Algeria L’Algérie

Belgium La Belgique

Benin Le Bénin

Burundi Le Burundi

Burkina Faso Le Burkina Faso

Cameroon Le Cameroun

Canada Le Canada (Le Québec)

Central African Republic La République Centrafricaine

Congo Le Congo

Djibouti

France La France

French Polynesia La Polynésie Française

Gabon Le Gabon

Guadeloupe La Guadeloupe

Guinea La Guinée

Guyana La Guyane

Haiti Haïti

Ivory Coast La Côte d’Ivoire

Cambodia Le Cambodge

Laos Le Laos

Lebanon Le Liban

Luxembourg Le Luxembourg

Madagascar

Mali Le Mali

Martinique La Martinique

Mauritania La Mauritanie

Mauritius L’île Maurice

Monaco

Morocco Le Maroc

New Caledonia La Nouvelle Calédonie

Reunion La Réunion

Rwanda Le Ruanda

Senegal Le Sénégal

Seychelles Les Seychelles

Switzerland La Suisse

Togo Le Togo

Tunisia La Tunisie

Vietnam Le Viêt-nam

Democratic Republic of the Congo La République démocratique du Congo

Nigeria Le Niger

Tchad Le Tchad

Andorra L’Andorre

Facts About the French-Speaking World

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

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

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

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.