Italian
Italian is spoken as a native language by between 55 and 60 million people in
Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Sardinia and the former Yugoslavia. It is also
spoken in large immigrant communities in North and South America, North Africa
and Australia. Considered a single language with numerous dialects, Italian, like
the other Romance languages, is the direct offspring of the Latin spoken by the Romans and imposed by them
on the peoples under their dominion.
30,000,000 in Italy; 1,000,000 in USA; 1,000,000 in France; 195,000 in
Switzerland; 548,000 in Germany; 200,000 in United Kingdom; 79,000 in Uruguay;
21,000 in San Marino; 300,000 in Croatia; 3,000 in Slovenia; 280,000 in Belgium;
500,000 in Brazil; 538,360 in Canada; 500,000 in Australia; 5,435 in Israel;
26,000 in Paraguay; 1,556 in Puerto Rico; 800 in Liechtenstein; 20,800 in
Luxembourg; 28,000 in Uruguay.
Click on flag for country map
![Italy - Click for Information]](https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/flags/it-flag.gif){kind=small}
![United States - Click for Information]](https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/flags/us-flag.gif){kind=small}
![France - Click for Information]](https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/flags/fr-flag.gif){kind=small}
![Canada - Click for Information]](https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/flags/ca-flag.gif){kind=small}
![Australia - Click for Information]](https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/flags/as-flag.gif){kind=small}
![United Kingdom - Click for Information]](https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/flags/uk-flag.gif){kind=small}
![Israel - Click for Information]](https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/flags/is-flag.gif){kind=small}
![Belgium - Click for Information]](https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/flags/be-flag.gif){kind=small}
![Uruguay - Click for Information]](https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/flags/uy-flag.gif){kind=small}
![Croatia - Click for Information]](https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/flags/hr-flag.gif){kind=small}
![Paraguay - Click for Information]](https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/flags/pa-flag.gif){kind=small}
![Germany - Click for Information]](https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/flags/gm-flag.gif){kind=small}
![Liechtenstein - Click for Information]](https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/flags/ls-flag.gif){kind=small}
![Luxembourg - Click for Information]](https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/flags/lu-flag.gif){kind=small}
![Slovenia - Click for Information]](https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/flags/si-flag.gif){kind=small}
![Switzerland - Click for Information]](https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/flags/sz-flag.gif){kind=small}
![Brazil - Click for Information]](https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/flags/br-flag.gif){kind=small}
![Argentina - Click for Information]](https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/flags/ar-flag.gif){kind=small}