Faroe IslandsFaroese (derived from Old Norse), Danish
FijiEnglish (official), Fijian (official), Hindustani
FinlandFinnish 91.5% (official), Swedish 5.5% (official), other 3%(small Sami- and Russian-speaking minorities) (2006)
FranceFrench 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects andlanguages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque,Flemish)overseas departments: French, Creole patois
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 many Palestinians), English(widely understood)
GeorgiaGeorgian 71% (official), Russian 9%, Armenian 7%, Azeri 6%,other 7%note: Abkhaz is the official language in Abkhazia
GermanyGerman
GhanaAsante 14.8%, Ewe 12.7%, Fante 9.9%, Boron (Brong) 4.6%,Dagomba 4.3%, Dangme 4.3%, Dagarte (Dagaba) 3.7%, Akyem 3.4%, Ga3.4%, Akuapem 2.9%, other 36.1% (includes English (official)) (2000census)
GibraltarEnglish (used in schools and for official purposes),Spanish, Italian, Portuguese
GreeceGreek 99% (official), other 1% (includes English and French)
GreenlandGreenlandic (East Inuit), Danish, English
GrenadaEnglish (official), French 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); note - each ethnic group has its ownlanguage
Guinea-BissauPortuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages
GuyanaEnglish, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Caribbean Hindustani (adialect of Hindi), Urdu
HaitiFrench (official), Creole (official)
Holy See (Vatican City)Italian, Latin, French, various otherlanguages
HondurasSpanish, Amerindian dialects
Hong KongChinese (Cantonese) 89.2% (official), other Chinesedialects 6.4%, English 3.2% (official), other 1.2% (2001 census)
HungaryHungarian 93.6%, other or unspecified 6.4% (2001 census)
IcelandIcelandic, English, Nordic languages, German widely spoken
IndiaHindi 41%, Bengali 8.1%, Telugu 7.2%, Marathi 7%, Tamil 5.9%,Urdu 5%, Gujarati 4.5%, Kannada 3.7%, Malayalam 3.2%, Oriya 3.2%,Punjabi 2.8%, Assamese 1.3%, Maithili 1.2%, other 5.9%note: English enjoys associate status but is the most importantlanguage for national, political, and commercial communication;Hindi is the national language and primary tongue of 41% 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 (2001 census)
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), Turkoman (aTurkish dialect), Assyrian (Neo-Aramaic), Armenian
IrelandEnglish (official) is the language generally used, Irish(Gaelic or Gaeilge) (official) spoken mainly in areas located alongthe western seaboard
Isle of ManEnglish, Manx Gaelic
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, English patois
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
KosovoAlbanian (official), Serbian (official), Bosnian, Turkish,Roma
KuwaitArabic (official), English widely spoken
KyrgyzstanKyrgyz 64.7% (official), Uzbek 13.6%, Russian 12.5%(official), Dungun 1%, other 8.2% (1999 census)
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 85.7%, Hokkien 4%, Mandarin 3.2%, other Chinesedialects 2.7%, English 1.5%, Tagalog 1.3%, other 1.6% (2001 census)
MacedoniaMacedonian 66.5%, Albanian 25.1%, Turkish 3.5%, Roma 1.9%,Serbian 1.2%, other 1.8% (2002 census)
MadagascarEnglish (official), French (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 Malaysia (official), English, Chinese (Cantonese,Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu,Malayalam, Panjabi, Thainote: in East Malaysia there are several indigenous languages; mostwidely spoken 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) 90.2%, English (official) 6%, multilingual3%, other 0.8% (2005 census)
Marshall IslandsMarshallese (official) 98.2%, other languages 1.8%(1999 census)note: English (official), widely spoken as a second language
MauritaniaArabic (official and national), Pulaar, Soninke, Wolof(all national languages), French, Hassaniya
MauritiusCreole 80.5%, Bhojpuri 12.1%, French 3.4%, English(official; spoken by less than 1% of the population), other 3.7%,unspecified 0.3% (2000 census)
MayotteMahorian (a Swahili dialect), French (official language)spoken by 35% of the population
MexicoSpanish only 92.7%, Spanish and indigenous languages 5.7%,indigenous only 0.8%, unspecified 0.8%; note - indigenous languagesinclude various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional languages (2005)
Micronesia, Federated States ofEnglish (official and commonlanguage), Chuukese, Kosrean, Pohnpeian, Yapese, 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)
MontenegroSerbian 63.6%, Montenegrin (official) 22%, Bosnian 5.5%,Albanian 5.3%, unspecified 3.7% (2003 census)
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 1% (includes 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 (2001 est.)
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), Sign Language(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 18thcentury English 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; note - Sami is officialin six municipalities
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; 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: 820 indigenous languages spoken (over one-tenth of the world'stotal)
ParaguaySpanish (official), Guarani (official)
PeruSpanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara, and a largenumber of minor Amazonian languages
PhilippinesFilipino (official; based on Tagalog) and English(official); eight major dialects - Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano,Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinan
Pitcairn IslandsEnglish (official), Pitkern (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
RomaniaRomanian 91% (official), Hungarian 6.7%, Romany (Gypsy)1.1%, other 1.2%
RussiaRussian, many minority languages
RwandaKinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu vernacular, French(official), English (official), Kiswahili (Swahili) used incommercial centers
Saint BarthelemyFrench (primary), English
Saint HelenaEnglish
Saint Kitts and NevisEnglish
Saint LuciaEnglish (official), French patois
Saint MartinFrench (official language), English, Dutch, FrenchPatois, Spanish, Papiamento (dialect of Netherlands Antilles)
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
SerbiaSerbian 88.3% (official), Hungarian 3.8%, Bosniak 1.8%,Romany (Gypsy) 1.1%, other 4.1%, unknown 0.9% (2002 census)note: Romanian, Hungarian, Slovak, Ukrainian, and Croatian allofficial in Vojvodina
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 (official; but spoken by only 1%-2% of thepopulation); 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 (official) 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%,Basque 2%, 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), English (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie,diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languagesnote: 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), Caribbean 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 (official) 0.5%,other 2.8% (2000 census)note: German, French, Italian, and Romansch are all national andofficial 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; it has become the linguafranca of central and eastern Africa; the first language of mostpeople is one of the local languages
ThailandThai, English (secondary language of the elite), ethnic andregional dialects
Timor-LesteTetum (official), Portuguese (official), Indonesian,Englishnote: there are about 16 indigenous languages; Tetum, Galole,Mambae, and Kemak are spoken by significant numbers of people
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), Caribbean Hindustani (adialect of Hindi), French, Spanish, Chinese
TunisiaArabic (official and one of the languages of commerce),French (commerce)
TurkeyTurkish (official), Kurdish, Dimli (or Zaza), Azeri, Kabardiannote: there is also a substantial Gagauz population in the Europeanpart of Turkey
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%, other 9% (includessmall 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)note: Hawaiian is an official language in the state of Hawaii
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
WorldMandarin Chinese 13.22%, Spanish 4.88%, English 4.68%, Arabic3.12%, Hindi 2.74%, Portuguese 2.69%, Bengali 2.59%, Russian 2.2%,Japanese 1.85%, Standard German 1.44%, French 1.2% (2005 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 18 December 2008
======================================================================
@2100 Legal system
Afghanistanbased on mixed civil and Sharia law; has not acceptedcompulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Akrotirithe Sovereign Base Area Administration has its own courtsystem to deal with civil and criminal matters; laws applicable tothe Cypriot population are, as far as possible, the same as the lawsof the Republic of Cyprus
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;modified to accommodate political pluralism and increased use offree markets; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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 extraterritorially; 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 south latitude, 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; has not accepted compulsory ICJjurisdiction
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; has not accepted compulsoryICJ jurisdiction
Bahamas, Thebased on English common law
Bahrainbased on Islamic law and English common law; has notaccepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Bangladeshbased on English common law; has not accepted compulsoryICJ jurisdiction
BarbadosEnglish common law; no judicial review of legislative acts;accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Belarusbased on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJjurisdiction
Belgiumbased on civil law system influenced by Englishconstitutional theory; judicial review of legislative acts; acceptscompulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
BelizeEnglish law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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; has not acceptedcompulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Botswanabased on Roman-Dutch law and local customary law; judicialreview limited to matters of interpretation; accepts compulsory ICJjurisdiction, with reservations
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 Sharia lawsupersedes civil law in a number of areas; has not acceptedcompulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Bulgariacivil and criminal law based on Roman law; acceptscompulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Burkina Fasobased on French civil law system and customary law; hasnot accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Burmabased on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJjurisdiction
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; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction withreservations
Cameroonbased on French civil law system, with common lawinfluence; accepts 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 Verdebased on the legal system of Portugal; has not acceptedcompulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Cayman IslandsBritish common law and local statutes
Central African Republicbased on French law; has not acceptedcompulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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 jurisdiction; note - in June 2005, Chile completed overhaul ofits criminal justice system to a new, US-style adversarial system
Chinabased on civil law system; derived from Soviet and continentalcivil code legal principles; legislature retains power to interpretstatutes; constitution ambiguous on judicial review of legislation;has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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 and reached fullimplemention in January 2008; judicial review of executive andlegislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
ComorosFrench and Islamic law in a new consolidated code; has notaccepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Congo, Democratic Republic of the a new constitution was adopted by referendum 18 December 2005; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Congo, Republic of the based on French civil law system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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;accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Croatiabased on Austro-Hungarian law system with Communist lawinfluences; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Cubabased on Spanish civil law and influenced by American legalconcepts, with large elements of Communist legal theory; has notaccepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Cyprusbased on English common law, with civil law modifications;accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
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 Sovereign Base Area Administration has its own courtsystem to deal with civil and criminal matters; laws applicable tothe Cypriot population are, as far as possible, the same as the lawsof the Republic of Cyprus
Djiboutibased on French civil law system, traditional practices,and Islamic law; accepts ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Dominicabased on English common law; accepts ICJ jurisdiction
Dominican Republicbased on French civil codes; Criminal ProceduresCode modified in 2004 to include important elements of an accusatorysystem; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Ecuadorbased on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJjurisdiction
Egyptbased on Islamic and civil law (particularly 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; has notaccepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Equatorial Guineapartly based on Spanish civil law and tribalcustom; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Eritreaprimary basis is the Ethiopian legal code of 1957, withrevisions; new civil, commercial, and penal codes have not yet beenpromulgated; government also issues unilateral proclamations settinglaws and policies; also relies on customary andpost-independence-enacted laws and, for civil cases involvingMuslims, Islamic law; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Estoniabased on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJjurisdiction with reservations
Ethiopiabased on civil law; currently transitional mix of nationaland regional courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
European Unioncomparable to the legal systems of member states;first supranational law system
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)English common law
Faroe Islandsthe laws of Denmark, where applicable, apply
Fijibased on British system; has not accepted compulsory ICJjurisdiction
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; has not accepted compulsoryICJ jurisdiction
French Polynesiathe laws of France, where applicable, apply
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, Islamic law,and customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction withreservations
Georgiabased on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJjurisdiction
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
Gibraltarthe laws of the UK, where applicable, apply
Greecebased on codified Roman law; judiciary divided into civil,criminal, and administrative courts; accepts compulsory ICJjurisdiction with reservations
Greenlandthe laws of Denmark, where applicable, apply
Grenadabased on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJjurisdiction
Guammodeled on US; US federal laws apply
Guatemalacivil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; hasnot accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Guernseythe laws of the UK, where applicable, apply; justice isadministered by the Royal Court
Guineabased on French civil law system, customary law, and decree;accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Guinea-Bissaubased on French civil law; accepts compulsory ICJjurisdiction
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
Hungarybased on the German-Austrian legal system; acceptscompulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Icelandcivil law system based on Danish law; has not acceptedcompulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Indiabased on English common law; judicial review of legislativeacts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations;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
Iranbased on Sharia law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJjurisdiction
Iraqbased on European civil and Islamic law under the frameworkoutlined in the Iraqi Constitution; has not accepted compulsory ICJjurisdiction
Irelandbased on English common law, substantially modified byindigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in SupremeCourt; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Isle of Manthe laws of the UK, where applicable, apply and Manxstatutes
Israelmixture of English common law, British Mandate regulations,and, in personal matters, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim legalsystems; in December 1985, Israel informed the UN Secretariat thatit would no longer accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Italybased on civil law system; appeals treated as new trials;judicial review under certain conditions in Constitutional Court;has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Jamaicabased on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJjurisdiction
Jan Mayenthe laws of Norway, where applicable, apply
Japanmodeled after German civil law system with English-Americaninfluence; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court;accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Jerseythe laws of the UK, where applicable, apply and localstatutes; justice is administered by the Royal Court
Jordanbased on Islamic law and French codes; judicial review oflegislative acts in a specially provided High Tribunal; has notaccepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Kazakhstanbased on Islamic law and Roman law; has not acceptedcompulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Kenyabased on Kenyan statutory law, Kenyan and English common law,tribal law, and Islamic law; judicial review in High Court; acceptscompulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; constitutionalamendment of 1982 making Kenya a de jure one-party state repealed in1991
KiribatiNA
Korea, Northbased on Prussian civil law system with Japaneseinfluences and Communist legal theory; no judicial review oflegislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Korea, Southcombines elements of continental European civil lawsystems, Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought; has notaccepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Kosovoevolving legal system based on terms of UN Special EnvoyMartti AHTISAARI's Plan for Kosovo's supervised independence
Kuwaitcivil law system with Islamic law significant in personalmatters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Kyrgyzstanbased on French and Russian laws; has not acceptedcompulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Laosbased on traditional customs, French legal norms andprocedures, and socialist practice; has not accepted compulsory ICJjurisdiction
Latviabased on civil law system with traces of Socialist legaltraditions and practices; has not accepted compulsory ICJjurisdiction
Lebanonmixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code, andcivil law; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not acceptedcompulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Lesothobased on English common law and Roman-Dutch law; judicialreview of legislative acts in High Court and Court of Appeal;accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Liberiadual system of statutory law based on Anglo-American commonlaw for the modern sector and customary law based on unwrittentribal practices for indigenous sector; accepts compulsory ICJjurisdiction with reservations
Libyabased on Italian and French civil law systems and Islamic law;separate religious courts; no constitutional provision for judicialreview of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJjurisdiction
Liechtensteinlocal civil and penal codes based on civil law system;accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Lithuaniabased on civil law system; legislative acts can beappealed to the constitutional court; has not accepted compulsoryICJ jurisdiction
Luxembourgbased on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJjurisdiction
Macaubased on Portuguese civil law system
Macedoniabased on civil law system; judicial review of legislativeacts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Madagascarbased on French civil law system and traditional Malagasylaw; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Malawibased on English common law and customary law; judicialreview of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Appeal; acceptscompulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Malaysiabased on English common law; judicial review of legislativeacts in the Supreme Court at request of supreme head of thefederation; Islamic law is applied to Muslims in matters of familylaw and religion; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Maldivesbased on Islamic law with admixtures of English common lawprimarily in commercial matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJjurisdiction
Malibased on French civil law system and customary law; judicialreview of legislative acts in Constitutional Court; has not acceptedcompulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Maltabased on English common law and Roman civil law; acceptscompulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Marshall Islandsbased on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of thelegislature, municipal, common, and customary laws; has not acceptedcompulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Mauritaniaa combination of Islamic law and French civil law; hasnot accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Mauritiusbased on French civil law system with elements of Englishcommon law in certain areas; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdictionwith reservations
Mayottethe laws of France, where applicable, apply
Mexicomixture of US constitutional theory and civil law system;judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJjurisdiction with reservations
Micronesia, Federated States ofbased on adapted Trust Territorylaws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customarylaws; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Moldovabased on civil law system; Constitutional Court reviewslegality of legislative acts and governmental decisions ofresolution; accepts many UN and Organization for Security andCooperation in Europe (OSCE) documents; has not accepted compulsoryICJ jurisdiction
Monacobased on French law; has not accepted compulsory ICJjurisdiction
Mongoliablend of Soviet, German, and US systems that combine"continental" or "civil" code and case-precedent; constitutionambiguous on judicial review of legislative acts; has not acceptedcompulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Montenegrobased on civil law system; has not accepted compulsoryICJ jurisdiction
MontserratEnglish common law and statutory law
Moroccobased on Islamic law and French and Spanish civil lawsystems; judicial review of legislative acts in ConstitutionalChamber of Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJjurisdiction
Mozambiquebased on Portuguese civil law system and customary law;has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Namibiabased on Roman-Dutch law and 1990 constitution; has notaccepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Nauruacts of the Nauru Parliament and British common law; acceptscompulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Navassa Islandthe laws of the US, where applicable, apply
Nepalbased on Hindu legal concepts and English common law; has notaccepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Netherlandsbased on civil law system incorporating French penaltheory; constitution does not permit judicial review of acts of theStates General; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Netherlands Antillesbased on Dutch civil law system with someEnglish common law influence
New Caledoniabased on French civil law; the 1988 Matignon Accordsgrant substantial autonomy to the islands
New Zealandbased on English law, with special land legislation andland courts for the Maori; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction withreservations
Nicaraguacivil law system; Supreme Court may review administrativeacts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Nigerbased on French civil law system and customary law; has notaccepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Nigeriabased on English common law, Islamic law (in 12 northernstates), and traditional law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdictionwith reservations
NiueEnglish common law; note - Niue is self-governing, with thepower to make its own laws
Norfolk Islandbased on the laws of Australia, local ordinances andacts; English common law applies in matters not covered by eitherAustralian or Norfolk Island law
Northern Mariana Islandsbased on US system, except for customs,wages, immigration laws, and taxation
Norwaymixture of customary law, civil law system, and common lawtraditions; Supreme Court renders advisory opinions to legislaturewhen asked; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Omanbased on English common law and Islamic law; ultimate appeal tothe monarch; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Pakistanbased on English common law with provisions to accommodatePakistan's status as an Islamic state; accepts compulsory ICJjurisdiction with reservations
Palaubased on Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature,municipal, common, and customary laws; has not accepted compulsoryICJ jurisdiction
Panamabased on civil law system; judicial review of legislativeacts in the Supreme Court of Justice; accepts compulsory ICJjurisdiction with reservations
Papua New Guineabased on English common law; has not acceptedcompulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Paraguaybased on Argentine codes, Roman law, and French codes;judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court of Justice;accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Perubased on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdictionwith reservations
Philippinesbased on Spanish and Anglo-American law; acceptscompulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Pitcairn Islandslocal island by-laws
Polandbased on a mixture of Continental (Napoleonic) civil law andholdover Communist legal theory; changes being gradually introducedas part of broader democratization process; limited judicial reviewof legislative acts, but rulings of the Constitutional Tribunal arefinal; court decisions can be appealed to the European Court ofJustice in Strasbourg; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction withreservations
Portugalbased on civil law system; the Constitutional Tribunalreviews the constitutionality of legislation; accepts compulsory ICJjurisdiction with reservations
Puerto Ricobased on Spanish civil code and within the US Federalsystem of justice
Qatarbased on Islamic and civil law codes; discretionary system oflaw controlled by the Amir, although civil codes are beingimplemented; Islamic law dominates family and personal matters; hasnot accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Romaniabased on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJjurisdiction
Russiabased on civil law system; judicial review of legislativeacts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Rwandabased on German and Belgian civil law systems and customarylaw; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; hasnot accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Saint Barthelemythe laws of France, where applicable, apply
Saint HelenaEnglish common law and statutes, supplemented by localstatutes
Saint Kitts and Nevisbased on English common law; has not acceptedcompulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Saint Luciabased on English common law; has not accepted compulsoryICJ jurisdiction
Saint Martinthe laws of France, where applicable, apply
Saint Pierre and Miquelonthe laws of France, where applicable, apply
Saint Vincent and the Grenadinesbased on English common law; hasnot accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Samoabased on English common law and local customs; judicial reviewof legislative acts with respect to fundamental rights of thecitizen; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
San Marinobased on civil law system with Italian law influences;has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Sao Tome and Principebased on Portuguese legal system and customarylaw; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Saudi Arabiabased on Sharia law, several secular codes have beenintroduced; commercial disputes handled by special committees; hasnot accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Senegalbased on French civil law system; judicial review oflegislative acts in Constitutional Court; the Council of Stateaudits the government's accounting office; accepts compulsory ICJjurisdiction with reservations
Serbiabased on civil law system
Seychellesbased on English common law, French civil law, andcustomary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Sierra Leonebased on English law and customary laws indigenous tolocal tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Singaporebased on English common law; has not accepted compulsoryICJ jurisdiction
Slovakiacivil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; acceptscompulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; legal code modifiedto comply with the obligations of Organization on Security andCooperation in Europe (OSCE) and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legaltheory
Sloveniabased on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJjurisdiction
Solomon IslandsEnglish common law, which is widely disregarded; hasnot accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Somaliano national system; a mixture of English common law, Italianlaw, Islamic Sharia, and Somali customary law; accepts compulsoryICJ jurisdiction with reservations
South Africabased on Roman-Dutch law and English common law; hasnot accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islandsthe laws of the UK,where applicable, apply; the senior magistrate from the FalklandIslands presides over the Magistrates Court
Spaincivil law system, with regional applications; acceptscompulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Sri Lankaa highly complex mixture of English common law,Roman-Dutch, Kandyan, and Jaffna Tamil law; has not acceptedcompulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Sudanbased on English common law and Islamic law; as of 20 January1991, the now defunct Revolutionary Command Council imposed Islamiclaw in the northern states; Islamic law applies to all residents ofthe northern states regardless of their religion; however, the CPAestablishes some protections for non-Muslims in Khartoum; someseparate religious courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction withreservations; the southern legal system is still developing underthe CPA following the civil war; Islamic law will not apply to thesouthern states