Did you know that Portuguese is one of the most widespread languages in the world, with more than 265 million speakers across continents? It is the most widely spoken language in the southern hemisphere.

Portuguese is an official language in nine countries: Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Timor-Leste.

In 2009, May 5 was officially designated "Portuguese Language Day" by the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (in Portuguese, Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa, CPLP), the intergovernmental organization that represents nations that share Portuguese as an official language.

Ten years later, in 2019, UNESCO designated May 5 "World Portuguese Language Day" (Dia Mundial da Língua Portuguesa).

Professor Patrick Rebuschat, director of Lancaster’s Camões Institute Chair (Cátedra) for Multilingualism and Diversity, said: “One of the missions of Lancaster’s Camões Institute Chair, or "Cátedra" in Portuguese, is to raise awareness of, and to celebrate, the many varieties of Portuguese across the globe. Feliz Dia Mundial da Língua Portuguesa! Happy World Portuguese Language Day!”

Lancaster has historic ties to Portugal. You can learn more on the webpage of the Camões Institute Chair (Cátedra) for Multilingualism and Diversity, or simply or email catedra-camoes@lancaster.ac.uk.