Afrikaans (pronounced [æfrɪˈkɑːns]) is a West Germanic language, spoken in South Africa and Namibia, and to a lesser extent in Botswana and Zimbabwe. It originated in the 18th century, from the dialects spoken by the Dutch settlers of what is now South Africa. Historically Afrikaans is a branch of Dutch, and in spite of the influences from Portuguese, Malay, and the Khoisan languages, an estimated 90 to 95% of its vocabulary is of Dutch origin. With about 7 million native speakers in South Africa, or 13.5% of the population, it is the third-most-spoken mother tongue in the country. Writing system: Latin (Afrikaans alphabet) Official language in: South Africa, Namibia