Lusophone

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Lusophone is someone who speaks the Portuguese language natively or by adoption. As an adjective, it means "Portuguese-speaking." The word itself is derived from the name of the ancient Roman province of Lusitania, which covered an area that is today Portugal. The notion of "Lusophone" reaches beyond the dictionary definition of "Portuguese speaker". The term specifically refers to people whose cultural background is primarily associated with Portuguese language, regardless of ethnic and geographical differences. The Lusophone culture is the legacy of the Portuguese colonial empire. Even after the empire's collapse, the corresponding countries continue to exhibit cultural and political affinity, expressed in the existence of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries, created in 1996.

Lusophone countries include Portugal, Brazil, Mozambique, Angola, São Tomé and Príncipe, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, East Timor, Macau and others in various parts of the world, as well as India's Goa province. The Community of Portuguese Language Countries is an international organization consisting of the eight independent countries where Portuguese is an official language. These countries are also referred to as the "Lusosphere".

states with Portuguese as official language

Sometimes Galicia, in Spain, where the Galician language is spoken, is also included.

v • d • e

Portuguese Empire

North Africa

15th century
1415–1640 Ceuta
1420 Madeira
1458–1550 Alcácer Ceguer (El Qsar es Seghir)
1471–1550 Arzila (Asilah)
1471–1662 Tangier
1485–1550 Mazagan (El Jadida)
1488–1541 Safim (Safi)

16th century
1505–1769 Santa Cruz do Cabo de Gué (Agadir)
1506–1525 Mogador (Essaouira)
1506–1525 Aguz (Souira Guedima)
1506–1769 Mazagan (El Jadida)
1513–1541 Azamor (Azemmour)
1577–1589 Arzila (Asilah)

Sub-Saharan Africa

15th century 1455–1633 Arguin 1470–1975 São Tomé¹ 1474–1778 Annobón 1478–1778 Fernando Póo (Bioko) 1482–1637 Elmina (São Jorge da Mina) 1482–1642 Portuguese Gold Coast 1496–1550 Madagascar (part) 1498–1540 Mascarene Islands	16th century 1500–1630 Malindi 1500–1975 Príncipe¹ 1501–1975 Portuguese E. Africa (Mozambique) 1502–1659 St. Helena 1503–1698 Zanzibar 1505–1512 Quíloa (Kilwa) 1506–1511 Socotra 1557–1578 Accra 1575–1975 Portuguese W. Africa (Angola) 1588–1974 Cacheu² 1593–1698 Mombassa (Mombasa)	17th century 1642–1975 Cape Verde 1645–1888 Ziguinchor 1680–1961 São João Baptista de Ajudá 1687–1974 Bissau² 18th century 1728–1729 Mombassa (Mombasa) 1753–1975 São Tomé and Príncipe 19th century 1879–1974 Portuguese Guinea 1885–1975 Portuguese Congo (Cabinda)
¹ Part of São Tomé and Príncipe from 1753. ² Part of Portuguese Guinea from 1879.

Southwest Asia

16th century
1506–1615 Gamru (Bandar Abbas)
1515–1622 Hormuz (Ormus)
1515–1650 Muscat
1521–1602 Bahrain

Indian subcontinent

15th century
1498–1545 Laccadive Islands (Lakshadweep)

16th century
Portuguese India
   1500–1663 Cochim (Kochi)
   1502–1661 Quilon (Coulão/Kollam)
   1502–1663 Cannanore (Kannur)
   1507–1657 Negapatam (Nagapattinam)
   1510–1962 Goa
   1512–1525 Calicut (Kozhikode)
   1518–1619 Paliacate (Pulicat)
   1521–1740 Chaul
   1523–1662 São Tomé de Meliapore
   1528–1666 Chittagong
   1534–1601 Salsette Island
   1534–1661 Bombay (Mumbai)
   1535–1739 Baçaím (Vasai-Virar)
   1536–1662 Cranganore (Kodungallur)
   1540–1612 Surat
   1548–1658 Tuticorin (Thoothukudi)
   1559–1962 Daman and Diu
   1568–1659 Mangalore
   1579–1632 Hughli
   1598–1610 Masulipatnam (Machilipatnam)
1518–1521 Maldives
1518–1658 Ceilão (Ceylon/Sri Lanka)
1558–1573 Maldives

17th century
Portuguese India
1687–1749 São Tomé de Meliapore

18th century
Portuguese India
1779–1954 Dadra and Nagar Haveli

East Asia and Oceania

	16th century 1511–1641 Malacca (Melaka) 1512–1621 Banda Islands 1512–1621 Moluccas (Maluku Islands) 1522–1575 Ternate 1576–1605 Ambon 1578–1650 Tidore 1512–1665 Makassar 1553–1999 Macau 1571–1639 Decima (Dejima, Nagasaki)	17th century 1642–1975 Portuguese Timor (East Timor)¹ 19th century Macau 1864–1999 Coloane 1851–1999 Taipa 1890–1999 Ilha Verde 20th century Macau 1938–1941 Lapa and Montanha (Hengqin)
¹ 1975 is the date of East Timor's Declaration of Independence and subsequent invasion by Indonesia. In 2002, the independence of East Timor was recognized by Portugal and the rest of the world.