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Reference.org
Romance languages
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<p>The Romance languages, also known as the Latin or Neo-Latin languages, are the <a href="/facts/Language/IRcTok2q">languages</a> that are <a href="/facts/Language_family/IpJv9o5S">directly descended</a> from <a href="/facts/Vulgar_Latin/uR9BLlE5">Vulgar Latin</a>. They are the only extant subgroup of the <a href="/facts/Italic_languages/82W676n0">Italic branch</a> of the <a href="/facts/Indo-European_languages/L34TfgSr">Indo-European language family</a>. </p><p>The five <a href="/facts/List_of_languages_by_number_of_native_speakers/QSBNlNBj">most widely spoken Romance languages</a> by number of native speakers are: </p> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Spanish_language/95BgYNfv">Spanish</a> (489 million): official language in <a href="/facts/Spain/bIyrB8EY">Spain</a>, <a href="/facts/Mexico/IT5bwhdh">Mexico</a>, <a href="/facts/Equatorial_Guinea/ARkq2P4f">Equatorial Guinea</a>, and most of <a href="/facts/Central_America/CXKgTuxC">Central</a> and <a href="/facts/South_America/PhrFEMk7">South America</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Portuguese_language/vr3Fwzw3">Portuguese</a> (240 million): official in <a href="/facts/Portugal/lYzwDQ63">Portugal</a>, <a href="/facts/Brazil/QHkG46GL">Brazil</a>, <a href="/facts/Portuguese-speaking_African_countries/g2krhusL">Portuguese-speaking Africa</a>, <a href="/facts/Timor-Leste/IBQ69BRj">Timor-Leste</a> and <a href="/facts/Macau/KEm5w6xH">Macau</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/French_language/qe1DnaQh">French</a> (74 million): official in 27 countries</li> <li><a href="/facts/Italian_language/YXsmvlQG">Italian</a> (67 million): official in <a href="/facts/Italy/tUf0PDYF">Italy</a>, <a href="/facts/Vatican_City/JTKnEt6J">Vatican City</a>, <a href="/facts/San_Marino/dlbbyRcT">San Marino</a>, <a href="/facts/Switzerland/LcGuxeTe">Switzerland</a>; minority language in <a href="/facts/Croatia/MSS0yyvw">Croatia</a>; regional in <a href="/facts/Slovenia/EcYU22W4">Slovenia</a> (<a href="/facts/Istria/eRrGTECc">Istria</a>) and <a href="/facts/Brazil/QHkG46GL">Brazil</a> (<a href="/facts/Santa_Teresa,_Esp%C3%ADrito_Santo/YvnVQ1gI">Santa Teresa, Espírito Santo</a> and <a href="/facts/Encantado,_Rio_Grande_do_Sul/xd7XhNn3">Encantado, Rio Grande do Sul</a>)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Romanian_language/zAY3GnkL">Romanian</a> (25 million): official in <a href="/facts/Romania/yolzk5cN">Romania</a>, <a href="/facts/Moldova/qGBNGewt">Moldova</a> and the <a href="/facts/Vojvodina/xQLNdfCn">Autonomous Province of Vojvodina</a> in <a href="/facts/Serbia/U0LVzPdI">Serbia</a>; minority language in <a href="/facts/Hungary/YRedQLtI">Hungary</a>, the rest of Serbia and <a href="/facts/Ukraine/Qof0uqAj">Ukraine</a>.</li></ul> <p>The Romance languages spread throughout the world owing to the period of <a href="/facts/European_colonialism/z73fzoS5">European colonialism</a> beginning in the 15th century; there are more than 900 million native speakers of Romance languages found worldwide, mainly in the <a href="/facts/Americas/hEuUTL4K">Americas</a>, <a href="/facts/Europe/DTAtrKfh">Europe</a>, and parts of <a href="/facts/Africa/XkqQUP9s">Africa</a>. Portuguese, French and Spanish also have many non-native speakers and are in widespread use as <a href="/facts/Lingua_franca/dlGrD7ra">lingua francas</a>. There are also numerous <a href="/facts/Regional_languages/SzdzT7pI">regional</a> Romance languages and dialects. All of the five most widely spoken Romance languages are also official languages of the European Union (with France, Italy, Portugal, Romania and Spain being part of it). </p>