Les Pays où le français est langue officielle ou co-officielle*
Countries where French is an Official or a Co-Official Language
Did you know that over 90 million people in the world speak French?
To get a closer look, click on each continent that has a country marked in red!
Did you know that France, itself, has official departments outside of the mainland?
France once had a very large empire. Many of the countries that were part of this empire still show signs of a lot of French influence, including language.
Click here to see an animated map of the French influence throughout history.* What countries still retain this influence?
*Please note that I have tried to be as accurate as possible in my maps. Even so, these maps should be used as a general guide. Because there is dispute over when exactly the French were dominating certain countries or parts of countries, I have had to use my best judgement.
Here are some interesting sites on why anyone would want to learn French:
On the Importance of Knowing French
70 Good Reasons to Study French
More Good Reasons to Study French
*Information for this page and its maps comes from:
www.discoverfrance.net/France/Language/DF_language.shtml
www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia.html
www.ciral.ulaval.ca/alx/amlxmonde/Langues/2vital_inter_francaisTABLO.htm