This is a list of the member states of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie . These governments belong to an international organisation representing countries and regions where French is the first ("mother") or customary language, where a significant proportion of the population are francophones (French speakers) or where there is a notable affiliation with French culture. [1] [2] [3]
Participation suspended
| Country | Joined | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 Albania | 1999 | Albanian | Brief French protectorate in Korçë between 1916 and 1920. Approximately 30% of young Albanians choose French as their first foreign language. [4] Albania is home to 300,000 French speakers, and it is the second foreign language of education after English. |
 Andorra | 2004 | Catalan | Formerly part of First French Empire. The President of France is also a Co-Prince of Andorra. |
 Armenia | 2012 | Armenian | See Armenia-France relations |
 Belgium | 1970 | officially trilingual, French included | French is the native language of about 39% of the population [5] 48% are non-native speakers of French. [6] Belgium's French community is also a member separately. See also: Languages of Belgium and Belgian French |
*  French Community of Belgium | 1980 | French official language | A community of Belgium with its two components Wallonia (excluding the German-speaking community) and Brussels-Capital Region (its French-speaking majority) |
 Benin | 1970 | French | Former French colony |
 Bulgaria | 1993 | Bulgarian | French is spoken as a foreign language by 9% of the Bulgarian people, and taught as a main foreign language in about 25% of primary schools. Furthermore, French is studied by 7.7% of high school students. [7] [8] |
 Burkina Faso | 1970 | French | Former French colony. Membership suspended in 2022 due to a coup. |
 Burundi | 1970 | officially trilingual, French | Former Belgian UN-protectorate |
 Cambodia | 1993 | Khmer | Former French protectorate (as a part of former French Indochina) |
 Cameroon | 1991 | officially bilingual, French included | Over 90% of country was a French protectorate (1945–1959) |
 Canada | 1970 | Officially bilingual, French included | The provinces of Quebec and New Brunswick are participating governments; much of eastern Canada was part of the first French colonial empire. As of 2004, a government representative from Ontario also attends as part of the Canadian delegation, although Ontario is not yet a participating government in its own right. |
*  New Brunswick | 1977 | officially bilingual, French included | Considered a "participating government", this province of Canada is officially bilingual English-French and home to the largest community of Acadians. |
*  Quebec | 1971 | French | Considered a "participating government", this province of Canada has French as its official language and is home to 85% of Canada's native francophones. |
 Cape Verde | 1996 | Portuguese | French is spoken as a foreign language by ~11% of the population as of 2014 |
 Central African Republic | 1973 | officially bilingual, French included | Former French colony. The Central African Republic was suspended for instances of la Francophonie at the 88th session of the CPF in March 2012. [9] |
 Chad | 1970 | officially bilingual, French included | Former French colony |
 Comoros | 1977 | officially trilingual, French included | Former French colony |
 Congo-Brazzaville | 1981 | French | Former French colony |
 Congo-Kinshasa | 1977 | French | Former Belgian colony. See also: Languages of the DRC |
 Côte d'Ivoire | 1970 | French | Former French colony. See also: Languages of Côte d'Ivoire |
 Djibouti | 1977 | officially bilingual, French included | Former French colony |
 Dominica | 1979 | English | French and then British colony; Antillean Creole, a French-based creole language, is spoken by 90% of the population. |
 Egypt | 1983 | Arabic | French sees use as foreign language in education and the country was a French colony for a short period from 1798 to 1801 |
 Equatorial Guinea | 1989 | (officially trilingual, French included) | Country surrounded by French-speaking countries. Former Spanish colony |
 France | 1970 | French | Founder, origin of the French language |
 Gabon | 1970 | French | Former French colony |
 Greece | 2004 | Greek | French spoken as a foreign language by ~7% of the population as of 2014 |
 Guinea | 1981 | French | Former French colony. Membership suspended in 2021 due to a coup. |
 Guinea-Bissau | 1979 | Portuguese | Country surrounded by French-speaking countries. Former Portuguese colony. Guinea-Bissau was suspended on 18 April 2012 following a coup d'état. [10] |
 Haiti | 1970 | officially bilingual, French included | Former French colony |
 Laos | 1991 | Lao; French is spoken | Former French colony (as a part of former French Indochina) |
 Lebanon | 1973 | Arabic and French; French is the secondary language. | Under a French mandate from 1920 to 1943 |
 Luxembourg | 1970 | Officially trilingual, French included | |
 North Macedonia | 2001 | Macedonian | French spoken as a foreign language by ~11% of the population as of 2014 |
 Madagascar | 1970–1977, 1989 | officially bilingual, French included | Former French colony |
 Mali | 1970 | French | Former French colony. Mali's membership was suspended in March 2012 due to a coup, [11] and again in 2020. |
 Mauritania | 1980 | Arabic | Former French colony, French is an administrative language. Mauritania's membership was suspended on 26 August 2008, pending democratic elections, after a military coup d'état, [12] then again in April 2009. [13] |
 Mauritius | 1970 | Creole is the mother tongue. French and English are also widely used | Dutch, French, and then British colony; French is widely used in commerce and by the media.[ citation needed ] French is also a language of instruction in schools.[ citation needed ] |
 Moldova | 1996 | Romanian | French spoken as a foreign language by ~2% of the population as of 2014 |
 Monaco | 1970 | French | Independent country enclaved in France |
 Morocco | 1981 | Arabic and Berber | Former French and Spanish protectorate |
 Niger | 1970 | French | Former French colony. Membership suspended due to a coup in 2023. |
 Romania | 1993 | Romanian | French is understood and spoken by 26% of the population. [6] |
 Rwanda | 1970 | officially quadralingual with French included | Former Belgian UN-protectorate. In 2009, became a member of the Commonwealth, but remains a member within Francophonie. |
 Saint Lucia | 1981 | English | Former French and British colony. Antillean Creole, a French-based creole language, is spoken by 90% of the population. |
 São Tomé and Príncipe | 1999 | Portuguese | French spoken as a foreign language by ~20% of the population as of 2014 |
 Senegal | 1970 | French | Former French colony |
 Seychelles | 1976 | officially trilingual, French included | Former French colony (first empire), later British colony, French is commonly used |
 Switzerland | 1996 | Officially quadrilingual, French included | French is the native language of about 20% of all Swiss. |
 Togo | 1970 | French | Former French colony |
 Tunisia | 1970 | Arabic | Former French protectorate |
 Vanuatu | 1979 | officially trilingual | Former French and British condominium of New Hebrides |
 Vietnam | 1970 | Vietnamese | Former French protectorate |
| Country | Joined | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 Cyprus | 2006 | Greek, Turkish | Cyprus was ruled by the French-origin Lusignan dynasty from 1192 until 1489. About 12% of the Cyprus population speaks and understands French. |
 Ghana | 2006 | English | All land borders with French-speaking countries (all former colonies of French West Africa) and trade partners. Study of French is being made compulsory at the basic educational level and certain subjects will be taught in both English and French. Became Associate Member in 2006. [14] |
 Kosovo | 2014 | Albanian, Serbian | Traditional diplomatic and commercial ties with France; French is taught as a third language in most secondary schools. (See further: France-Kosovo relations.) |
 New Caledonia | 2016 | French, New Caledonian languages | Special collectivity of France; former French colony (1853–1946) and overseas territory (1946–1999) |
 Serbia | 2006 | Serbian | Traditional diplomatic, military and cultural ties with France; French is widely taught as a second foreign language in schools. See France-Serbia relations. |
 United Arab Emirates | 2010 | Arabic | Military and cultural ties with France (see further:France-United Arab Emirates relations) |
 Qatar | 2012 | Arabic | Strong military ties with France (see further:France-Qatar relations) |
| Country | Joined | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 Argentina | 2016 | Spanish, others | Argentina has a large French community. Today more than six million Argentines have some degree of French ancestry (up to 17% of the total population). [15] |
 Austria | 2004 | German | Strong ties with Belgium, a Francophone country located to the north of France. Roughly 11% of the population also speaks French as a foreign language as of 2014 |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2010 | Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian | |
 Costa Rica | 2014 | Spanish | French is the second compulsory language in middle school |
 Croatia | 2004 | Croatian | Part of the Illyrian Provinces under Napoleon's French Empire. (See further: Croatia-France relations.) |
 Czechia | 1999 | Czech | ~2% of the population speaks French as a foreign language as of 2014 |
 Dominican Republic | 2010 | Spanish | French colony from 1795 to 1808. |
 Estonia | 2010 | Estonian | ~1% of the population speaks French as a foreign language as of 2014 |
 Gambia | 2018 | English | Border with Senegal, a French-speaking country. |
 Georgia | 2004 | Georgian | ~0.4% of the population speaks French as a foreign language as of 2014 |
 Hungary | 2004 | Hungarian | |
 Ireland | 2018 | English, Irish | French is the second most common foreign language spoken at home in Ireland (after Polish), and most commonly spoken by those born in Ireland [16] |
 Latvia | 2008 | Latvian | ~1% of the population speaks French as a foreign language as of 2014 |
 Lithuania | 1999 | Lithuanian | ~2% of the population speaks French as a foreign language as of 2014 |
*  Louisiana | 2018 | English | U.S. state with a francophone minority. Once part of the first French colonial empire, now it is home to a strong influence of Cajun, Creole and Haitian language and culture. Use of the French language in Louisiana is promoted through the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana, a state agency that is responsible for preserving the state's "French heritage". [17] |
 Malta | 2018 | Maltese, English | Formerly occupied by France. |
 Mexico | 2014 | Spanish | A large number of French immigrants arrived in Mexico since the 1830s and today number over six million French descendants. [18] Second Mexican Empire, a puppet state of the Second French Empire under Napoleon III. [19] |
 Montenegro | 2010 | Montenegrin | Part of the Illyrian Provinces under Napoleon's French Empire. |
 Mozambique | 2006 | Portuguese | Trading partner across the Mozambique Channel with French-speaking and the former French colony of Madagascar |
*  Ontario | 2016 | English; French is a regional administrative language | A province of Canada whose area was once a part of the Pays d'en Haut region of New France and is home to a francophone minority, the Franco-Ontarians. Although French is an official language in the province's judiciary, legislature, and educational system, the province as a whole is not officially bilingual, with other French-language provincial services not offered province-wide. However, Ontario's French Language Services Act does require Ontario government departments to provide French-language services in areas with significant francophone populations and recognizes the French language as a "historic language of Ontario". |
 Poland | 1996 | Polish | Long-standing cultural and historic ties: Henry III of France was King of Poland from 1573 to 1574, and the Duchy of Warsaw was a client state allied with the First French Empire from 1807 to 1815; France was home to notable Polish émigrés, including Adam Mickiewicz, Frédéric Chopin, and Marie Skłodowska-Curie. |
 Republic of Korea | 2016 | Korean | The Joseon Dynasty was invaded twice by the Second French Empire during the 19th century. Furthermore, the Catholic population grew as a result of French Jesuit missionaries in the country. See France-South Korea relations. |
 Slovakia | 2002 | Slovak | |
 Slovenia | 1999 | Slovene | Part of the Illyrian Provinces under Napoleon's French Empire |
 Thailand | 2008 | Thai | Thailand has a history of international relations with France for more than 300 years, since the Ayutthaya Kingdom of Thailand (See Thailand-France relations). [20] Suspended on 27 June 2014 following the 2013–14 political crisis. [21] [22] |
 Ukraine | 2006 | Ukrainian | |
 Uruguay | 2012 | Spanish |
Some countries could also potentially join the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie on the basis of being part of the French colonial empire, including Algeria, [23] [24] [25] Syria, Pondicherry and Chandannagar regions of India. In 2016, Saudi Arabia applied to join the organisation despite having no historical colonial ties with France. [26] However, the Saudis withdrew their bid in October 2018 due to pressure over their human rights record. [27] In 2022, Brazil applied to join the organisation as observer because land bordered with the French Guiana at the north. [28] In 2023, Yemen represented by globally-recognized legitimate Presidential Leadership Council applied to join the organisation as observer despite having no historical colonial ties with France and still in conflict against Houthi rebels. [29] In 2023, Taiwan also applied to join the organisation as observer because having historical connection with France for helped the Chiang Kai-shek's China by sent Adrian helmets to the National Revolutionary Army during Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) prior to the retreat to Taiwan on 7 December 1949. [30]
French is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Northern Gaul. Its closest relatives are the other langues d'oïl—languages historically spoken in northern France and in southern Belgium, which French (Francien) largely supplanted. French was also influenced by native Celtic languages of Northern Roman Gaul like Gallia Belgica and by the (Germanic) Frankish language of the post-Roman Frankish invaders. Today, owing to the French colonial empire, there are numerous French-based creole languages, most notably Haitian Creole. A French-speaking person or nation may be referred to as Francophone in both English and French.
The Organisation internationale de la Francophonie is an international organization representing countries and regions where French is a lingua franca or customary language, where a significant proportion of the population are francophones, or where there is a notable affiliation with French culture.
African French is the generic name of the varieties of the French language spoken by an estimated 167 million people in Africa in 2023 or 51% of the French-speaking population of the world spread across 34 countries and territories. This includes those who speak French as a first or second language in these 34 African countries and territories, but it does not include French speakers living in other African countries. Africa is thus the continent with the most French speakers in the world, and African French speakers now form a large and integral part of the Francophonie.
The Order of Ouissam Alaouite or the Sharifian Order of Al-Alaoui is a military decoration of Morocco which is bestowed by the King of Morocco upon those civilians and military officers who have displayed heroism in combat or have contributed meritorious service to the Moroccan state. The decoration was established on 11 January 1913 in replacement of the Order of Ouissam Hafidien. It is awarded in five classes: Grand Cordon, Grand Officer, Commander (Commandeur), Officer (Officier) and Knight (Chevalier).
Francization or Francisation, also known as Frenchification, is the expansion of French language use—either through willful adoption or coercion—by more and more social groups who had not before used the language as a common means of expression in daily life. As a linguistic concept, known usually as gallicization, it is the practice of modifying foreign words, names, and phrases to make them easier to spell, pronounce, or understand in French.
Egyptians speak a continuum of dialects. The predominant dialect in Egypt is Egyptian Colloquial Arabic or Masri/Masry, which is the vernacular language. Literary Arabic is the official language and the most widely written. The Coptic language is used primarily by Egyptian Copts and it is the liturgical language of Coptic Christianity.
Hugues Jean Marie Auffray, better known as Hugues Aufray, is a French singer-songwriter and guitarist.
Roger Holeindre was a French Army veteran, politician and author. He served in the First Indochina War and the Algerian War, was a member of the National Assembly from 1986 to 1988. Holeindre also served as the vice-president of the National Front (FN) where he represented the "national-conservative" tendency, opposed to "nationalist revolutionaries" and Third Position ideologies. Holeindre was the president of the Cercle national des combattants and the honorary president of the Party of France.
The Grand Prix du Disque for French Song is one of a number of prizes awarded by L'Académie Charles Cros as part of the yearly Grand Prix du Disque. The following is a partial list of winners :
The Kingdom of Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, French, and German.
Habib Dembélé is a Malian actor, director, and author, and a candidate for the Malian Presidential elections of 2002 and 2018.
Bernard Cerquiglini, is a French linguist.
The International Francophone Press Union is a Francophone association of journalists. Founded in 1950, it is the world's oldest Francophone organisation, and has more than 3,000 members in 110 countries.
The French language became an international language, the second international language alongside Latin, in the Middle Ages, "from the fourteenth century onwards". It was not by virtue of the power of the Kingdom of France : '"... until the end of the fifteenth century, the French of the chancellery spread as a political and literary language because the French court was the model of chivalric culture". Consequently, it was less as a centralising monarch than as a "gentle courtly prince" that the king unwittingly spread his language" and "the methods of expansion were not political"'. This status continued to grow into the 18th century, by which time French was the language of European diplomacy and international relations.
French is a lingua franca of Algeria according to the CIA World Factbook. Algeria is the second largest Francophone country in the world in terms of speakers. In 2008, 11.2 million Algerians (33%) could read and write in French. Despite intermittent attempts to eradicate French from public life, by the 2000s the proportion of French speakers in Algeria was much higher than on the eve of independence in 1962.
The Francophonie or Francophone World is the whole body of people and organisations around the world who use the French language regularly for private or public purposes. The term was coined by Onésime Reclus in 1880 and became important as part of the conceptual rethinking of cultures and geography in the late 20th century. The Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) is a body uniting countries where French is spoken.
Leïla Slimani is a Moroccan writer and journalist. She is also a French diplomat in her capacity as the personal representative of the French president Emmanuel Macron to the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. In 2016, she was awarded the Prix Goncourt for her novel Chanson douce.
The Neirab steles are two 8th-century BC steles with Aramaic inscriptions found in 1891 in Al-Nayrab near Aleppo, Syria. They are currently in the Louvre. They were discovered in 1891 and acquired by Charles Simon Clermont-Ganneau for the Louvre on behalf of the Commission of the Corpus Inscriptionum Semiticarum. The steles are made of black basalt, and the inscriptions note that they were funerary steles. The inscriptions are known as KAI 225 and KAI 226.
Mélissa Ouimet is a Franco-Ontarian singer and songwriter.
Les enquêtes montrent que la Flandre est bien plus multilingue, ce qui est sans doute un fait bien connu, mais la différence est considérable : alors que 59 % et 53 % des Flamands connaissent le français ou l'anglais respectivement, seulement 19 % et 17 % des Wallons connaissent le néerlandais ou l'anglais. ... 95 pour cent des Bruxellois déclarent parler le français, alors que ce pourcentage tombe à 59 pour cent pour le néerlandais. Quant à l'anglais, il est connu par une proportion importante de la population à Bruxelles (41 pour cent). ... Le syndrome d'H (...) frappe la Wallonie, où à peine 19 et 17 pour cent de la population parlent respectivement le néerlandais et l'anglais.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Il faut savoir qu'en 2006, 17% d'Argentins ont un ancêtre venu de France. Près de 6 millions d'Argentins ont donc des origines françaises.
La conséquence de cette émigration fut que, en 1849, les Français représentaient la deuxième nationalité étrangère au Mexique, derrière les Espagnols.
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