Tsonga people
Vatsonga | |
|---|---|
Traditional location of Tsonga people with dialectical differences before the borders between Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Eswatini were imposed and the indigenous peoples were forcibly relocated by colonisers | |
| Total population | |
| 9,486,000 (early 21st-century estimate) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Mozambique | 5,807,000 |
| South Africa | 3,300,000 |
| Zimbabwe | 353,000 |
| Eswatini | 26,000 |
| Languages | |
| Xitsonga, Chopi language, Tswa language, Ronga language, Gitonga | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly Christianity, African Traditional Religion | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Chopi people, Ronga people, Tswa people, Shona people, Ngoni people, Ndau people, Nguni people, Sotho-Tswana peoples, Venda people, Kalanga people | |
| Person | Mutsonga, Muthonga |
|---|---|
| People | Vatsonga, Vathonga |
| Language | Xitsonga |
The Tsonga people (Tsonga: Vatsonga) are a Bantu ethnic group primarily native to Southern Mozambique and South Africa (Limpopo and Mpumalanga). They speak Xitsonga, a Southern Bantu language. A very small number of Tsonga people are also found in Zimbabwe and Northern Eswatini. The Tsonga people of South Africa share some history with the Tsonga people of Southern Mozambique, and have similar cultural practices, but differ in the dialects spoken.