1. Algeria L’Algérie

2. Belgium La Belgique

3. Benin Le Bénin

4. Burundi Le Burundi

5. Burkina Faso Le Burkina Faso

6. Cameroon Le Cameroun

7. Canada Le Canada (Le Québec)

8. Central African Republic La République Centrafricaine

9. Congo Le Congo

10. Djibouti

11. France La France

12. French Polynesia La Polynésie Française

13. Gabon Le Gabon

14. Guadeloupe La Guadeloupe

15. Guinea La Guinée

16. Guyana La Guyane

17. Haiti Haïti

18. Ivory Coast La Côte d’Ivoire

19. Cambodia Le Cambodge

20. Laos Le Laos

21. Lebanon Le Liban

22. Luxembourg Le Luxembourg

23. Madagascar

24. Mali Le Mali

25. Martinique La Martinique

26. Mauritania La Mauritanie

27. Mauritius L’île Maurice

28. Monaco

29. Morocco Le Maroc

30. New Caledonia La Nouvelle Calédonie

31. Reunion La Réunion

32. Rwanda Le Ruanda

33. Senegal Le Sénégal

34. Seychelles Les Seychelles

35. Switzerland La Suisse

36. Togo Le Togo

37. Tunisia La Tunisie

38. Vietnam Le Viêt-nam

39. Democratic Republic of the Congo La République démocratique du Congo

40. Nigeria Le Niger

41. Tchad Le Tchad

42. Andorra L’Andorre

43. Facts About the French-Speaking World

44. French is the official language of 29 countries around the world Over one one hundred twenty four million people speak French is their native language French is spoken on five continents in about 50 countries and territories in the world

45. In Europe French is spoken in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Monaco and Andorra On the American continent, French is the official language of three islands in the Caribbean: Haiti, Martinique, and Guadeloupe. Quebec, Canada’s largest province, is almost entirely French-speaking. In the United States, French is a second language for more than a million people in Louisiana and certain areas of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine

46. In South America, French is the official language of French Guiana In Africa, French is the official or second language in 21 African countries This countries retain not only the French language but also the influence of French culture, institutions, and traditions. In Asia, in countries of Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam French is spoken today by some of its people

47. Why do so many people in Africa and Asia speak French? During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, France became a colonial power in the world. This means that the French occupied and ruled counties of the world far from France itself. These countries sent many of their products (such as copper and cocoa) back to France for manufacturing into finished products. As the French governed these nations, they also established schools and businesses which used the French language. By 1960, these nations had become independent, but they maintained French as their official and business language because so many people spoke French.