Intro: The Francophone World

Did you know?

French is spoken by over 320 million people. It is one of the few languages spoken on every continent!

Quick Facts:

The French-speaking world includes over 50 countries and territories
French is one of the working languages of the UN, EU, Olympics, and African Union.

French is one of the fastest-growing languages, with a large number of learners, particularly in Africa.

À l’école Eliette Danglades, un défilé pour la biodiversité. France-Guyane, 27 May 2024, https://www.franceguyane.fr/actualite/education-sante-environnement/a-lecole-eliette-danglades-un-defile-pour-la-biodiversite-2999.php. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.

La Francophonie refers to French-speaking people on every continent. It includes countries and organizations like the "Organization International de la Francophonie" that promote French language and culture.

This diverse global community holds history and culture beyond France. Click on the menu below to learn more about each geographic area:

Africa

French is currently used in education, media, and government in many African countries such as Senegal, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Mali, Cameroon.

Senegal

There are a lot of changes on the horizon for Senegal with the recent recovery plan unveiled by Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko. As of July 2025, French military bases were fully withdrawn from the country, further signaling a new chapter in self-determination for Senegal.

Reuters. Senegal's Prime Minister Unveils Recovery Plan to Rely on Domestic Funding. 1 Aug. 2025, https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/senegal-unveils-recovery-plan-rely-domestic-funding-2025-08-01/. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.

Photo by Emeka Mbaebie from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/colorful-buildings-and-boats-on-goree-island-senegal-31450206/

Morocco

Photo by Wahid S: https://www.pexels.com/photo/waterfall-near-green-trees-during-daytime-104610/

Democratic Republic of Congo

Photo by Edouard MIHIGO from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/traditional-fishing-boat-on-lake-kivu-at-dusk-30164278/

Mundenga, Müller, et al. “African Federation for Emergency Medicine’s Francophone Working Group – May 2018 Report.” African Journal of Emergency Medicine, vol. 8, 2018, pp. 123–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.afjem.2018.08.003.

Europe

It's well known that French is an official language in France, but did you know that it is also an official language in Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Monaco?

Switzerland

Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/birds-eye-view-of-house-on-hill-over-white-clouds-415958/

Monaco

Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/birds-eye-view-of-house-on-hill-over-white-clouds-415958/

Addicted04. Knowledge of French to a Conversational Level in the European Union and the United Kingdom. 17 Oct. 2009. Special Eurobarometer 243: Europeans and Their Languages, European Commission. Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Knowledge_of_French_EU_map.svg. Public domain. Accessed 2 Aug. 2025.

The Americas

You may know that French is spoken in parts of Canada and in Haiti, but did you know that French Guiana in South America is francophone? One of our recent graduates, Jackie Wilson, spent a year teaching English there with TAPIF!

Biodiversity Catwalk at School in Guyane

Map of French Guiana and Suriname in South America

SurinameCentral. Map Showing the Locations of Both French Guiana and Suriname. 11 May 2023. Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:French_Guiana_Suriname_Locator_01.svg. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International. Accessed 2 Aug. 2025.

French-Speaking Canada

Freudinator. Territories Using French as a Primary and Secondary Language in Canada. 7 Mar. 2022. French Language Distribution in Canada, based on data from Canadian French. Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Territories_using_French_as_a_Primary_and_Secondary_Language_in_Canada.svg. CC BY 4.0. Accessed 2 Aug. 2025.

North American French-Speaking and Lesser-known Francophone Communities

u/ileuw2j. Comment on “Map showing what percent of each country speaks French.” Reddit, 23 Aug. 2022, www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/wv502x/comment/ileuw2j/. Accessed 2 Aug. 2025.

Tropical Forest in French Guiana

Cayambe. French Guiana: Tropical Forest Towards Cacao. Panorama at Bellevue. 24 Mar. 2013. Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:French_Guiana_tropical_forest_towards_Cacao.jpg. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0. Accessed 2 Aug. 2025.

Asia & Middle East

French influence remains in Lebanon, Vietnam, and Cambodia due to historical colonization.

Da Nang, Vietnam

Lê Minh. Red Big Hearts. Pexels, 7 Feb. 2019, https://www.pexels.com/photo/red-big-hearts-3054786/. Accessed 2 Aug. 2025.

Rechmaya, Lebanon

Town Sign in Standard Arabic and French at the Entrance of Rechmaya, Lebanon.” Wikipedia: French Language in Lebanon, 15 July 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_language_in_Lebanon. Accessed 2 Aug. 2025.

Cambodia

Werner, Manfred. Own work, 3.0 Creative Commons Attribution, Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14165. Accessed 2 Aug. 2025.

Oceania

You've probably heard of islands like Tahiti and Bora Bora. These are in French Polynesia!

Territories like New Caledonia and French Polynesia continue to use French as an official language.

French Polynesia

Maria, Michelle. Bora-Bora, French Polynesia. 1 Mar. 2015. Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bora-Bora_French_Polynesia_-_panoramio_(2).jpg. Creative Commons Attribution 3.0. Accessed 2 Aug. 2025.

New Caledonia

Brisset, Catherine. [Title of Image]. Own work, Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72156880. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0. Accessed 2 Aug. 2025.

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