Vlachs

Vlachs (also called Wlachs, Wallachs, Olahs) are the Romanized population in Central and Eastern Europe, including Romanians, Aromanians, Istro-Romanians and Megleno-Romanians, but since the creation of the Romanian state, this term was mostly used for the Vlachs living South of Danube.

Map of Balkans with regions inhabited by Romanians/Vlachs highlighted

They are the descendants of the Roman colonists or of the Romanized Dacian, Thracian and Illyrian local population. (see Origin of Romanians for more about the dispute about the origin) Their languages are closely related to each other and it is believed that they were still the same language until the 10th century.

The name's origin is German and was used by Slavic neighbours to Romanic people during Völkerwanderung. For example Italy in Polish is called Włochy. In English, Wallachia is the name given to a part of their original territory.

Romanians (also known as Daco-Romanians, speaking Romanian language) are living in

• Romania - 20.5 millions
• Moldova - 2.8 millions

and as a minority in

• Ukraine - 500,000; in Southern Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina
• Serbia - 70,000; in Serbian Banat
• Bulgaria - 20,000
• Hungary - 11,000
• Slovakia - 9,000

Aromanians (speaking Macedoromanian language) are living as a minority in

• Northern Greece - between 700,000 and 1,200,000; mainly in the Pindus Mountains

Note: the Greek government does not recognise any ethnic divisions, so there are no exact statistics. See Demographics of Greece.

• Serbia - between 100,000 and 600,000; mostly in the Timoc Valley
• Republic of Macedonia - between 150,000 and 180,000
• Albania - between 100,000 and 400,000
• Romania - about 50,000; mostly in Dobruja
• Bulgaria

Megleno-Romanians (speaking Megleno-Romanian language) are living in the Greek province of Meglen, with a population of 12,000.

Istro-Romanians (speaking Istro-Romanian language) are living in Croatia, with a population of less than 1,000.

Religion

Vlach's religion is predominant Eastern Orthodox Christianity, but there are some regions where they are Catholics and Protestants (in Transylvania) and a few are even Muslims (in some regions of Greece and in the European part of Turkey).

See also:

• List of Romanians - Vlachs of Romanian ethnicity
• List of Vlachs - Vlachs of Aromanian ethnicity
• History of Romania - Vlachs from North of Danube
• History of Vlachs - Vlachs from South of Danube