Kashubians
The Kashubians (Kashubian: Kaszëbi; Polish: Kaszubi; German: Kaschuben), also known as Cassubians or Kashubs, are a Lechitic (West Slavic) ethnic group native to the historical region of Pomerania, including its eastern part called Pomerelia, in north-central Poland. Their settlement area is referred to as Kashubia. They speak the Kashubian language, which is classified as a separate language closely related to Polish.
Kaszëbi | |
|---|---|
| Flag and coat of arms of Kashubia | |
Population of Kashubians in Kashubia, 2005 | |
| Total population | |
| 176,900 (2021) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Poland Germany United States (diaspora) Canada (diaspora) | |
| Languages | |
| Kashubian, Polish | |
| Religion | |
| Roman Catholicism, Protestantism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Other West Slavs Especially other Lechites |
The Kashubs are closely related to the Poles and sometimes classified as their subgroup. Moreover, the vast majority of Kashubians declare themselves as Poles and many of them have a Polish-Kashubian identity. The Kashubs are grouped with the Slovincians as Pomeranians. Similarly, the Slovincian (now extinct) and Kashubian languages are grouped as Pomeranian languages, with Slovincian (also known as Łeba Kashubian) either a distinct language closely related to Kashubian, or a Kashubian dialect.