list of countries where english is an official language
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List of countries where English is an official languageFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The following is a list of sovereign states and territories where English is an official or language of
government.
In many countries English is the dominant language, but does not have official status. In Australia,
English is spoken by the vast majority of the population and is the only language used
in government institutions, yet Australia does not have an official language. The case is the same
in the United Kingdom and the United States, though many states and regions within the U.S. do
have English as an official language. English is the official language of Canada along
with French and the Philippines.[1]English is the sole official language of the Commonwealth of
Nations and the Commonwealth Games. English is one of the official languages of the United
Nations, European Union and the International Olympic Committee.
Many of these countries are current or former colonies or dependencies of the United
Kingdom (see also British Empire), or of the United States. Notable exceptions
include Rwanda which was a former Belgian colony as well as Ethiopia and Eritrea.
India's linguistic picture is complex. According to the Constitution of India, "Hindi in
the Devanagari script" is the official language of the union[2] and English the 'subsidiary official
language';[3] however, English is mandated for the authoritative texts of all federal laws and
Supreme Court decisions, and (along with Hindi) is one of the two languages of the Indian
Parliament. English is used almost exclusively for all higher education, business and science. All
school courses are taught in English. English is extensively used for administrative purposes in
India. India is the 2nd largest English-speaking country in the world by population next to U.S.A.
As such, many consider English to be the de facto official language of India.[citation needed] See Official
languages of India.
The linguistic makeup of Pakistan is similarly complex. While the national language is Urdu,
English is an official language and used in business, government, and law.[4] English is a
compulsory language in schools. All school courses are taught in English.[citation needed] Pakistan is
the 9th largest English-speaking country in the world by population.[5]
Contents
[hide]
1 Majority English-speaking countries
2 Sovereign states
3 Non-sovereign entities
4 Map of English Status
5 See also
6 Footnotes
7 References
[edit]Majority English-speaking countries
Additional major English-speaking countries can also be found in the Caribbean and Pacific.
Former American and British colonies include Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas,
Barbados, Belau, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Federation of
Micronesia, Grenada, Guam, Guyana, Jamaica, Johnston, Montserrat, Northern Marianas, St. Kitts
and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands,
and the United States Virgin Islands. Though these islands are small, they are culturally and
linguistically tied to the UK or USA. A number of countries use English as an official language as a
unifying force despite the influence of major local languages in countries such as Botswana, Fiji,
Ghana, Kenya, India, Hong Kong, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Nigeria,
Pakistan, Philippines, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Samoa, Singapore, South Africa, Sri
Lanka, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tonga, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Zambia. English may also be a
widely-used unofficial language, as is the case in Bangladesh.[6]
[edit]Sovereign states
Countries where English is a de jure/official language
Country Region Population1
Barbados[7] Caribbean 294,000
Belize [8] Central America / Caribbean 288,000
Botswana [8] Africa 1,882,000
Cameroon[9] Africa 18,549,000
Canada[9] North America 33,531,000
Dominica[9] Caribbean 73,000
Countries where English is a de jure/official language
Country Region Population1
Eritrea[9] Africa 5,224,000
Ethiopia[9] Africa 82,101,998
Fiji[9] Oceania 827,900
The Gambia[9] Africa 1,709,000
Ghana[9] Africa 23,478,000
Grenada[9] Caribbean 106,000
Guyana[10] South America / Caribbean 738,000
India [8][11] Asia 1,143,540,000
Ireland[12] Europe 4,581,269
Jamaica[13] Caribbean 2,714,000
Kenya[9] Africa 37,538,000
Kiribati[9] Oceania 95,000
Lesotho[9] Africa 2,008,000
Liberia[9] Africa 3,750,000
Malawi[14] Africa 13,925,000
Countries where English is a de jure/official language
Country Region Population1
Malta[9] Europe 412,600
Marshall Islands[9] Oceania 59,000
Mauritius[9] Africa / Indian Ocean 1,262,000
Federated States of Micronesia[9] Oceania 111,000
Namibia[9] Africa 2,074,000
Nauru[15] Oceania 10,000
Nigeria[9][16] Africa 148,093,000
Pakistan[9] Asia 165,449,000
Palau [8] Oceania 20,000
Papua New Guinea[17][18] Oceania 6,331,000
Philippines[9][19] Asia 90,457,200
Rwanda[9] Africa 9,725,000
Saint Kitts and Nevis[20] Caribbean 50,000
Saint Lucia[9] Caribbean 165,000
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines[21] Caribbean 120,000
Countries where English is a de jure/official language
Country Region Population1
Samoa[22] Oceania 188,359
Seychelles[9] Africa / Indian Ocean 87,000
Sierra Leone[9] Africa 5,866,000
Singapore[23] Asia 4,839,400
Solomon Islands[9] Oceania 506,992
South Africa[24] Africa 47,850,700
South Sudan[25] Africa 8,260,490
Sudan[9] Africa 31,894,000
Swaziland[9] Africa 1,141,000
Tanzania[9] Africa 40,454,000
Tonga[26] Oceania 100,000
Trinidad and Tobago[9] Caribbean 1,333,000
Tuvalu[8] Oceania 11,000
Uganda[9] Africa 30,884,000
Vanuatu[27] Oceania 226,000
Countries where English is a de jure/official language
Country Region Population1
Zambia[9] Africa 11,922,000
Zimbabwe[9] Africa 13,349,000
Countries where English is the de facto language
Country Region Population1
Antigua and Barbuda[9] Caribbean 85,000
Australia[28] Australia 22,374,370
Bahamas, The[9] Caribbean 331,000
New Zealand[9] Oceania 4,294,350
United Kingdom aka
England Wales Scotland
Europe 61,612,300
United States North America 309,442,000
[edit]Non-sovereign entities
Entity Region Population1
American Samoa11 Oceania 67,000
Anguilla[9] Caribbean 13,000
Bermuda9[9] North America 65,000
Entity Region Population1
British Virgin Islands[9] Caribbean 23,000
Cayman Islands [8] Caribbean 47,000
Christmas Island12[9] Australia 1,508
Cocos (Keeling) Islands[9] Australia 596
Cook Islands[9] Oceania 20,200
Falkland Islands South Atlantic 3,000
Gibraltar[9] Europe 29,257
Guam4 Oceania 173,000
Guernsey10 Europe 61,811
Hong Kong2[9] Asia 7,097,600
Isle of Man8 Europe 80,058
Jersey6[9] Europe 89,300
Montserrat[8] Caribbean 5,900
Niue Oceania 1,600
Norfolk Island[9] Australia 1,828
Northern Mariana Islands7 Oceania 84,000
Entity Region Population1
Pitcairn Islands13[9] Oceania 50
Puerto Rico3 Caribbean 3,991,000
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha[8] South Atlantic 5,660
Sint Maarten Caribbean 40,900
San Andrés y Providencia[29] Caribbean 59,573
Somaliland[30] Africa 3,500,000
Tokelau [8] Oceania 1,400
Turks and Caicos Islands[9] Caribbean 26,000
U.S. Virgin Islands5 Caribbean 111,000
[edit]Map of English Status
Map of nations using English as an official language or as the predominant language
[edit]See also
Anglo-America
Anglosphere
Commonwealth of Nations
British Overseas Territories
List of countries by English-speaking population
[edit]Footnotes
^1 The population figures are based on the sources in List of countries by population, with
information as of 23 January 2009 (UN estimates, et al.)
^2 Hong Kong is a former British Crown Colony (1843-1981) and British Dependent
Territory (1981-1997); it is currently a special administrative region of the People's
Republic of China (1997- present)
^3 Puerto Rico is, historically and geographically, connected to the Spanish-
speaking Caribbean; Spanish is the main language of the majority of Puerto Ricans.
Puerto Rico is an unincorporated United States territory referred to as a "Commonwealth"
^4 Guam is an organized unincorporated territory of the United States
^5 The US Virgin Islands is an insular area of the United States
^6 Jersey is a British Crown dependency
^7 The Northern Mariana Islands is a commonwealth in political union with the United
States
^8 Isle of Man is a British Crown dependency
^9 Bermuda is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom
^10 Guernsey is a British Crown dependency
^11 American Samoa is an unincorporated U.S. territory
^12 Christmas Island is an external territory of Australia
^13 Pitcairn Islands is a British overseas territory
[edit]References
1. ^ OCOL - Home
2. ^ "The Union: Official
Language". National Informatics
Centre (NIC). 2007. Retrieved June 24,
2007.
3. ^ "Notification No. 2/8/60-O.L. (Ministry
of Home Affairs)". April 27, 1960.
Retrieved July 4, 2007.
4. ^ CIA - The World Factbook
5. ^ Introduction to Pakistan
6. ^ "Basic Facts of Bangladesh". High
Commission of Bangladesh. Retrieved
14 July 2011.
7. ^ "Society". Government Information
Service (Barbados). Retrieved 2009-01-
18.
8. ^ a b c d e f g h i English usage; "Field
Listing - Languages". The World
Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency.
Retrieved 2009-01-11..
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab
ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av
Official language; "Field Listing -
Languages". The World
Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency.
Retrieved 2009-01-11..
10. ^ "National Profile". Government
Information Agency (Guyana). Retrieved
2009-01-18.
11. ^ N. Krishnaswamy; Lalitha
Krishnaswamy (6 January 2006). "3.14
English Becomes a Second
Language". The story of English in India.
Foundation
Books. ISBN 9788175963122.
12. ^ BUNREACHT NA hÉIREANN
13. ^ The Constitution of Jamaica (section
20(6e) — implicit)
14. ^ Malawi Investment Promotion Agency
(August 2005). "Opportunities for
investment and Trade in Malawi – the
Warm Heart of Africa". Government of
Malawi. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
15. ^ "Nauru". New Zealand Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and Trade. 2008-12-03.
Retrieved 2009-01-18. English and
Nauruan are official.
16. ^ "Country profile: Nigeria". BBC News.
April 30, 2008. Retrieved November 10,
2008.
17. ^ "General Information on Papua New
Guinea". Papua New Guinea Tourism
Promotion Authority. Retrieved 2009-01-
18.[dead link]
18. ^ "Country profile: Papua New
Guinea". BBC News. 2008-11-28.
19. ^ "Constitution of the Republic of the
Philippines, Article XIV". Chanrobles
Law Library. 1987. Retrieved October
27, 2007.(See Article XIV, Section 7)
20. ^ "Primary Schools". Government of St
Christopher (St Kitts) and Nevis.
Retrieved 2009-01-18.
21. ^ "St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Profile". Agency for Public Information
(Saint Vincent and the Grenadines).
Retrieved 2011-06-18.
22. ^ "Legislations: List of Acts and
Ordinances". The Parliament of Samoa.
Retrieved 2009-01-18.[dead link] Languages
for official legislation are Samoan and
English.
23. ^ Wong, Aline (2000-11-24). "Education
in a Multicultural Setting - The Singapore
Experience". Ministry of Education,
Government of Singapore. Retrieved
2009-01-18. "There are four official
languages: English, Chinese, Malay and
Tamil."
24. ^ "Constitution of the Republic of South
Africa". Constitutional Court of South
Africa. Retrieved 2009-01-11.
25. ^ "The Constitution of Southern Sudan".
Southern Sudan Civil Society Initiative.
Retrieved 2011-07-09.
26. ^ Kingdom of Tonga (March 2008). "The
United Nations / Universal Periodic
Review by the United Nations Human
Rights Council". Retrieved 2009-01-18.
[dead link] English and Tongan are listed as
official.
27. ^ "Constitution of the Republic of
Vanuatu". Government of the Republic
of Vanuatu. 1980-83. Retrieved 2009-01-
18.
28. ^ "Pluralist Nations: Pluralist Language
Policies?". 1995 Global Cultural Diversity
Conference Proceedings,
Sydney.Department of Immigration and
Citizenship. Retrieved 11 January
2009."English has no de jure status but it
is so entrenched as the common
language that it is de facto the official
language as well as the national
language."
29. ^ http://www.alcaldiabogota.gov.co/
sisjur/normas/Norma1.jsp?i=2780
30. ^ "National Profile". Republic of
Somaliland. Retrieved 2011-08-24.
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