Tamil (தமிழ்), is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of South India and North-east Sri Lanka. It has official status in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Tamil is also a national language of Sri Lankaand an official language of SingaporeIt is legalized as one of the languages of medium of education in Malaysia along with English, Malay and Mandarin.It is also chiefly spoken in the states of Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Andaman and Nicobar Islands as one of the secondary languages. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and was the first Indian language to be declared a classical language by the Government of India in 2004. Tamil is also spoken by significant minorities in Malaysia, Mauritius, Canada,South Africa,Fiji, Germany, Philippines, United States, Netherlands, Mauritius, Indonesia, and Réunion as well as emigrant communities around the world.
