A European Informational Website
learn more
Portuguese ( or língua portuguesa) is a Romance language originated in what is now Galicia (Spain) and northern Portugal from the Latin spoken by romanized Celtiberians, about a thousand years ago. It spread worldwide in the 15th and 16th centuries as Portugal set up a colonial and commercial empire (1415–1999) which spanned from Brazil in the Americas to Goa in India and Macau in China. During that time, many creole languages based on Portuguese also appeared around the world, especially in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean.