Some astonishing facts about Latin

1. It was used as a spoken language from VII B. C. until VII A. D.
   

2. It got its name from the area around Rome known as Latium.
   

3. It is still the official language of the catholic church.
   

4. More than one-half of the English vocabulary is of Latin origin, though English is the Germanic language.
   

5. French, Spanish, Italian, Romanian, and Portuguese languages are the direct descendants of Latin.
   

6. The Latin alphabet is the most common in the world and is also used by non-European languages, such as Turkish and many African languages.
   

7. 25 American states have Latin mottos.
   

8. The abbreviations a.m./p.m. are of Latin origin and mean ante meridiem (before the midday) and post meridiem (after the midday).