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The 'Latin Union' is an international organization of nations that use a Romance language. Its aim is to protect, project, and promote the common heritage and unifying identities of the Latin, and Latin-influenced, world. It was created in 1954 and it has existed as a functional institution since 1983. Since that time its member states have risen from 12 to 37, and its membership now covers all parts of the world.
The official names of the Latin Union are ''Union Latine'' in French, ''Unione Latina'' in Italian, ''União Latina'' in Portuguese, ''Uniunea Latină'' in Romanian, ''Unión Latina'' in Spanish and ''Unió Llatina'' in Catalan.

Contents

Criteria

Member states

Official languages

Permanent observers

See also

External links

Criteria

According to the Latin Union's website, membership is open to any nation that meets the following criteria:

★ Linguistic criteria

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★ Official language derived from Latin

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★ Latin-derived language used in education

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★ Latin-derived language commonly used in the mass media or in daily life

★ Linguistic/cultural criteria

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★ Existence of significant literature in a Latin-derived language

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★ Press and publication in Latin-derived language

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★ Television with a strong proportion of the programming in a Latin-derived language

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★ Radio widely broadcast in a Latin-derived language

★ Cultural criteria

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★ Direct or indirect inheritance of the legacy of Ancient Rome, to which the state remains faithful and which it perpetuates mainly through the education of Latin

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★ Cultural education of Latin-derived foreign languages

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★ Interchanges with other Latin countries

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★ Societal organization, particularly in the legal plane, based on respect for fundamental liberties, the general principles of human rights and democracy, tolerance and freedom of religion.

Member states

The Latin Union currently has members from all the continents, if territorial claims of Chile and France to Antarctica are valid (listed by the Romance language that is spoken there):

★ 'Catalan (Català)'

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★ 'French (Français)'

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★ 'Italian (Italiano)'

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★ 'Portuguese (Português)'

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★ 'Romanian (Română)'

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★ 'Spanish (Castellano, Español)'

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Official languages

The official languages of the Latin Union are Catalan, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Romanian. The middle four are used as working languages. All the texts of general diffusion are translated into these four languages, with some also going into Catalan and Romanian. The logo of Latin Union has recently included the Catalan version of the name (''Unió Llatina''), since Andorra is now a member and Catalan is the only official language in that state.

Permanent observers

★ Argentina

★ Vatican City

★ Sovereign Military Order of Malta

See also

★ Community of Portuguese Language Countries

★ Interlingua

★ La Francophonie

★ Latin Africa

★ Latin America

★ Latin Asia

★ Latin Europe

★ Latin Monetary Union

★ Organization of Ibero-American States

★ Romance languages

External links

★ Official site