Occitans

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Occitans

Occitans (French) Occitanos (Spanish) Occitans (Occitan) Occitani (Ligurian)
Total population
c. 17 million
Regions with significant populations
Languages
Occitan (native); French, Italian, Spanish, Catalan (as a result of language shift)
Religion
Roman Catholicism, minority Protestantism and Waldensian
Related ethnic groups
Catalans, Valencians, French, Spaniards, Ligurians

The Occitans (Occitan: occitans) are a Romance-speaking ethnic group originating in the historical region of Occitania (southern France, northeastern Spain, and northwestern Italy and Monaco).^{[1][2][3][4][5]} They have been also called Gascons,^[6] Provençals, and Auvergnats.^[7]

The Occitan language is still used to varying levels by between 100,000 and 800,000 speakers in southern France and northern Italy. Since 2006, the Occitan language is recognized as one of the official languages in Catalonia, an autonomous region of Spain.

The Occitans are concentrated in Occitania, but also in big urban centres in neighbouring regions: Lyon, Paris, Turin, and Barcelona. There are also ethnic Occitans in Guardia Piemontese (Calabria), as well as Argentina, Mexico, Canada, and the United States.^{[citation needed]}