Palauarable land: 8.7%permanent crops: 4.35%other: 86.95% (2005)
Panamaarable land: 7.26%permanent crops: 1.95%other: 90.79% (2005)
Papua New Guineaarable land: 0.49%permanent crops: 1.4%other: 98.11% (2005)
Paracel Islandsarable land: 0%permanent crops: 0%other: 100% (2005)
Paraguayarable land: 7.47%permanent crops: 0.24%other: 92.29% (2005)
Peruarable land: 2.88%permanent crops: 0.47%other: 96.65% (2005)
Philippinesarable land: 19%permanent crops: 16.67%other: 64.33% (2005)
Pitcairn Islandsarable land: NApermanent crops: NAother: NA
Polandarable land: 40.25%permanent crops: 1%other: 58.75% (2005)
Portugalarable land: 17.29%permanent crops: 7.84%other: 74.87% (2005)
Puerto Ricoarable land: 3.69%permanent crops: 5.59%other: 90.72% (2005)
Qatararable land: 1.64%permanent crops: 0.27%other: 98.09% (2005)
Romaniaarable land: 39.49%permanent crops: 1.92%other: 58.59% (2005)
Russiaarable land: 7.17%permanent crops: 0.11%other: 92.72% (2005)
Rwandaarable land: 45.56%permanent crops: 10.25%other: 44.19% (2005)
Saint Helenaarable land: 12.9%permanent crops: 0%other: 87.1% (2005)
Saint Kitts and Nevisarable land: 19.44%permanent crops: 2.78%other: 77.78% (2005)
Saint Luciaarable land: 6.45%permanent crops: 22.58%other: 70.97% (2005)
Saint Pierre and Miquelonarable land: 12.5%permanent crops: 0%other: 87.5% (2005)
Saint Vincent and the Grenadinesarable land: 17.95%permanent crops: 17.95%other: 64.1% (2005)
Samoaarable land: 21.13%permanent crops: 24.3%other: 54.57% (2005)
San Marinoarable land: 16.67%permanent crops: 0%other: 83.33% (2005)
Sao Tome and Principearable land: 8.33%permanent crops: 48.96%other: 42.71% (2005)
Saudi Arabiaarable land: 1.67%permanent crops: 0.09%other: 98.24% (2005)
Senegalarable land: 12.51%permanent crops: 0.24%other: 87.25% (2005)
Serbiaarable land: NApermanent crops: NAother: NA
Seychellesarable land: 2.17%permanent crops: 13.04%other: 84.79% (2005)
Sierra Leonearable land: 7.95%permanent crops: 1.05%other: 91% (2005)
Singaporearable land: 1.47%permanent crops: 1.47%other: 97.06% (2005)
Slovakiaarable land: 29.23%permanent crops: 2.67%other: 68.1% (2005)
Sloveniaarable land: 8.53%permanent crops: 1.43%other: 90.04% (2005)
Solomon Islandsarable land: 0.62%permanent crops: 2.04%other: 97.34% (2005)
Somaliaarable land: 1.64%permanent crops: 0.04%other: 98.32% (2005)
South Africaarable land: 12.1%permanent crops: 0.79%other: 87.11% (2005)
South Georgia and 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) (2005)
Spainarable land: 27.18%permanent crops: 9.85%other: 62.97% (2005)
Spratly Islandsarable land: 0%permanent crops: 0%other: 100% (2005)
Sri Lankaarable land: 13.96%permanent crops: 15.24%other: 70.8% (2005)
Sudanarable land: 6.78%permanent crops: 0.17%other: 93.05% (2005)
Surinamearable land: 0.36%permanent crops: 0.06%other: 99.58% (2005)
Svalbardarable land: 0%permanent crops: 0%other: 100% (no trees; the only bushes are crowberry and cloudberry)(2005)
Swazilandarable land: 10.25%permanent crops: 0.81%other: 88.94% (2005)
Swedenarable land: 5.93%permanent crops: 0.01%other: 94.06% (2005)
Switzerlandarable land: 9.91%permanent crops: 0.58%other: 89.51% (2005)
Syriaarable land: 24.8%permanent crops: 4.47%other: 70.73% (2005)
Taiwanarable land: 24%permanent crops: 1%other: 75% (2001)
Tajikistanarable land: 6.52%permanent crops: 0.89%other: 92.59% (2005)
Tanzaniaarable land: 4.23%permanent crops: 1.16%other: 94.61% (2005)
Thailandarable land: 27.54%permanent crops: 6.93%other: 65.53% (2005)
Timor-Lestearable land: 8.2%permanent crops: 4.57%other: 87.23% (2005)
Togoarable land: 44.2%permanent crops: 2.11%other: 53.69% (2005)
Tokelauarable land: 0% (soil is thin and infertile)permanent crops: 0%other: 100% (2005)
Tongaarable land: 20%permanent crops: 14.67%other: 65.33% (2005)
Trinidad and Tobagoarable land: 14.62%permanent crops: 9.16%other: 76.22% (2005)
Tunisiaarable land: 17.05%permanent crops: 13.08%other: 69.87% (2005)
Turkeyarable land: 29.81%permanent crops: 3.39%other: 66.8% (2005)
Turkmenistanarable land: 4.51%permanent crops: 0.14%other: 95.35% (2005)
Turks and Caicos Islandsarable land: 2.33%permanent crops: 0%other: 97.67% (2005)
Tuvaluarable land: 0%permanent crops: 66.67%other: 33.33% (2005)
Ugandaarable land: 21.57%permanent crops: 8.92%other: 69.51% (2005)
Ukrainearable land: 53.8%permanent crops: 1.5%other: 44.7% (2005)
United Arab Emiratesarable land: 0.77%permanent crops: 2.27%other: 96.96% (2005)
United Kingdomarable land: 23.23%permanent crops: 0.2%other: 76.57% (2005)
United Statesarable land: 18.01%permanent crops: 0.21%other: 81.78% (2005)
United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refugesarable land: 0%permanent crops: 0%other: 100% (2008)
Uruguayarable land: 7.77%permanent crops: 0.24%other: 91.99% (2005)
Uzbekistanarable land: 10.51%permanent crops: 0.76%other: 88.73% (2005)
Vanuatuarable land: 1.64%permanent crops: 6.97%other: 91.39% (2005)
Venezuelaarable land: 2.85%permanent crops: 0.88%other: 96.27% (2005)
Vietnamarable land: 20.14%permanent crops: 6.93%other: 72.93% (2005)
Virgin Islandsarable land: 5.71%permanent crops: 2.86%other: 91.43% (2005)
Wake Islandarable land: 0%permanent crops: 0%other: 100% (2005)
Wallis and Futunaarable land: 7.14%permanent crops: 35.71%other: 57.15% (2005)
West Bankarable land: 16.9%permanent crops: 18.97%other: 64.13% (2001)
Western Saharaarable land: 0.02%permanent crops: 0%other: 99.98% (2005)
Worldarable land: 10.57%permanent crops: 1.04%other: 88.38% (2005)
Yemenarable land: 2.91%permanent crops: 0.25%other: 96.84% (2005)
Zambiaarable land: 6.99%permanent crops: 0.04%other: 92.97% (2005)
Zimbabwearable land: 8.24%permanent crops: 0.33%other: 91.43% (2005)
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@2098
Field Listing :: Languages
This entry provides a rank ordering of languages starting with thelargest and sometimes includes the percent of total populationspeaking that language.Country
Languages(%)
AfghanistanAfghan Persian or Dari (official) 50%, Pashto (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), Italian, English, German, French
ArmeniaArmenian 97.7%, Yezidi 1%, Russian 0.9%, other 0.4% (2001census)
ArubaPapiamento (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect) 66.3%,Spanish 12.6%, English (widely spoken) 7.7%, Dutch (official) 5.8%,other 2.2%, unspecified or unknown 5.3% (2000 census)
AustraliaEnglish 78.5%, Chinese 2.5%, Italian 1.6%, Greek 1.3%,Arabic 1.2%, Vietnamese 1%, other 8.2%, unspecified 5.7% (2006Census)
AustriaGerman (official nationwide) 88.6%, Turkish 2.3%, Serbian2.2%, Croatian (official in Burgenland) 1.6%, other (includesSlovene, official in Carinthia, and Hungarian, official inBurgenland) 5.3% (2001 census)
AzerbaijanAzerbaijani (Azeri) 90.3%, Lezgi 2.2%, Russian 1.8%,Armenian 1.5%, other 3.3%, unspecified 1% (1999 census)
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)
BelizeSpanish 46%, Creole 32.9%, Mayan dialects 8.9%, English 3.9%(official), Garifuna 3.4% (Carib), German 3.3%, other 1.4%, unknown0.2% (2000 census)
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 60.7% (official), Quechua 21.2% (official), Aymara14.6% (official), foreign languages 2.4%, other 1.2% (2001 census)
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 and most widely spoken language); note -less common languages include Spanish (border areas and schools),German, Italian, Japanese, English, and a large number of minorAmerindian languages
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) 58.8%, French (official) 21.6%, other19.6% (2006 Census)
Cape VerdePortuguese, Crioulo (a blend of Portuguese and WestAfrican words)
Cayman IslandsEnglish 95%, Spanish 3.2%, other 1.8% (1999 census)
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 (official), Mapudungun, German, English
ChinaStandard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijingdialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghainese), Minbei (Fuzhou),Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minoritylanguages (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 94.9%, Slovak 2%, other 2.3%, unidentified 0.8%(2001 census)
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
EcuadorSpanish (official), Amerindian languages (especially Quechua)
EgyptArabic (official), English and French widely understood byeducated classes
El SalvadorSpanish, Nahua (among some Amerindians)
Equatorial GuineaSpanish 67.6% (official), other 32.4% (includesFrench (official), Fang, Bubi) (1994 census)
EritreaAfar, Arabic, Tigre and Kunama, Tigrinya, other Cushiticlanguages
EstoniaEstonian (official) 67.3%, Russian 29.7%, other 2.3%,unknown 0.7% (2000 census)
EthiopiaAmarigna 32.7%, Oromigna 31.6%, Tigrigna 6.1%, Somaligna6%, Guaragigna 3.5%, Sidamigna 3.5%, Hadiyigna 1.7%, other 14.8%,English (major foreign language taught in schools) (1994 census)
European UnionBulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian,Finnish, French, Gaelic, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian,Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovene,Spanish, Swedishnote: only official languages are listed; German, the major languageof Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, is the most widely spokenmother tongue - over 19% of the EU population; English is the mostwidely spoken language - about 49% of the EU population isconversant with it (2007)
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)English
Faroe IslandsFaroese (derived from Old Norse), Danish
FijiEnglish (official), Fijian (official), Hindustani
FinlandFinnish 91.2% (official), Swedish 5.5% (official), other3.3% (small Sami- and Russian-speaking minorities) (2007)
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) (official), 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 most widely spoken language and primary tongue of 41%of the people; there are 14 other official languages: Bengali,Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya,Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Sanskrit; Hindustani is apopular variant of Hindi/Urdu spoken widely throughout northernIndia but is not 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 along thewestern coast
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 fewof which can be written or 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 GuineaTok Pisin, English, and Hiri Motu are officiallanguages; some 860 indigenous languages spoken (over one-tenth ofthe world's total)note: Tok Pisin, a creole language, is widely used and understood;English is spoken by 1%-2%; Hiri Motu is spoken by less than 2%
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, other minority languages
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
ZambiaBemba 30.1% (official), Nyanja 10.7% (official), Tonga 10.6%(official), Lozi 5.7% (official), Chewa 4.9%, Nsenga 3.4%, Tumbuka2.5%, Lunda 2.2% (official), Kaonde 2% (official), Lala 2%, Luvale1.7% (official), English 1.7% (official), other 22.5% (2000 Census)
ZimbabweEnglish (official), Shona, Sindebele (the language of theNdebele, sometimes called Ndebele), numerous but minor tribaldialects
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Field Listing :: Legal system
This entry contains a brief description of the legal system'shistorical roots, role in government, and acceptance ofInternational Court of Justice (ICJ) jurisdiction.Country
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; more generally, access to the Antarctic Treaty area, that isto all areas between 60 and 90 degrees south latitude, is subject toa number of relevant legal instruments and authorization proceduresadopted by the states party to the Antarctic Treaty; note - US law,including certain criminal offenses by or against US nationals, suchas murder, may apply extraterritorially; some US laws directly applyto Antarctica; for example, the Antarctic Conservation Act, 16U.S.C. section 2401 et seq., provides civil and criminal penaltiesfor the following activities unless authorized by regulation ofstatute: the taking of native mammals or birds; the introduction ofnonindigenous plants and animals; entry into specially protectedareas; the discharge or disposal of pollutants; and the importationinto the US of certain items from Antarctica; violation of theAntarctic Conservation Act carries penalties of up to $10,000 infines and one year in prison; the National Science Foundation andDepartment of Justice share enforcement responsibilities; Public Law95-541, the US Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978, as amended in1996, requires expeditions from the US to Antarctica to notify, inadvance, the Office of Oceans, Room 5805, Department of State,Washington, DC 20520, which reports such plans to other nations asrequired by the Antarctic Treaty; for more information, contactPermit Office, Office of Polar Programs, National ScienceFoundation, Arlington, Virginia 22230; telephone: (703) 292-8030, orvisit its website at www.nsf.gov
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; the 2009 Constitution incorporatesindigenous community justice into Bolivia's judicial system
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 fullimplementation 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 civil law based on Belgian law with Napleonic Civil Code influence; 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;legal code modified to bring it in line with Organization onSecurity and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) obligations and to expungeMarxist-Leninist legal theory
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