Brief introduction to Swahili

Swahili, a branch of Bantu, is one of the most widely used languages in Africa (more than 55 million people) and ranks as the three major languages in Africa alongside Arabic and Hausa. Swahili is the official language of Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, and it is also one of the national languages of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Swahili is one of the official languages of Comoros. Swahili is used as a language of communication in Zambia, Malawi, Burundi, Rwanda, Somalia, Mozambique and other East and Central African countries. As early as 1728, Swahili was spelled with Arabic letters, and later changed to Latin letters under the influence of European colonists in 19 century. Swahili also absorbs a large number of Arabic loanwords, and even the name of Swahili comes from Arabic (Sawahil) coastal area.