Calabria

Calabria, formerly Brutium, is a region in southern Italy which occupies the "toe" of the Italian peninsula south of Naples. It is bounded in the north by the region of Basilicata, region of Sicily in SW, to the west by the Tyrrhenian Sea, and to the east by the Ionian Sea. The region covers 15,080 km² and has a population of 2.05 million.

Language

The official national language (since 1861) is Italian. However, as a consequence of its deep and colorful history, other historical languages have been spoken in this region for centuries. The various dialects_of_Calabria are divided into two different language groups. In the northern sections, a dialect of the Neapolitan language called "northern Calabrese" is spoken. In the southern part of the region, a dialect of the Sicilian language called "southern Calabro" is spoken. In isolated pockets, a hybrid language that dates back to the 9th century, called Griko, is spoken. A variety of Franco-Provençal can also be found in certain communities. In several villages, the Arbëreshë dialect of the Albanian language has been spoken since a wave of refugees settled there in the 15th century.

Related Topics:
Dialects_of_Calabria - Neapolitan language - Sicilian language - Griko - Franco-Provençal - Arbëreshë - Albanian language

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