List of territorial entities where Portuguese is an official language

The following is a list of sovereign states and territories where Portuguese is an official or de facto language.

Countries and territories where Portuguese is official

Country	Population (2013 est.)[1]	More information
Brazil	202,768,622	Portuguese in Brazil
Mozambique	25,896,669	Portuguese in Mozambique
Angola	24,365,269	Portuguese in Angola
Portugal	10,799,270	Portuguese in Portugal
Guinea-Bissau	1,704,870	Portuguese in Guinea-Bissau
Equatorial Guinea	1,722,203
East Timor	1,272,390	Portuguese in East Timor
Macau	583,003	Portuguese in Macau
Cape Verde	531,046	Portuguese in Cape Verde
São Tomé and Príncipe	196,817	Portuguese in São Tomé and Príncipe
Total	270,963,252

Countries and territories where Portuguese has a significant/cultural presence

Country	Population (2011)[1]
Goa (India)	1,457,723
Daman and Diu (India)	242,911

Spread of Portuguese

Europe

Portugal

Portuguese is spoken as a first language in Portugal by nearly all of the nation's 10.6 million people.^[2] The ancestor of modern Portuguese, Galician-Portuguese, began developing in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, in an area encompassing present-day northern-Portugal and Galicia, at around the 9th century. Modern Portuguese started developing in the early 16th century. During a period of Portuguese discoveries and through a large colonial empire, the language was spread to areas in Africa, Asia and the Americas by Portugal.

Rest of Europe

The Galician language spoken natively in Galicia, Spain is the closest related language to Portuguese and is co-official with Spanish in the region. Portuguese-speaking immigrants from Portugal, Brazil, Portuguese-speaking Africa and Macau have also settled in Andorra (around 15 000 speakers), Belgium, France (around 500 000 speakers), Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

The Americas

Brazil

With a population of over 200 million, Brazil is by far the world's largest Portuguese-speaking nation and the only one in the Americas.^[3] Portuguese was introduced during the Portuguese colonial period. Portuguese has also served as a lingua franca between the various ethnic groups in Brazil and the native Amerindian population^[4] after the Jesuits were expelled from every Portuguese territory and the languages associated with them prohibited.

Portuguese is the first language of the overwhelming majority of Brazilians, at 99%.^[5] It is followed by various German dialects, such as Riograndenser Hunsrückisch, at a distant 0.8%.

The form of Portuguese spoken in Brazil is a little different from that spoken in Europe, with differences in vocabulary and grammar that can be compared to the differences between American and British English,^[6] but with the phonology and prosody more distinct to each other (on a slightly larger scale than that of the Metropolitan and Québécois varieties of French); nevertheless, European and Brazilian Portuguese are completely mutually intelligible. The vast majority of Brazilian characteristics are also found in some rural, remote Portuguese registers (or the African and Asian ones, indicating an Old Portuguese feature lost in Europe), while nearly all distinctive European characteristics can be found in any major dialect of Brazil (such as fluminense, specially its carioca sociolect, and florianopolitano), due to a stronger or more recent Portuguese and other European immigration.

Migration from Brazil also led to the vast majority of Portuguese speakers in the Southern Cone (especially Uruguay with portunhol da pampa), Paraguay (see brasiguayos), other regions of South America (especially Bolivia) except Venezuela, Japan (see Brazilians in Japan and dekasegi, official numbers do not include second generation Portuguese speakers and naturalized citizens), South Korea, the Philippines (see Brazilians in the Philippines), and Israel (see Aliyah from Latin America in the 2000s).

Rest of South America

Although Brazil is the only Portuguese-speaking nation in South America, it has the largest population, area and economy on the continent. Thus, the South American trading bloc Mercosul uses Portuguese alongside Spanish as its working languages. A mixed language called Riverense Portuñol is spoken in the northern Uruguayan border area with Brazil and is a hybrid dialect of Spanish and Portuguese. Given the proximity and trading relations between Brazil and their respective nations, Portuguese is offered as a foreign language course at most schools in Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia.

In Venezuela and Guyana, there are communities of Portuguese immigrants (mostly Madeirans) and their descendants who speak Portuguese as their native language.^[7]

North America

There are a little under 1.5 million Portuguese Americans and over 300,000 Brazilian Americans living in the United States particularly in New York, Massachusetts, and south Florida where Portuguese is becoming an important and widely spoken language there.^[8][9] Portuguese is spoken by over 730,000 people at home in the country.^[10] There are over 400,000 people of Portuguese descent living in Canada; however, and although most of the community's population now speaks English or French as their primary language, many are still fluent speakers of Portuguese.^[11]

Africa

Angola

Portuguese is the sole official language of Angola, and 85% of the population professes fluency in the language.^[12] Additionally, 75% of Angolan households speak Portuguese as their primary language, and native Bantu languages have been influenced by Portuguese through loanwords.^[12]

Mozambique

Portuguese is the sole official language of Mozambique and serves as a lingua franca between the various ethnic groups in the country. Slightly over 30% of the population are native speakers of Portuguese, while 65% professes fluency.^[13] Most of Mozambican media is available solely in Portuguese, and the country receives several Portuguese and Brazilian television stations.

Guinea-Bissau

Despite being the sole official language, only 50% of the population professes fluency in Portuguese.^[14] However, a Portuguese-based creole called Guinea-Bissau Creole (Kriol) is spoken by the majority of the population.

Cape Verde

Similar to Guinea-Bissau, although Portuguese is the only official language, a Portuguese-based creole known as Cape Verdean Creole is spoken by the majority of the population. Most Cape Verdeans are fluent in Portuguese as well. Education and media are available largely in standard European Portuguese only.

São Tomé and Príncipe

In São Tomé and Príncipe, Portuguese is by far the most spoken language, with around 95% of the population speaking it at home or professing fluency.^[15] A Portuguese-based creole called Forro is also spoken.

Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea was a Spanish colony between 1778 and 1968 and was originally a group of Portuguese colonies between 1474 and 1778. A Portuguese creole is spoken by locals on the island of Annobón.

In 2007, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema announced a decision to make Portuguese the third official language of the country after Spanish and French. This was in an effort by the government to improve its communications, trade, and bilateral relations with Portuguese-speaking countries.^[16] Despite government promotions, Portuguese remains rarely spoken in Equatorial Guinea, but increased political and trade relations with Portuguese speaking nations i.e., Brazil, Angola, Portugal, will soon increase the numbers of Portuguese speakers in this country. News, sports, and entertainment media in Portuguese will undoubtedly also facilitate increased comprehension.^[17] The majority of the population (~90%) still speaks Spanish as its primary language, and Spanish is still the administrative language and that of education, while French is the second official language.^[18]

Rest of Africa

Large Portuguese-speaking communities are found in Namibia, South Africa and Zambia due to immigration from the Lusophone African countries. Portuguese is also being taught in the schools of these countries.

Asia & Oceania

East Timor

Portuguese is co-official with Tetum in East Timor and was introduced during the colonial period. A little under 39% of the population professes fluency in Portuguese. The local Tetum language has been heavily influenced by Portuguese through loanwords, and code-switching between the two languages is common.^[19]

Macau

Due to the one country, two systems policy of China regarding its special administrative regions, Macau is able to retain Portuguese as an official language alongside Cantonese. Portuguese was first introduced to Macau when Portuguese traders established a permanent settlement there in 1537. Despite being a Portuguese colony for over four centuries, the Portuguese language was never widely spoken in Macau and remained limited to administration and higher education and was spoken primarily by the Portuguese colonists, Macanese people of mixed ancestry and elites of pure Chinese blood. As a consequence, when Macau was handed back to China in 1999, Portuguese did not have a strong presence like English had in Hong Kong and continued its decline which began when Portuguese rule was still occurring. Ironically, it was only after Portuguese rule ended when the Portuguese language in Macau began to see an increase in speakers due to China's increased trading relations with Lusophone countries. Today, about 3% of Macau's population speaks Portuguese as a first language and 7% of the population professes fluency.^[20] A Portuguese creole called Macanese (Patuá) was spoken by Macanese of mixed ancestry but is near extinction today.

India

Portuguese is present in the enclave of Goa, which was a Portuguese colony until 1961. Although it was the sole official language during Portuguese colonial rule, it is mostly spoken by the elderly and educated populations today and is not an official language. Rather, Goa's official state language is Konkani, which has however picked up some Portuguese vocabulary as a legacy of Portuguese influence. Attempts to make Konkani be written in the Portuguese alphabet and possibilities of reintroducing Portuguese as a co-official language of Goa have been made in recent years.^[21]

Portuguese rule in Daman and Diu has also left a smaller Portuguese influence on the territory. A Portuguese-based creole called Língua da Casa is spoken in the territory. As a result of the renewed interest in the Portuguese language and culture, the Portuguese language is making an impressive comeback. Portuguese is still taught in some schools in Goa.

Portuguese were also in the area of Vasai(present)previously Bassein or Bacaim since 1560 till 1739. Though the Portuguese were defeated by Marathas there are some words which are used by the locals which are the words in Portuguese Language. Today there is a large no of Catholic population and many churches built during those days are still being worshiped.

Rest of Asia

Portuguese is spoken in Japan among returned immigrants (500,000) or migrant workers from Brazil known as dekasegi.^[22] Portuguese loanwords are also present in the Japanese language due to trading relations between Japan and the Portuguese Empire in the 16th century.

In Malacca, Malaysia, a Portuguese creole known as Papiá Kristang or Cristão is still spoken by some of the Eurasian population.

See also

• Portuguese-speaking African countries (PALOP)
• Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP)
• List of international organisations which have Portuguese as an official language
• Luso American
• Portuguese dialects
• Portuguese creole
• Portuguese language
• Latin America
• Latin Europe
• Romance-speaking Africa

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Portuguese dialects Africa (Portuguese in Africa) Angolan Cape Verdean Guinean Mozambican São Tomean Americas (Portuguese in the Americas · Brazilian variant) North Region Amazophony Arco do Desflorestamento Northeast Region central northeastern north coast Recifense Baiano Central-West Region Sertanejo Brasiliense South Region southern Florianopolitan Gaúcho Portunhol do Pampa Southeast Region Mineiro Carioca Fluminense Paulistan Caipira Uruguayan Portuguese Dialects Asia (Portuguese in Asia and Oceania) Damanese East Timorese Goan Macau Europe (Portuguese in Europe) Açoriano Alentejano Barranquenho Algarvio Alto-Alentejano Alto-Minhoto Baixo-Beirão Beirão Estremenho Nortenho Transmontano Galego Eonavian Fala Judaeo-Portuguese Portuguese Caló Minderico See also Geographic distribution of Portuguese Portuguese phonology Portuguese vocabulary

Notes and references