When Going To These Countries Speaking French Should You Learn and Speak French

The French language is one of the major languages of the world. When France was colonizing the world it brought with it the speaking of the French language in parts of four continents of the world. The primary region of French is known as Pays d'Oïl or "the country of Oïl." This area is made up of the northwestern tip of Switzerland (canton of Jura), the Channel Islands, southern Belgium (Wallonia) and northern France; with the exception of regions where German, Dutch and Breton are spoken. The neighboring languages are composed of the Occitan to the south; German to the northeast, Franco-Provencal to the southeast, Dutch to the north and Breton to the west.

Countries that Speak French in Europe

The only official language of France is French while other countries also consider French as an official language among others. These countries include; Belgium - particularly in the regions of Wallonia Switzerland and other neighboring countries

40% of over 4 millions Belgians speak French as their first language and is deemed as the official language of most of Wallonia. Brussels is the capital of Belgium in which both the French and Dutch are considered official languages; although the majority speaks French in the city proper of Brussels.

Approximately 1.75 million people in Switzerland speak French and consider it as their official language. In addition, French is also the official language of the principality of Monaco; Luxembourg (aside from German and Luxembourgish) as well as in Val d'Aoste, Italy (apart from Italian).

Countries that Speak French in the Americas

France lost many of its American colonies due to the 1763 Treaty of Paris. Fortunately, it was able to sustain some possessions in America while maintaining some French-speaking communities especially in some parts of Canada.

With regards to the overseas departments and territories of France, French is still considered as the official language. These territories include; St. Martin Saint-Pierre Miquelon Saint Barthelemy Martinique Guadeloupe French Guiana Haiti is another French colony that still uses French as one of its official languages.

In the Canadian government French is used as an equal language to English. Roughly a quarter of Canadians speak French as their mother tongue and these native French speakers usually reside in the Eastern part of the country which is mostly in Quebec and in New Brunswick. Moreover, Dominica and the U.S. state of Louisiana uses French as an administrative language.

Countries that Speak French in Africa

Half of the western part of the African nations declares French as its official language except Nigeria. This happened during the French and Belgium colonization and the French language is still used for national and international communication although the majority of the people do not speak it as their primary language.

Other African countries that uses French as an official language includes; Benin Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Central African Republic Chad Comoros Congo (Brazzaville) Côte d'Ivoire Democratic Republic of the Congo Djibouti Equatorial Guinea Gabon Guinea Madagascar Mali Mauritius Niger Rwanda Senegal Seychelles Togo with the exception of Equatorial Guinea

Furthermore, French is commonly understood in countries like Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia while it is deemed as an administrative language in Mauritania.

Countries that Speak French in Other Parts of the Globe

French is used as an administrative language in countries such as Laos and is being informally spoken in certain parts of Vietnam and Cambodia.

Other countries that understand the French language include; Lebanon and Syria As well as other parts of India including; Yanam Mahé Karikal (which were once a French trading post) Puducherry is another former French trading post which uses French as an official language apart from Tamil.

The Mayotte and Réunion which are located in the Indian Ocean does use French as the official language. The Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu and some parts of French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuana and New Caladonia.

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