94 million second-language speakers), where Urdu is the national and official language, most speakers who use Urdu as their native tongue live in northern India, where it is one of 22 official languages. The Urdu-speaking community is also present in other parts of the subcontinent with a historical Muslim presence, such as the Deccanis, the Biharis and Dhakaiyas (who speak Dhakaiya Urdu) in Bangladesh, the Urdu-speaking members of the Madheshi community in Nepal, some Muslims in Sri Lanka and a section of Burmese Indians. Many people of Pashtun origin are also diversely scattered and principally settled in the plains of northern and central India, known as the Pathans. The majority of Indian Pathans are Urdu-speaking people, who have assimilated into the local society over the course of generations. Following the 1947 Partition of India, a large number of these Urdu-speaking communities migrated to Pakistan along with other Indian Muslims, who are known as Muhajirs. In addition, there are Urdu-speakers present amongst the South Asian diaspora, most notably in the Middle East, North America (notably the United States and Canada), Europe (notably the United Kingdom), the Caribbean region, Africa (notably South Africa and Mauritius), Southeast Asia (notably Singapore) and Oceania (notably Australia and Fiji). Other communities, most notably the Punjabi elite of Pakistan, have adopted Urdu as a mother tongue and identify with both an Urdu speaker as well as Punjabi identity. See also Muhajir (Pakistan) Urdu speakers by country States of India by Urdu speakers Notes References External links Muhajir communities Ethnic groups in Pakistan Linguistic groups of the constitutionally recognised official languages of India