French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 110 million people as first language, by 190 million people as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 57 countries. It is spoken in Europe, Africa, Americas, Pacific and regions in Asia. It is the official language in 28 countries, numerous international organizations and all United Nations agencies. According to the European Union, 129 million people in 27 member states speak French, of which 65 million are native speakers and 69 million speak it as a second language. That makes it the third most spoken second language in the Union, after English and German.

EUROPE

Switzerland
French is one of the four official languages of Switzerland (along with German, Italian and Romansh) and is spoken in the part of Switzerland called Romandie. French is the native language of about 20% of the Swiss population.

Belgium
In total, native French-speakers make up about 40% of the country's population, while the remaining 60% speak Dutch. Off the latter, 59% claim to speak French as a second language. French is thus known by an estimated 75% of all Belgians, either as a mother tongue, a second or third language.

Malta
17% of the Maltese populations speaks French. A French presence has existed on Malta since the arrival of the Ordre des Hospitaliers in 1530.

Monaco
Although Monegasque is the national language of the Principality of Monaco, French is the only official language, and French nationals make up some 47% of the population.

Andorra
Catalan is the only official language of Andorra; however, French is commonly used due to the proximity to France. French nationals make up 7% of the population.

Italy
French is also an official language, along with Italian, in the province of Aosta Valley.

Luxembourg
French is one of three official languages of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Luxembourg's education system is trilingual. In secondary school, the language of instruction changes from German to French.

The Channel Islands
French is an official language in Jersey and Guernsey. Both use French to some degree, mostly in an administrative capacity. Jersey legal French is the standardized variety used in Jersey.

AMERICAS

Canada
French is the second most common language in Canada, after English, and both are official languages at the federal level. French is the sole official language in the province of Quebec, being the mother tongue for some 7 million people. New Brunswick, where about a third of the population is francophone, is the only officially bilingual province. Portions of Ontario, Nova Scotia and Manitoba have sizeable French minorities.

Haiti
French is another official language in Haiti.

French Overseas Territories
French is also the official language in France's overseas territories of French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin and Saint Pierre et Miquelon.

The United States
Although it has no official recognition on a federal level, French is the third most spoken language in the United States, after English and Spanish, and the second most spoken in the States of Louisiana, Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire. Louisiana is home to many distinct dialects, Cajun French has the largest number of speakers. According to the 2000 US Census, there are over 194,000 people in Louisiana who speak French at home, the most of any state if excluding Creole French.

AFRICA

A majority of the world's French speaking population lives in Africa. According to the 2007 report by the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, an estimated 115 million African people spread across 31 francophone African countries can speak French either as a first of second language. It has become a first language, such as in the region of Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire and in Libreville, Gabon. In the territories of the Indian Ocean, the French language is often spoken alongside French derived creole languages.
Sub-Saharan Africa is the region where the French language is most likely to expand, due to the expansion of education and rapid demographic growth. French is also the official language of Mayotte and Reunion, two overseas territories of France located in the Indian Ocean, as well as an administrative and educational language in Mauritius.

ASIA

Lebanon
French was the official language in Lebanon, along with Arabic, until 1943, when the country declared independence from France. French is still considered an official language by the Lebanese people and is used on bank notes and on official buildings. French is widely used by the Lebanese, especially for administrative purposes, and is taught in many schools as a primary language.

Southeast Asia
French is an administrative language in Laos and Cambodia. In Myanmar, French is gaining popularity amongst university students and the tourism sector, as the country slowly opens up. French is not offered at the basic education level, but the University of Foreign Languages in Yangon offers B.A. in French, and Alliance Française has active centers in Yangon and Mandalay. The Francophone community is estimated to number from 25,000 or 50,000+.

India
French is commonly taught as a third language in secondary schools in most cities of Maharashtra, including Mumbai, as part of the preparation for secondary school and higher secondary school certificate examinations. Certain high-profile schools affiliated with the CBSE in the NCR offer French as an option as early as grade 4. In grade 9, students are asked to drop either French or Hindi, which is their native language.

Oceania
French is the second official language of the Pacific Island nation in Vanuatu, along with France's territories of French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna, and New Caledonia.