The following is a list of the 29 countries where French French is a Romance language spoken as a first language by about 136 million people worldwide. Around 190 million people speak French as a second language, and an additional 200 million speak it as an acquired foreign language. French speaking communities are present in 57 countries and territories. Most native speakers of the language live in is an official language. Note that in most of these countries, French is not the only language, and therefore the population does not indicate the number of French-speakers.

Nr. Country Continent Population(2008)[1] French-speakers (2005 estimation)[2] Partial-French speakers (2005 estimation) French-speakers, real and partial combined
# - World 367,428,669 NA NA
1. Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo , known until 1997 as Zaire, is a country located in Central Africa, with a small length of Atlantic coastline. It is the third largest country in Africa by area. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is, with the population more than 68 million, the eighteenth most populous nation in the world, and the fourth Africa 66,514,506 6,080,000 18,240,000 24,320,000
2. France France (pronounced /ˈfrænts/ frantss or /ˈfrɑːnts/ frahnts; French pronunciation (help·info): [fʁɑ̃s]), officially the French Republic (French: République française, pronounced: [ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛz]), is a state in Western Europe with several of its overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Europe 65,057,790 60,578,6001 NA 60,578,600
3. Canada The land occupied by Canada was inhabited for millennia by various groups of Aboriginal peoples. Beginning in the late 15th century, British and French expeditions explored, and later settled, along the Atlantic coast. France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763 after the Seven Years' War. In 1867, with the union of three North America 33,930,830 9,487,500 2,065,300 11,552,800
4. Madagascar Madagascar, or Republic of Madagascar , is an island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa. The main island, also called Madagascar, is the fourth-largest island in the world Africa 20,042,551 865,000 2,664,200 3,529,200
5. Cameroon The Republic of Cameroon is a country of central and western Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the Bight of Bonny, part of the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean Africa 18,467,692 2,950,300 4,393,100 7,343,400
6. Côte d'Ivoire Côte d'Ivoire , (officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire), is a country in West Africa. Although it is commonly known in English as Ivory Coast, the Ivorian government officially discourages this usage, preferring the French name Côte d'Ivoire to be used in all languages. Côte d'Ivoire has an area of 322,462 km2, and borders the countries of Africa 18,373,060 12,740,000 NA 12,740,000
7. Burkina Faso Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest Africa 15,264,735 695,000 NA 695,000
8. Niger Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east. Niger covers a land area of almost 1,270,000 km2, over 80 percent of which is covered by the Africa 13,272,679 1,260,000 NA 1,260,000
9. Senegal Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal (République du Sénégal, IPA: [ʁepyblik dy seneɡal]), is a country south of the Sénégal River in western Africa. It owes its name to the river that borders it to the East and North and that originates from the Fouta Djallon in Guinea. Senegal is externally bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Africa 12,853,259 1,170,000 2,457,000 3,627,000
10. Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with a population more than 14 million. Its capital is Africa 12,324,029 1,107,000 NA 1,107,000
11. Rwanda The Republic of Rwanda , known as the Land of a Thousand Hills, is a landlocked country located in the Great Lakes region of eastern-central Africa, bordered by Uganda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania Africa 10,473,282 609,000 174,000 783,000
12. Belgium Belgium (pronounced /ˈbɛldʒəm/ , BEL-jəm), officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO. Belgium covers an area of 30,528 square kilometres (11,787 sq mi), and it has a Europe 10,403,951 4,300,000 2,000,000 6,300,000
13. Guinea Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea (Guinée française), it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbor Guinea-Bissau. Conakry is the capital, the seat of the national government, and the largest city Africa 10,211,437 2,000,000 4,000,000 6,000,000
14. Chad Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west. Due to its distance from the sea and its largely desert climate, the country is sometimes Africa 10,111,337 1,940,000 NA 1,940,000
15. Haiti Haiti (pronounced /ˈheɪti/ ; French Haïti, pronounced: [a.iti]; Haitian Creole: Ayiti, Haitian Creole pronunciation: [ajiti]), officially the Republic of Haiti (République d'Haïti ; Repiblik Ayiti) is a Caribbean country. Along with the Dominican Republic, it occupies the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago. Ayiti (land North America 8,924,553 664,000 622,500 1,286,500
16. Burundi Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi, is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its size is just under 28,000 km² with an estimated population of almost 8,700,000. Its capital is Bujumbura Africa 8,691,005 390,000 234,000 624 000
17. Benin Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located. The capital of Benin is Porto-Novo, but the seat of government is located in the Africa 8,294,941 739,200 1,402,800 2,142,000
18. Switzerland Switzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation (Confœderatio Helvetica in Latin, hence its ISO country codes CH and CHE), is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe[note 4] where it is bordered by Germany to the north, France to the west, Italy to Europe 7,581,520 1,509,600 2,072 ,000 3,582,120
19. Togo The Togolese Republic, often known as Togo, is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately 57,000 square kilometres with a population of approximately 6.7 million. Togo is Africa 5,858,673 2,000,000 NA 2,000,000
20. Central African Republic The Central African Republic (French: République centrafricaine, pronounced: [ʁepyblik sɑ̃tʁafʁikɛn], or Centrafrique [sɑ̃tʀafʀik]; Sango Ködörösêse tî Bêafrîka), is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the Africa 4,434,873 945,000 NA 945,000
21. Republic of the Congo The Republic of the Congo , also known as Congo-Brazzaville, Little Congo, or simply the Congo, is a country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly known as Zaire), the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda, and the Gulf of Guinea Africa 3,903,318 1,200,000 1,200,000 2,400,000
22. Gabon Gabon is a country in west central Africa sharing borders with the Gulf of Guinea to the west, Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, and Cameroon to the north, with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. It covers a land area of nearly 270,000 km² and has an estimated population of 1,500,000. Its capital and largest city is Africa 1,485,832 1,200,000 NA 1,200,000
23. Comoros The Comoros (pronounced /ˈkɒməroʊz/ ; Arabic: جزر القمر‎, Juzur al-Qamar), officially the Union of the Comoros (French: Union des Comores, Arabic: الاتّحاد القمريّ‎, al-Ittiḥād al-Qamariyy) is an archipelago island nation in the Indian Ocean, located off the eastern coast of Africa, on the northern end of the Africa 731,775 312,200 NA 312,200
24. Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea is a country located in Central Africa. With an area of 28,000 square kilometres (11,000 sq mi) it is one of the smallest countries in continental Africa. It is also the most prosperous, however the wealth is concentrated in government and elite hands, with 70% of the population Africa 616,459 100,000 200,000 300,000
25. Djibouti Djibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden Africa 506,221 159,800 159,800
26. Luxembourg Luxembourg (pronounced /ˈlʌksəmbɜrɡ/ LUKS-əm-berg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (Luxembourgish: Groussherzogtum Lëtzebuerg, French: Grand-Duché de Luxembourg, German: Großherzogtum Luxemburg), is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. Luxembourg has a population of over half a Europe 486,006 430,000 20,000 450,000
27. Vanuatu Vanuatu ( /ˌvɑːnuːˈɑːtuː/ vah-noo-AH-too or /ˌvænˈwɑːtuː/ van-WAH-too), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (French: République de Vanuatu, Bislama: Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some 1,750 kilometres (1,090 mi) east of northern Oceania 215,446 99,000 NA 99,000
28. Seychelles Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles (French: République des Seychelles; Creole: Repiblik Sesel), is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some 1,500 kilometres (932 mi) east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar Africa 82,247 4,000 44,000 48,000
29. Monaco Monaco /ˈmɒnəkoʊ/ , officially the Principality of Monaco (French: Principauté de Monaco; Monégasque: Principatu de Múnegu; Italian: Principato di Monaco; Occitan: Principat de Mónegue), is a small sovereign city-state located in South Western Europe on the northern central coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It is surrounded on three sides by Europe 32,796 23,400 NA 23,400

1 Metropalitan France In addition to this, the State of the City of the Vatican Vatican City /ˈvætɪkən ˈsɪti/ or Vatican City State, officially Stato della Città del Vaticano (pronounced [ˈsta(ː)to delːa tʃiˈtːa del vatiˈka(ː)no]), which translates literally as "State of the City of the Vatican", is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, lets itself register as a French-speaking country in the international organisations with which it has relationships. Similarly, the union territory Puducherry Puducherry; Tamil: புதுச்சேரி , French: Pondichéry, popularly known as Pondicherry, is a Union Territory of India. It is a former French colony, consisting of four non-contiguous enclaves, or regions, and named after the largest region, Puducherry. The territory was officially known as Pondicherry until 2006 when it was in Tamilnadu, India has one of its official language as French and its status was preserved by Traité de Cession signed by India and France on 28 May 1956.

Contents

Dependent entities

Nr. Country Continent Population Status
1. Pondicherry Coordinates: 11°56′N 79°50′E / 11.93°N 79.83°E Puducherry ; Tamil: புதுச்சேரி (Putuccēri), Telugu: పాండిచెర్రి (Pāṃḍicěrri), Kannada: ಪಾಂಡಿಚೆರಿ (Pāṃḍicěri), Malayalam: പുതുശ്ശേരി (Putuśśēri), French: Pondichéry, English formerly Asia 973,829 Union Territory of India
2. French Polynesia French Polynesia [ˈfrɛntʃ pɒlɨˈniːʒə] (French: Polynésie française, Tahitian: Pōrīnetia Farāni) is a French overseas collectivity in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is made up of several groups of Polynesian islands, the most famous island being Tahiti in the Society Islands group, which is also the most populous island and the seat Oceania 283,019 Overseas Collectivity of France
3. New Caledonia New Caledonia (French: officially: Nouvelle-Calédonie; colloquially: Calédonie; popular nickname: (le) Caillou), has a special status of sui generis collectivity of France. It is located in the subregion of Melanesia in the southwest Pacific. It comprises a main island (Grande Terre), the Loyalty Islands, and several smaller islands Oceania 224,824 Overseas Collectivity of France
4. Mayotte Mayotte (French: Mayotte, pronounced: [majɔt]; Shimaore : Maore, [maˈore]; Malagasy: Mahori), officially the Departmental Collectivity of Mayotte (French: Collectivité départementale de Mayotte), is an overseas collectivity of France consisting of a main island, Grande-Terre (or Mahoré), a smaller island, Petite-Terre (or Pamanzi), and Africa 216,306 Overseas Collectivity of France
5. Aosta Valley The Aosta Valley (Italian: Valle d'Aosta or Val d'Aosta (usual), French: Vallée d'Aoste (official) or Val d'Aoste (usual), Arpitan: Val d'Outa) is a mountainous autonomous region in north-western Italy. It is bordered by France to the west, Switzerland to the north and the region of Piedmont to the south and east Europe 123,978 Autonomous region of Italy
6. Jersey The Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands which are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and other rocks and reefs. Together with the Bailiwick of Guernsey, it Europe 91,533 British Crown dependency
7. Guernsey The Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown Dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy Europe 65,726 British Crown dependency
8. Saint Martin Saint Martin , officially the Collectivity of Saint Martin (French: Collectivité de Saint-Martin) is an overseas collectivity of France located in the Caribbean. It came into being on 15 July 2007, encompassing the northern parts of the island of Saint Martin and neighbouring islets, the largest of which is Île Tintamarre. The southern part of North America 29,376 Overseas Collectivity of France
9. Wallis and Futuna Wallis and Futuna, officially the Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands , is a Polynesian French island territory (but not part of, or even contiguous with, French Polynesia. Wallis and Futuna is located at the very opposite western end of Polynesia) in the South Pacific between Tuvalu to the northwest, Rotuma of Fiji to the west, the main Oceania 16,448 Overseas Collectivity of France
10. Saint Barthélemy Saint Barthélemy , officially the Collectivity of Saint Bartholomew (French: Collectivité de Saint-Barthélemy), is an overseas collectivity of France. Often abbreviated to Saint-Barth in French, or St. Barts in English, the collectivity is one of the four territories among the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean that comprise the French West North America 7,492 Overseas Collectivity of France
11. Saint Pierre and Miquelon The Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon is a group of small French islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, the main islands being Saint Pierre and Miquelon, south of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The islands are as close as 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from Green Island, part of Newfoundland North America 7,044 Overseas Collectivity of France
12. French Southern and Antarctic Lands The territory is also often called the French Southern Lands or French Southern Territories, which excludes Adélie Land where French sovereignty is not recognized internationally. The lands are not connected to France Antarctique, a former French colony in Brazil Antarctica, Africa 140 TAAF The territory is also often called the French Southern Lands or French Southern Territories, which excludes Adélie Land where French sovereignty is not recognized internationally. The lands are not connected to France Antarctique, a former French colony in Brazil districts
13. Clipperton North America 0 French state private property

The four overseas regions Overseas region , is a recent designation given to the overseas departments which have similar powers to those of the regions of metropolitan France. They have had these powers since 1982, when France's decentralisation policy dictated that they be given elected regional councils along with other regional powers. It was not until the 2003 of France (régions d'outre-mer, or ROM): Guadeloupe Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres (629 sq. mi) and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe is also one of the twenty-six regions of, French Guiana French Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department (French: département d'outre-mer, or DOM) located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west. Its 83,500 sq km have a very low population density of less than three, Martinique Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of 1,128 km2 (436 sq mi). Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados. As with the other overseas departments, Martinique is one of the, and Réunion Réunion (French: La Réunion, IPA: [la ʁeynjɔ̃] ; previously Île Bourbon) is a French island of about 800,000 population located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about 200 kilometres (120 mi) south west of Mauritius, the nearest island, have the same status as metropolitan France and are not listed here. French has a certain legal status in the US-state Louisiana but it's not considered de-jure official.

Countries where French is commonly used but not official

After gaining independence in the 1950s and 1960s, the Arabic-speaking countries of the Maghreb, Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria, strived to reduce the use of French by implementing different arabisation policies. However, the language switch was difficult because competence in Standard Arabic (which is different from the Maghrebi varieties) was far behind competence in French. French remains the language of the private sector and close contacts with France and other French-speaking countries ensures the language's survival. Mauritania, also an Arabic-speaking country, abolished French as a de jure official language in 1991, but has like its northern neighbours kept it as the de facto second language.

Lebanon is officially Arabic-speaking, but French is commonly spoken, especially by Christians, and the language receives some government recognition.

In Mauritius, English is considered the official language, however French is the dominant language of mass communications and business, the French-based Mauritian Creole is the main native language and serves as the country's lingua franca.

French is spoken in small amounts mainly by the elderly population in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. This is due to the heavy French influence on the former territory known as French Indochina, which included these countries.

Catalan is the official language of Andorra, a small country which lies along the French-Spanish border, French is also commonly used and understood due to the countries proximity to France and French influence.

Location of Maghreb (French is a second language in all countries of the Grand Maghreb except Libya)
Nr. Country Continent Population French-speakers (2005 estimation)[3][4] Partial-French speakers French-speakers, real and partial combined
1. Morocco Africa 34,343,219 4,144,500 5,986,500 10,131,000
2. Algeria Africa 33,769,669 21,000,000 NA 21,000,000
3. Tunisia Africa 10,383,577 6,360 000 NA 6,360,000
5. Lebanon Asia 4,088,941 684,000 760 000 1,444,000
6. Mauritania Africa 3,364,940 167,400 155,000 322,400
7. Mauritius Africa 1,274,189 180,000 692,500 872,500
8. Andorra Europe 72,413 34,200 16,400 50,600

Alphabetical list

References

  1. ^ "The World Factbook". Central Intelligence Agency. July 2008 estimates. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
  2. ^ "Error: no |title= specified when using {{ }}". http://20mars.francophonie.org/IMG/pdf/FICHE_03_Nombre_de_francophones.pdf.
  3. ^ "Error: no |title= specified when using {{ }}". http://20mars.francophonie.org/IMG/pdf/FICHE_03_Nombre_de_francophones.pdf.
  4. ^ "Error: no |title= specified when using {{ }}". http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/afrique/algerie-1demo.htm.

See also

Countries and languages lists
Languages by continent Africa · Americas (North · South) · Asia (East · South) · Europe · Oceania
Languages by country Official languages (by state)
Unions based on language Arab League (Arabic) · Commonwealth of Nations (English) · Dutch Union (Dutch) · La Francophonie (French) · Latin Union (Romanic languages) · Hispanidad (Spanish) · CPLP, PALOP (Portuguese) · TÜRKSOY (Turkic languages)
Countries by language
Countries by spoken languages
by official language Arabic · English · French · Portuguese · Russian · Spanish
Endonyms Countries and capitals in native languages · Countries by native names
Exonyms Country names in various languages (A-C · D-I · J-P · Q-Z) · Languages of the European Union
Languages by population by number of native speakers
Languages by family language families

Categories: Countries-languages-related lists | French language

 

The above information uses material from Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Some facts may not have been fully verified for accuracy. [Disclaimers]
This page was last archived by our server on Wed Jul 28 04:14:16 2010. [ refresh local cache ]
Displaying this page or its contents does not use any Wikimedia Foundation's resources.
The owners of this site proudly support the Wikimedia Foundation.

[Hide]▼
[Hide]▲