> FRENCH SPEAKING EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
(1) France
The French language originated in France. French developed out of the vulgar Latin spoken in the province of Roman Gaul. Originally the precursor to modern standard French was only spoken in the northern parts of the country, especially around Paris. In other parts of the country, closely related dialects like Provencal and Picard, or completely separate languages like Basque and Breton, were spoken. But the use of standard French increased over time at the expense of the regional dialects and languages. Today the vast majority of the people in France use French as a first language.
(2) Belgium
Belgium’s three official languages are French, Dutch and German. Slightly more then half of its population speaks Dutch, while slightly less than half speak French.
(3) Switzerland
French is one of four official languages in Switzerland. French is the second most widely spoken language in the country, after German.
(4) Monaco
French is the official and most widely spoken language of the tiny nation of Monaco.
(5) Andorra
French is an official language in the small nation of Andorra, which is located on the French-Spanish border. The language is only spoken as a first language by a minority of the population, however.
(6) Luxembourg
French is an official language in Luxembourg, a country lying on the Belgium-Germany border. Like Andorra, however, only a minority use it as a first language.
> FRENCH SPEAKING COUNTRIES and TERRITORIES IN THE AMERICAS
(1) Canada
French is one of two official languages in Canada, the other official language being English. French is spoken by the majority of people in the province of Quebec. It is also spoken by significant minorities in the provinces of Ontario and New Brunswick.
(2) Haiti
French is the official language of Haiti. In everyday life, however, Haitian Creole is used. Although Haitian Creole’s vocabulary is largely derived from French, it is unintelligible with standard French.
(3) United States
Cajun French is spoken by a few thousand people in southern Louisiana and western Mississippi. French is spoken in the northeastern United States by French Canadian immigrants or their descendants.
(4) French overseas territories
French overseas territories in the Western Hemisphere include the islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, French Guiana, Guadeloupe and Martinique. St. Pierre and Miquelon are small islands off the coast of Canada. French Guiana is in South America. Guadeloupe and Martinique are Caribbean islands. In Martinique, Guadeloupe and French Guiana French-based Creoles are spoken.
(5) the Caribbean
French-based Creoles are spoken on some Caribbean islands including St. Lucia, Dominica, Trinidad, and Grenada. English, however, is the official language on all of these islands.
> FRENCH SPEAKING COUNTRIES and TERRITORIES IN ASIA and THE PACIFIC
(1) South and Southeast Asia
French is spoken as a second language in Cambodia and other parts of southeast Asia. A few thousand people in Puducherry, India use the language.
(2) French Polynesia
French Polynesia is an overseas possession of France. It is made up of several islands scattered across the South Pacific ocean. The most famous of these islands is probably Tahiti. French is the official language of French Polynesia, but local Polynesian languages are also spoken. On the island of New Caledonia, off the coast of Australia, people of French origin (known as Caldoches) speak French as a first language. People of Indigenous origin (known as Kanaks) speak Melanesian languages. French and Wallisian (or Uvean) are spoken on the islands of Wallis and Futuna.
> FRENCH SPEAKING COUNTRIES IN AFRICA
The French language is used mainly in African countries that were former French colonies.
(1) North Africa
French is spoken in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia
(2) West Africa
French is an official language throughout much of West Africa. Senegal, Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Cote D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Niger, Togo, Benin, Chad and Cameroon all recognize it as an official language. In Cameroon....
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