Norfolk Islandarable land: 0%permanent crops: 0%other: 100% (2001)
Northern Mariana Islandsarable land: 13.04%permanent crops: 4.35%other: 82.61% (2001)
Norwayarable land: 2.87%permanent crops: 0%other: 97.13% (2001)
Omanarable land: 0.12%permanent crops: 0.14%other: 99.74% (2001)
Pakistanarable land: 27.87%permanent crops: 0.87%other: 71.26% (2001)
Palauarable land: 8.7%permanent crops: 4.35%other: 86.95% (2001)
Palmyra Atollarable land: 0%permanent crops: 0%other: 100% (forests and woodlands) (2005)
Panamaarable land: 7.36%permanent crops: 1.98%other: 90.66% (2001)
Papua New Guineaarable land: 0.46%permanent crops: 1.44%other: 98.1% (2001)
Paracel Islandsarable land: 0%permanent crops: 0%other: 100% (2001)
Paraguayarable land: 7.6%permanent crops: 0.23%other: 92.17% (2001)
Peruarable land: 2.89%permanent crops: 0.4%other: 96.71% (2001)
Philippinesarable land: 18.95%permanent crops: 16.77%other: 64.28% (2001)
Pitcairn Islandsarable land: NA%permanent crops: NA%other: NA%
Polandarable land: 45.91%permanent crops: 1.12%other: 52.97% (2001)
Portugalarable land: 21.75%permanent crops: 7.81%other: 70.44% (2001)
Puerto Ricoarable land: 3.95%permanent crops: 5.52%other: 90.53% (2001)
Qatararable land: 1.64%permanent crops: 0.27%other: 98.09% (2001)
Reunionarable land: 13.6%permanent crops: 1.2%other: 85.2% (2001)
Romaniaarable land: 40.82%permanent crops: 2.25%other: 56.93% (2001)
Russiaarable land: 7.33%permanent crops: 0.11%other: 92.56% (2001)
Rwandaarable land: 40.54%permanent crops: 12.16%other: 47.3% (2001)
Saint Helenaarable land: 12.9%permanent crops: 0%other: 87.1% (2001)
Saint Kitts and Nevisarable land: 19.44%permanent crops: 2.78%other: 77.78% (2001)
Saint Luciaarable land: 6.56%permanent crops: 22.95%other: 70.49% (2001)
Saint Pierre and Miquelonarable land: 13.04%permanent crops: 0%other: 86.96% (2001)
Saint Vincent and the Grenadinesarable land: 17.95%permanent crops: 17.95%other: 64.1% (2001)
Samoaarable land: 21.2%permanent crops: 24.38%other: 54.42% (2001)
San Marinoarable land: 16.67%permanent crops: 0%other: 83.33% (2001)
Sao Tome and Principearable land: 6.25%permanent crops: 48.96%other: 44.79% (2001)
Saudi Arabiaarable land: 1.67%permanent crops: 0.09%other: 98.24% (2001)
Senegalarable land: 12.78%permanent crops: 0.21%other: 87.01% (2001)
Serbia and Montenegroarable land: 33.35%permanent crops: 3.2%other: 63.45% (2001)
Seychellesarable land: 2.22%permanent crops: 13.33%other: 84.45% (2001)
Sierra Leonearable land: 6.98%permanent crops: 0.89%other: 92.13% (2001)
Singaporearable land: 1.64%permanent crops: 0%other: 98.36% (2001)
Slovakiaarable land: 30.16%permanent crops: 2.62%other: 67.22% (2001)
Sloveniaarable land: 8.6%permanent crops: 1.49%other: 89.91% (2001)
Solomon Islandsarable land: 0.64%permanent crops: 2%other: 97.36% (2001)
Somaliaarable land: 1.67%permanent crops: 0.04%other: 98.29% (2001)
South Africaarable land: 12.08%permanent crops: 0.79%other: 87.13% (2001)
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islandsarable land: 0%permanent crops: 0%other: 100% (largely covered by permanent ice and snow with somesparse vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen) (2001)
Spainarable land: 26.07%permanent crops: 9.87%other: 64.06% (2001)
Spratly Islandsarable land: 0%permanent crops: 0%other: 100% (2001)
Sri Lankaarable land: 13.86%permanent crops: 15.7%other: 70.44% (2001)
Sudanarable land: 6.83%permanent crops: 0.18%other: 92.99% (2001)
Surinamearable land: 0.37%permanent crops: 0.06%other: 99.57% (2001)
Svalbardarable land: 0%permanent crops: 0%other: 100% (no trees, and the only bushes are crowberry andcloudberry) (2001)
Swazilandarable land: 10.35%permanent crops: 0.7%other: 88.95% (2001)
Swedenarable land: 6.54%permanent crops: 0.01%other: 93.45% (2001)
Switzerlandarable land: 10.42%permanent crops: 0.61%other: 88.97% (2001)
Syriaarable land: 25.22%permanent crops: 4.43%other: 70.35% (2001)
Taiwanarable land: 24%permanent crops: 1%other: 75% (2001)
Tajikistanarable land: 6.61%permanent crops: 0.92%other: 92.47% (2001)
Tanzaniaarable land: 4.52%permanent crops: 1.08%other: 94.4% (2001)
Thailandarable land: 29.36%permanent crops: 6.46%other: 64.18% (2001)
Togoarable land: 46.15%permanent crops: 2.21%other: 51.64% (2001)
Tokelauarable land: 0% (soil is thin and infertile)permanent crops: 0%other: 100% (2001)
Tongaarable land: 23.61%permanent crops: 43.06%other: 33.33% (2001)
Trinidad and Tobagoarable land: 14.62%permanent crops: 9.16%other: 76.22% (2001)
Tromelin Islandarable land: 0%permanent crops: 0%other: 100% (grasses; scattered bushes) (2001)
Tunisiaarable land: 17.86%permanent crops: 13.74%other: 68.4% (2001)
Turkeyarable land: 30.93%permanent crops: 3.31%other: 65.76% (2001)
Turkmenistanarable land: 3.72%permanent crops: 0.14%other: 96.14% (2001)
Turks and Caicos Islandsarable land: 2.33%permanent crops: 0%other: 97.67% (2001)
Tuvaluarable land: 0%permanent crops: 0%other: 100% (2001)
Ugandaarable land: 25.88%permanent crops: 10.65%other: 63.47% (2001)
Ukrainearable land: 56.21%permanent crops: 1.61%other: 42.18% (2001)
United Arab Emiratesarable land: 0.6%permanent crops: 2.25%other: 97.15% (2001)
United Kingdomarable land: 23.46%permanent crops: 0.21%other: 76.33% (2001)
United Statesarable land: 19.13%permanent crops: 0.22%other: 80.65% (2001)
Uruguayarable land: 7.43%permanent crops: 0.23%other: 92.34% (2001)
Uzbekistanarable land: 10.83%permanent crops: 0.83%other: 88.34% (2001)
Vanuatuarable land: 2.46%permanent crops: 7.38%other: 90.16% (2001)
Venezuelaarable land: 2.95%permanent crops: 0.92%other: 96.13% (2001)
Vietnamarable land: 19.97%permanent crops: 5.95%other: 74.08% (2001)
Virgin Islandsarable land: 11.76%permanent crops: 2.94%other: 85.3% (2001)
Wake Islandarable land: 0%permanent crops: 0%other: 100% (2001)
Wallis and Futunaarable land: 5%permanent crops: 25%other: 70% (2001)
West Bankarable land: 16.9%permanent crops: 18.97%other: 64.13% (2001)
Western Saharaarable land: 0.02%permanent crops: 0%other: 99.98% (2001)
Worldarable land: 10.73%permanent crops: 1%other: 88.27% (2001)
Yemenarable land: 2.78%permanent crops: 0.24%other: 96.98% (2001)
Zambiaarable land: 7.08%permanent crops: 0.03%other: 92.9% (2001)
Zimbabwearable land: 8.32%permanent crops: 0.34%other: 91.34% (2001)
This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005
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@2098 Languages (%)
AfghanistanAfghan Persian or Dari (official) 50%, Pashtu (official)35%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minorlanguages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism
AkrotiriEnglish, Greek
AlbaniaAlbanian (official - derived from Tosk dialect), Greek,Vlach, Romani, Slavic dialects
AlgeriaArabic (official), French, Berber dialects
American SamoaSamoan 90.6% (closely related to Hawaiian and otherPolynesian languages), English 2.9%, Tongan 2.4%, other Pacificislander 2.1%, other 2%note: most people are bilingual (2000 census)
AndorraCatalan (official), French, Castilian, Portuguese
AngolaPortuguese (official), Bantu and other African languages
AnguillaEnglish (official)
Antigua and BarbudaEnglish (official), local dialects
ArgentinaSpanish (official), English, Italian, German, French
ArmeniaArmenian 97.7%, Yezidi 1%, Russian 0.9%, other 0.4% (2001census)
ArubaDutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch,English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish
AustraliaEnglish 79.1%, Chinese 2.1%, Italian 1.9%, other 11.1%,unspecified 5.8% (2001 Census)
AustriaGerman (official nationwide), Slovene (official inCarinthia), Croatian (official in Burgenland), Hungarian (officialin Burgenland)
AzerbaijanAzerbaijani (Azeri) 89%, Russian 3%, Armenian 2%, other6% (1995 est.)
Bahamas, TheEnglish (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants)
BahrainArabic, English, Farsi, Urdu
BangladeshBangla (official, also known as Bengali), English
BarbadosEnglish
BelarusBelarusian, Russian, other
BelgiumDutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German(official) less than 1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French)
BelizeEnglish (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole
BeninFrench (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars insouth), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north)
BermudaEnglish (official), Portuguese
BhutanDzongkha (official), Bhotes speak various Tibetan dialects,Nepalese speak various Nepalese dialects
BoliviaSpanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara (official)
Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnian, Croatian, Serbian
BotswanaSetswana 78.2%, Kalanga 7.9%, Sekgalagadi 2.8%, English2.1% (official), other 8.6%, unspecified 0.4% (2001 census)
BrazilPortuguese (official), Spanish, English, French
British Virgin IslandsEnglish (official)
BruneiMalay (official), English, Chinese
BulgariaBulgarian 84.5%, Turkish 9.6%, Roma 4.1%, other andunspecified 1.8% (2001 census)
Burkina FasoFrench (official), native African languages belongingto Sudanic family spoken by 90% of the population
BurmaBurmese, minority ethnic groups have their own languages
BurundiKirundi (official), French (official), Swahili (along LakeTanganyika and in the Bujumbura area)
CambodiaKhmer (official) 95%, French, English
Cameroon24 major African language groups, English (official),French (official)
CanadaEnglish (official) 59.3%, French (official) 23.2%, other 17.5%
Cape VerdePortuguese, Crioulo (a blend of Portuguese and WestAfrican words)
Cayman IslandsEnglish
Central African RepublicFrench (official), Sangho (lingua francaand national language), tribal languages
ChadFrench (official), Arabic (official), Sara (in south), morethan 120 different languages and dialects
ChileSpanish
ChinaStandard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijingdialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghaiese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan(Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages(see Ethnic groups entry)
Christmas IslandEnglish (official), Chinese, Malay
Cocos (Keeling) IslandsMalay (Cocos dialect), English
ColombiaSpanish
ComorosArabic (official), French (official), Shikomoro (a blend ofSwahili and Arabic)
Congo, Democratic Republic of theFrench (official), Lingala (alingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili orSwahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba
Congo, Republic of theFrench (official), Lingala and Monokutuba(lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects(of which Kikongo is the most widespread)
Cook IslandsEnglish (official), Maori
Costa RicaSpanish (official), English
Cote d'IvoireFrench (official), 60 native dialects with Dioula themost widely spoken
CroatiaCroatian 96.1%, Serbian 1%, other and undesignated 2.9%(including Italian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, and German) (2001census)
CubaSpanish
CyprusGreek, Turkish, English
Czech RepublicCzech
DenmarkDanish, Faroese, Greenlandic (an Inuit dialect), German(small minority)note: English is the predominant second language
DhekeliaEnglish, Greek
DjiboutiFrench (official), Arabic (official), Somali, Afar
DominicaEnglish (official), French patois
Dominican RepublicSpanish
East TimorTetum (official), Portuguese (official), Indonesian,Englishnote: there are about 16 indigenous languages; Tetum, Galole,Mambae, and Kemak are spoken by significant numbers of people
EcuadorSpanish (official), Amerindian languages (especially Quechua)
EgyptArabic (official), English and French widely understood byeducated classes
El SalvadorSpanish, Nahua (among some Amerindians)
Equatorial GuineaSpanish (official), French (official), pidginEnglish, Fang, Bubi, Ibo
EritreaAfar, Arabic, Tigre and Kunama, Tigrinya, other Cushiticlanguages
EstoniaEstonian (official) 67.3%, Russian 29.7%, other 2.3%,unknown 0.7% (2000 census)
EthiopiaAmharic, Tigrinya, Oromigna, Guaragigna, Somali, Arabic,other local languages, English (major foreign language taught inschools)
European UnionCzech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish,French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian,Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish; note- only official languages are listed; Irish (Gaelic) will become thetwenty-first language on 1 January 2007
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)English
Faroe IslandsFaroese (derived from Old Norse), Danish
FijiEnglish (official), Fijian, Hindustani
FinlandFinnish 92% (official), Swedish 5.6% (official), other 2.4%(small Sami- and Russian-speaking minorities) (2003)
FranceFrench 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects andlanguages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque,Flemish)
French GuianaFrench
French PolynesiaFrench 61.1% (official), Polynesian 31.4%(official), Asian languages 1.2%, other 0.3%, unspecified 6% (2002census)
GabonFrench (official), Fang, Myene, Nzebi, Bapounou/Eschira,Bandjabi
Gambia, TheEnglish (official), Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, otherindigenous vernaculars
Gaza StripArabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and manyPalestinians), English (widely understood)
GeorgiaGeorgian 71% (official), Russian 9%, Armenian 7%, Azeri 6%,other 7%note: Abkhaz is the official language in Abkhazia
GermanyGerman
GhanaEnglish (official), African languages (including Akan,Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga)
GibraltarEnglish (used in schools and for official purposes),Spanish, Italian, Portuguese
GreeceGreek 99% (official), English, French
GreenlandGreenlandic (East Inuit), Danish, English
GrenadaEnglish (official), French patois
GuadeloupeFrench (official) 99%, Creole patois
GuamEnglish 38.3%, Chamorro 22.2%, Philippine languages 22.2%,other Pacific island languages 6.8%, Asian languages 7%, otherlanguages 3.5% (2000 census)
GuatemalaSpanish 60%, Amerindian languages 40% (23 officiallyrecognized Amerindian languages, including Quiche, Cakchiquel,Kekchi, Mam, Garifuna, and Xinca)
GuernseyEnglish, French, Norman-French dialect spoken in countrydistricts
GuineaFrench (official), each ethnic group has its own language
Guinea-BissauPortuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages
GuyanaEnglish, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Hindi, Urdu
HaitiFrench (official), Creole (official)
Holy See (Vatican City)Italian, Latin, French, various otherlanguages
HondurasSpanish, Amerindian dialects
Hong KongChinese (Cantonese), English; both are official
HungaryHungarian 93.6%, other or unspecified 6.4% (2001 census)
IcelandIcelandic, English, Nordic languages, German widely spoken
IndiaEnglish enjoys associate status but is the most importantlanguage for national, political, and commercial communication;Hindi is the national language and primary tongue of 30% of thepeople; there are 14 other official languages: Bengali, Telugu,Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi,Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Sanskrit; Hindustani is a popularvariant of Hindi/Urdu spoken widely throughout northern India but isnot an official language
IndonesiaBahasa Indonesia (official, modified form of Malay),English, Dutch, local dialects, the most widely spoken of which isJavanese
IranPersian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%
IraqArabic, Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions), Assyrian,Armenian
IrelandEnglish (official) is the language generally used, Irish(official) (Gaelic or Gaeilge) spoken mainly in areas located alongthe western seaboard
IsraelHebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority,English most commonly used foreign language
ItalyItalian (official), German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adigeregion are predominantly German speaking), French (smallFrench-speaking minority in Valle d'Aosta region), Slovene(Slovene-speaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area)
JamaicaEnglish, patois English
JapanJapanese
JerseyEnglish 94.5% (official), Portuguese 4.6%, other 0.9% (2001census)
JordanArabic (official), English widely understood among upper andmiddle classes
KazakhstanKazakh (Qazaq, state language) 64.4%, Russian (official,used in everyday business, designated the "language of interethniccommunication") 95% (2001 est.)
KenyaEnglish (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenouslanguages
KiribatiI-Kiribati, English (official)
Korea, NorthKorean
Korea, SouthKorean, English widely taught in junior high and highschool
KuwaitArabic (official), English widely spoken
KyrgyzstanKyrgyz (official), Russian (official)
LaosLao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages
LatviaLatvian (official) 58.2%, Russian 37.5%, Lithuanian and other4.3% (2000 census)
LebanonArabic (official), French, English, Armenian
LesothoSesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa
LiberiaEnglish 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages, ofwhich a few can be written and are used in correspondence
LibyaArabic, Italian, English, all are widely understood in themajor cities
LiechtensteinGerman (official), Alemannic dialect
LithuaniaLithuanian (official) 82%, Russian 8%, Polish 5.6%, otherand unspecified 4.4% (2001 census)
LuxembourgLuxembourgish (national language), German (administrativelanguage), French (administrative language)
MacauCantonese 87.9%, Hokkien 4.4%, Mandarin 1.6%, other Chinesedialects 3.1%, other 3% (2001 census)
MacedoniaMacedonian 66.5%, Albanian 25.1%, Turkish 3.5%, Roma 1.9%,Serbian 1.2%, other 1.8% (2002 census)
MadagascarFrench (official), Malagasy (official)
MalawiChichewa 57.2% (official), Chinyanja 12.8%, Chiyao 10.1%,Chitumbuka 9.5%, Chisena 2.7%, Chilomwe 2.4%, Chitonga 1.7%, other3.6% (1998 census)
MalaysiaBahasa Melayu (official), English, Chinese dialects(Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil,Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thainote: in addition, in East Malaysia several indigenous languages arespoken, the largest are Iban and Kadazan
MaldivesMaldivian Dhivehi (dialect of Sinhala, script derived fromArabic), English spoken by most government officials
MaliFrench (official), Bambara 80%, numerous African languages
MaltaMaltese (official), English (official)
Man, Isle ofEnglish, Manx Gaelic
Marshall IslandsMarshallese 98.2%, other languages 1.8% (1999census)note: English widely spoken as a second language; both Marshalleseand English are official languages
MartiniqueFrench, Creole patois
MauritaniaArabic (official), Pulaar, Soninke, French, Hassaniya,Wolof
MauritiusCreole 80.5%, Bhojpuri 12.1%, French 3.4% (official),other 3.7%, unspecified 0.3% (2000 census)
MayotteMahorian (a Swahili dialect), French (official language)spoken by 35% of the population
MexicoSpanish, various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regionalindigenous languages
Micronesia, Federated States ofEnglish (official and commonlanguage), Trukese, Pohnpeian, Yapese, Kosrean, Ulithian, Woleaian,Nukuoro, Kapingamarangi
MoldovaMoldovan (official, virtually the same as the Romanianlanguage), Russian, Gagauz (a Turkish dialect)
MonacoFrench (official), English, Italian, Monegasque
MongoliaKhalkha Mongol 90%, Turkic, Russian (1999)
MontserratEnglish
MoroccoArabic (official), Berber dialects, French often thelanguage of business, government, and diplomacy
MozambiqueEmakhuwa 26.1%, Xichangana 11.3%, Portuguese 8.8%(official; spoken by 27% of population as a second language), Elomwe7.6%, Cisena 6.8%, Echuwabo 5.8%, other Mozambican languages 32%,other foreign languages 0.3%, unspecified 1.3% (1997 census)
NamibiaEnglish 7% (official), Afrikaans common language of most ofthe population and about 60% of the white population, German 32%,indigenous languages: Oshivambo, Herero, Nama
NauruNauruan (official, a distinct Pacific Island language),English widely understood, spoken, and used for most government andcommercial purposes
NepalNepali 47.8%, Maithali 12.1%, Bhojpuri 7.4%, Tharu(Dagaura/Rana) 5.8%, Tamang 5.1%, Newar 3.6%, Magar 3.3%, Awadhi2.4%, other 10%, unspecified 2.5% (2001 census)note: many in government and business also speak English
NetherlandsDutch (official), Frisian (official)
Netherlands AntillesPapiamento 65.4% (aSpanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect), English 15.9% (widelyspoken), Dutch 7.3% (official), Spanish 6.1%, Creole 1.6%, other1.9%, unspecified 1.8% (2001 census)
New CaledoniaFrench (official), 33 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects
New ZealandEnglish (official), Maori (official)
NicaraguaSpanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995census)note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast
NigerFrench (official), Hausa, Djerma
NigeriaEnglish (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo (Ibo), Fulani
NiueNiuean, a Polynesian language closely related to Tongan andSamoan; English
Norfolk IslandEnglish (official), Norfolk a mixture of 18th centuryEnglish and ancient Tahitian
Northern Mariana IslandsPhilippine languages 24.4%, Chinese 23.4%,Chamorro 22.4%, English 10.8%, other Pacific island languages 9.5%,other 9.6% (2000 census)
NorwayBokmal Norwegian (official), Nynorsk Norwegian (official),small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities
OmanArabic (official), English, Baluchi, Urdu, Indian dialects
PakistanPunjabi 48%, Sindhi 12%, Siraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10%,Pashtu 8%, Urdu (official) 8%, Balochi 3%, Hindko 2%, Brahui 1%,English (official and lingua franca of Pakistani elite and mostgovernment ministries), Burushaski, and other 8%
PalauPalauan 64.7% official in all islands except Sonsoral(Sonsoralese and English are official), Tobi (Tobi and English areofficial), and Angaur (Angaur, Japanese, and English are official),Filipino 13.5%, English 9.4%, Chinese 5.7%, Carolinian 1.5%,Japanese 1.5%, other Asian 2.3%, other languages 1.5% (2000 census)
PanamaSpanish (official), English 14%; note - many Panamaniansbilingual
Papua New GuineaMelanesian Pidgin serves as the lingua franca,English spoken by 1%-2%, Motu spoken in Papua regionnote: 715 indigenous languages - many unrelated
ParaguaySpanish (official), Guarani (official)
PeruSpanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara, and a largenumber of minor Amazonian languages
Philippinestwo official languages - Filipino (based on Tagalog) andEnglish; eight major dialects - Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano,Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinan
Pitcairn IslandsEnglish (official), Pitcairnese (mixture of an 18thcentury English dialect and a Tahitian dialect)
PolandPolish 97.8%, other and unspecified 2.2% (2002 census)
PortugalPortuguese (official), Mirandese (official - but locallyused)
Puerto RicoSpanish, English
QatarArabic (official), English commonly used as a second language
ReunionFrench (official), Creole widely used
RomaniaRomanian (official), Hungarian, German
RussiaRussian, many minority languages
RwandaKinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu vernacular, French(official), English (official), Kiswahili (Swahili) used incommercial centers
Saint HelenaEnglish
Saint Kitts and NevisEnglish
Saint LuciaEnglish (official), French patois
Saint Pierre and MiquelonFrench (official)
Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesEnglish, French patois
SamoaSamoan (Polynesian), English
San MarinoItalian
Sao Tome and PrincipePortuguese (official)
Saudi ArabiaArabic
SenegalFrench (official), Wolof, Pulaar, Jola, Mandinka
Serbia and MontenegroSerbian 95%, Albanian 5%
SeychellesCreole 91.8%, English 4.9% (official), other 3.1%,unspecified 0.2% (2002 census)
Sierra LeoneEnglish (official, regular use limited to literateminority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne(principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole,spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settledin the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10%of the population but understood by 95%)
SingaporeMandarin 35%, English 23%, Malay 14.1%, Hokkien 11.4%,Cantonese 5.7%, Teochew 4.9%, Tamil 3.2%, other Chinese dialects1.8%, other 0.9% (2000 census)
SlovakiaSlovak (official) 83.9%, Hungarian 10.7%, Roma 1.8%,Ukrainian 1%, other or unspecified 2.6% (2001 census)
SloveniaSlovenian 91.1%, Serbo-Croatian 4.5%, other or unspecified4.4% (2002 census)
Solomon IslandsMelanesian pidgin in much of the country is linguafranca; English is official but spoken by only 1%-2% of thepopulationnote: 120 indigenous languages
SomaliaSomali (official), Arabic, Italian, English
South AfricaIsiZulu 23.8%, IsiXhosa 17.6%, Afrikaans 13.3%, Sepedi9.4%, English 8.2%, Setswana 8.2%, Sesotho 7.9%, Xitsonga 4.4%,other 7.2% (2001 census)
SpainCastilian Spanish 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%;note - Castilian is the official language nationwide; the otherlanguages are official regionally
Sri LankaSinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil(national language) 18%, other 8%note: English is commonly used in government and is spokencompetently by about 10% of the population
SudanArabic (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects ofNilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages, Englishnote: program of "Arabization" in process
SurinameDutch (official), English (widely spoken), Sranang Tongo(Surinamese, sometimes called Taki-Taki, is native language ofCreoles and much of the younger population and is lingua francaamong others), Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Javanese
SvalbardNorwegian, Russian
SwazilandEnglish (official, government business conducted inEnglish), siSwati (official)
SwedenSwedish, small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities
SwitzerlandGerman (official) 63.7%, French (official) 20.4%,Italian (official) 6.5%, Serbo-Croatian 1.5%, Albanian 1.3%,Portuguese 1.2%, Spanish 1.1%, English 1%, Romansch 0.5%, other 2.8%(2000 census)note: German, French, Italian, and Romansch are all nationallanguages, but only the first three are official languages
SyriaArabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassianwidely understood; French, English somewhat understood
TaiwanMandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects
TajikistanTajik (official), Russian widely used in government andbusiness
TanzaniaKiswahili or Swahili (official), Kiunguja (name for Swahiliin Zanzibar), English (official, primary language of commerce,administration, and higher education), Arabic (widely spoken inZanzibar), many local languagesnote: Kiswahili (Swahili) is the mother tongue of the Bantu peopleliving in Zanzibar and nearby coastal Tanzania; although Kiswahiliis Bantu in structure and origin, its vocabulary draws on a varietyof sources, including Arabic and English, and it has become thelingua franca of central and eastern Africa; the first language ofmost people is one of the local languages
ThailandThai, English (secondary language of the elite), ethnic andregional dialects
TogoFrench (official and the language of commerce), Ewe and Mina(the two major African languages in the south), Kabye (sometimesspelled Kabiye) and Dagomba (the two major African languages in thenorth)
TokelauTokelauan (a Polynesian language), English
TongaTongan, English
Trinidad and TobagoEnglish (official), Hindi, French, Spanish,Chinese
TunisiaArabic (official and one of the languages of commerce),French (commerce)
TurkeyTurkish (official), Kurdish, Arabic, Armenian, Greek
TurkmenistanTurkmen 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7%
Turks and Caicos IslandsEnglish (official)
TuvaluTuvaluan, English, Samoan, Kiribati (on the island of Nui)
UgandaEnglish (official national language, taught in grade schools,used in courts of law and by most newspapers and some radiobroadcasts), Ganda or Luganda (most widely used of the Niger-Congolanguages, preferred for native language publications in the capitaland may be taught in school), other Niger-Congo languages,Nilo-Saharan languages, Swahili, Arabic
UkraineUkrainian (official) 67%, Russian 24%; small Romanian-,Polish-, and Hungarian-speaking minorities
United Arab EmiratesArabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu
United KingdomEnglish, Welsh (about 26% of the population ofWales), Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland)
United StatesEnglish 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%, other Indo-European3.8%, Asian and Pacific island 2.7%, other 0.7% (2000 census)
UruguaySpanish, Portunol, or Brazilero (Portuguese-Spanish mix onthe Brazilian frontier)
UzbekistanUzbek 74.3%, Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%, other 7.1%
Vanuatulocal languages (more than 100) 72.6%, pidgin (known asBislama or Bichelama) 23.1%, English 1.9%, French 1.4%, other 0.3%,unspecified 0.7% (1999 Census)
VenezuelaSpanish (official), numerous indigenous dialects
VietnamVietnamese (official), English (increasingly favored as asecond language), some French, Chinese, and Khmer; mountain arealanguages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)
Virgin IslandsEnglish 74.7%, Spanish or Spanish Creole 16.8%,French or French Creole 6.6%, other 1.9% (2000 census)
Wallis and FutunaWallisian 58.9% (indigenous Polynesian language),Futunian 30.1%, French 10.8%, other 0.2% (2003 census)
West BankArabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and manyPalestinians), English (widely understood)
Western SaharaHassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic
WorldChinese, Mandarin 13.69%, Spanish 5.05%, English 4.84%, Hindi2.82%, Portuguese 2.77%, Bengali 2.68%, Russian 2.27%, Japanese1.99%, German, Standard 1.49%, Chinese, Wu 1.21% (2004 est.)note: percents are for "first language" speakers only
YemenArabic
ZambiaEnglish (official), major vernaculars - Bemba, Kaonda, Lozi,Lunda, Luvale, Nyanja, Tonga, and about 70 other indigenous languages
ZimbabweEnglish (official), Shona, Sindebele (the language of theNdebele, sometimes called Ndebele), numerous but minor tribaldialects
This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005
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@2100 Legal system
Afghanistanaccording to the new constitution, no law should be"contrary to Islam"; the state is obliged to create a prosperous andprogressive society based on social justice, protection of humandignity, protection of human rights, realization of democracy, andto ensure national unity and equality among all ethnic groups andtribes; the state shall abide by the UN charter, internationaltreaties, international conventions that Afghanistan signed, and theUniversal Declaration of Human Rights
Akrotirithe laws of the UK, where applicable, apply
Albaniahas a civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJjurisdiction; has accepted jurisdiction of the InternationalCriminal Court for its citizens
Algeriasocialist, based on French and Islamic law; judicial reviewof legislative acts in ad hoc Constitutional Council composed ofvarious public officials, including several Supreme Court justices;has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
American SamoaNA
Andorrabased on French and Spanish civil codes; no judicial reviewof legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Angolabased on Portuguese civil law system and customary law;recently modified to accommodate political pluralism and increaseduse of free markets
Anguillabased on English common law
AntarcticaAntarctica is administered through meetings of theconsultative member nations; decisions from these meetings arecarried out by these member nations (with respect to their ownnationals and operations) in accordance with their own nationallaws; US law, including certain criminal offenses by or against USnationals, such as murder, may apply extra-territorially; some USlaws directly apply to Antarctica; for example, the AntarcticConservation Act, 16 U.S.C. section 2401 et seq., provides civil andcriminal penalties for the following activities, unless authorizedby regulation of statute: the taking of native mammals or birds; theintroduction of nonindigenous plants and animals; entry intospecially protected areas; the discharge or disposal of pollutants;and the importation into the US of certain items from Antarctica;violation of the Antarctic Conservation Act carries penalties of upto $10,000 in fines and one year in prison; the National ScienceFoundation and Department of Justice share enforcementresponsibilities; Public Law 95-541, the US Antarctic ConservationAct of 1978, as amended in 1996, requires expeditions from the US toAntarctica to notify, in advance, the Office of Oceans, Room 5805,Department of State, Washington, DC 20520, which reports such plansto other nations as required by the Antarctic Treaty; for moreinformation, contact Permit Office, Office of Polar Programs,National Science Foundation, Arlington, Virginia 22230; telephone:(703) 292-8030, or visit their website at www.nsf.gov; moregenerally, access to the Antarctic Treaty area, that is to all areasbetween 60 and 90 degrees latitude South, is subject to a number ofrelevant legal instruments and authorization procedures adopted bythe states party to the Antarctic Treaty.
Antigua and Barbudabased on English common law
Argentinamixture of US and West European legal systems; has notaccepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Armeniabased on civil law system
Arubabased on Dutch civil law system, with some English common lawinfluence
Ashmore and Cartier Islandsthe laws of the Commonwealth ofAustralia and the laws of the Northern Territory of Australia, whereapplicable, apply
Australiabased on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJjurisdiction, with reservations
Austriacivil law system with Roman law origin; judicial review oflegislative acts by the Constitutional Court; separateadministrative and civil/penal supreme courts; accepts compulsoryICJ jurisdiction
Azerbaijanbased on civil law system
Bahamas, Thebased on English common law
Bahrainbased on Islamic law and English common law
Baker Islandthe laws of the US, where applicable, apply
Bangladeshbased on English common law
BarbadosEnglish common law; no judicial review of legislative acts
Bassas da Indiathe laws of France, where applicable, apply
Belarusbased on civil law system
Belgiumcivil law system influenced by English constitutionaltheory; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJjurisdiction, with reservations
BelizeEnglish law
Beninbased on French civil law and customary law; has not acceptedcompulsory ICJ jurisdiction
BermudaEnglish law
Bhutanbased on Indian law and English common law; has not acceptedcompulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Boliviabased on Spanish law and Napoleonic Code; has not acceptedcompulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Bosnia and Herzegovinabased on civil law system
Botswanabased on Roman-Dutch law and local customary law; judicialreview limited to matters of interpretation; has not acceptedcompulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Bouvet Islandthe laws of Norway, where applicable, apply
Brazilbased on Roman codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJjurisdiction
British Indian Ocean Territorythe laws of the UK, where applicable,apply
British Virgin IslandsEnglish law
Bruneibased on English common law; for Muslims, Islamic Shari'a lawsupersedes civil law in a number of areas
Bulgariacivil law and criminal law based on Roman law; acceptscompulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Burkina Fasobased on French civil law system and customary law
Burmahas not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Burundibased on German and Belgian civil codes and customary law;has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Cambodiaprimarily a civil law mixture of French-influenced codesfrom the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC)period, royal decrees, and acts of the legislature, with influencesof customary law and remnants of communist legal theory; increasinginfluence of common law in recent years
Cameroonbased on French civil law system, with common lawinfluence; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Canadabased on English common law, except in Quebec, where civillaw system based on French law prevails; accepts compulsory ICJjurisdiction, with reservations
Cape Verdederived from the legal system of Portugal
Cayman IslandsBritish common law and local statutes
Central African Republicbased on French law
Chadbased on French civil law system and Chadian customary law; hasnot accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Chilebased on Code of 1857 derived from Spanish law and subsequentcodes influenced by French and Austrian law; judicial review oflegislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsoryICJ jurisdictionnote: Chile is in the process of completely overhauling its criminaljustice system; a new, US-style adversarial system is beinggradually implemented throughout the country with the final stage ofimplementation in the Santiago metropolitan region expected in June2005
Chinaa complex amalgam of custom and statute, largely criminal law;rudimentary civil code in effect since 1 January 1987; new legalcodes in effect since 1 January 1980; continuing efforts are beingmade to improve civil, administrative, criminal, and commercial law
Christmas Islandunder the authority of the governor general ofAustralia and Australian law
Clipperton Islandthe laws of France, where applicable, apply
Cocos (Keeling) Islandsbased upon the laws of Australia and locallaws
Colombiabased on Spanish law; a new criminal code modeled after USprocedures was enacted into law in 2004; judicial review ofexecutive and legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction,with reservations
ComorosFrench and Sharia (Islamic) law in a new consolidated code
Congo, Democratic Republic of thebased on Belgian civil law systemand tribal law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Congo, Republic of thebased on French civil law system andcustomary law
Cook Islandsbased on New Zealand law and English common law
Coral Sea Islandsthe laws of Australia, where applicable, apply
Costa Ricabased on Spanish civil law system; judicial review oflegislative acts in the Supreme Court; has accepted compulsory ICJjurisdiction
Cote d'Ivoirebased on French civil law system and customary law;judicial review in the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court;has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Croatiabased on civil law system
Cubabased on Spanish and American law, with large elements ofCommunist legal theory; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Cyprusbased on common law, with civil law modifications
Czech Republiccivil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; hasnot accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; legal code modified tobring it in line with Organization on Security and Cooperation inEurope (OSCE) obligations and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legaltheory
Denmarkcivil law system; judicial review of legislative acts;accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Dhekeliathe laws of the UK, where applicable, apply
Djiboutibased on French civil law system, traditional practices,and Islamic law
Dominicabased on English common law
Dominican Republicbased on French civil codes; undergoingmodification in 2004 towards an accusatory system
East TimorUN-drafted legal system based on Indonesian law remainsin place but will be replaced by civil and penal codes based onPortuguese law (2004)
Ecuadorbased on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJjurisdiction
Egyptbased on English common law, Islamic law, and Napoleoniccodes; judicial review by Supreme Court and Council of State(oversees validity of administrative decisions); accepts compulsoryICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
El Salvadorbased on civil and Roman law, with traces of common law;judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; acceptscompulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Equatorial Guineapartly based on Spanish civil law and tribal custom
Eritreaprimary basis is the Ethiopian legal code of 1957, withrevisions; new civil, commercial, and penal codes have not yet beenpromulgated; also relies on customary and post-independence-enactedlaws and, for civil cases involving Muslims, Sharia law
Estoniabased on civil law system; no judicial review of legislativeacts
Ethiopiacurrently transitional mix of national and regional courts
Europa Islandthe laws of France, where applicable, apply
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)English common law
Faroe IslandsDanish
Fijibased on British system
Finlandcivil law system based on Swedish law; the president mayrequest the Supreme Court to review laws; accepts compulsory ICJjurisdiction, with reservations
Francecivil law system with indigenous concepts; review ofadministrative but not legislative acts
French GuianaFrench legal system
French Polynesiabased on French system
French Southern and Antarctic Landsthe laws of France, whereapplicable, apply
Gabonbased on French civil law system and customary law; judicialreview of legislative acts in Constitutional Chamber of the SupremeCourt; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Gambia, Thebased on a composite of English common law, Koranic law,and customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, withreservations
Georgiabased on civil law system
Germanycivil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial reviewof legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court; has notaccepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Ghanabased on English common law and customary law; has notaccepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
GibraltarEnglish law
Glorioso Islandsthe laws of France, where applicable, apply
Greecebased on codified Roman law; judiciary divided into civil,criminal, and administrative courts
GreenlandDanish
Grenadabased on English common law
GuadeloupeFrench legal system
Guammodeled on US; US federal laws apply
Guatemalacivil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; hasnot accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
GuernseyEnglish law and local statutes; justice is administered bythe Royal Court
Guineabased on French civil law system, customary law, and decree;legal codes currently being revised; has not accepted compulsory ICJjurisdiction
Guinea-BissauNA
Guyanabased on English common law with certain admixtures ofRoman-Dutch law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Haitibased on Roman civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJjurisdiction
Heard Island and McDonald Islandsthe laws of Australia, whereapplicable, apply
Holy See (Vatican City)based on Code of Canon Law and revisions toit
Hondurasrooted in Roman and Spanish civil law with increasinginfluence of English common law; recent judicial reforms includeabandoning Napoleonic legal codes in favor of the oral adversarialsystem; accepts ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Hong Kongbased on English common law
Howland Islandthe laws of the US, where applicable, apply
Hungaryrule of law based on Western model
Icelandcivil law system based on Danish law; has not acceptedcompulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Indiabased on English common law; limited judicial review oflegislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, withreservations; separate personal law codes apply to Muslims,Christians, and Hindus
Indonesiabased on Roman-Dutch law, substantially modified byindigenous concepts and by new criminal procedures and electioncodes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Iranthe Constitution codifies Islamic principles of government