Tamil has a rich literature history going back over 2200 years. Two of the earliest manuscripts found in India, listed in the UN’s “Memory of the World”, were in Tamil. Today there are about 250 daily newspapers published in Tamil and a further 1500 non-daily newspapers.
Tamil is a member of the Dravidian language group spoken mostly in the southern and south-eastern parts of India, whereas as the majority languages in northern and north-eastern India are part of the Indo-European language group.
Tamil is a predominant language in Sri Lanka, where it holds official status, and is also spoken in the state of Tamil Nadu in India where it was the first Indian language to be awarded classical language status. It is also an official language in Singapore.
