Swahili people facts for kids
Swahili man from Zanzibar
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|
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (1,328,000) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique, Uganda, Comoros | |
| Languages | |
| Swahili, Portuguese, English, French | |
| Religion | |
| Islam, traditional beliefs | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Mijikenda, Makonde people, Shirazi |
The Swahili are a group of people and a culture found along the coast of East Africa. You can find them mainly in the coastal parts and islands of Kenya and Tanzania, and in northern Mozambique. There are about 1.3 million ethnic Swahili people. However, around 90 million people speak the Swahili language (also called Kiswahili).
The name Swahili comes from an Arabic word, Sawahil, which means "coastal dwellers." Kiswahili is an official language only in Tanzania. People who speak Swahili in other East African countries also use their country's official language. This includes English in Kenya, Portuguese in Mozambique, and French in Comoros. Many people who speak Swahili are not ethnically Swahili. The word 'Swahili' can mean "people who speak the language" or "people from the Swahili ethnic group."
Contents
Who Are the Swahili People?
The Swahili are a special group of Bantu people who live on the East African Coast. They are mostly found in Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique. Their culture and their main language, Kiswahili, connect them. Kiswahili is a Bantu language.
Long ago, Arab, Persian, and other travelers came to the coast. Some believe this happened as early as the 600s or 700s AD. These newcomers mixed with the local people. Because of this, the Swahili language has many words borrowed from Arabic and Persian.
Experts like archaeologist Felix Chami think that Bantu villages were already on the East African coast by the early 1st century. From the 500s AD onwards, these settlements became more important. Trade grew, especially with Arab merchants. More people lived there, and cities started to form. This is how the Swahili City-States developed.
Swahili Religion
Islam arrived on the East African coast around 1012 AD. Traders from the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula traveled to these areas during the monsoon seasons. They met local people through trade, marriage, and sharing ideas. Because of these meetings, most Swahili people today are Muslim. The Swahili follow a very strict form of Islam.
Swahili Trade and Economy
For hundreds of years, the Swahili people relied a lot on trade across the Indian Ocean. They were important middlemen, connecting East, Central, and South Africa with the outside world. Records show trade contacts as early as 100 AD. Early Roman writers who visited the East African coast in the first century noted this trade.
Trade routes went across Tanzania and into what is now Zaire. Goods were brought to the coasts and sold to Arab, Indian, and Portuguese traders. These goods even reached far-off places like China and India. Evidence of this trade was also found at Great Zimbabwe.
During the Middle Ages, ivory (elephant tusks) became a big source of income. Today, Swahili fishermen still depend on the ocean for their main income. They sell fish to their neighbors who live inland. In return, they get products from the interior.
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See also
In Spanish: Suajili para niños
