Catalan Language
Linguistic Classification Catalan is a Romance language, sharing attributes with both Iberian Romance languages (such as Spanish and Portuguese) and Gallo-Romance languages (like French and Occitan).
Number of Speakers As of 2011, Catalan boasts over 9.8 million speakers, with approximately 5.9 million residing in Catalonia.
Geographic Distribution Catalan is spoken in Catalonia, the Valencian Community (where it's referred to as Valencian), the Balearic Islands, parts of Aragon, Andorra (where it's the sole official language), the French department of Pyrénées-Orientales (Northern Catalonia), and the city of Alghero in Sardinia, Italy.
Official Status Catalan holds official status in Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, and the Valencian Community in Spain; it's the sole official language of Andorra and is recognized as a minority language in the aforementioned regions of France and Italy.