Scientists have named and cataloged 1.3 million species. How many more species there are left to discover is a question that has hovered like a cloud over the heads of taxonomists for two centuries.
English is commonly spoken in government. In Maldives the national and official language is Dhivehi. English and some Indian languages are also spoken in Maldives. Most languages in South Asia are closely tied to particular nations, and as a result, further divide the people from one another.
The Dravidian languages with the most speakers are Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam. There are also small groups of Dravidian-speaking scheduled tribes, who live outside Dravidian-speaking areas, such as the Kurukh in Eastern India and Gondi in Central India.