Catalan language explained to kids

The Catalan language is a Romance language spoken by about 10 million people – primarily in Spain, Andorra, France and Italy. It is the national and co-official language in Andorra, and a co-official language of the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community. It is also an official language of the European Union. Catalan is closely related to Occitan and to the southwestern varieties of French. It is also related to Italian, Portuguese, Romanian and to the Sardinian language. Catalan has many words in common with these languages, as well as with French, Italian and Portuguese. The first known texts in Catalan date back to the 9th century, and the first known Catalan poem dates back to the 11th century. Catalan literature flourished during the 13th and 14th centuries, especially in the areas of poetry and drama. Major Catalan writers from this period include Bernat Metge, Ramon Llull and Joanot Martorell. The modern Catalan alphabet is based on the Latin alphabet, but includes some additional letters, such as the letter ç (cedilla) and the digraphs ch, ll and rr. Catalan is spoken as a first language by about 10 million people, primarily in Spain (in Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community), Andorra, France (in the Pyrénées-Orientales department) and Italy (in the city of Alghero, on the island of Sardinia). It is also spoken as a second language by about another 6 million people, mainly in the rest of Spain and in other parts of France. Catalan is a co-official language of the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and the Valencian Community, and an official language of the European Union. It is also an official language of the autonomous community of the Principality of Andorra.