International Day of the Portuguese Language and Culture
May 5, Monday
Portuguese language
It is the 6th most spoken language in the world, with over 265 million speakers. It is official in 9 countries that are part of the CPLP: Angola, Brazil, East Timor, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Portugal, Sao Tome and Principe, Equatorial Guinea.
In addition, Portuguese is actively used in the diaspora and in Macau (China), Goa (India) and other regions.
Interesting facts about the Portuguese language
Distribution. Portuguese is the language of five continents due to Portugal's colonial history. The largest Portuguese-speaking country is Brazil, home to about 213 million people.
Literary achievements. Portuguese-language literature has produced Nobel Prize winners such as José Saramago from Portugal.
Musical tradition. The Portuguese language is famous for traditional genres such as fado (Portugal), samba and bossa nova (Brazil), and African rhythms.