The limits of my language mean the limits of my world. (Die Grenzen meiner Sprache bedeuten die Grenzen meiner Welt.)
Urdu is spoken as a first language by roughly 67 million speakers in at least 24 territories. It is the official language of Pakistan, although only spoken as a first language by around 7% of the population there. There are large numbers of speakers in the northern states of India, and also significant populations in Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan. Emigration to North America and Europe, especially the UK, has meant that there are also a good number of speakers in those territories.
Spoken Urdu is very similar to Hindi, such that speakers of the two languages can usually understand one another. However, influences of other languages in India and Pakistan, and socio-linguistic considerations, mean that they are usually considered as separate languages.
