Here's a breakdown:
* Vulgar Latin: The Latin spoken by everyday people in the Roman Empire, unlike the formal Latin used in writing and government.
* Iberian Peninsula: The region in southwestern Europe that includes Spain, Portugal, Andorra, and Gibraltar.
Specifically, Catalan developed in the eastern part of the Iberian Peninsula, in what is now northeastern Spain, the Principality of Andorra, and parts of southern France. It evolved from the Hispano-Romance languages, a group of Romance languages that developed in the Iberian Peninsula after the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
While the exact origins are debated, Catalan likely began to diverge from other Romance languages in the 9th century, influenced by local languages and the proximity of the Occitan language spoken in southern France.
Here's a simplified timeline:
* 1st century AD: Roman conquest of the Iberian Peninsula.
* 4th-7th centuries AD: The Western Roman Empire falls, Vulgar Latin continues to evolve in the region.
* 9th-10th centuries AD: Catalan emerges as a distinct language in northeastern Spain.
* 12th-15th centuries AD: Catalan flourishes as a literary language, with notable works like the poetry of Ramon Llull.
* 16th-19th centuries AD: Catalan faces suppression under Spanish rule.
* 20th-21st centuries AD: Catalan experiences a cultural revival and official recognition in Catalonia and Andorra.
Today, Catalan is spoken by around 7.5 million people worldwide, making it one of the major Romance languages.