International Day of Portuguese Language and Culture

        Today, May 5, is the International Day of Portuguese Language and Culture. This day is designed to celebrate the cultural diversity and richness of the countries who speak Portuguese, and are all unified under a dialect of the language.

According to the United Nations, Portuguese is spoken by an estimated 250 million people worldwide, throughout nine countries, and four continents. The countries that utilize Portuguese as its official language, are:

•  Angola
•  Brazil
• Cabo Verde
• Equatorial Guinea
• Guinea-Bissau
• Mozambique
• Portugal
• São Tomé and Príncipe
• Timor-Leste

       In addition to being spoken colloquially by millions of people, Portuguese is also widely used in diplomacy, as the official language of several international organizations, including:

• The Commune of Portuguese Speaking Nations of the UN (CPLP)
• The Organization of The Cooperative Treatment of the Amazon
•  The Latin American Association of Integration
• The African Union
• The Commune of Latin American and Caribbean States
• The Common Market of Africa and Australia
• The European Union
• The Latin Union

       Portuguese is also a diverse language within itself, with several dialects and pronunciations spread throughout its rich landscape. Happy International Portuguese Language and Culture day, to all of the passionate Lusophones out there! 

This article was written by Andrea L., LAMP Portuguese Interpreter.