Cantonese is a variety of the Chinese language spoken in and around the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) in Southern China, by the majority population of Hong Kong and Macau, and as a lingua franca of Guangdong province, eastern Guangxi province, and some neighbouring areas. It is used in Hong Kong and Macau as the de facto official spoken language of government and instruction in schools. It is spoken by overseas Chinese communities in Canada, the United States and Australia, as well as throughout Europe and Southeast Asia, being the most widely spoken dialect and a lingua franca in many of these communities. The common usage of the term "Cantonese" varies by region. While in some places it specifically refers to the Hong Kong-Guangzhou variety of the language, it is also used to refer to the larger Yue group of related dialects. The "Cantonese" tag on Last.fm is used to refer to music that is sung in the Cantonese language. .
