275 Million - that is the approximate number of Earth's Lusophones (people that speak Portuguese). While the people are sometimes referred to as Portuguese-speaking people, it is just as likely (if not more) to hear them referred to as lusophonic.
Like many Western Civilization words, lusophone originates from Latin. What is roughly the boundaries of modern-Portugal was known to the Romans as Lusitania. (And yes, that is the derivative of the ill-fated passenger liner that was torpedoed during World War I.) Hence, take the lus from Lustiania and mesh with the Latin phonics (to speak) to create luso-phonics.
Global Wording
So, what countries are lusophones? Follow the path of the Portuguese Empire. Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, and Sao Tome and Principe list Portuguese as their official language. East Timor, Equatorial Guinea, and Macau list Portuguese as one of their official languages.
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Did you know Brazil is the most populous lusophonic country? To find out more on Brazil, check out these previous articles:
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