Friulians, also called Friulans or Furlans (Friulian: Furlans, Italian: Friulani, Slovene: Furlani), are an ethnolinguistic minority living primarily in Italy, with a significant diaspora community.
Friulians primarily inhabit the region of Friuli and speak the Rhaeto-Romantic language Friulian, which is closely related to Ladin, spoken primarily in South Tyrol/Alto Adige, and Romansh, native to the Canton of Grisons in Switzerland.
Friuli (Italian: [friˈuːli]; Friulian: Friûl [fɾiˈuːl] ; Venetian: Friul or Friułi; Slovene: Furlanija; Austrian German: Friaul) is a historical region of northeast Italy. The region is marked by its separate regional and ethnic identity predominantly tied to the Friulians, who speak the Friulian language. It comprises the major part of the autonomous region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, i.e. the administrative provinces of Udine, Pordenone, and Gorizia, excluding Trieste.