Portuguese is one of the official languages in 6 African countries and is spoken throughout the whole continent. There are over 14 million people who use African Portuguese as their primary language, and about 41.5 million people who use it as a second language. This makes Africa the second-largest hub of Portuguese speakers globally, second only to the Americas.
The Portuguese language came to the African continent in the 15th century. It's arrival was due to King John I's desire for access to West Africa's gold-rich areas. Portuguese settlements became supply and trade hubs along the way to India, and thus started trading involving gold, slaves, and spices. The Portuguese language became a common tongue along African coastlines. Their colonial dominance in Africa spanned from 1415 to 1975.
