The African continent is the second largest continent in the world, with an area of approximately 30 million square meters. Approximately 1 million people live in Africa. With a population of 1.2 billion and around 2,000 native languages, English, French and Arabic are spoken in many places. Africa's turbulent history of colonization is the reason why European languages are used in official settings. However, attempts are now being made to revive the original languages, and in many regions people speak more than one language. The most spoken languages in Africa are:
1st place: Swahili
Swahili, a Bantu language, is spoken by approximately 150 million people in south-central Africa in the Great Lakes region. Swahili is of Arabic origin and means “shore”. Swahili is the mother tongue of people living on the coast between Somalia and Mozambique.
2nd place: Arabic
More than 100 million Africans speak Arabic, attesting to the outside influences that have shaped life on the continent for centuries. Arabic is spoken in all official settings in Ethiopia, Niger, Senegal, and Tanzania.
3rd place: French
French arrived on the African continent with colonization and has since been spoken by approximately 90 million people in 26 states. This language is mainly heard in Mauritius, Ivory Coast and Gabon.
4th place: Hausa
Hausa, an Afro-African language, is taught in Nigeria and Niger alongside their respective official languages. Approximately 80 million Africans speak Hausa, the official language, and a radio station in Issoun, France, also broadcasts in Hausa. Hausa plays an increasingly important role in trade and business in the West African region, which is why it is taught at international universities.
5th place: Yoruba & Oromo
30 million people in Africa speak Yoruba. Yuloba is spoken daily mainly in Nigeria, Togo, and Benin, but also in Ghana, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. Just like many people in Africa speak Oromo. Oromos are particularly common in Kenya, Ethiopia, Egypt, and Somalia.
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Frequently asked questions and answers about African languages
Large-scale colonization of Africa took place between 1830 and 1912, with almost half of the continent belonging to France. French is still spoken in many regions because the French brought the language with them.
Swahili is the most widely spoken African language in Africa. 150 million people on the continent speak Swahili.
African Studies examines in detail how many languages there are in Africa. There are currently thought to be a total of 2,138 languages. However, research remains busy examining the structure of the four major language groups.
