The People's Republic of China was where the Mandarin language originated. Mandarin is traditionally spoken in most of the northern provinces. It is also spoken in small areas in the south where Cantonese is more common. However, after being made compulsory in elementary education, most Chinese can now speak Mandarin.
Taiwan also has Mandarin as one of its official languages. The state known as the Republic of China broke away from rule by the mainland in 1950. Mandarin is spoken by a majority of Taiwanese people.
With many people of Chinese descent making up the population of Singapore, Mandarin is one of the four official languages of that country. The language is widely used and has evolved into a dialect known as "Singaporean Mandarin."
Mandarin is also the official language for the two special administrative regions: the former European colonies of Macau and Hong Kong -- which have recently been returned to China. However, in these two regions Cantonese remains the language of education and formal speech.
