The vast majority of the population inhabiting this western region of the state of Santa Catarina is bilingual, speaking both
Riograndenser Hunsrückisch German dialect as well as
Portuguese, the national language. The vast majority of Riograndenser Hunsrückisch speakers, an estimated three to four million, reside and have historically lived in the neighboring state of
Rio Grande do Sul. There are other varieties of the
Hunsrückisch dialect that are spoken elsewhere in the state of Santa Catarina by much smaller populations: see
Antônio Carlos (Santa Catarina), a municipality where Hunsrückisch is a co-official language.
^"Divisão Territorial do Brasil" (in Portuguese). Divisão Territorial do Brasil e Limites Territoriais, Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE). July 1, 2008. Retrieved December 17, 2009.