The Merina people (also known as the Imerina, Antimerina, Borizany or Ambaniandro ) formerly called Amboalambo are the largest ethnic group in Madagascar. They are the "highlander" Malagasy ethnic group of the African island and one of the country's eighteen official ethnic groups. Their origins are mixed, predominantly with Austronesians arriving before the 6th century CE with Bantu Africans resulting in a core population known as Vazimba, later by large number of Neo-Austronesians and a minority of Arabs, Indians and Europeans. They speak the Merina dialect of the official Malagasy language of Madagascar.