wiki143 - User contributions [en]

Languages of Spain

2025-06-30T22:09:11Z

95.18.76.141: Removed latin and galician-portuguese from the "past languages" section. Reason: Latin evolved into Castilian, Galician, Aragonese, Asturleonese, and Catalan/Valencian, and Galician-Portuguese evolved into Galician and Portuguese. Including them alongside extinct languages is misleading.

{{Short description|none}}
{{more citations needed|date=December 2020}}


{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Languages of
| country = Spain
| image =
| official = [[Spanish language|Spanish]] (country-wide); [[Catalan language|Catalan]]/[[Valencian language|Valencian]], [[Galician language|Galician]], [[Basque language|Basque]] and [[Occitan language|Aranese Occitan]] (selected territories)
| regional = [[Amazigh language|Amazigh]], [[Moroccan Arabic|Ceutan Arabic]], [[Aragonese language|Aragonese]], [[Aranese]], [[Asturleonese language|Asturleonese]], [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], Basque, Catalan-Valencian-Balearic, Galician.<ref name="coe">{{Cite web|url=https://rm.coe.int/ecrml-educational-toolkit-es/1680973273&#124|title=Carta europea de lenguas minoritarias|publisher=[[Council of Europe|Consejo de Europa]]|first1=Claudine|last1=Brohy|first2=Vincent|last2=Climent-Ferrando|first3=Aleksandra|last3=Oszmiahska-Pagett|first4=Fernando|last4=Ramallo|year=2019}}</ref>
|minority = [[Caló language|Caló]]<ref name="coe" />
| immigrant = Spanish, Portuguese, [[Moroccan Arabic]], [[Berber languages|Berber]], [[Romanian language|Romanian]], [[Quechua language|Quechua]], [[British English|English]], [[German language|German]], [[French language|French]], [[Bengali language|Bangla]], [[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]], [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]], [[Russian language|Russian]], [[Wolof language|Wolof]], [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]],<ref name="cidob">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cidob.org/es/articulos/revista_cidob_d_afers_internacionals/pakistanies_en_espana_un_estudio_basado_en_el_colectivo_de_la_ciudad_de_barcelona|page=108|title=Pakistaníes en España: un estudio basado en el colectivo de la ciudad de Barcelona|year=2005 |first1=Montserrat|last1=Solé Aubia|first2=Josep|last2=Rodríguez Roca|publisher=[[Barcelona Centre for International Affairs]]}}</ref> [[Hindustani language|Hindu–Urdu]], [[Wu Chinese|Wu dialects]] ([[Qingtian dialect|Qingtian]] & [[Wenzhounese]])<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MwDCjMxx068C&pg=PA62|page=62|title=La lengua china: historia, signo y contexto: Una aproximación sociocultural|year=2007|location=Córdoba|publisher=[[University of Córdoba (Spain)|Editorial UOC]]|first=David|last=Martínez Robles|isbn=978-84-9788-682-6}}</ref> (''see [[immigration to Spain]]'')
| foreign =
| keyboard = [[QWERTY]]
| keyboard image = [[File:KB Spanish.svg|200px]]
| sign = [[Spanish Sign Language]] [[Catalan Sign Language]] [[Valencian Sign Language]]
| source = 
}}

The majority of '''languages of Spain'''<ref>The term ''lenguas españolas'' appears in the Spanish Constitution, referring to all the languages spoken within Spain (those are Basque, Spanish, Catalan/Valencian, Galician, Asturian, Leonese, etc.).</ref> belong to the [[Romance languages|Romance language family]], of which [[Spanish language|Spanish]] is the only one with [[Official languages of Spain|official status]] in the whole country.<ref>Promotora Española de Lingüística - [http://www.proel.org/index.php?pagina=mundo/indoeuro/italico/romance/iberorromance/espanol Lengua Española o Castellana] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101127104051/http://proel.org/index.php?pagina=mundo%2Findoeuro%2Fitalico%2Fromance%2Fiberorromance%2Fespanol |date=27 November 2010 }}. (Spanish)</ref><ref>{{cite book |author= M. Teresa Turell|title=Multilingualism in Spain: Sociolinguistic and Psycholinguistic Aspects of Linguistic Minority Groups|publisher=Multilingual Matters|year=2001 |page=121|isbn=978-1-85359-491-5}}</ref> Others, including [[Catalan language|Catalan]]/[[Valencian language|Valencian]] (in [[Catalonia]], [[Valencian Community|Valencia]] and the [[Balearic Islands]]) and [[Galician language|Galician]] (in [[Galicia (Spain)|Galicia]]), enjoy official status in their respective [[Autonomous communities of Spain|autonomous regions]], similar to [[Basque language|Basque]] in the northeast of the country (a non-Romance [[language isolate]]). A number of other languages and dialects belonging to the Romance continuum exist in Spain, such as [[Aragonese language|Aragonese]], [[Asturian language|Asturian]], [[Fala language|Fala]] and [[Occitan language|Aranese Occitan]].

==Present-day languages==
[[File:Spain languages.svg|thumb|{{legend|#ddf1b4|[[Spanish language|Spanish]], official; spoken throughout the country}}
{{legend|#f59053|[[Catalan language|Catalan]] / [[Valencian language|Valencian]], co-official}}
{{legend|#2b83ba|[[Galician language|Galician]], co-official}}
{{legend|#808080|[[Basque language|Basque]], co-official}}
{{legend|#d7191c|[[Occitan language|Aranese Occitan]], co-official}}
{{legend|#91cba8|[[Asturleonese language|Asturleonese]] ([[Asturian language|Asturian]] and [[Leonese dialect|Leonese]]), protected language}}
{{legend|#fede99|[[Aragonese language|Aragonese]], protected language}}
]]
The languages spoken in Spain include:
* [[Spanish language|Spanish]]. Official throughout the country, it is spoken by the majority of the population.
* [[Catalan language|Catalan]]/[[Valencian language|Valencian]], co-official in [[Catalonia]], the [[Balearic Islands]] and the [[Valencian Community]]. Catalan is also spoken, although not official, in the eastern strip of the [[Aragon]] region (''[[La Franja]]'')<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.boa.aragon.es/cgi-bin/EBOA/BRSCGI?CMD=VERDOC&BASE=BOLE&DOCR=7&SEC=LEYES&SORT=@OLEY,PUBL&SEPARADOR=&RANG-C=LEY&ALEY-C=2013 |title=LEY 3/2013, de 9 de mayo, de uso, protección y promoción de las lenguas y modalidades lingüísticas propias de Aragón. BOLETÍN OFICIAL DE ARAGÓN (BOA) |publisher=[[Gobierno de Aragón]] |date=24 May 2013}}</ref> and in the [[Carche]] area of the [[Region of Murcia]].<ref name="Carche">{{cite web |url=http://www.avl.gva.es/va/gabinet-de-comunicacio/notes-de-premsa-historic/El-valenci--continua-viu-en-la-comarca-murciana-del-Carxe |title=El valencià continua viu en la comarca murciana del Carxe |access-date=13 September 2014 |author=Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua |date=23 July 2013 |language=ca-valencia |work=avl.gva.es |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140913174418/http://www.avl.gva.es/va/gabinet-de-comunicacio/notes-de-premsa-historic/El-valenci--continua-viu-en-la-comarca-murciana-del-Carxe |archive-date=13 September 2014 }}</ref> It is known as [[Valencian language|Valencian]] in the Valencian Community<ref>[http://www.docv.gva.es/datos/2005/05/06/pdf/2005_4906.pdf DICTAMEN SOBRE ELS PRINCIPIS I CRITERIS PER A LA DEFENSA DE LA DENOMINACIÓ I ENTITAT DEL VALENCIÀ]. {{blockquote|''It is a fact that there are in Spain two equally legal names for designating this language: Valencian, as established by the Statute of Autonomy of the Valencian Community, and Catalan, recognized in the Statutes of Autonomy of Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, and ratified by the Spanish legal system (annex 8) and case law (annex 9).''}}</ref><ref name="Statute">{{cite web |url=http://www.docv.gva.es/datos/2006/04/11/pdf/2006_4177.pdf |title=Ley Orgánica 1/2006, de 10 de abril, de Reforma de la Ley Orgánica 5/1982, de 1 de julio, de Estatuto de Autonomía de la Comunidad Valenciana. |access-date=17 February 2013 |publisher=Generalitat Valenciana |date=10 April 2006 }}</ref> and el Carche.
* [[Galician language|Galician]] is spoken in [[Galicia (Spain)|Galicia]] (where it has co-official status) as well as in nearby areas of [[Asturias]] and [[Castile and León]].
* [[Basque language|Basque]], co-official in the [[Basque Country (autonomous community)|Basque Country]] and northern [[Navarre]] (see ''[[:es:Ley Foral del Vascuence#Zonificación|Basque-speaking zone]]''). Basque is the only non-Romance language (as well as non-[[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]]) with an official status in Spain.
*[[Aranese language|Aranese]] is a standarized variety of [[Occitan language|Occitan]] which is co-official in Catalonia.<ref>{{in lang|ca|oc}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20120412205120/http://www.gencat.cat/eadop/imatges/5745/10273136.pdf Llei 35/2010, d'1 d'octubre, de l'occità, aranès a l'Aran]</ref> It is spoken in [[comarques of Catalonia|comarca]] of the [[Aran Valley]], near the French border.
*[[Asturian language|Asturian]], a standarized variety of the [[Asturleonese language|Asturleonese dialect continuum]]. It enjoys protection in [[Asturias]], where reportedly about 25% of the population is able to understand, speak, read, and write in the language.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-internacional-59547573|website=[[bbc.com]]|date=24 January 2022|title=Dónde se habla el bable y por qué dicen que es un idioma "en peligro"|first=Alicia|last=Hernández}}</ref> Asturleonese varieties collectively known as [[Leonese language|Leonese]] are spoken in parts of [[Castile and León]] (provinces of [[province of León|León]] and [[province of Zamora|Zamora]]), where they enjoy legal protection. Also, the [[Extremaduran language|Extremaduran]] variant of Asturleonese has been declared ''[[Bien de interés cultural]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Aprobado declarar al estremeñu como Bien de Interés Cultural, con el único voto en contra de Vox |url=https://www.elsaltodiario.com/plurilinguismo/aprobado-declarar-al-estremenu-interes-cultural-unico-voto-vox |access-date=2024-12-17 |website=www.elsaltodiario.com |language=}}</ref>
*[[Aragonese language|Aragonese]], spoken in the north of the [[Aragon]] region, in the Pyrenees. It enjoys legal protection, though it is not a co-official language in the region.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.boa.aragon.es/cgi-bin/EBOA/BRSCGI?CMD=VERDOC&BASE=BOLE&DOCR=7&SEC=LEYES&SORT=@OLEY,PUBL&SEPARADOR=&RANG-C=LEY&ALEY-C=2013 |title=LEY 3/2013, de 9 de mayo, de uso, protección y promoción de las lenguas y modalidades lingüísticas propias de Aragón. BOLETÍN OFICIAL DE ARAGÓN (BOA) |publisher=[[Gobierno de Aragón]] |date=24 May 2013}}</ref>
* [[Fala language|Fala]]: This romance language belonging to the Galician-Portuguese group is spoken by about 6,000 people in the Jálama Valley. It has been declared ''[[Bien de interés cultural]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=20minutos |date=2023-02-22 |title=Esta lengua solo se habla en tres localidades extremeñas y está en peligro de extinción |url=https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/5103605/0/lengua-extremadura-fala-valle-del-jalama-peligro-extincion/ |access-date=2023-05-14 |website=www.20minutos.es - Últimas Noticias |language=es}}</ref>
* [[Silbo Gomero]] is a whistled code in [[La Gomera]] ([[Canary Islands]]). Protected by [[UNESCO]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=UNESCO - El Silbo Gomero, lenguaje silbado de la isla de La Gomera (Islas Canarias) |url=https://ich.unesco.org/es/RL/el-silbo-gomero-lenguaje-silbado-de-la-isla-de-la-gomera-islas-canarias-00172 |access-date=2023-05-14 |website=ich.unesco.org |language=es}}</ref> (Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity).
* [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] has been traditionally spoken by the inhabitants of the following border areas: [[Cedillo]] and [[Herrera de Alcántara]] (province of Cáceres),<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Documentación antigua sobre las localidades de habla portuguesa Herrera de Alcántara y Cedillo|first=Juan M.|last=Carrasco González|journal=Revista de Estudios Extremeños|year=2017|volume=LXXIII|issue=3|pages=2567–2592|url=https://www.dip-badajoz.es/cultura/ceex/reex_digital/reex_LXXIII/2017/T.%20LXXIII%20n.%203%202017%20sept.-dic/93064.pdf}}</ref> [[La Alamedilla]] (province of Salamanca, primarily spoken in the place up until the mid-20th century),<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://dehesa.unex.es/bitstream/10662/11535/1/1888-4067_13_2_77.pdf|page=82|first=José Antonio|last=González Salgado|journal=Limite|issn=1888-4067|issue=13|year=2019|title=El proyecto de investigación FRONTESPO y la fala de Xálima}}</ref> and [[Olivenza]] (small territory in the province of Badajoz claimed by Portugal).
* [[Darija|Darija Arabic]] is spoken in [[Ceuta]]. It lacks government protection.<ref>{{cite news |title=Protección del dariya: el Gobierno responde que el Estatuto de Autonomía no menciona esta lengua |url=https://elfarodeceuta.es/dariya-compromis-estatuto-autonomia/}}</ref>
* [[Riffian language|Riffian]] is spoken in [[Melilla]]. It lacks government protection.<ref>{{cite web |title=Compromís exige que el tamazight se iguale a otras lenguas del Estado |date=16 September 2022 |url=https://www.larazon.es/espana/20220916/inqwqeoipfb27gfz6vkdhktqcu.html}}</ref>
* [[Calo language|''Caló'']], a mixed language, is spoken by the [[Gitanos|Spanish Romani]] communities across the country, with a large concentration in [[Andalusia]] and [[Catalonia]], though it seems to be in the process of becoming just a dialect of Spanish. It should not be confused with [[Romani language|Romani]], the [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan]] language originally spoken by gypsies, which is most probably no longer spoken in Spain.

==Other Romance varieties==
{{See also|Spanish dialects and varieties#Spain|Peninsular Spanish|Andalusian Spanish|Canarian Spanish|Castúo|Murcian Spanish|Dialects of Catalan|Dialects of Basque|Cantabrian dialect|Linguistic features of Spanish as spoken by Catalan speakers}}
Spanish itself boasts a substantial internal variation in the country. For example, the [[Andalusian Spanish|Andalusian]] or [[Canarian Spanish|Canarian]] dialects, each with their own subvarieties, some of them being partially closer to the [[Spanish language in the Americas|Spanish of the Americas]], which they heavily influenced to varying degrees, depending on the region or period and according to different and non-homogeneous migrating or colonisation processes. Despite being a dialect, some Andalusian speakers have attempted to [[Andalusian language movement|promote Andalusian as a different language]] independent of Spanish.

Five very localised dialects are of difficult filiation: [[Fala language|Fala]] (a variety mostly ascribed to the Galician-Portuguese group locally spoken in an area of the province of Cáceres sometimes called ''Valley of Jálama/Xálima'', which includes the towns of [[San Martín de Trevejo]], [[Eljas]] and [[Valverde del Fresno]]); [[Cantabrian dialect|Cantabrian]] and [[Extremaduran language|Extremaduran]], two Astur-Leonese dialects also regarded as Spanish dialects; [[Galician-Asturian|Eonavian]], a dialect between Asturian and Galician, closer to the latter according to several linguists; and [[Benasquese dialect|Benasquese]], a [[Ribagorçan dialect|Ribagorçan]] dialect that was formerly classified as Catalan, later as Aragonese, and which is now often regarded as a transitional language of its own. Asturian and Leonese are closely related to the local [[Mirandese language|Mirandese]] which is spoken on an adjacent territory but over the border into [[Portugal]]. Mirandese is recognised and has some local official status.

==Statistics==
{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption= Top language spoken at home ([[Pew Research]] survey, 2019)<ref name=pewresearch />
|label1 = Spanish
|value1 = 81
|color1 = Red
|label2 = Catalan
|value2 = 8
|color2 = Yellow
|label3 = Valencian
|value3 = 4
|color3 = Orange
|label4 = Galician
|value4 = 3
|color4 = Turquoise
|label5 = Basque
|value5 = 1
|color5 = Green
}}
In terms of the number of speakers and dominance, the most prominent of the languages of Spain is [[Spanish language|Spanish]], spoken by about 99% of Spaniards as a first or second language.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eprints.ucm.es/8936/1/DT03-06.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2016-01-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100923081035/http://eprints.ucm.es/8936/1/DT03-06.pdf |archive-date=23 September 2010 }}</ref> According to a 2019 [[Pew Research]] survey, the most commonly spoken languages at home other than Spanish were [[Catalan language|Catalan]] in 8% of households, [[Valencian language|Valencian]] in 4%, [[Galician language|Galician]] in 3% and [[Basque language|Basque]] in 1%.<ref name=pewresearch>{{cite web |website=[[Pew Research|pewresearch.org]]|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/01/06/speaking-the-national-language-at-home-is-less-common-in-some-european-countries/ |date=6 January 2020|first=Kat|last=Devlin|title=Speaking the national language at home is less common in some European countries|publisher=Pew Research |access-date=8 September 2021 }}</ref>
A study in 2016 by the [[University of Navarra]] focused on which languages were used most frequently to consume news within a week (using multiple-choice surveys). The response included foreign languages, Spanish and only co-official and protected languages. 95.2% of news was consumed in Spanish and 30.4% in a co-official or protected language.<ref name="digitalnewsreport.es">{{Cite web |title=Un 30% se informa en lenguas españolas distintas del castellano, y el 24% de los usuarios, en inglés {{!}} Digital News Report España 2022 (DNR): informe de noticias digitales en español |date=June 2016 |url=https://www.digitalnewsreport.es/2016/un-30-se-informa-en-lenguas-espanolas-distintas-del-castellano-y-el-24-en-ingles/ |access-date=2023-05-14 |language=es}}</ref> The study reflects that the consumption of protected languages is proportional to their knowledge and that the consumption of foreign-language news is greater than that of regional-language news.

== 2021 Census data ==
{{Table alignment}}
{| class="wikitable sortable col1left col2right col3right"
|+First language, 2021 census (2 years old or more)<ref>{{Cite web |title=INEbase / Demografía y población /Cifras de población y Censos demográficos /Encuesta de Características Esenciales de la Población y las Viviendas / Microdatos |url=https://www.ine.es/dyngs/INEbase/es/operacion.htm?c=Estadistica_C&cid=1254736177092&menu=resultados&idp=1254735572981# |access-date=2025-03-12 |website=INE |language=es}}</ref>
! rowspan="2" |Language
! colspan="2" |Initial language
|-
!Absolute
!Percentage
|-
|[[Spanish language|Spanish]]
|37,650,425
|81.53
|-
|of which only Spanish
|34,477,775
|74.66
|-
|[[Catalan language|Catalan]] (including [[Valencian language|Valencian]] and [[Balearic Catalan|Balearic]])
|4,846,933
|10.50
|-
|[[Galician language|Galician]]
|1,742,974
|3.77
|-
| [[Arabic language|Arabic]]
|1,001,792
|2.17
|-
|[[English language|English]]
|730,251
|1.58
|-
| [[Romanian language|Romanian]]
|664,407
|1.44
|-
|[[Basque language|Basque]]
|658,030
|1.42
|-
| [[French language|French]]
|432,209
|0.94
|-
|[[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]
|251,497
|0.54
|-
|[[Chinese language|Chinese]]
|221,331
|0.48
|-
| [[German language|German]]
|205,289
|0.44
|-
|[[Italian language|Italian]]
|188,651
|0.41
|-
| [[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]]
|152,037
|0.33
|-
|[[Russian language|Russian]]
|147,864
|0.32
|-
|[[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]]
|76,297
|0.17
|-
|[[Polish language|Polish]]
|61,926
|0.13
|-
|[[Berber languages|Berber]]
|59,797
|0.13
|-
|[[Dutch language|Dutch]]
|51,672
|0.11
|-
|[[Urdu]]
|50,983
|0.11
|-
|[[Guarani language|Guarani]]
|36,807
|0.08
|-
|[[Wolof language|Wolof]]
|34,581
|0.07
|-
|[[Asturian language|Asturian]]
|26,584
|0.06
|-
|Other languages
|347,363
|0.75
|-
!Total
!46,181,637
!>100.0
|}

== Language policy ==
Spanish is official throughout the country; Catalan/Valencian, Galician, Basque, and Aranese Occitan have legal and co-official status in their respective communities and (except Aranese Occitan) are widespread enough to have daily newspapers and significant book publishing and media presence. Catalan and Galician are the main languages used by the respective regional governments and local administrations. Starting in 2023, members of the lower house of the Spanish Parliament were allowed to use Basque, Catalan and Galician in their interventions.<ref name="parl">{{Cite news |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=2023-09-19 |accessdate=2023-09-19 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/19/spain-grants-basque-catalan-and-galician-languages-parliamentary-status |title=Spain grants Basque, Catalan and Galician languages parliamentary status |department=Spain |last=Jones |first=Sam |issn=1756-3224 |oclc=60623878}}</ref> Members of the upper house already could use those languages in some specific discussions and initiatives.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.publico.es/politica/hablar-catalan-euskera-gallego-cortes-ataduras-normal-lenguas-cooficiales.html|website=[[Público (Spain)|Público]]|date=6 July 2020|first=Alexis|last=Romero|title=¿Se puede hablar catalán, euskera o gallego en las Cortes? Las ataduras al normal uso de las lenguas cooficiales}}</ref>

In addition to these, there are some protected languages. A protected language does not have co-official status but can be taught in schools as an optional subject, with the possibility of having TV shows in the protected language as well as institutions for that language.

Limited Asturian-language broadcasting is available on [[Radiotelevisión del Principado de Asturias|RTPA]], and the language is learned as an optional subject by 53% of [[primary education]] students.<ref>{{Cite web |last=20minutos |date=2015-04-30 |title=El 53% de los alumnos de primarias estudian lengua asturiana |url=https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/2447327/0/53-alumnos-primarias-estudian-lengua-asturiana/ |access-date=2023-05-14 |website=www.20minutos.es - Últimas Noticias |language=es}}</ref> There is a prominent [[Movement for the officiality of the Asturian language|movement demanding for the declaration of Asturian as an official language in Asturias]], which is a matter of an ongoing political debate.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bécares |first=Bárbara |date=2023-05-08 |title=La oficialidad del asturiano, una asignatura pendiente de la legislatura que termina |url=https://www.eldiario.es/asturias/oficialidad-asturiano-asignatura-pendiente-legislatura-termina_1_10182608.html |access-date=2023-05-14 |website=elDiario.es |language=es}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Cientos de personas marchan en Uviéu por la oficialidad del asturiano |url=https://www.elsaltodiario.com/asturianu/cientos-personas-marchan-uvieu-oficialidad-del-asturiano- |access-date=2023-05-14 |website=www.elsaltodiario.com |language=}}</ref>

As of 2023, [[Aragonese language|Aragonese]] is offered as a subject in about 30 schools in the Aragon region, with around 1,300 students.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Día de la Lengua Materna: unos 5.700 alumnos estudian aragonés y catalán de Aragón |url=https://www.cartv.es/aragonnoticias/noticias/dia-de-la-lengua-materna-unos-5-700-alumnos-estudian-aragones-y-catalan-de-aragon-16851 |access-date=2023-05-14 |website=CARTV |date=21 February 2023 |language=es-ES}}</ref> Limited Aragonese-language television content is available on the regional public broadcaster, with shows such as ''A Escampar la Boira''<ref>{{Cite web |title=ARAGÓN TELEVISIÓN ESTRENA 'A ESCAMPAR LA BOIRA', EL PRIMER LATE NIGHT EN LAS LENGUAS PROPIAS DE ARAGÓN – Lenguas de Aragón |url=https://lenguasdearagon.org/aragon-television-estrena-a-escampar-la-boira-el-primer-late-night-en-las-lenguas-propias-de-aragon/ |access-date=2023-05-14 |website=lenguasdearagon.org}}</ref> or ''Charrín Charrán''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Aragón TV - Charrín Charrán |url=http://www.aragontelevision.es/programas/historico-de-programas/charrin-charran/ |access-date=2023-05-14 |website=www.aragontelevision.es}}</ref>

Regarding education, the models vary considerably. Some schools in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands guarantee the possibility of an education entirely in the regional language, but most of the schools apply bilingual education with more weight of Catalan.{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}} In Galicia, the Galician language is prohibited in certain subjects by law, restricted to a maximum of one-third of education and absent in 92% of the first education of Galician students.{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}} In the Valencian Community the existence of Catalan-speaking areas and Spanish-speaking areas generates debates about the presence of the language in education, proposing an equal presence of Valencian (Catalan) and Spanish, which does not conform to any of the linguistic parts.{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}}

As for non-official languages, Asturian can be studied as an optional subject, but is only really offered in primary school.{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}} Aragonese is de facto not taught due to the lack of teachers, even though there is demand for it in many schools.{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}} As for Leonese, Extremaduran, Galician outside Galicia, and Xalimego, they are totally excluded from regional education.{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}}

==Historical languages==
Alongside the languages spoken in Spain to the present day, other languages were spoken within the actual borders:
[[File:Linguistic map Southwestern Europe.gif|thumbnail|300px|right|Distribution (assumed) of languages in the Iberian peninsula between 1000~2000 C.E.]]

*[[Tartessian language]]
*[[Iberian language]]
*[[Celtic languages]]
**[[Celtiberian language]]
**[[Gallaecian language]]
*[[Lusitanian language]]
*[[Punic language]]
*[[Guanche language]]
*[[Gothic language]]
*[[Vandalic language]]
*[[Frankish language]]
*[[Arabic]]
**[[Andalusi Arabic]]
**[[Classical Arabic]]
**[[Judeo-Arabic languages|Judeo-Arabic]]
*[[Mozarabic language]]s
*[[Romani language]]

Languages mostly spoken outside Spain but which had roots in Spain:

*[[Judeo-Catalan]] (the existence of a distinct Jewish-Catalan variety different from the Catalan used by Christians has been questioned).<ref>{{cite journal |last1= Feliu|first1= Francesc|last2= Ferrer |first2= Joan |date= 2011|title= Judaeo-Catalan: in search of a mediaeval dialect that never was |url= https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17546559.2011.556702|journal= Journal of Medieval Iberian Studies|volume= 3|issue= 1|pages= 41–46|doi= 10.1080/17546559.2011.556702|access-date=14 June 2024|url-access= subscription}}</ref>
*[[Judaeo-Spanish|Judaeo-Spanish (Ladino)]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/01/spain-honours-ladino-language-of-jewish-exiles|title=Spain honours Ladino language of Jewish exiles|last=Jones|first=Sam|date=2017-08-01|work=The Guardian|access-date=2019-05-06|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

==Variants==
There are also variants of these languages proper to Spain, either dialect, cants or pidgins:
*[[Barallete]]
*[[Bron language|Bron]]
*[[Caló (Spanish Romani)|Caló]]
*[[Cheli]]
*[[Erromintxela]]
*[[Fala dos arxinas]]
*[[Gacería]]
*[[Germanía]]
*[[Xíriga]]

==See also==
{{Portal|Spain|Languages}}
*[[Iberian languages]]
*[[Languages of Portugal]]
*[[Iberian Romance languages]]
*[[Language policies of Francoist Spain]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{cite web |title=Official languages in Spain |url=https://mpt.gob.es/politica-territorial/autonomica/Lenguas-cooficiales.html}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20040611215344/http://www.arqueotavira.com/Mapas/Iberia/Populi.htm Detailed Ethno-Linguistic map of Pre-Roman Iberia (around 200 BC)]
*[http://www.proel.org/lenguas2.html Detailed linguistic map of Spain]
*[http://www.donquijote.org/culture/spain/languages/ Languages in Spain] - Find out information about the Official languages of Spain.

{{Spain topics}}
{{Languages of Spain}}
{{Languages of Europe}}
{{Minority languages of Europe}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Languages of Spain}}
[[Category:Languages of Spain| ]]
[[Category:Paleohispanic languages]]

Brittany (administrative region)

2025-06-18T19:44:27Z

95.18.76.141: Grammar/redundancy

{{Short description|Administrative region of France}}
{{About|the French administrative region of Brittany|the historical province of Brittany, as well as the cultural area of Brittany|Brittany|the historical duchy|Duchy of Brittany|other uses|Brittany (disambiguation)}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement

| name = Brittany
| official_name =
| native_name = {{Plainlist|
* {{native name|fr|Bretagne}}
* {{resize|75%|{{native name|br|Breizh}}}}
* {{resize|75%|{{native name|mis|paren=no|Bertaèyn}}}} {{small|([[Gallo language|Gallo]])}}
}}
| settlement_type = [[Regions of France|Region]]
| image_skyline = Cap_Frehel_Cliff.jpg
| image_caption = The cliffs of Cap Fréhel and its lighthouses
| image_flag = Flag of Brittany (Gwenn ha du).svg
| flag_size =
| image_shield = BlasonBretagne.svg
| shield_size = 80px
| image_blank_emblem = Logotype_de_la_Région_Bretagne.tif
| blank_emblem_type = Brandmark
| anthem = "[[Bro Gozh ma Zadoù]]" {{center|}}
[[File:Hen Wlad fy Nhadau piano.ogg]] {{center|}}
| blank_emblem_size =
| image_map = Brittany in France 2016.svg
| map_caption =
| motto =
| coordinates = {{Coord|48|00|N|3|00|W|region:FR-BRE_type:adm1st|display=title,inline}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = [[France]]
| seat_type = [[Prefectures in France|Prefecture]]
| seat = [[Rennes]]
| parts_type = [[Departments of France|Departments]]
| parts_style = list
| parts = 4
| p1 = [[Côtes-d'Armor]] (22)
| p2 = [[Finistère]] (29)
| p3 = [[Ille-et-Vilaine]] (35)
| p4 = [[Morbihan]] (56)
| p5 = 
| p6 =
| p7 =
| p8 =
| p9 =
| p10 =
| p11 =
| p12 =
| p13 =
| p14 =
| leader_party =
| leader_title = [[President of the Regional Council (France)|President of the Regional Council]]
| leader_name = [[Loïg Chesnais-Girard]]
| area_footnotes =
| area_total_km2 = 27208
| area_land_km2 =
| area_water_km2 =
| area_rank = 12th
| population_total = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_total}}
| population_as_of = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}
| population_footnotes = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes2}}
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_demonym =
| timezone1 = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset1 = +01:00
| timezone1_DST = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset1_DST = +02:00
| demographics_type1 = GDP
| demographics1_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tgs00003/default/table?lang=en |title=EU regions by GDP, Eurostat |access-date=18 September 2023}}</ref>
| demographics1_title1 = Total
| demographics1_info1 = €108.252 billion
| demographics1_title2 = Per capita
| demographics1_info2 = €32,500
| blank_name_sec2 = [[First level NUTS of the European Union#France|NUTS Region]]
| blank_info_sec2 = FR5
| website = [https://www.bretagne.bzh/ www.bretagne.bzh]
| iso_code = FR-BRE
| footnotes =
| flag_link = Flag of Brittany
}}
'''Brittany''' ({{langx|fr|Bretagne}} {{IPA|fr|bʁətaɲ||fr-Bretagne.ogg}}; {{langx|br|Breizh}} {{IPA|br|brɛjs|}}; [[Gallo language|Gallo]]: ''Bertaèyn'' {{IPA|fr-gallo|bəʁtaɛɲ|}}) is an [[Regions of France|administrative region]] of [[Metropolitan France]], comprising the departments of [[Côtes-d'Armor]], [[Finistère]], [[Ille-et-Vilaine]], and [[Morbihan]]. Its capital and largest city is [[Rennes]].

Bordered by the [[English Channel]] to the north, the [[Celtic Sea]] to the west, and the [[Atlantic Ocean]] ([[Bay of Biscay]]) to the south, Brittany's neighboring regions are [[Normandy (administrative region)|Normandy]] to the northeast and [[Pays de la Loire]] to the southeast. It is one of two [[Regions of France|regions in Metropolitan France]] where all [[Departments in France|departments]] have direct access to the sea, the other being [[Corsica]].

The region of Brittany is sometimes referred to as “administrative Brittany” in contrast to “historical [[Brittany]]” or “cultural Brittany”, which also includes the [[Loire-Atlantique]] and whose potential [[Breton reunification|reunification]] with the administrative region has been a subject of debate for decades.

== History ==
{{Main|History of Brittany}}
{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2020}}
{{Historical populations
|15=1801 |16=1,833,410
|17=1821 |18=1,984,950
|19=1831 |20=2,103,842
|21=1841 |22=2,180,755
|23=1851 |24=2,303,113
|25=1861 |26=2,327,414
|27=1876 |28=2,406,348
|29=1881 |30=2,446,243
|31=1891 |32=2,517,009
|33=1901 |34=2,559,398
|35=1921 |36=2,424,959
|37=1936 |38=2,396,647
|39=1946 |40=2,336,82
|41=1954 |42=2,338,803
|43=1962 |44=2,396,582
|45=1968 |46=2,468,227
|47=1975 |48=2,595,431
|49=1982 |50=2,707,886
|51=1990 |52=2,794,317
|53=1999 |54=2,904,075
|55=2006 |56=3,080,990
|57=2016 |58=3,306,529
|percentages=pagr
|footnote=Source:<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://splaf.free.fr/ |title=Site sur la Population et les Limites Administratives de la France |access-date=3 August 2019 |archive-date=25 October 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061025095056/http://splaf.free.fr/algerie.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
}}

Brittany, located in the west-northwest corner of France, is one of the historic provinces of France. The most Atlantic of France's regions, Brittany is noted for its Celtic heritage, which sets it apart from the rest of France. It enjoys a mild climate somewhat warmer though not necessarily drier than the climate of the Cornish peninsula in southwest Britain.

The name "Brittany" derives from the [[Celtic Britons|Britons]], an [[Insular Celtic]] (Brythonic) people who inhabited most of [[Great Britain]] during the [[Roman Britain|Roman]] and [[Sub-Roman Britain|Sub-Roman]] periods. During the [[migration period]] of the [[Early Middle Ages]] the Britons were displaced from most of what is now England by the [[Anglo-Saxon occupation of Britain|Anglo-Saxon invasions]], leading many to settle in western [[Armorica]], present-day Brittany. As a result the modern [[Bretons]] have strong historical, cultural and linguistic ties with those areas of Great Britain which remained Brythonic into the modern era: [[Wales]] and [[Cornwall]].

Initially divided into several small [[petty kingdom]]s, Brittany as a united political entity emerged in the 9th century as the [[Kingdom of Brittany]]. In the early 10th century the kingdom was devastated by [[Viking Brittany|Norse raids and occupation]] and from the mid-10th century became a [[vassal state]] of [[France in the Middle Ages|France]] as the [[Duchy of Brittany]]. The level of control exerted by the French kings varied over time; at various points Brittany was either subject to, aligned with or heavily influenced by the [[Kingdom of England|English Kings]]; at others it was ''de facto'' independent.

Following the Breton defeat at the hands of the French army in 1488, the duchy was forced into a [[dynastic union]] with the French crown in 1491; in 1547 it was [[Union of Brittany and France|formally incorporated]] as a [[Provinces of France|province of France]].

Following the [[French Revolution]] the French provinces were dissolved and replaced with [[Departments of France|department]]s; what had been Brittany became the Côtes-du-Nord (22) (renamed Côtes-d'Armor in 1990) in the north, Finistère (29) in the far west, Morbihan (56) in the south, Ille et Vilaine (35) in the east and Loire-Inférieure (44) (renamed Loire-Atlantique in 1957) in the southeast.

When the modern regions were established, Loire-Inférieure (44), which includes the historic capital Nantes, became part of [[Pays de la Loire]], while the other four departments became part of the Brittany region. The capital city of the modern Brittany region is Rennes, located in the central eastern part of the region; most of the major lines of communication between Brittany and Paris pass through Rennes, which is a large industrial and university city. Other important cities in the region are [[Brest, France|Brest]], one of the two most important French naval ports, [[Saint-Malo]], an imposing walled city on the north coast, and [[Vannes]], the capital of the [[Morbihan]], with an attractive old town centre. [[Quimper]], the capital of the [[Finistère]], and [[Saint-Brieuc]], the capital of the [[Côtes-d'Armor]], are less important.{{citation needed|date=April 2019}} [[Lorient]], in the Morbihan, was once a major shipping port trading with – as its name suggests – the Orient; but its shipping and shipbuilding industries have largely declined, and like other ports on the south coast of Brittany, is better known today for its yachting and yacht-building industry. It is also the venue for Brittany's annual [[Festival Interceltique de Lorient|Interceltiques music and culture festival]].

Despite its limited size, Brittany is quite a diverse region; the north and west coasts, open to the force of the North Atlantic, are rugged and rocky, with sandy coves and beaches. The south coast, facing onto the Bay of Biscay, is flatter, much milder, and has a number of large sandy beaches. There are also many inlets on the south coast, such as La Trinité sur Mer, which in the past have been ports and commercial harbours, but today are more popular with yachtsmen and a dwindling fishing industry.{{citation needed|date=April 2019}} The sea here is warmer in summer. The backbone of Brittany is a granite ridge stretching from east to west, peaking in the Monts d'Arrée. But most of inland Brittany is farming country, a region known for its milk and butter and its early crops.{{citation needed|date=April 2019}}

As a holiday region, it is Brittany's coasts that attract the greatest number of visitors; the inland regions have attracted many second-home owners from other parts of France, and from Britain.{{citation needed|date=April 2019}}
In cultural terms, Brittany has its own language and Celtic cultural tradition that set it apart from the rest of France. The [[Breton language]], though not much used in everyday life, and not understood by most of the modern population, has made a comeback in recent years, and is taught in many schools. Celtic traditions are reflected in Breton folk music, its Celtic festivals, and its prehistoric monuments.

== Geography ==
=== Territory ===
The region of Brittany was created in 1941 from four of the five [[departments of France|departments]] constituting the territory of [[Brittany (historical province)|traditional Brittany]]. The other is [[Loire-Atlantique]], which is included in the region of [[Pays de la Loire]], whose capital, [[Nantes]], was a historical capital of the [[Duchy of Brittany]].{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

The capital of the administrative region is [[Rennes]], although [[Nantes]] is considered the capital of historic Brittany and is located in [[Loire-Atlantique]]. The [[reunification of Brittany]] is supported by a majority of Loire-Atlantique and is considered a prerequisite to further autonomy of Brittany as a whole.<ref>{{Cite web |title=La moitié des habitants de la Bretagne à 5 favorables à un rattachement de la Loire-Atlantique |url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=https://www.letelegramme.fr/static/ftp/dossier/data/bretagne_sondage/sondage.html#federation=archive.wikiwix.com&tab=url |access-date=18 October 2023 |website=archive.wikiwix.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=9 April 2022 |title=Brittany lays claim to autonomy, in Corsica's footsteps |language=en |work=Le Monde.fr |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2022/04/09/brittany-lays-claim-to-autonomy-in-corsica-s-footsteps_5980128_7.html |access-date=18 October 2023}}</ref>

Part of the reason Brittany was split between two present-day regions was to avoid the rivalry between Rennes and Nantes. Although Nantes was the principal capital of the Duchy of Brittany until the sixteenth century, Rennes had been the seat of the Duchy's supreme court of justice between 1560 and 1789. Rennes had also been the administrative capital of the [[Intendant]] of Brittany between 1689 and 1789, and Intendances were the most important administrative units of the [[kingdom of France]] in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. As for the provincial States of Brittany, a legislative body which had originally met every two years in a different city of Brittany, that had met in Rennes only between 1728 and 1789, although not in the years 1730, 1758, and 1760. Despite that, the ''[[Chambre des comptes]]'' had remained in Nantes until 1789. However, from 1381 until the end of the 15th century [[Vannes]] (''Gwened'' in Breton) had served as the administrative capital of the Duchy, remaining the seat of its ''Chambre des comptes'' until the 1490s, and also the seat of its ''Parlement'' until 1553 and then again between 1675 and 1689.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

Although there were previous plans to create regions out of the departments, like the Clémentel plan (1919) or the Vichy regionalisation programme (1941), these plans had no effect or else were abolished in 1945. The current [[Regions of France|French regions]] date from 1956 and were created by gathering departments together.<ref>Michèle Cointet, op. cit., pp. 183–216 (p. 216 pour la citation)</ref> In Brittany, this led to the creation of the new region of Brittany, which included only four out of the five historical Breton departments. The term ''région'' was officially created by the Law of Decentralisation (2 March 1982), which also gave regions their legal status. The first direct elections for regional representatives took place on 16 March 1986.<ref>Jean-Marie Miossec (2009), ''Géohistoire de la régionalisation en France,'' Paris: Presses universitaires de France {{ISBN|978-2-13-056665-6}}.</ref>

<gallery widths=200 heights=200>
File:LeDiben Harbor.jpg|Le Diben harbour – [[Plougasnou]]
File:Marche des Lices mise en place 03.JPG|Rennes
File:Brest - Le Château - PA00089847 - 011.JPG|Brest
File:Bretagne Finistere Quimper 20055.jpg|Quimper
</gallery>

=== Departments ===
Brittany comprises four departments: [[Côtes-d'Armor]], [[Finistère]], [[Ille-et-Vilaine]], and [[Morbihan]].

=== Major communities ===
The following table is the list of communes in Brittany with a population over 15,000 inhabitants. [[Rennes]] is situated in the east of Brittany, being the capital of the region, the capital of the [[Ille-et-Vilaine]] [[Departments of France|department]], as well as the most populous [[metropolitan area]] in Brittany with 700,000 inhabitants (2013).

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! Commune !! [[Breton language|Breton]] name !! Population (2021)<ref name="pop2021">[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/fichier/4265429/ensemble.pdf Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2021] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201005055240/https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/fichier/4265429/ensemble.pdf |date=5 October 2020 }}, [[Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques|INSEE]]</ref>!! Department
|-
| [[Rennes]] || ''Roazhon'' || 225,081 || [[Ille-et-Vilaine]]
|-
| [[Brest, France|Brest]] || ''Brest'' || 139,619 || [[Finistère]]
|-
| [[Quimper, Finistère|Quimper]] || ''Kemper'' || 63,642 || [[Finistère]]
|-
| [[Lorient]] || ''An Oriant'' || 57,149 || [[Morbihan]]
|-
| [[Vannes]] || ''Gwened'' || 53,352 || [[Morbihan]]
|-
| [[Saint-Malo]] || ''Sant-Maloù'' || 46,097 || [[Ille-et-Vilaine]]
|-
| [[Saint-Brieuc]] || ''Sant-Brieg'' || 44,372 || [[Côtes-d'Armor]]
|-
| [[Lanester]] || ''Lannarstêr'' || 22,728 || [[Morbihan]]
|-
| [[Fougères]] || ''Felger '' || 20,418 || [[Ille-et-Vilaine]]
|-
| [[Lannion]] || ''Lannuon'' || 19,880 || [[Côtes-d'Armor]]
|-
| [[Concarneau]] || ''Konk Kerne'' || 19,050 || [[Finistère]]
|-
| [[Bruz]] || ''Bruz'' || 18,266 || [[Ille-et-Vilaine]]
|-
| [[Vitré, Ille-et-Vilaine|Vitré]] || ''Gwitreg'' || 18,037 || [[Ille-et-Vilaine]]
|-
| [[Ploemeur|Plœmeur]] || ''Plañvour '' || 17,853 || [[Morbihan]]
|-
| [[Cesson-Sévigné]] || ''Saozon-Sevigneg'' || 17,526 || [[Ille-et-Vilaine]]
|-
| [[Lamballe-Armor]] || ''Lambal-Arvor'' || 16,578 || [[Côtes-d'Armor]]
|-
| [[Landerneau]] || ''Landerne'' || 15,781 || [[Finistère]]
|-
| [[Hennebont]] || ''Henbont'' || 15,678 || [[Morbihan]]
|}

=== Climate ===
The [[Atlantic Ocean]] and the [[English Channel]] provide Brittany with an [[oceanic climate]]. Prevailing northwest winds reduce variations of temperature in the region. The climate is drier in southern sections.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Le climat en Bretagne {{!}} Régions |url=https://www.groupe-mercure.fr/regions/bretagne/climat/ |access-date=27 May 2024 |website=www.groupe-mercure.fr |language=fr-fr}}</ref> The extreme northwest has up to 10 days with temperatures above 25 °C, while southeastern Brittany can have up to 50.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.observatoire-eau-bretagne.fr/Media/Documentation/Bibliographies/Le-climat-en-Bretagne.-Une-douceur-oceanique-tout-en-nuance/(categorie)/29755 |title=Le climat en Bretagne. Une douceur océanique tout en nuance – Bibliographies – Documentation – Eau Bretagne – l'observatoire de l'eau en Bretagne |last=Environnement |first=GIP Bretagne |website=www.observatoire-eau-bretagne.fr |language=fr-FR |access-date=7 November 2018 |archive-date=7 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107104105/http://www.observatoire-eau-bretagne.fr/Media/Documentation/Bibliographies/Le-climat-en-Bretagne.-Une-douceur-oceanique-tout-en-nuance/(categorie)/29755 |url-status=live}}</ref>

== Language and culture ==
[[File:Road signs bilingual Breton in Quimper.jpg|thumb|[[Bilingual]] road signs in [[Quimper, Finistère|Quimper]] (French on top)]]

The name of Brittany derives from [[Celtic Britons|settlers]] from [[Great Britain]], who fled the island in the wake of the [[Anglo-Saxon]] invasions of England between the fifth and seventh centuries. Unlike the rest of France and Brittany, [[Lower Brittany]] (roughly, west of a boundary from [[Saint-Brieuc|Saint Brieuc]] to [[Vannes]]) has maintained a distinctly [[Celtic language]], [[Breton language|Breton]], which is related to [[Cornish language|Cornish]] and [[Welsh language|Welsh]]. It was the dominant language in Lower, or western, Brittany until the mid-20th century. It has been granted [[regional language]] status and revival efforts are underway.{{Citation needed|date=May 2020}} In [[Upper Brittany|Upper, or eastern, Brittany]], the traditional language is [[Gallo language|Gallo]], an [[Oïl language]], which has also received regional recognition and is in the process of being revived.

[[File:Logo in breton language used by Regional Council of Brittany and its administrative territory.png|thumb|upright=0.5|Breton is used on Regional Council of Brittany logo]]

The French administration now allows for some Breton or Gallo to be used by the region and its communes, in road signs and names of towns and cities, alongside the official [[French language]] version. The two regional languages are also taught in some schools, and many folklore associations and clubs are trying to revive them.

Brittany has historically been a stronghold of the [[Roman Catholic Church]], and its rates of [[church attendance]] have tended to be considerably higher than the national average. However, in recent years the influence of the church has declined.

== Politics ==
{{Unreferenced section|date=January 2023}}
{| class="wikitable" style="float: left; margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; font-size: 79%; line-height: 1.95; text-align: center;"
|+ Presidential runoff elections results
! scope="col" style="background-color: lightgrey;" | Year
! scope="col" style="background-color: lightgrey;" | National winner
! scope="col" style="background-color: lightgrey;" | Runner-up
|-
| style="background-color: #f0f0ff;" | [[2017 French presidential election|2017]]
| style="background-color: #FFED99;" | '''75.36% ''1,301,226'''''
| style="background-color: #CD7F32;" | 24.64% ''425,462''
|-
| style="background-color: #f0f0ff;" | [[2012 French presidential election|2012]]
| style="background-color: #FF69B4;" | '''56.35% ''1,075,919'''''
| style="background-color: #6495ED;" | 43.65% ''833,346''
|-
| style="background-color: #f0f0ff;" | [[2007 French presidential election|2007]]
| style="background-color: #6495ED;" | 47.38% ''921,256''
| style="background-color: #FF69B4;" | '''52.62% ''1,023,056'''''
|-
| style="background-color: #f0f0ff;" | [[2002 French presidential election|2002]]
| style="background-color: #6495ED;" | '''88.56% ''1,523,388'''''
| style="background-color: #CD7F32;" | 11.44% ''196,712''
|-
| style="background-color: #f0f0ff;" | [[1995 French presidential election|1995]]
| style="background-color: #6495ED;" | '''50.44% ''858,100'''''
| style="background-color: #FF69B4;" | 49.56% ''843,169''
|-
| style="background-color: #f0f0ff;" | [[1988 French presidential election|1988]]
| style="background-color: #FF69B4;" | '''55.10% ''929,363'''''
| style="background-color: #6495ED;" | 44.90% ''757,417''
|-
| style="background-color: #f0f0ff;" | [[1981 French presidential election|1981]]
| style="background-color: #FF69B4;" | 48.95% ''796,769''
| style="background-color: #6495ED;" | '''51.05% ''831,034'''''
|-
| style="background-color: #f0f0ff;" | [[1974 French presidential election|1974]]
| style="background-color: #6495ED;" | '''56.54% ''781,563'''''
| style="background-color: #FF69B4;" | 43.46% ''600,678''
|-
| style="background-color: #f0f0ff;" | [[1969 French presidential election|1969]]
| style="background-color: #6495ED;" | '''63.95% ''692,280'''''
| style="background-color: #ADD8E6;" | 36.05% ''390,240''
|-
| style="background-color: #f0f0ff;" | [[1965 French presidential election|1965]]
| style="background-color: #6495ED;" | '''63.15% ''806,958'''''
| style="background-color: #FF69B4;" | 36.85% ''470,839''
|}

The Region of Brittany is administered by the [[Regional Council of Brittany]].

The region was a traditionally conservative and [[Christian democratic]] region, with the notable exception of the department of [[Côtes-d'Armor]], a longtime stronghold of the political left. However, the whole of Brittany has recently been moving towards the left, in 2004 electing [[Jean-Yves Le Drian]] as its first [[Socialist Party (France)|Socialist]] regional president, and in the [[2007 French presidential election|2007 presidential election]] voting for Socialist [[Ségolène Royal]]. The centrist candidate [[François Bayrou]] also polled relatively highly in the region and [[Fougères]] elected a [[Democratic Movement (France)|MoDem]] deputy to the National Assembly (he has since joined the pro-[[Union for a Popular Movement|UMP]] [[New Centre]]). The [[French Communist Party]]'s support is largely concentrated in the southwest of the [[Côtes-d'Armor]] and northwest of [[Morbihan]]. The [[The Greens (France)|Greens]] and other environmentalist parties have traditionally been strong in the region, especially in urban areas such as [[Rennes]] or [[Arrondissement of Quimper|Quimper]]. The region was one of the few which voted "Yes" to the European constitution in the [[2005 French European Constitution referendum|2005 referendum]], and Brittany continues, along with [[Alsace]], to be a strongly pro-European region.

The Socialist Party controls three [[Departmental councils (France)|departmental councils]] ([[Ille-et-Vilaine]], [[Côtes-d'Armor]], and [[Finistère]]), while the centrist [[Democratic Movement (France)|MoDem]] controls that of [[Morbihan]], in a coalition with the right.

== Economy ==
The [[gross domestic product]] (GDP) of the region was 99.5 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 4.2% of French economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 26,700 euros or 89% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 100% of the EU average.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/10474907/1-05032020-AP-EN.pdf/81807e19-e4c8-2e53-c98a-933f5bf30f58 |title=Regional GDP per capita ranged from 30% to 263% of the EU average in 2018 |website=Eurostat |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417095003/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/10474907/1-05032020-AP-EN.pdf/81807e19-e4c8-2e53-c98a-933f5bf30f58 |archive-date=17 April 2020}}</ref>

== Transport ==
There are several [[:Category:Airports in Brittany|airports in Brittany]] ([[Rennes–Saint-Jacques Airport|Rennes]], [[Brest Bretagne Airport|Brest]], [[Lorient South Brittany Airport|Lorient]]...) serving destinations in [[Europe]]. [[TGV]] train services link the region with cities such as [[Paris]] in 1h27m due to the [[LGV Bretagne-Pays de la Loire]], [[Lyon]], [[Lille]] and the largest French cities. [[TER Bretagne]] is the regional rail network serving Brittany in order to link the cities of Brittany to each other. [[OUIBUS]] coach services link the region with the largest cities in [[France]] at low cost. In addition there is [[Brittany Ferries]] that take passengers, vehicles and freight to [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]], the [[United Kingdom]], [[Spain]] and [[Condor Ferries]] to the [[Channel Islands]].

== Sport ==
Three Breton clubs play in [[Ligue 1]], the top tier of French football: [[Stade Rennais]], [[Stade Brestois]], and [[FC Lorient]]. Another historical club, [[En Avant Guingamp]], plays in [[Ligue 2]], and [[Vannes OC]] plays in the third tier [[Championnat National]]. In [[rugby union]], [[Rugby Club Vannes|RC Vannes]] currently plays in the second level, [[Rugby Pro D2|Pro D2]].

The [[Brest Albatros Hockey]] is a Brest ice hockey club that plays in [[FFHG Division 1]]. The [[Cesson Rennes MHB|Cesson Rennes Métropole Handball]] plays in [[LNH Division 1]]. The [[Brest Bretagne Handball]] plays in [[French Women's Handball Championship]]. The {{ill|Rennes Volley 35|fr|Rennes Volley 35}} plays in {{ill|LNV Ligue B Masculine|lt=Ligue B|fr|Championnat de Ligue B de volley-ball masculin}}. The [[Fortuneo–Vital Concept]] cycling pro team participate every year at the [[Tour de France]], the [[Bretagne Classic]], and the [[Route Adélie]] de Vitré. [[Gaelic games]] are also increasingly popular in the region, particularly [[Gaelic football]] where the region has multiple teams that compete in [[Gaelic Games Europe]].

== See also ==
{{Portal|France}}
* [[Breton language]]
* [[Breton people]]
* [[Brittany]] (cultural region)
* [[Politics of Brittany]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.bretagne.bzh/ Regional Council of Brittany official website]
* [http://www.brittanytourism.com/ Official touristic website]

{{Regions of France|current}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Brittany| ]]
[[Category:1941 establishments in France]]
[[Category:1941 in France]]
[[Category:Members of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization]]
[[Category:NUTS 2 statistical regions of the European Union]]
[[Category:Peninsulas of Metropolitan France]]
[[Category:Regions of France]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1941]]