The Portuguese people are the ethnic group or nation native to the country of Portugal, in the Iberian peninsula of southwest Europe. Their native language is the Portuguese language. Their main religion is Roman Catholic.
The Portuguese are a southern European population. Their ethnic origin is mainly a mixture of Celtic and Iberian tribes (called Celtiberians, such as the Lusitanian, the Calaicians or Gallaeci and the Conii, amongst others less significant tribes such as the Bracari, Celtici, Coelerni, Eqvaesi, Grovii, Interamici, Levni, Luanqvi, Limici, Narbasi, Nemetati, Paesvri, Qvaqverni, Sevrbi, Tamagani, Tapoli, Zoelae, Turduli).
Other important influences were also the Romans (the Portuguese language derives from Latin), the Visigoths and the Suevi, all of whom settled in what is today Portuguese territory. Minor influences were the Greeks and the Phoenicians-Carthaginians (small semi-permanent commercial coastal establishments), the Vandals (Silingi and Hasdingi) and the sarmatian Alans (both expelled or partially integrated by the Visigoths), and the Moors (mainly Berber with some Arab, expelled after the Christian reconquest or Reconquista).
As with all european countries, there has been in Portugal a great deal of admixture from other european nations, namely French, German, English, Scottish, Irish, Dutch and Flemish, Italian and Spanish. People from the former colonies (Africa and Brazil) have, in the last two to three decades, migrated to Portugal. More recently, a great number of Slavs, namely Ukrainians (now the biggest ethnic minority), are also migrating to Portugal.
There are around 10 million Portuguese in Portugal, and around 5 million ethnic Portuguese around the world. Significant Portuguese minorities (and of Portuguese descent) exist in:
- Europe: France (nearly 1 million), Luxembourg (over a third of the population), Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and Andorra.
- The Americas: Brazil, The United States, Canada, The Carribean and Venezuela.
- Africa: South Africa, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, Guinea-Bissau and Namibia.
- Asia and Oceania: Macau (China), Australia, India (mainly in Goa), East Timor, Sri Lanka and Dubai.
Portuguese Sephardic Jews (mostly descendents) are also important in Israel, the Netherlands, the United States and Southeastern Europe.
As a result of interracial marriage and cultural influence, there are Portuguese influenced people with their own culture and portuguese based dialects in parts of the world other than former portuguese colonies, most notabily in Malaysia, Aruba, Curaçao, Guyana, Equatorial Guinea and Sri Lanka.
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