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Swahili also referred to as Kiswahili belongs to the Bantu language family. It is spoken mainly in East and Central Africa and serves as the official language of Kenya and Tanzania. The language is also spoken in neighbouring countries of Burundi, Uganda and Rwanda. It is also one of the official languages of the African Union and the East African Community. Swahili is derived from Arabic word Swahili which means "coast".  It is the mother tongue of the Swahili people natively known as Waswahili. It is the second most widely spoken language in Africa.
Swahili is a truly cosmopolitan language with loan words from a variety of languages such as Arabic, Portuguese, English, German, Hindi and Farsi (Persian). Although grammatically a Bantu tongue, it is heavily influenced by Arabic language due to more than twelve centuries of contact with Arabic-speaking inhabitants. Around 35% of the Swahili vocabulary comes from Arabic. Swahili covers an extensive geographic area resulting in a relatively large number of mostly mutually intelligible varieties. Swahili has a long written history. It was originally written in the Arabic script. But it was replaced by a Roman-based alphabet in the mid-19th century.
Swahili is the key language in East and Central Africa.  It is spoken by several million people in Africa. In fact its importance as a lingua franca is recognised by several foreign media organisations and it is taught at major universities around the world. This is a good reason to learn Swahili. If you have travel interests in East and Central Africa then learning Swahili will be highly rewarding. East Africa is a region renowned for its captivating natural beauty, diverse cultures and friendly people. Swahili has a long written tradition dating back to the middle of the 17th century and remarkable history.  Swahili serves as a window to access the east African culture. It is also an important language to learn when looking for new job opportunities. Learning Swahili will increase your job prospects as more and more international businesses look to expand into the African market.