Geographical distribution and number of speakers.
Kiswahili is the national language of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda and an official language in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It serves as a lingua franca (a common language used for communication between people of different language backgrounds) throughout East and Central Africa. It is also spoken in parts of Somalia, Mozambique, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, Malawi, the Comoro Islands , and some concentrations of East African diaspora communities in other parts of the world, including England, Canada, Oman, and the Emirates. The number of Kiswahili speakers vary, but it's generally agreed that there are between 150 million and 200 million speakers , including both native and second-language speakers. The language is also taught in academic institutions worldwide and features in international media outlets like the BBC and Voice of America.