Wikipedia

List of countries by number of languages

This is a list of countries by number of languages according to the 22nd edition of Ethnologue (2019).[1]

Papua New Guinea has the largest number of languages in the world.[2][3]

Number of living languages and speakers

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Country or territory Number of living languages Number of speakers
Established Immigrant Total Percent

[note 1]

Total Mean Median
  Papua New Guinea 840 0 840 11.81 4,213,381 5,040 1,315
  Indonesia 707 2 709 9.98 222,191,197 315,165 3,500
  Nigeria 525 7 524 7.37 163,317,444 348,225 14,000
  India 453 6 459 ? 1,257,421,714 2,924,237 35,000
  China (mainland only) 302 3 305 4.29 1,319,419,348 4,472,608 27,700
  Mexico 287 5 292 4.11 125,535,200 435,886 4,730
  Cameroon 274 1 275 3.87 10,228,065 38,451 10,000
  Australia 226 93 319 4.49 22,693,732 72,504 10
  United States 219 116 335 4.71 326,756,719 999,256 12
  Brazil 217 11 228 3.21 204,653,402 934,490 210
  Democratic Republic of the Congo 212 2 214 3.01 42,128,230 209,593 29,450
  Philippines 183 8 191 2.69 70,776,614 386,757 19,200
  Malaysia 133 11 144 2.03 22,242,065 205,945 3,400
  Chad 130 1 131 1.84 8,865,556 74,500 14,000
  Tanzania 125 1 126 1.77 51,108,150 422,381 102,500
    Nepal 124 7 129 1.81 26,612,919 212,903 8,385
  Myanmar 120 6 126 1.77 49,284,095 397,452 15,000
  Russia 115 44 159 2.24 138,698,335 900,639 3,900
  Vanuatu 110 6 116 1.63 196,298 1,722 665
  Vietnam 109 3 112 1.58 86,884,520 835,428 14,900
  Canada 96 99 195 2.74 33,362,312 174,672 260
  Peru 93 1 94 1.32 30,994,201 336,893 4,635
  Ethiopia 90 1 91 1.28 66,766,720 750,188 48,000
  Côte d’Ivoire 86 15 101 1.42 18,439,310 209,538 34,150
  Colombia 85 4 89 1.25 47,673,568 560,866 885
  Laos 85 7 92 1.29 6,543,480 76,982 9,710
  Ghana 81 6 87 1.22 27,661,206 359,236 36,000
  Iran 79 5 84 1.18 82,927,520 1,256,478 62,000
  Sudan 75 1 76 1.07 35,091,200 516,047 13,000
  Pakistan 74 11 85 1.20 201,998,220 2,524,978 53,250
  Thailand 73 15 88 1.24 53,357,924 675,417 8,000
  Central African Republic 72 11 83 1.17 3,638,143 47,249 17,350
  Solomon Islands 72 0 72 1.01 379,966 5,352 2,770
  Burkina Faso 71 0 71 1.00 12,472,930 183,425 20,500
  South Sudan 69 0 69 0.97 4,504,650 80,440 27,500
  Mali 68 3 71 1.00 13,027,840 194,445 25,000
  Kenya 67 5 72 1.01 37,037,960 544,676 180,000
  Congo 62 2 64 0.90 3,690,660 60,503 14,400
  Benin 55 1 56 0.79 9,605,590 177,881 64,000
  Angola 46 1 47 0.66 24,288,770 528,017 30,000
  Zambia 46 9 55 0.77 11,364,870 236,768 32,850
  Togo 44 2 46 0.65 4,889,380 113,707 34,300
  Bolivia 43 2 45 0.63 7,349,368 170,916 350
  Gabon 43 1 44 0.62 1,077,960 25,069 4,000
  Mozambique 43 4 47 0.66 23,792,100 517,220 197,500
  Uganda 43 2 45 0.63 33,862,350 769,599 303,000
  Venezuela 42 6 48 0.68 31,087,151 777,179 770
  Afghanistan 41 1 42 0.59 23,352,300 569,568 16,500
  Bangladesh 41 4 45 0.63 165,220,330 3,842,333 15,500
  Turkey 39 15 54 0.76 90,297,204 2,149,933 66,000
  New Caledonia 38 2 40 0.56 143,010 3,972 950
  Senegal 38 8 46 0.65 13,977,980 310,622 20,000
  Guinea 37 3 40 0.56 11,600,930 341,204 25,000
  Israel 36 17 53 0.75 9,475,461 205,988 42,500
  Italy 35 12 47 0.66 82,319,110 1,870,889 100,000
  Botswana 31 7 38 0.53 2,213,660 63,247 5,950
  Liberia 31 3 34 0.48 4,290,730 134,085 85,600
  South Africa 30 12 42 0.59 51,004,892 1,416,803 133,500
  Cambodia 27 2 29 0.41 16,326,490 583,089 5,210
  Guatemala 27 0 27 0.38 14,708,590 544,763 28,000
  Namibia 27 6 33 0.46 2,668,940 83,404 13,800
  Romania 26 3 29 0.41 20,492,430 975,830 17,850
  Germany 25 70 95 1.34 88,571,690 1,107,146 80,000
  Argentina 24 16 40 0.56 46,160,150 1,318,861 5,120
  Ecuador 24 0 24 0.34 16,665,750 694,406 11,000
  Sierra Leone 24 2 26 0.37 6,977,150 290,715 138,000
  Singapore 24 7 31 0.44 6,105,380 226,125 15,200
  Bhutan 23 8 31 0.44 639,500 25,580 8,000
  Taiwan 23 12 35 0.49 23,985,650 726,838 4,000
  Guinea-Bissau 23 7 30 0.42 1,779,010 68,423 8,520
  Iraq 23 4 27 0.38 33,977,620 1,477,288 136,000
  Niger 23 0 23 0.32 15,810,500 718,659 28,450
  Paraguay 23 4 27 0.38 6,633,188 255,123 2,530
  France 22 73 95 1.42 69,961,900 1,793,895 126,000
  Poland 22 5 27 0.38 37,460,007 1,498,400 12,800
  Zimbabwe 22 2 24 0.34 11,926,440 596,322 145,000
  Suriname 21 6 27 0.38 562,014 22,481 1,250
  Ukraine 21 27 48 0.68 40,599,806 882,604 50,400
  East Timor 20 1 21 0.30 1,040,816 49,563 16,700
  Georgia 20 7 27 0.38 4,506,220 173,316 14,000
  Greece 20 14 34 0.48 11,693,492 377,209 9,700
  Algeria 18 4 22 0.31 38,548,160 1,927,408 40,000
  Azerbaijan 18 20 38 0.53 9,280,890 257,802 11,700
  Hungary 18 3 21 0.30 9,927,510 583,971 3,710
  Micronesia 18 1 19 0.27 111,010 6,167 1,410
  Malawi 17 7 24 0.34 13,016,000 813,500 200,000
  Oman 17 14 31 0.44 4,236,000 151,286 42,400
  Serbia 17 7 24 0.34 8,830,600 420,505 34,000
  Spain 17 17 34 0.48 52,439,510 1,691,597 72,500
  Syria 17 7 24 0.34 18,708,430 850,383 64,900
  Croatia 16 11 27 0.38 4,333,590 180,566 10,200
  Egypt 16 7 23 0.32 94,599,800 5,255,544 752,000
  Guyana 16 2 18 0.25 1,319,041 109,920 1,500
  Austria 15 21 36 0.51 9,490,430 316,348 32,750
  Brunei 15 2 17 0.24 459,685 28,730 8,150
  Eritrea 15 2 17 0.24 5,788,600 526,236 194,000
  Japan 15 4 19 0.27 129,414,863 8,627,658 5,050
  Netherlands 15 35 50 0.70 21,947,700 487,727 220,000
  Sweden 15 22 37 0.52 10,325,090 295,003 4,000
  Equatorial Guinea 14 2 16 0.23 699,150 58,262 7,000
  Madagascar 14 6 20 0.28 18,368,000 1,020,444 1,130,000
  Morocco 14 1 15 0.21 39,290,920 3,571,902 80,000
  Panama 14 4 18 0.25 4,255,840 327,372 22,500
  Bulgaria 13 12 25 0.35 7,833,570 356,071 5,310
  Finland 13 25 38 0.53 5,818,940 153,130 5,170
  French Guiana 13 3 16 0.23 178,780 14,898 2,400
  Kazakhstan 13 35 48 0.68 15,308,820 356,019 95,000
  Somalia 13 1 14 0.20 9,938,659 828,222 20,000
   Switzerland 13 20 33 0.46 8,980,230 320,722 40,000
  Tajikistan 13 20 33 0.46 7,580,210 303,208 27,500
  United Kingdom 14 72 85 1.20 61,546,750 799,308 16,700
  Belgium 12 24 36 0.51 13,686,200 506,896 200,000
  Mongolia 12 2 14 0.20 3,113,100 345,900 42,500
  Slovakia 12 3 15 0.21 5,524,990 460,416 25,100
  Chile 11 6 17 0.24 17,412,013 1,741,201 10,000
  Costa Rica 11 1 12 0.17 4,853,290 485,329 2,840
  Czechia 11 15 26 0.37 10,802,090 415,465 10,000
  Gambia 11 13 24 0.34 1,314,820 69,201 43,650
  Jordan 11 3 14 0.20 7,572,800 841,422 94,500
  Lithuania 11 4 15 0.21 3,573,225 274,863 7,555
  Nicaragua 11 0 11 0.15 6,404,490 582,226 740
  Norway 11 36 47 0.66 5,746,480 127,700 1,000
  Slovenia 11 4 15 0.21 2,103,960 191,269 8,700
  Uzbekistan 11 26 37 0.52 30,929,000 937,242 250,000
  Yemen 11 6 17 0.24 26,810,300 1,915,021 62,900
  Fiji 10 11 21 0.30 840,900 64,685 6,950
  Honduras 10 2 12 0.17 8,982,840 816,622 990
  Macedonia 10 5 15 0.21 2,154,380 179,532 25,000
  Moldova 10 4 14 0.20 2,718,530 339,816 107,000
  Portugal 10 13 23 0.32 10,259,240 446,054 15,000
  United Arab Emirates 10 17 27 0.38 9,266,400 370,656 370,000
  French Polynesia 9 1 10 0.14 257,960 25,796 3,000
  Libya 9 20 29 0.41 6,322,800 234,178 21,000
  Albania 8 4 12 0.17 2,847,936 284,794 9,820
  Armenia 8 6 14 0.20 3,036,180 276,016 8,850
  Belize 8 4 12 0.17 532,160 44,347 14,100
  Latvia 8 8 16 0.23 2,305,130 164,652 8,000
  Hong Kong 7 4 11 0.15 6,929,750 692,975 118,500
  Estonia 7 13 20 0.28 1,541,760 85,653 44,250
  Lebanon 7 9 16 0.23 6,603,910 471,708 294,000
  Mauritania 7 1 8 0.11 3,858,400 551,200 111,150
  Mauritius 7 7 14 0.20 1,234,660 94,974 28,550
  Palestine 7 3 10 0.14 4,258,410 473,157 705
  Saudi Arabia 7 18 25 0.35 18,763,220 852,874 500,000
  Sri Lanka 7 5 12 0.17 19,550,320 1,955,032 46,000
  Trinidad and Tobago 7 2 9 0.13 2,628,000 328,500 15,600
  Tunisia 7 8 15 0.21 11,582,100 827,293 34,650
  Bahrain 6 8 14 0.20 1,263,500 97,192 144,000
  Comoros 6 0 6 0.08 764,500 152,900 40,000
  Kyrgyzstan 6 27 33 0.46 5,825,990 215,777 290,650
  Montenegro 6 7 13 0.18 575,330 63,926 34,700
  Turkmenistan 6 25 31 0.44 5,300,460 176,682 256,900
  Bosnia and Herzegovina 5 7 12 0.17 3,757,804 341,619 554,000
  Caribbean Netherlands 5 1 6 0.08 18,540 3,708 3,390
  Macao 5 2 7 0.10 582,430 83,204 3,680
  Cook Islands 5 0 5 0.07 15,000 3,000 680
  Curacao 5 1 6 0.08 137,670 27,534 8,760
  Cyprus 5 11 16 0.23 1,541,700 110,121 34,800
  Denmark 5 34 39 0.55 5,924,220 151,903 23,100
  Djibouti 5 5 10 0.14 830,400 103,800 125,300
  El Salvador 5 0 5 0.07 6,378,000 2,126,000 7,500
  Eswatini 5 2 7 0.10 1,261,640 180,234 20,000
  Ireland 5 8 13 0.18 4,682,020 425,638 27,000
  Lesotho 5 0 5 0.07 2,164,000 541,000 190,000
  Monaco 5 0 5 0.07 33,850 6,770 7,110
  São Tomé and Príncipe 5 3 8 0.11 204,200 25,525 14,700
  Uruguay 5 9 14 0.20 3,589,050 398,783 25,500
  Andorra 4 1 5 0.07 73,500 18,375 19,650
  Aruba 4 2 6 0.08 86,790 21,698 7,000
  Belarus 4 7 11 0.15 8,946,400 813,309 1,121,000
  Dominican Republic 4 5 9 0.13 10,193,500 1,698,917 159,000
  Grenada 4 0 4 0.06 107,353 35,784 5,350
  Haiti 4 0 4 0.06 6,960,600 2,320,200 600
  Jamaica 4 4 8 0.11 2,692,540 448,757 7,500
  Liechtenstein 4 1 5 0.07 35,910 11,970 17,750
  Luxembourg 4 12 16 0.23 499,250 31,203 66,100
  Malta 4 4 8 0.11 468,650 58,581 9,515
  New Zealand 4 61 65 0.91 4,706,160 73,534 148,000
  Northern Mariana Islands 4 3 7 0.10 42,180 6,026 4,620
  Palau 4 2 6 0.08 20,870 3,478 2,185
  Puerto Rico 4 8 12 0.17 3,530,200 353,020 159,000
  Sint Maarten 4 5 9 0.13 39,880 4,431 6,000
  South Korea 4 1 5 0.07 48,586,000 16,195,333 24,202,500
  Aland Islands 3 0 3 0.04 27,652 9,217 1,450
  Bahamas 3 2 5 0.07 667,280 166,820 330,000
  Barbados 3 0 3 0.04 518,290 172,763 256,000
  Burundi 3 1 4 0.06 10,036,100 2,509,025 9,600
  Cuba 3 2 5 0.07 11,403,500 3,801,167 5,700,000
  Dominica 3 2 5 0.07 45,800 15,267 3,000
  Greenland 3 0 3 0.04 56,200 28,100 28,100
  Guadeloupe 3 1 4 0.06 449,300 149,767 218,650
  Guernsey 3 1 4 0.06 62,720 31,360 31,360
  Jersey 3 1 4 0.06 99,230 33,077 47,350
  Kuwait 3 4 7 0.10 3,187,200 637,440 1,163,600
  Martinique 3 1 4 0.06 427,330 142,443 213,500
  Mayotte 3 2 5 0.07 211,700 52,925 47,900
  Nauru 3 6 9 0.13 13,500 2,250 5,100
  Qatar 3 15 18 0.25 2,537,980 149,293 486,000
  Rwanda 3 2 5 0.07 11,124,180 2,224,836 5,440
  Réunion 3 5 8 0.11 656,200 93,743 313,000
  Saint Barthélemy 3 0 3 0.04 7,850 2,617 1,000
  Saint Kitts and Nevis 3 0 3 0.04 52,040 17,347 1,000
  Saint Lucia 3 1 4 0.06 159,600 79,800 79,800
  Saint Martin 3 2 5 0.07 28,500 5,700 5,000
  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3 0 3 0.04 138,500 46,167 400
  Seychelles 3 0 3 0.04 85,420 28,473 4,590
  Tonga 3 1 4 0.06 105,800 26,450 1,270
  Tuvalu 3 0 3 0.04 10,100 5,050 5,050
  U.S. Virgin Islands 3 3 6 0.08 85,850 21,462 9,540
  Wallis and Futuna 3 0 3 0.04 12,960 4,320 3,900
  Western Sahara 3 1 4 0.06 584,000 292,000 292,000
  American Samoa 2 5 7 0.10 56,090 9,348 25,890
  Anguilla 2 0 2 0.03 12,450 6,225 6,225
  Antigua and Barbuda 2 2 4 0.06 153,800 51,267 76,700
  Bermuda 2 1 3 0.04 64,610 32,305 62,000
  British Virgin Islands 2 0 2 0.03 39,700 19,850 19,850
  Cape Verde 2 1 3 0.04 489,800 244,900 244,900
  Christmas Island 2 0 2 0.03 1,000 500 500
  Cocos (Keeling) Islands 2 0 2 0.03 600 300 300
  Faroe Islands 2 0 2 0.03 48,000 48,000 48,000
  Gibraltar 2 1 3 0.04 46,700 15,567 21,950
  Guam 2 7 9 0.13 181,400 22,675 46,750
  Iceland 2 0 2 0.03 300,300 150,150 150,150
  Isle of Man 2 0 2 0.03 88,000 44,000 44,000
  Kiribati 2 1 3 0.04 106,000 35,333 52,750
  Maldives 2 0 2 0.03 331,000 331,000 331,000
  Marshall Islands 2 0 2 0.03 65,700 32,850 32,850
  Montserrat 2 0 2 0.03 3,920 1,960 1,960
  Niue 2 1 3 0.04 1,550 775 775
  Norfolk Island 2 0 2 0.03 2,110 1,055 1,055
  Pitcairn 2 0 2 0.03 36 18 18
  Samoa 2 1 3 0.04 187,000 62,333 93,400
  San Marino 2 0 2 0.03 25,000 12,500 12,500
  Tokelau 2 3 5 0.07 2,421 484 870
  Turks and Caicos Islands 2 2 4 0.06 29,840 9,947 14,365
  Vatican 2 0 2 0.03 330 165 165
  British Indian Ocean Territory 1 0 1 0.01 4,000 4,000 4,000
  Cayman Islands 1 3 4 0.06 74,840 18,710 50,000
  Falkland Islands 1 1 2 0.03 2,860 1,430 2,610
  North Korea 1 0 1 0.01 23,300,000 23,300,000 23,300,000
  Saint Helena 1 0 1 0.01 5,900 5,900 5,900
  Saint Pierre and Miquelon 1 0 1 0.01 6,000 6,000 6,000

Number of official languages

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This is the list of countries sorted by the number of official languages. Only countries with three or more official languages, either nationally or locally, are included.

Country Number Source
  Bolivia 37 [4]
  Zimbabwe 16 [5]
  Mali 13 [6]
  South Africa 12 [7]
  Rwanda 4 [8]
   Switzerland 4 [9]
  Singapore 4 [10]
  Belgium 3 [11]
  Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 [12]
  Burundi 3 [13]
  Comoros 3 [14]
  Ecuador 3 [15]
  Equatorial Guinea 3 [16]
  Fiji 3 [17]
  Luxembourg 3 [18]
  New Zealand 3 [19]
  Papua New Guinea 3 [20]
  Seychelles 3 [21]
  Vanuatu 3 [22]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ This refers to the percentage of total number of languages in the world, including both established and immigrant languages.

References

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  1. ^ Eberhard, David M.; Simons, Gary F.; Fennig, Charles D., eds. (2019). "Summary by country". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (22nd ed.). Dallas: SIL International. Archived from the original on 2019-04-28. Retrieved 2019-04-28.
  2. ^ Palmer, Bill (2018). "Language families of the New Guinea Area". In Palmer, Bill (ed.). The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide. The World of Linguistics. Vol. 4. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. pp. 1–20. ISBN 978-3-11-028642-7.
  3. ^ Hopwood, Sean Patrick (2018-05-07). "Linguistic Diversity: The Languages in Papua New Guinea". Day Translations Blog. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  4. ^ Bowman, Kirk; Arocena, Felipe (2014). Lessons from Latin America: Innovations in Politics, Culture, and Development. Toronto, New York, Plymouth: University of Toronto Press. p. 79. ISBN 9781442605510.
  5. ^ Chisita, Collence Takaingenhamo; Rusero, Alexander R.; Shoko, Munyaradzi (2016). "Leveraging Memory Institutions to Preserve Indigenous Knowledge in the Knowledge Age: Case of Zimbabwe". In Callison, Camille; Roy, Loriene; LeCheminant, Gretchen Alice (eds.). Indigenous Notions of Ownership and Libraries, Archives and Museums. Berlin, Boston: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. p. 273. ISBN 9783110395860.
  6. ^ Sheppard, Charles; Joubert, Jané; Saayman, Gina (1998). "Education and Language Profile". In Kok, Pieter (ed.). South Africa's Magnifying Glass: A Profile of Gauteng Province. Pretoria: HSRC Press. p. 101. ISBN 9780796918796.
  7. ^ "Languages- South African Embassy to the Kingdom of the Netherlands". zuidafrika. nl.
  8. ^ "Rwanda | Religion, Population, Language, & Capital | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
  9. ^ Werlen, Iwar (2007). "Receptive Multilingualism in Switzerland and the Case of Biel/Bienne". In ten Thije, Jan D.; Zeevaert, Ludger (eds.). Receptive Multilingualism: Linguistic Analyses, Language Policies, and Didactic Concepts. Amsterdam, Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing. p. 138. ISBN 9789027219268.
  10. ^ Costa, Peter I. De (2016). The Power of Identity and Ideology in Language Learning: Designer Immigrants Learning English in Singapore. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. p. 55. ISBN 9783319302119.
  11. ^ Duca, Patrick L. Del (2010). Choosing the Language of Transnational Deals: Practicalities, Policy, and Law Reform. Chicago, IL: American Bar Association. p. 157. ISBN 9781604429374.
  12. ^ Leung, Janny H. C. (2019). Shallow Equality and Symbolic Jurisprudence in Multilingual Legal Orders. Oxford Studies in Language and Law. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. p. 64. ISBN 9780190210342.
  13. ^ Uwimana, Diane (17 September 2014). "English is now official language of Burundi". IWACU English News. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  14. ^ Macmillan, Palgrave (2017). The Statesman's Yearbook 2017: The Politics, Cultures and Economies of the World. London: Springer. p. 352. ISBN 9781349683987.
  15. ^ Borsdorf, Axel; Stadel, Christoph (2015). The Andes: A Geographical Portrait. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. p. 142. ISBN 9783319035307.
  16. ^ Leung, Janny H. C. (2019). Shallow Equality and Symbolic Jurisprudence in Multilingual Legal Orders. Oxford Studies in Language and Law. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. p. 59. ISBN 9780190210342.
  17. ^ Zipp, Lena (2014). Educated Fiji English: Lexico-grammar and variety status. Amsterdam, Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company. p. 13. ISBN 9789027270771.
  18. ^ Gilles, Peter; Seela, Sebastian; Sieburg, Heinz; Wagner, Melanie (2011). "Languages and Identities". In IPSE-Identités Politiques Sociétés Espaces (ed.). Doing Identity in Luxembourg: Subjective Appropriations - Institutional Attributions - Socio-Cultural Milieus. Piscataway, NJ: Transcript Verlag. p. 91. ISBN 9783839416679.
  19. ^ Leung, Janny H. C. (2019). Shallow Equality and Symbolic Jurisprudence in Multilingual Legal Orders. Oxford Studies in Language and Law. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 66–67. ISBN 9780190210342.
  20. ^ Wanek, Alexander (1996). The State and Its Enemies in Papua New Guinea. Padstow, UK: Routledge. p. 92. ISBN 9781136779091.
  21. ^ Michaelis, Susanne; Rosalie, Marcel (2009). "Loanwords in Seychelles Creole". In Haspelmath, Marin; Tadmor, Uri (eds.). Loanwords in the World's Languages: A Comparative Handbook. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. p. 216. ISBN 9783110218435.
  22. ^ Mohns, William J. (2011). "The Digital Archive and Catalogues of the Vanuatu Cultural Center: Overview, Collaboration and Future Directions". In Taylor, John; Thieberger, Nick (eds.). Working Together in Vanuatu: Research Histories, Collaborations, Projects and Reflections. Canberra: ANU E Press. p. 142. ISBN 9781921862359.
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