. ^ RGP 1999 (exploitation principale), Fichiers SAPHIR, INSEE Alsace (French)(English)
  3. ^ Much of the Maltese language comes from other European Languages. Retrieved on 2007-11-22.
  4. ^ Malta is sometimes included, as its language relies heavily on Italian imports. Retrieved on 2007-11-22.
Regions of the world
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