Latin Europe
| Area | Latin Arch: 1,574,343 km² Romania+Moldova: 272,235 km² (Eastern Europe) |
|---|---|
| Population | 201,213,593 |
| Countries | 13 independent countries: |
| GDP (PPP) | 2006 estimate (Andorra)$2.77 billion (Belgium) $316.2 billion (France) $1.836 Trillion (Italy) $1.713 Trillion (Luxembourg) $32.6 billion (Moldova)$9.001 Billion (Monaco) $976 million (Portugal) $229.881 Billion (Romania) $196.640 Billion (San Marino) $904 million (Spain) $1.141 Trillion (Switzerland) $264.1 billion (Vatican City) - - |
| Languages |
and other Romance languages |
| Time Zones | GMT -1:00 (Azores, Portugal) to GMT +2:00 (Romania / Moldova) |
Latin Europe, also known as the Romance-speaking nations of Europe, is the part of Europe in which Romance languages are the national language or are significantly used. Countries or areas in which such language is officially recognized and/or de facto spoken as a minority language are sometimes included. Their languages share a common background, all being descendants of Vulgar Latin. The countries not only have a sense of community with regards to Latin Languages, but share Roman Catholicism as the prevalent religion, with the exception of Romania and Moldova, where Eastern Orthodoxy is dominant. Also all countries of Latin Europe have status within the Latin Union (which also includes non-European countries, in the Americas, Asia and Africa).
Contents |
Countries and Territories
- Western Europe
Belgium, in Wallonia (
), where French is spoken.
Italy.
France.
Spain, including the Canary Islands (
) and the Balearic Islands (
), Ceuta (
) and Melilla (
).
Switzerland, regions where French, Italian and Romansh is spoken.
Portugal, including the archipelagos of Madeira (
) and the Azores (
).
- Eastern Europe
Romania.
Moldova, bordering Romania, and speaking Romanian language
Smaller countries or territoires
When using 'Latin Europe' in its broader sense, the additional smaller countries that are included are:
Countries unofficially using Romance Languages
Some Countries or regions however may, although officially using another language, have siginificant use of a Romance Language to be included:
Malta is referred to as part of Latin Europe, gathering that very large parts of the Maltese language were imported from Italian, French, and English[1], even though Maltese is a Semitic Language[2]. In addition to this, the majority of media content that Malta receives is actually in Italian, with Malta being too small an island and economy to host considerable inputs for themselves on this matter. Many Maltese people are multilingual in Italian, English and Maltese, and these are all commonly interchanged in everyday conversation.
Jersey and 
Guernsey have various use of French and Norman language, although admittedly in decline. In the case of Jersey, this includes Jersey Law French, and Jerriais, and in the case of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, there is also law French there, in addition to Guernesais and Sercquais. French was an official language of Alderney of Guernsey until the late 1960s.
Gibraltar, as a British overseas territory, 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.
Macedonia unofficially uses Aromanian as a commonly used unofficial minority language.
Croatia, Istria county speaking Italian
Slovenia, Italian-speaking municipalities, often seen linguistically and culturally integral with neighbouring Italy.
Luxembourg has French as co-official language, and that language is also used in everyday life.
Latin European regions not using Romance Languages
Note that some parts of the countries on the map have non-Romance languages and cultural traits distinct from most of Latin Europe:
- Alsace-Moselle and French Flanders in France have mostly Germanic roots, however their populations speak today mostly French.
- Flanders, in Belgium, where Flemish is spoken. Also the area of the German-speaking Community of Belgium.
- South Tyrol in Italy is a predominantly German-speaking area, with German as an official language alongside Italian
- Brittany in France is considered as a "Celtic nation", though in Eastern Brittany only French is spoken today.
- Some small parts of the Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia are Slovenian-speaking, with Slovenian having the status of official language alongside Italian and Friulian
- Basque is a co-official language in the autonomous regions of Basque Country and parts of Navarre in Spain. The neighbouring French region of Pays Basque shows a Basque identity, even if Basque language is spoken by few.
- Luxembourg, German and Luxembourgish are also widely spoken.
- Part of Switzerland, where Swiss German is spoken.
- Transylvania in Romania, in addition to its Romanian-speaking majority, is also home to a substantial Hungarian minority. In fact, Transylvania's Székely Land has a Hungarian majority.
Discontinuations or Ambiguities of Latin Europe
- During the Middle Ages, the area of modern day Germany would be included in this list because of religious reasons.
- Dalmatia, with its own (now extinct) Romance language Dalmatian, may also be mentioned.
- On the other hand, in particular contexts, such as economic comparisons, the usage of "Latin Europe" may very rarely and ambiguously include Israel. [1]PDF (222 KiB)
Population
In all of Latin Europe, the original European inhabitants make up the largest segment of the population, with sizable minorities in each country. About 200 million Europeans (27%) speak Romance languages natively.
- Francophonie (French+Walloons+Romands) 70 million
- Italians 58 million
- Spaniards 42 million
- Romanians+Moldovans 23 million
- Portuguese 12 million
- Sardinians 2 million
- Friulians 0.6 million
- Aromanians 0.1 million
Language
Latin languages (often referred to as Romance languages) are a branch of the Indo-European language family, comprising all the languages that descend from Latin, the language of the Roman Empire. They have more than 700 million native speakers worldwide, mainly in the Americas, Europe, and Africa, as well as in many smaller regions scattered through the world. All Romance languages descend from Vulgar Latin, the language of soldiers, settlers and merchants of the Roman Empire, which was somewhat different from the Classical Latin of the Roman literati. As a result, the group shares several linguistic features that set it apart from other Indo-European branches.
Religion
Of the entire region of Latin Europe Roman Catholicism represents 80% of the population. In Romania and Moldova, the dominant religion is Eastern Orthodoxy.
- Andorra, predominantly Roman Catholic - see Religion in Andorra.
- Belgium, Wallonia is predominantly Roman Catholic - see Religion in Belgium.
- France, 51% identified as Catholics - see Religion in France.
- Italy, predominantly Roman Catholic - see Religion in Italy.
- Luxembourg, predominantly Roman Catholic - see Religion in Luxembourg.
- Moldova, predominantly Eastern Orthodoxy - see Religion in Moldova.
- Monaco, Roman Catholicism is the official religion - see Religion in Monaco.
- Romania, predominantly Eastern Orthodoxy - see Religion in Romania.
- Portugal, predominantly Roman Catholic - see Religion in Portugal.
- San Marino, predominantly Roman Catholic - see Religion in San Marino.
- Spain, predominantly Roman Catholic - see Religion in Spain.
- Switzerland, Catholicism and Protestantism - see Religion in Switzerland.
- Vatican City, 100% Roman Catholic - see Religion in the Vatican City.
Culture
See:
See also
References
- ^ Much of the Maltese language comes from other European Languages; retrieved on 2007-11-22
- ^ Malta is sometimes included, as its language relies heavily on Italian imports; retrieved on 2007-11-22
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Andorra · Belgium1 · France · Italy · Luxembourg1 · Monaco · Moldova · Portugal · Romania · San Marino · Spain · Switzerland1 · Vatican City 1 Also has official non-Romance languages at national level. |
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| Culture of Europe • Demographics of Europe • Economy of Europe • Geography of Europe • History of Europe • Politics of Europe • European microstates |
