BRETONNE

The Bretons are an ethnic group located in the region of Brittany in France. They trace much of their heritage to groups of Brythonic speakers who emigrated from southwestern Great Britain, including Cornwall, in waves from the 3rd to 9th century into the Armorican peninsula, which was subsequently named Brittany after them
Brittany and its people are counted as one of the six Celtic nations. Ethnically, along with the Cornish and Welsh, the Bretons are the last vestiges of the ancient Britons. The actual number of ethnic Bretons in Brittany and France as a whole is difficult to assess as the French government does not collect statistics on ethnic identity.
A strong historical emigration has created a Breton diaspora within the French borders and in the overseas departments and territories of France; it is mainly established in the Paris area, where more than 1 million people claim Breton heritage. Many Breton families have also emigrated to the Americas, predominantly to Canada and the United States. The first French settlers of the French Antilles were from Brittany.

TOTAL POPULATION: 4 365 500