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Swahili Coast
The Swahili Coast has been an international cultural and commercial center since at least the 2nd century. The Swahili language, spoken by more than 130 million people, is based on the Bantu language Sabaki and incorporates a number of Arab and Persian words.










Jambo!

Welcome to the Swahili Coast! One of the incredible things about Africa is the many different languages.

Let's learn some Swahili! Click on a word to hear me say it.

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 "Jambo!" means hello.

 "Rafiki" is their word for friend.

Click on the two phrases below to hear how they are spoken in Swahili. Try them yourself!

 I am from the United States.
 My name is Michael Jordan.

Just up the coast lies a piece of the magic Calabash...