There are almost 258 million Portuguese speakers in the world. Out of which 232 million people are native Portuguese speakers. Portuguese is the ninth most spoken language on the globe. It has become the official language of a number of territories and states. These include Angola, Mozambique, Portugal, East Timor, Brazil, Guinea-Bissau, Macau, Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea, and São Tomé and Príncipe.
In the early 15th and 16th centuries, the Portuguese language came to many states of Asia, America, and Africa. Indigenous Europeans and officials used the Portuguese language for communication purposes. As a result, Roman Catholic missionaries in Asia also used Portuguese. Currently, there is a traditional presence of the Portuguese language in some areas of Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India, and Malaysia.
So, whenever the word Portuguese comes under discussion, people instantly link it to Brazil and Portugal. You can find most of the Portuguese assets in these two countries. Therefore, these two states are known as the most famous variations of the Portuguese language.
However, Portuguese is spoken in many other countries, as well. A member of any state, having any language can easily take assistance from Portuguese translation services available online. Users with the help of translation services providers can translate their content to and from the Portuguese language.
Portuguese in the European States
In Europe, Portuguese is the third most spoken language. As a result, it is famous in all markets of the world. Professional translation services can show their magic by providing the translation of the Portuguese language into all target languages. In case you require English-to-Portuguese translation for your business manuals, technology guides, or websites, CCJK is just a click away!
Significance of the Portuguese Language
Portuguese can become the language of commerce or government in most Portuguese-speaking states. In other words, it means that Portuguese speakers can communicate and run a worldwide business together. Especially in Brazil and Portugal, as both of the countries are financially very strong.
Several African heads of Portuguese-speaking countries are making the Portuguese language mandatory in institutions. So that their youngsters can learn the benefits of this language and develop a higher level of understanding.
Additionally, African children will be able to speak a global language. Unfortunately, owing to colonization, the ratio of Portuguese speakers in Africa is quite low.
In Mozambique, there are almost 13 million speakers. Whereas in Angola just about 18 million people speak Portuguese. South Africa and Guinea-Bissau consist of a few hundred thousand Portuguese speakers.
You can see a significant amount of Portuguese speakers in Oceania and Asia as well. In Australia, there are 49,000 speakers. Besides, there are almost 300,000 Portuguese speakers in Japan and India
15 Countries Speaking Portuguese Language
Portuguese holds the status of official, co-official, and minority language in various independent countries and regions around the world. Here is a list of popular countries that speak the Portuguese language:
Brazil
Brazil consists of 208 million people. In Brazil, there are almost 194 million Portuguese speakers. In South America, Brazil is the biggest state in terms of size and population. Almost 94% of the Brazilian public speaks Portuguese. There are more than 200 languages spoken in Brazil.
But Portuguese as a spoken language is at the top and dominating. So in the 1500s, the Portuguese made their place in Brazil. Thus, the Portuguese had rooted themselves in Brazilian culture and area for a very long time.
Portugal
The total population of Portugal is 10 million. More than 9.9 million people are Portuguese speakers in Portugal. Additionally, Portugal is on the Iberian Peninsula. People of Portugal, use Portuguese as their common language. However, Portuguese and Mirandese both are the official languages of Portugal.
Angola
Angola consists of almost 30 million people. There are 18.4 million Portuguese speakers in Angola. You can find Angola on the shore of southwestern Africa. In 1975, Angola became independent. Before that, it was just a Portugal colony. In the 1400s, the Portuguese language was adopted by indigenous groups.
Still, a lot of people use many indigenous languages in Angola today. Portuguese is Angola’s official language. Therefore more than half of its citizens communicate in the Portuguese language. The younger generation of Angola commonly speaks the Portuguese language.
Mozambique
The total population of Mozambique state is 26 million. Out of which, 10 million folks are Portuguese speakers. Mozambique is in the southeast of Africa, near the coastline of the Indian Ocean. Mozambique was individually recognized in the year 1975.
Above all, Mozambique’s official language is Portuguese. Besides, there are more than 40 native languages spoken in Mozambique. Yet, Portuguese speakers can easily be found in urban areas, such as Maputo and the Capital.
Guinea-Bissau
The total population of Guinea-Bissau state is over 1.8 million. Out of which, 193,300 people are Portuguese speakers. Guinea-Bissau is near the west shore of Africa. In the early 1400s, Guinea-Bissau was occupied by the Portuguese. The truth is other states such as England, France, and many European nations wished to control the area but the Portuguese successfully settled there.
Sadly speaking, Guinea-Bissau was used as a place for keeping slaves. Guinea-Bissau’s sole official language is Portuguese. Nearly 5,280 folks speak Portuguese as a local language whereas over 188,000 consider it as a second language in Guinea-Bissau. Additionally, a type of Portuguese creole “Crioulo” is the lingua franca which is commonly used for social statements.
East Timor
East Timor is a state consisting of 1.3 million people. Out of which, 5,600 folks are Portuguese speakers. East Timor is on an island in the southeastern portion of Asia, close to Indonesia. In the 1600s, the Portuguese annexed East Timor, after that Portuguese language made its place in this state. In 1975, Portugal officially left the area.
East Timor is full of different cultures and languages. There are two official languages of East Timor. Portuguese is the second official language of the country. The first official language is Tetun. It is estimated that 63,000 people treat Tetun as a native language. Additionally, there are over 30 indigenous languages spoken in East Timor
Equatorial Guinea
The total population of Equatorial Guinea is 800,000. Out of which, 6000 people are Portuguese speakers. It is near the western coastline of Africa. Spain colonized this area by attaining independence in the year 1968. The question arises. How the Portuguese language officially made its place in Equatorial Guinea? The answer is quite simple.
Because the people of Portugal were the first ones who ruled this land. In 1471, there was a Portuguese navigator who first spotted Equatorial Guinea. Unfortunately, in 1777, he surrendered it to Spain. But there were still certain areas that were influenced by the Portuguese.
As a result, the form of the Portuguese language has changed in these areas. Additionally, French and Spanish both are the official languages of Equatorial Guinea. In other words, these languages are the second languages of this land.
China
Over 1.4 billion people are living in China. Out of which, 18000 folks are Portuguese speakers. Macau is a semi-autonomous area of China. And Macau is full of Portuguese speakers. It is near the southeastern coastline of China. In the 1500s, Portuguese traders brought this remarkable language to China.
Moreover, Portugal put a great impact on this language in the area. In 1999, Portugal conceded control to China. However, even with the existence of an immense Chinese population, only 18000 people communicate in the Portuguese language. On the other hand, Cantonese “Yue Chinese” is the popular local language of China. But still, Portuguese and Chinese both are the official languages of China.
Cape Verde
The total population of Cape Verde is 568,000. This island is near the western coastline of Africa. In the 1400s Portuguese language came to Cape Verde. In 1975, Cape Verde became independent. As a result of which Portuguese became its official language. There are countless Portuguese speakers in Cape Verde.
São Tomé and Príncipe
There are 204,000 people living on this land. More than 197,000 are Portuguese speakers in Sao Tome and Principe. São Tomé and Príncipe is an African island nation. São Tomé and Príncipe became independent in 1975. Portuguese is officially and commonly spoken on these islands.
In short, 98% of the inhabitants speak Portuguese in Sao Tome and Principe. For all three Portuguese creoles “Principense, Saotomense, and Angolar” these islands are like a home to them.
Uruguay
There are 3.36 million people residing in Uruguay. Out of which 24,000 folks are speakers of the Portuguese language. It is also true that a vast amount of people prefer to speak Spanish in Uruguay. It is because Spanish is the official language of Uruguay.
Spain
The total population of Spain is 50 million. Out of which 164,000 people speak Portuguese. The official language of Spain is “Castilian Spanish”. Yet in certain areas of Spain, there are many official languages. The most popular local language for Portuguese speakers is Galician.
More than 7% of Spanish people speak Galician, which is a Portuguese dialect. In Spain, a large community communicates with each other in the Portuguese language. Moreover, settlers brought Portuguese creoles, as well as Fa d’Ambu and Kabuverdianu, to Spain.
Goa, India
In India, there is a city named Goa. In the past, Goa was known as the Colony of Portuguese. There was a time when Portuguese was spoken by the leading class and for governmental purposes. The population of India is over 1.5 million; out of which 250,000 are Portuguese speakers. English, Marathi, and Konkani are the most spoken language in India. Still, a large number of folks are Portuguese speakers there.
Japan
There are about 126 million people living in Japan. More than 300,000 people are Portuguese speakers. Most people are unaware of the fact that the people of Brazil take Japan as their home. It is because the Brazilians brought the Portuguese language to Japan along with them.
In the 1900s, most Japanese migrated to Brazil. In the 1980s, the economy of Brazil collapsed. Consequently, all the Japanese immigrants came back to Japan in search of jobs.
France
Portuguese isn’t France’s native language. Instead French is the country’s official language and a vast majority of people speak it fluently. However, a variety of immigrant languages are also present in France, and Portuguese is one of them.
According to estimates, over 959,000 people in France speak Portuguese. Most of them live in Urban areas like Paris, Lyon, and Marseille. These Portuguese speakers are generally 1st or 2nd generation immigrants who migrated to France due to economic circumstances.
Other States
Andorra, Luxembourg, and other European states comprise a large number of Portuguese speakers. In Andorra, there are over 12,000 Portuguese speakers. There are about 75,000 Portuguese speakers in Luxembourg.
Conclusion
Portuguese was discovered by a large colonial empire. It was spread to many regions of Asia, America, Africa, East Timor, and the Pacific Ocean. At that time, Portuguese-based Creole linguistics came into existence. As a result of which the Portuguese language is enjoying official status in countless states of the world today.
Brazil, Portugal, East Timor, China , Japan , India, Cape Verdeans, Spain, France, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Macau, Equatorial Guinea ,São Tomé and Príncipe etc. These are the states where a large number of people are Portuguese speakers. Because of this, many worldwide business companies use the Portuguese language and translate it into different languages as well.
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