What’s up peeps, all good? Today we bring you a special Dica about the Portuguese speaking countries around the world. Let’s answer a very important question: is Portuguese a Latin language? Also, let’s check out more about Portugal, Brazil and many other countries with the same official language, plus the history of Portuguese. After this lesson, you can finally recognize the flags of all the Portuguese speaking countries!
The community of countries that speak Portuguese (CPLP in Portuguese) was created on the 17th of July 1996 with the intention of unifying these countries and increasing mutual cooperation. For the Portuguese speaking countries, May 5th is considered Portuguese language and culture day. Currently, eight countries are part of this community. Let’s check them out!
Brazil is the biggest country in South America, one of the four that don’t have Spanish as main language and the only one that uses Portuguese. Known for its football, music and a very relaxed lifestyle, it is one of the most visited countries in the world.
Angola is located in the southern part of Africa, and it’s the seventh biggest country on the continent. With roughly 29.000.000 inhabitants, the country keeps its cultural traditions alive, even after 400 years of Portuguese colonization. The country is very hot, and very rich in minerals, such as diamonds.
Cape Verde is an archipelago of 10 volcanic islands located 570km off the west coast of Africa, and was uninhabited until the 15th century. Well known for the musical style called Morna, which is an extremely sexual dance with Brazilian and Portuguese influences. Since it’s made up of a group of islands, why not name the capital “Praia”?!
Guinea-Bissau went through ownership problems for years, since both the Mali and the Portuguese empires established themselves in the country at the same time. Like most African countries, the music and the food are the most recognizable parts of the country.
Mozambique became independent in 1975, 400 years after Portuguese colonization. A country with incredible beauty, strong agriculture and a unified culture. Its strongest points are no different from the others, music makes up a huge chunk of the country’s expression, with instruments like drums that pump up parties and religious ceremonies.
Portugal is a conqueror, and in the past it was one of the most powerful countries in the world. It is known for a Gothic architectural style called Manueline, but the strongest points of this country are the beaches, culinary delights and literature, with writers and poets like Luís de Camões. And if you were wondering, Portugal’s official language is indeed Portuguese!
São Tomé and Príncipe consists of two archipelagos surrounding two main islands. Its landscapes are incredible, composed by mountains and beaches everywhere. Today, it survives through the extraction of oil.
East Timor became independent from Portugal in 1975. The Portuguese architecture is still present, as is the culture of poetry, which is the most common form of artistic expression. It became part of the CPLP in 2002.
The history of Portuguese language can be traced back to the Roman occupation of the Iberian Peninsula in the 2nd century BC. Latin was the language spoken by the Roman conquerors and it gradually evolved over time to give rise to the various Romance languages (latin related languages), including Portuguese.
In the 12th century, Portugal became an independent kingdom and the language in Portugal began to develop as a distinct language. Portuguese was heavily influenced by the Galician language, which was spoken in the northwestern part of modern-day Spain. The first known document written in Portugal language is the Cantigas de Santa Maria, a collection of religious songs written in the 13th century.
In the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal became a major colonial power and established a vast empire that stretched from Brazil to Mozambique. Portuguese became a global language and was spoken in many parts of the world, including Africa, Asia, and South America. That was the way these other seven countries besides Portugal ended up speaking Portuguese nowadays: throughout colonialism and being part of the Portuguese Empire.
In the 20th century, the history of Portuguese language evolved again, since the language underwent significant reforms to simplify its spelling and grammar. These reforms aimed to make the language more accessible to a wider audience and to standardize it across the different Portuguese-speaking countries. The history from Portuguese language is always evolving and changing, so keep an eye out! The best way to keep track of it all is to study Portuguese!
What are your thoughts? Did you noticed most flags of Portuguese speaking countries have red in it? What do you think of the flags from Portuguese speaking countries? Do you consider Portugal language to be a though one to learn? Besides Portuguese, which other language is also a Latin language? Research this topics and tell us the answers below!
We just learned a bit about the Portuguese speaking countries in the world! So, do you know any countries that speak your language, besides your own? Share with us!
We look forward to seeing you in our next Dica, so stay tuned with Rio & Learn and we’ll see you soon!
Later folks!
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