Italian language

Italian ( italiano  [itaˈljaːno] or lingua italiana [ˈliŋɡwa itaˈljaːna]) is a Romance language, the closest to Latin in terms of vocabulary. It is an official language in Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City and Istria (in Slovenia and Croatia). Italian used to have official status in Albania, Malta and Monaco, all countries where it is still widely spoken, and in former Italian East Africa and Italian North Africa, regions where the language plays a significant role in various sectors. Italian is spoken by large expatriate communities in the Americas and by small minorities in areas such as Crimea, Corsica and Montenegro. Many speakers are native bilinguals of both standardised Italian and other regional languages.