List of Multilingual Countries and Regions - Africa

Africa

Central Africa
  • Cameroon : English & French (official) + Cameroonian Pidgin, Basaa, Duala, Bikya, Bung, Fula, Kanuri, Ngumba, Yeni, Bamum, Bakweri language and fluency in the German, Portuguese and Spanish languages.
  • Central African Republic : French (official) + Sango and 50 other tribal languages.
  • Chad : Arabic & French (official) + more than 100 tribal languages.
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo : French (official), + Lingala, Kongo, Swahili & Tshiluba (national languages) + 238 other languages.
  • Equatorial Guinea : Spanish + Portuguese + French
  • Republic of the Congo : French (official) + Lingala & Kituba national languages + other dialects, including Kikongo and Kituba (Kikongo creole).
East Africa
  • Burundi : French & Kirundi (official) + Swahili.
  • Kenya : English & Swahili (official) + other indigenous languages.
  • Rwanda : English, French & Kinyarwanda (official languages).
  • Seychelles : English, French & Seychellois Creole (official languages)
  • Tanzania : Swahili (national) + English
  • Uganda : English (official) + Arabic, Luganda, Swahili + other Bantu languages & other Nilo-Saharan languages.
Horn of Africa
  • Djibouti : Arabic & French (official) + Somali & Afar.
  • Eritrea : no official language with two dominant language families: Semitic (Arabic, Tigrinya, Tigre and Dahlik) and Cushitic (Afar, Beja, Blin & Saho) + Kunama & Nara + English, Amharic & Italian from the colonial era.
  • Ethiopia: Amharic (official) and 100 other tribal languages.
  • Somalia : Somali & Arabic (official).
North Africa
  • Algeria: Arabic (official) + Tamazight languages (a national language) + French (in general decline), from the French era.
  • Egypt: Arabic (official) + Egyptian Arabic, English & French.
  • Libya: Arabic (official) + Tamazight, Tamahaq + Italian & English.
  • Mauritania: Arabic (de facto) + Hassaniya & French.
  • Morocco: Arabic + French + Spanish, Amazigh & Moroccan Arabic.
    • Western Sahara: Hassaniya, Moroccan Arabic, Spanish and French.
    • Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic: Arabic + Spanish and French.
  • Sudan: Arabic & English + indigenous languages.
  • Tunisia: Modern Standard Arabic (official) + Tunisian Arabic, French & several Tamazight languages.
Southern Africa
  • Botswana : English (official) + Tswana (national).
  • Comores : Arabic, Comorian, French, Indian languages and Chinese languages.
  • Lesotho : English + Sotho.
  • Madagascar : French + Malagasy.
  • Malawi : Chewa (national) + English (official).
  • Mauritius : English (official) + French (administrative), Mauritian Creole (lingua franca), Bhojpuri ("Hindi"), Hakka, Tamil, Urdu, Marathi and Arabic.
  • Namibia : English (official) + Ovambo (half of the population), Afrikaans & German (former official languages), Portuguese (Angolan immigrants, both of African & European-descent)
  • South Africa : Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Sotho, Tswana, Swati, Tsonga, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu and immigrant languages from Asia, Africa and Europe.
  • Swaziland : English + Swati.
  • Zimbabwe : English (official), Shona, Ndebele and Afrikaans.
West Africa
  • Benin: French (official) + many indigenous languages including Fon & Songhay.
  • Burkina Faso: French (official) + indigenous Sudanic languages.
  • Cape Verde: Portuguese + Cape Verdean Creole.
  • Côte d'Ivoire: French (official) + 60 indigenous dialects.
  • Gambia: English (official) + Mandinka, Wolof, Fula & others.
  • Ghana: English (official) + Akan, Dagaare/Wale, Dagbane, Dangme, Ewe, Ga, Gonja, Kasem & Nzema + 70 others.
  • Guinea: French (official) + Arabic, Fula & Susu.
  • Guinea-Bissau: Portuguese (official) + Kriol + indigenous languages.
  • Liberia: English (official) + 20 ethnic group languages.
  • Nigeria: English (official)+ Yoruba, Hausa, Ibo, and 100 ethnic/tribal languages.
  • Togo : French (official) + Ewe, Mina & le Kabiyé.

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