The earliest epigraphic records found on rock edicts and ' hero stones' date from around the 3rd century BC. It has the oldest extant literature among Dravidian languages. The earliest period of Tamil literature, Sangam literature, is dated from ca. A recorded Tamil literature has been documented for over 2000 years. Ramanujan described it as "the only language of contemporary India which is recognizably continuous with a classical past." The variety and quality of classical Tamil literature has led to it being described as "one of the great classical traditions and literatures of the world".
Tamil is one of the longest-surviving classical languages in the world. One of 22 scheduled languages in the Constitution of India, Tamil was the first to be classified as a classical language of India. Tamil is also natively spoken by Sri Lankan Moors.
It is also spoken by the Tamil diaspora found in many countries, including Malaysia, Myanmar, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia and Mauritius. Tamil is spoken by significant minorities in the four other South Indian states of Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Tamil is an official language of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the sovereign nations of Sri Lanka and Singapore, and the Union Territory of Puducherry.
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