Fang language

Fang
Pangwe
Faŋ, Paŋwe
Native toEquatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, and São Tomé and Príncipe
EthnicityFang
Native speakers
1 million (2006–2013)
Dialects
  • Ntumu-Fang
  • Okak-Fang
  • Mekê-Fang
  • Mvaï(mveny)-Fang
  • Atsi-Fang
  • Nzaman-Fang
Language codes
ISO 639-2fan
ISO 639-3fan
Glottologfang1246
A.75,751
Distribution of the Fang language

Fang (/ˈfɒŋ/) also known as Gabonese or Equatoguinean is a Central African language spoken by around one million people, most of them in Equatorial Guinea, and northern Gabon, where it is the dominant Bantu language; Fang is also spoken in southern Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, and small fractions of the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe. It is related to the Bulu and Ewondo languages of southern Cameroon.

Between 1970 and 1979, Fang replaced Spanish as the main language of the administration of Equatorial Guinea under the government of Macías Nguema, although it never became official and was imposed during his term, as an attempt to "Africanize" the country.

There are many different variants of Fang in northern Gabon and southern Cameroon. Maho (2009) lists Southwest Fang as a distinct language. The other dialects are Ntumu, Okak, Mekê, Atsi (Batsi), Nzaman and Mveny(Mvaïe).