Romance-speaking Europe - Countries

Countries

Romance Europe
Countries / Territories Official language(s) Religion Area Population GDP (nominal) Comments
Andorra Catalan Roman Catholic 468 85,082 4,510 —
Belgium French (co-official) Roman Catholic 17,005 4,407,705 514,593 —
French — 16,844 3,376,490 — —
French (co-official) — 161 1,031,215 — —
France
(Metropolitan France)		 French Roman Catholic 551,695 63,460,000 2,559,850

Exceptions:

  • Alsace-Moselle and French Flanders have mostly Germanic roots; their languages are still used by the frontier workers (more than 40% for some places).
  • Brittany is considered as a "Celtic nation", but in Eastern Brittany only French is spoken today.
  • Pays Basque shows a Basque identity, even if Basque language is spoken by few.
Italy Italian Roman Catholic 301,318 60,813,326 2,198,732

Exceptions:

  • South Tyrol (7,400.43 km²) has German as a co-official language with Italian.
  • Friuli-Venezia Giulia, in some parts is Slovenian-speaking, with Slovenian having the status of official language alongside Italian and Friulian
French (co-official) — — — —
Ladin (co-official) — — — —
Moldova Romanian (de facto) Eastern Orthodox
(93.3%)		 33,846 3,559,500 7,003 —
Monaco French Roman Catholic 1.98 36,371 5,424 —
Portugal
 Portuguese Roman Catholic
(84%)		 92,212 10,581,949 237,831 —
Mirandese (co-official) — — — — —
Romania Romanian Eastern Orthodox
(86.7%)		 238,391 21,848,504 189,776

Exceptions:

  • Transylvania's Eastern side, in addition to its Romanian-speaking majority, is also home to a substantial Hungarian minority.
San Marino Italian Roman Catholic 61.2 32,404 2,048 —
Spain Spanish Roman Catholic 505,992 47,190,493 1,479,560

Exceptions:

  • Basque Country (7,234 km²) and Navarre (10,391 km²) have Basque as a co-official language along with Spanish.
Catalan (co-official) - - - -
Catalan
(Co-Official)
Aranese
(Co-Official)		 - - - -
Galician
(Co-Official)		 - - - - -
Catalan
(Co-Official)		 - - - -
Switzerland Italian
French
Romansh		 - 41,285 8,000,001 660,761 -
Italian (co-official)
 Romansh (co-official)		 - 7,105 km² 187,920 - -
French
(Co-Official)		 - 5,959 km² 958,897 - -
French
(Co-Official)		 - 1,671 km² 258,252 - -
French
(Co-Official)		 - 5,224 km² 294,608 - -
French
(Official)		 - 3212 km² 657,700 - -
French
(Official)		 - 803 km² 168,912 - -
French
(Official)		 - 282 km² 433,235 - -
French
(Official)		 - 838 km² 69,222 - -
Italian
(Official)		 - 2,812 km² 324,851 - -


Romance Europe
Countries / Territories Romance languages used Religion Area Population GDP (nominal) Comments
Andorra Catalan (official) Roman Catholic 468 85,082 4,510 —
Belgium French (co-official) Roman Catholic 17,005 4,407,705 514,593 —
French — 16,844 3,376,490 — —
French (co-official) — 161 1,031,215 — —
Croatia — Roman Catholic (87%) 56,594 4,290,612 63,842 —
Italian (co-official)
Istriot (unofficial)
Istro-Romanian (unofficial)		 — 2,820 206,344 — —
France
(Metropolitan France)		 French (official) Roman Catholic 551,695 63,460,000 2,559,850

Exceptions:

  • Alsace-Moselle and French Flanders have mostly Germanic roots; their languages are still used by the frontier workers (more than 40% for some places).
  • Brittany is considered as a "Celtic nation", but in Eastern Brittany only French is spoken today.
  • Pays Basque shows a Basque identity, even if Basque language is spoken by few.
Gibraltar Spanish (unofficial) Roman Catholic 6.8 29,431 1,106 As a British overseas territory, it 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.
Greece — Eastern Orthodox — — — —
Aromanian (unofficial)
Megleno-Romanian (unofficial)		 — 250,000
4,000		 299,275 —
Guernsey French (unofficial) — 78 65,573 2,742 Guernsey and Jersey both have various use of French and Norman language, although admittedly in decline. In the case of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, this includes Guernesais and Sercquais. French was an official language of Alderney of Guernsey until the late 1960s.
Italy Italian (official) Roman Catholic 301,318 60,813,326 2,198,732

Exceptions:

  • South Tyrol (7,400.43 km²) has German as a co-official language with Italian.
  • Friuli-Venezia Giulia, in some parts is Slovenian-speaking, with Slovenian having the status of official language alongside Italian and Friulian
French (co-official) - - - -
Ladin (co-official) - - - -
Jersey French (co-official) — 116 97,857 5,100 Jersey and Guernsey both have various use of French and Norman language, although admittedly in decline. In the case of Jersey, this includes Jersey Law French and Jèrriais.
Luxembourg French (co-official) Roman Catholic
(87%)		 2,586.4 480,222 59,582 —
Macedonia — Eastern Orthodox
(64.7%)		 25,713 2,058,539 10,644 —
Aromanian (official) — — 10,000 (est.) — —
Megleno-Romanian (unofficial) — — 2,000 (est.) — —
Malta Italian (unofficial) Roman Catholic
(98%)		 316 452,515 8,941 Although Maltese is a Semitic Language, a good portion of Maltese vocabulary is Romance, having been imported from Italian, Sicilian, and French.
Moldova Romanian (de facto) Eastern Orthodox
(93.3%)		 33,846 3,559,500 7,003 —
Monaco French (official) — 1.98 36,371 5,424 —
Portugal


 Portuguese
(Official)
Mirandese
(Regionally Co-Official)		 Roman Catholic
(84%)		 92,345 km² 10,642,836 $232,000,000,000 -
Romania Romanian
(Official)		 Eastern Orthodox
(86.7%)		 238,392 km² 22,276,056 $256,900,000,000

Exceptions:

  • Transylvania's Eastern side, in addition to its Romanian-speaking majority, is also home to a substantial Hungarian minority.
San Marino Italian
(Official)		 - 61 km² 29,615 $904,000,000 -
Serbia Romanian
(Regionally Co-Official)
(Regionally Unofficial)		 - 28636 km² 60,000 (est.) $64,000,000,000 -
Romanian
(Co-Official)		 Eastern Orthodox 21,506 km² 29,512 - -
Romanian
(Unofficial)		 Eastern Orthodox 7,130 km² 25,000 (est.) - -
Slovenia Italian
(Regionally Official)		 - 384.4 km² 78,846 $47,841,000,000 -
Italian
(Official)		 - 44.6 km² 16,758 - -
Italian
(Official)		 - 28.6 km² 14,549 - -
Italian
(Official)		 - 311.2 km² 47,539 - -
Spain Spanish - 505,992 47,190,493 1,479,560

Exceptions:

  • Basque Country (7,234 km²) and Navarre (10,391 km²) have Basque as a co-official language along with Spanish.
Aragon Aragonese
(Recognised)
Catalan
(Recognised)		 - 47,719 km² 1,277,471 -
Asturias Asturian
(Recognised)		 - - - -
Catalonia Catalan
(Co-Official)
Aranese
(Co-Official)		 - - - -
Catalan (officially called Valencian)
(Co-Official)		 - - - -
Catalan
(Co-Official)		 - - - -
Galician
(Co-Official)		 - - - - -
Switzerland Italian
(Regionally Official)
(Regionally Co-Official)
French
(Regionally Official
Reginally Co-Official)
Romansh
(Regionally Co-Official)		 - 27906 km² 3,353,597 $296,200,000,000 -
Italian
(Co-Official)
Romansh (Co-Official)		 - 7,105 km² 187,920 - -
French
(Co-Official)		 - 5,959 km² 958,897 - -
French
(Co-Official)		 - 1,671 km² 258,252 - -
French
(Co-Official)		 - 5,224 km² 294,608 - -
French
(Official)		 - 3212 km² 657,700 - -
French
(Official)		 - 803 km² 168,912 - -
French
(Official)		 - 282 km² 433,235 - -
French
(Official)		 - 838 km² 69,222 - -
Italian
(Official)		 - 2,812 km² 324,851 - -
Ukraine Romanian
(Regionally Unofficial)		 - 54,184 km² 4,533,853 $364,300,000,000
Romanian
(Unofficial)		 Eastern Orthodox 33,310 km² 2,387,543 - -
Romanian
(Unofficial)		 Eastern Orthodox 12,777 km² 1,241,887 - -
Romanian
(Unofficial)		 Eastern Orthodox 8,097 km² 904,423 - -
Vatican City Italian
(de facto)		 - 0.44 km² 821 - -

Read more about this topic:  Romance-speaking Europe

Famous quotes containing the word countries:

    “Do not require a description of the countries towards which you sail. The description does not describe them to you, and to- morrow you arrive there, and know them by inhabiting them.”
    —Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)

    “The contention that a standing army and navy is the best security of peace is about as logical as the claim that the most peaceful citizen is he who goes about heavily armed. The experience of every-day life fully proves that the armed individual is invariably anxious to try his strength. The same is historically true of governments. Really peaceful countries do not waste life and energy in war preparations, with the result that peace is maintained.”
    —Emma Goldman (1869–1940)

    “Other countries have history; we have nothing but contradictions.”
    —Christina Stead (1902–1983)