Dutch, a West Germanic language, is actually the official language of the Netherlands and one of Belgium's three official languages. In Belgium, the Dutch language is known as Flemish. Dutch is likewise the official language of the South American country Suriname.
Additionally, Dutch holds official language status in several Caribbean nations, including Aruba, Sint Maarten, and Curacao, the Kingdom of the Netherlands' constituent countries. The language also has a presence in parts of Indonesia, Germany, and France. Afrikaans, an African language spoken by 15 to 23 million people, is a Dutch daughter language. As of 2018, 29 million people in the world speak Dutch.