Holy See (Vatican City)arable land: 0%permanent crops: 0%other: 100% (urban area) (2005)
Hondurasarable land: 9.53%permanent crops: 3.21%other: 87.26% (2005)
Hong Kongarable land: 5.05%permanent crops: 1.01%other: 93.94% (2001)
Hungaryarable land: 49.58%permanent crops: 2.06%other: 48.36% (2005)
Icelandarable land: 0.07%permanent crops: 0%other: 99.93% (2005)
Indiaarable land: 48.83%permanent crops: 2.8%other: 48.37% (2005)
Indonesiaarable land: 11.03%permanent crops: 7.04%other: 81.93% (2005)
Iranarable land: 9.78%permanent crops: 1.29%other: 88.93% (2005)
Iraqarable land: 13.12%permanent crops: 0.61%other: 86.27% (2005)
Irelandarable land: 16.82%permanent crops: 0.03%other: 83.15% (2005)
Isle of Manarable land: 9%permanent crops: 0%other: 91% (permanent pastures, forests, mountain, and heathland)(2002)
Israelarable land: 15.45%permanent crops: 3.88%other: 80.67% (2005)
Italyarable land: 26.41%permanent crops: 9.09%other: 64.5% (2005)
Jamaicaarable land: 15.83%permanent crops: 10.01%other: 74.16% (2005)
Jan Mayenarable land: 0%permanent crops: 0%other: 100% (2005)
Japanarable land: 11.64%permanent crops: 0.9%other: 87.46% (2005)
Jerseyarable land: 0%permanent crops: 0%other: 100% (2005)
Jordanarable land: 3.32%permanent crops: 1.18%other: 95.5% (2005)
Kazakhstanarable land: 8.28%permanent crops: 0.05%other: 91.67% (2005)
Kenyaarable land: 8.01%permanent crops: 0.97%other: 91.02% (2005)
Kiribatiarable land: 2.74%permanent crops: 47.95%other: 49.31% (2005)
Korea, Northarable land: 22.4%permanent crops: 1.66%other: 75.94% (2005)
Korea, Southarable land: 16.58%permanent crops: 2.01%other: 81.41% (2005)
Kuwaitarable land: 0.84%permanent crops: 0.17%other: 98.99% (2005)
Kyrgyzstanarable land: 6.55%permanent crops: 0.28%other: 93.17%note: Kyrgyzstan has the world's largest natural-growth walnutforest (2005)
Laosarable land: 4.01%permanent crops: 0.34%other: 95.65% (2005)
Latviaarable land: 28.19%permanent crops: 0.45%other: 71.36% (2005)
Lebanonarable land: 16.35%permanent crops: 13.75%other: 69.9% (2005)
Lesothoarable land: 10.87%permanent crops: 0.13%other: 89% (2005)
Liberiaarable land: 3.43%permanent crops: 1.98%other: 94.59% (2005)
Libyaarable land: 1.03%permanent crops: 0.19%other: 98.78% (2005)
Liechtensteinarable land: 25%permanent crops: 0%other: 75% (2005)
Lithuaniaarable land: 44.81%permanent crops: 0.9%other: 54.29% (2005)
Luxembourgarable land: 27.42%permanent crops: 0.69%other: 71.89% (includes Belgium) (2005)
Macauarable land: 0%permanent crops: 0%other: 100% (2005)
Macedoniaarable land: 22.01%permanent crops: 1.79%other: 76.2% (2005)
Madagascararable land: 5.03%permanent crops: 1.02%other: 93.95% (2005)
Malawiarable land: 20.68%permanent crops: 1.18%other: 78.14% (2005)
Malaysiaarable land: 5.46%permanent crops: 17.54%other: 77% (2005)
Maldivesarable land: 13.33%permanent crops: 30%other: 56.67% (2005)
Maliarable land: 3.76%permanent crops: 0.03%other: 96.21% (2005)
Maltaarable land: 31.25%permanent crops: 3.13%other: 65.62% (2005)
Marshall Islandsarable land: 11.11%permanent crops: 44.44%other: 44.45% (2005)
Mauritaniaarable land: 0.2%permanent crops: 0.01%other: 99.79% (2005)
Mauritiusarable land: 49.02%permanent crops: 2.94%other: 48.04% (2005)
Mayottearable land: NA%permanent crops: NA%other: NA%
Mexicoarable land: 12.66%permanent crops: 1.28%other: 86.06% (2005)
Micronesia, Federated States ofarable land: 5.71%permanent crops: 45.71%other: 48.58% (2005)
Moldovaarable land: 54.52%permanent crops: 8.81%other: 36.67% (2005)
Monacoarable land: 0%permanent crops: 0%other: 100% (urban area) (2005)
Mongoliaarable land: 0.76%permanent crops: 0%other: 99.24% (2005)
Montenegroarable land: 13.7%permanent crops: 1%other: 85.3%
Montserratarable land: 20%permanent crops: 0%other: 80% (2005)
Moroccoarable land: 19%permanent crops: 2%other: 79% (2005)
Mozambiquearable land: 5.43%permanent crops: 0.29%other: 94.28% (2005)
Namibiaarable land: 0.99%permanent crops: 0.01%other: 99% (2005)
Nauruarable land: 0%permanent crops: 0%other: 100% (2005)
Navassa Islandarable land: 0%permanent crops: 0%other: 100% (2005)
Nepalarable land: 16.07%permanent crops: 0.85%other: 83.08% (2005)
Netherlandsarable land: 21.96%permanent crops: 0.77%other: 77.27% (2005)
New Caledoniaarable land: 0.32%permanent crops: 0.22%other: 99.46% (2005)
New Zealandarable land: 5.54%permanent crops: 6.92%other: 87.54% (2005)
Nicaraguaarable land: 14.81%permanent crops: 1.82%other: 83.37% (2005)
Nigerarable land: 11.43%permanent crops: 0.01%other: 88.56% (2005)
Nigeriaarable land: 33.02%permanent crops: 3.14%other: 63.84% (2005)
Niuearable land: 11.54%permanent crops: 15.38%other: 73.08% (2005)
Norfolk Islandarable land: 0%permanent crops: 0%other: 100% (2005)
Northern Mariana Islandsarable land: 13.04%permanent crops: 4.35%other: 82.61% (2005)
Norwayarable land: 2.7%permanent crops: 0%other: 97.3% (2005)
Omanarable land: 0.12%permanent crops: 0.14%other: 99.74% (2005)
Pakistanarable land: 24.44%permanent crops: 0.84%other: 74.72% (2005)
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 Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunhaarable 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)
Sint Maartenarable land: 10%permanent crops: 0%other: 90%
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: 88.39% (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 (official) 97.7%, Yezidi 1%, Russian 0.9%, other0.4% (2001 census)
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) (official) 90.3%, Lezgi 2.2%, Russian1.8%, Armenian 1.5%, other 3.3%, unspecified 1% (1999 census)
Bahamas, TheEnglish (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants)
BahrainArabic (official), English, Farsi, Urdu
BangladeshBangla (official, also known as Bengali), English
BarbadosEnglish
BelarusBelarusian (official) 36.7%, Russian (official) 62.8%, other0.5% (includes small Polish- and Ukrainian-speaking minorities)(1999 census)
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 (official), Croatian (official),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 (official) 84.5%, Turkish 9.6%, Roma 4.1%, otherand unspecified 1.8% (2001 census)
Burkina FasoFrench (official), native African languages belongingto Sudanic family spoken by 90% of the population
BurmaBurmese (offical) minority ethnic groups have their ownlanguages
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 (official), Crioulo (a blend of Portuguese andWest African words)
Cayman IslandsEnglish (official) 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) (official), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghainese), Minbei(Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects,minority languages (see Ethnic groups entry)note: Mongolian is official in Nei Mongol, Uighur is official inXinjiang Uygur, and Tibetan is official in Xizang (Tibet)
Christmas IslandEnglish (official), Chinese, Malay
Cocos (Keeling) IslandsMalay (Cocos dialect), English
ColombiaSpanish (official)
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 (official) 96.1%, Serbian 1%, other andundesignated 2.9% (including Italian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, andGerman) (2001 census)
CubaSpanish (official)
CuracaoPapiamento 81.2% (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-Englishdialect), Dutch 8% (official), Spanish 4%, English 2.9%, other 3.9%(2001 census)
CyprusGreek (official), Turkish (official), 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 (official)
EcuadorSpanish (official), Amerindian languages (especially Quechua)
EgyptArabic (official), English and French widely understood byeducated classes
El SalvadorSpanish (official), Nahua (among some Amerindians)
Equatorial GuineaSpanish 67.6% (official), other 32.4% (includesFrench (official), Fang, Bubi) (1994 census)
EritreaTigrinya (official), Arabic (official), English (official),Tigre, Kunama, Afar, other Cushitic languages
EstoniaEstonian (official) 67.3%, Russian 29.7%, other 2.3%,unknown 0.7% (2000 census)
EthiopiaAmarigna (Amharic) (official) 32.7%, Oromigna (officialregional) 31.6%, Tigrigna (official regional) 6.1%, Somaligna 6%,Guaragigna 3.5%, Sidamigna 3.5%, Hadiyigna 1.7%, other 14.8%,English (official) (major foreign language taught in schools),Arabic (official) (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 (official) 100%, rapidly declining regional dialectsand languages (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 (official) 60%, Amerindian languages 40% (23officially recognized 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 (official), Amerindian dialects
Hong KongCantonese 90.8% (official), English 2.8% (official),Putonghua (Mandarin) 0.9%, other Chinese dialects 4.4%, other 1.1%(2006 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 the status of subsidiary official language butis the most important language for national, political, andcommercial communication; Hindi is the most widely spoken languageand primary tongue of 41% of the people; there are 14 other officiallanguages: Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati,Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, andSanskrit; Hindustani is a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu spokenwidely throughout northern India 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 (official), Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions),Turkoman (a Turkish 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 (about 2% of the population hassome knowledge)
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 (official) 66.5%, Albanian (official) 25.1%,Turkish 3.5%, Roma 1.9%, Serbian 1.2%, other 1.8% (2002 census)
MadagascarFrench (official), Malagasy (official), English
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
MaldivesDhivehi (official) (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 (official) 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)
New CaledoniaFrench (official), 33 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects
New ZealandEnglish 91.2% (official), Maori 3.9% (official), Samoan2.1%, French 1.3%, Hindi 1.1%, Yue 1.1%, Northern Chinese 1%, other12.9%, New Zealand Sign Language (official)note: shares sum to 114.6% due to multiple responses on census (2006Census)
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, over500 additional indigenous languages
NiueEnglish (official), Niuean a Polynesian language closelyrelated to Tongan and Samoan; 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 84.1% (official), Quechua 13% (official), Aymara 1.7%,Ashaninka 0.3%, other native languages 0.7% (includes a large numberof minor Amazonian languages), other 0.2% (2007 Census)
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 (official) 97.8%, other and unspecified 2.2% (2002census)
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 (official), many minority languages
RwandaKinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu vernacular, French(official), English (official), Kiswahili (Swahili) used incommercial centers
Saint BarthelemyFrench (primary), English
Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da CunhaEnglish
Saint Kitts and NevisEnglish (official)
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) (official), English
San MarinoItalian
Sao Tome and PrincipePortuguese (official)
Saudi ArabiaArabic (official)
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 (official) 35%, English (official) 23%, Malay(official) 14.1%, Hokkien 11.4%, Cantonese 5.7%, Teochew 4.9%, Tamil(official) 3.2%, other Chinese dialects 1.8%, other 0.9% (2000census)
Sint MaartenEnglish 67.5% (official), Spanish 12.9%, Creole 8.2%,Dutch 4.2% (official), Papiamento 2.2% (aSpanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect), French 1.5%, other 3.5%(2001 census)
SlovakiaSlovak (official) 83.9%, Hungarian 10.7%, Roma 1.8%,Ukrainian 1%, other or unspecified 2.6% (2001 census)
SloveniaSlovenian (official) 91.1%, Serbo-Croatian 4.5%, other orunspecified 4.4%, Italian (official) Only in municipalities whereHungarian national communities reside, Hungarian (official) Only inmunicipalities where Hungarian national communities reside (2002census)
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 (official) 23.8%, IsiXhosa (official) 17.6%,Afrikaans (official) 13.3%, Sepedi (offcial) 9.4%, English(official) 8.2%, Setswana (official) 8.2%, Sesotho (official) 7.9%,Xitsonga (official) 4.4%, other 7.2%, isiNdebele (official),Tshivenda (official), siSwati (official) (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 (official), small Sami- and Finnish-speakingminorities
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 (official), English (official)
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 (official) 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7%
Turks and Caicos IslandsEnglish (official)
TuvaluTuvaluan (official), English (official), Samoan, Kiribati (onthe 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 KingdomEnglishnote: the following are recognized regional languages: Scots (about30% of the population of Scotland), Scottish Gaelic (about 60,000 inScotland), Welsh (about 20% of the population of Wales), Irish(about 10% of the population of Northern Ireland), Cornish (some2,000 to 3,000 in Cornwall)
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 (official), Portunol, Brazilero (Portuguese-Spanishmix on the Brazilian frontier)
UzbekistanUzbek (official) 74.3%, Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%, other7.1%
Vanuatulocal languages (more than 100) 72.6%, pidgin (known asBislama or Bichelama) 23.1%, English (official) 1.9%, French(official) 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 (official) 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 12.65%, Spanish 4.93%, English 4.91%, Arabic3.31%, Hindi 2.73%, Bengali 2.71%, Portuguese 2.67%, Russian 2.16%,Japanese 1.83%, Standard German 1.35%, Javanese 1.27% (2008 est.)note: percents are for "first language" speakers only
YemenArabic (official)
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 provides the description of a country's legal system; it also includes information on acceptance of International Court of Justice (ICJ) jurisdiction. The legal systems of nearly all countries are generally modeled upon elements of five main types: civil law (including French law, the Napoleonic Code, Roman law, Roman-Dutch law, and Spanish law); common law (including United State law); customary law; mixed or pluralistic law; and religious law (including Islamic law). An additional type of legal system - international law, which governs the conduct of independent nations in their relationships with one another - is also addressed below. The following list describes these legal systems, the countries or world regions where these systems are enforced, and a brief statement on the origins and major features of each. Civil Law - The most widespread type of legal system in the world, applied in various forms in approximately 150 countries. Also referred to as European continental law, the civil law system is derived mainly from the Roman Corpus Juris Civilus, (Body of Civil Law), a collection of laws and legal interpretations compiled under the East Roman (Byzantine) Emperor Justinian I between A.D. 528 and 565. The major feature of civil law systems is that the laws are organized into systematic written codes. In civil law the sources recognized as authoritative are principally legislation - especially codifications in constitutions or statutes enacted by governments - and secondarily, custom. The civil law systems in some countries are based on more than one code. Common Law - A type of legal system, often synonymous with "English common law," which is the system of England and Wales in the UK, and is also in force in approximately 80 countries formerly part of or influenced by the former British Empire. English common law reflects Biblical influences as well as remnants of law systems imposed by early conquerors including the Romans, Anglo-Saxons, and Normans. Some legal scholars attribute the formation of the English common law system to King Henry II (r.1154-1189). Until the time of his reign, laws customary among England's various manorial and ecclesiastical (church) jurisdictions were administered locally. Henry II established the king's court and designated that laws were "common" to the entire English realm. The foundation of English common law is "legal precedent" - referred to as stare decisis, meaning "to stand by things decided." In the English common law system, court judges are bound in their decisions in large part by the rules and other doctrines developed - and supplemented over time - by the judges of earlier English courts. Customary Law - A type of legal system that serves as the basis of, or has influenced, the present-day laws in approximately 40 countries - mostly in Africa, but some in the Pacific islands, Europe, and the Near East. Customary law is also referred to as "primitive law," "unwritten law," "indigenous law," and "folk law." There is no single history of customary law such as that found in Roman civil law, English common law, Islamic law, or the Napoleonic Civil Code. The earliest systems of law in human society were customary, and usually developed in small agrarian and hunter-gatherer communities. As the term implies, customary law is based upon the customs of a community. Common attributes of customary legal systems are that they are seldom written down, they embody an organized set of rules regulating social relations, and they are agreed upon by members of the community. Although such law systems include sanctions for law infractions, resolution tends to be reconciliatory rather than punitive. A number of African states practiced customary law many centuries prior to colonial influences. Following colonization, such laws were written down and incorporated to varying extents into the legal systems imposed by their colonial powers. European Union Law - A sub-discipline of international law known as "supranational law" in which the rights of sovereign nations are limited in relation to one another. Also referred to as the Law of the European Union or Community Law, it is the unique and complex legal system that operates in tandem with the laws of the 27 member states of the European Union (EU). Similar to federal states, the EU legal system ensures compliance from the member states because of the Union's decentralized political nature. The European Court of Justice (ECJ), established in 1952 by the Treaty of Paris, has been largely responsible for the development of EU law. Fundamental principles of European Union law include: subsidiarity - the notion that issues be handled by the smallest, lowest, or least centralized competent authority; proportionality - the EU may only act to the extent needed to achieve its objectives; conferral - the EU is a union of member states, and all its authorities are voluntarily granted by its members; legal certainty - requires that legal rules be clear and precise; and precautionary principle - a moral and political principle stating that if an action or policy might cause severe or irreversible harm to the public or to the environment, in the absence of a scientific consensus that harm would not ensue, the burden of proof falls on those who would advocate taking the action. French Law - A type of civil law that is the legal system of France. The French system also serves as the basis for, or is mixed with, other legal systems in approximately 50 countries, notably in North Africa, the Near East, and the French territories and dependencies. French law is primarily codified or systematic written civil law. Prior to the French Revolution (1789-1799), France had no single national legal system. Laws in the northern areas of present-day France were mostly local customs based on privileges and exemptions granted by kings and feudal lords, while in the southern areas Roman law predominated. The introduction of the Napoleonic Civil Code during the reign of Napoleon I in the first decade of the 19th century brought major reforms to the French legal system, many of which remain part of France's current legal structure, though all have been extensively amended or redrafted to address a modern nation. French law distinguishes between "public law" and "private law." Public law relates to government, the French Constitution, public administration, and criminal law. Private law covers issues between private citizens or corporations. The most recent changes to the French legal system - introduced in the 1980s - were the decentralization laws, which transferred authority from centrally appointed government representatives to locally elected representatives of the people. International Law - The law of the international community, or the body of customary rules and treaty rules accepted as legally binding by states in their relations with each other. International law differs from other legal systems in that it primarily concerns sovereign political entities. There are three separate disciplines of international law: public international law, which governs the relationship between provinces and international entities and includes treaty law, law of the sea, international criminal law, and international humanitarian law; private international law, which addresses legal jurisdiction; and supranational law - a legal framework wherein countries are bound by regional agreements in which the laws of the member countries are held inapplicable when in conflict with supranational laws. At present the European Union is the only entity under a supranational legal system. The term "international law" was coined by Jeremy Bentham in 1780 in his Principles of Morals and Legislation, though laws governing relations between states have been recognized from very early times (many centuries B.C.). Modern international law developed alongside the emergence and growth of the European nation-states beginning in the early 16th century. Other factors that influenced the development of international law included the revival of legal studies, the growth of international trade, and the practice of exchanging emissaries and establishing legations. The sources of International law are set out in Article 38-1 of the Statute of the International Court of Justice within the UN Charter. Islamic Law - The most widespread type of religious law, it is the legal system enforced in over 30 countries, particularly in the Near East, but also in Central and South Asia, Africa, and Indonesia. In many countries Islamic law operates in tandem with a civil law system. Islamic law is embodied in the sharia, an Arabic word meaning "the right path." Sharia covers all aspects of public and private life and organizes them into five categories: obligatory, recommended, permitted, disliked, and forbidden. The primary sources of sharia law are the Qur'an, believed by Muslims to be the word of God revealed to the Prophet Muhammad by the angel Gabriel, and the Sunnah, the teachings of the Prophet and his works. In addition to these two primary sources, traditional Sunni Muslims recognize the consensus of Muhammad's companions and Islamic jurists on certain issues, called ijmas, and various forms of reasoning, including analogy by legal scholars, referred to as qiyas. Shia Muslims reject ijmas and qiyas as sources of sharia law. Mixed Law - Also referred to as pluralistic law, mixed law consists of elements of some or all of the other main types of legal systems - civil, common, customary, and religious. The mixed legal systems of a number of countries came about when colonial powers overlaid their own legal systems upon colonized regions but retained elements of the colonies' existing legal systems. Napoleonic Civil Code - A type of civil law, referred to as the Civil Code or Code Civil des Francais, forms part of the legal system of France, and underpins the legal systems of Bolivia, Egypt, Lebanon, Poland, and the US state of Louisiana. The Civil Code was established under Napoleon I, enacted in 1804, and officially designated the Code Napoleon in 1807. This legal system combined the Teutonic civil law tradition of the northern provinces of France with the Roman law tradition of the southern and eastern regions of the country. The Civil Code bears similarities in its arrangement to the Roman Body of Civil Law (see Civil Law above). As enacted in 1804, the Code addressed personal status, property, and the acquisition of property. Codes added over the following six years included civil procedures, commercial law, criminal law and procedures, and a penal code. Religious Law - A legal system which stems from the sacred texts of religious traditions and in most cases professes to cover all aspects of life as a seamless part of devotional obligations to a transcendent, imminent, or deep philosophical reality. Implied as the basis of religious law is the concept of unalterability, because the word of God cannot be amended or legislated against by judges or governments. However, a detailed legal system generally requires human elaboration. The main types of religious law are sharia in Islam, halakha in Judaism, and canon law in some Christian groups. Sharia is the most widespread religious legal system (see Islamic Law), and is the sole system of law for countries including Iran, the Maldives, and Saudi Arabia. No country is fully governed by halakha, but Jewish people may decide to settle disputes through Jewish courts and be bound by their rulings. Canon law is not a divine law as such because it is not found in revelation. It is viewed instead as human law inspired by the word of God and applying the demands of that revelation to the actual situation of the church. Canon law regulates the internal ordering of the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion. Roman Law - A type of civil law developed in ancient Rome and practiced from the time of the city's founding (traditionally 753 B.C.) until the fall of the Western Empire in the 5th century A.D. Roman law remained the legal system of the Byzantine (Eastern Empire) until the fall of Constantinople in 1453. Preserved fragments of the first legal text, known as the Law of the Twelve Tables, dating from the 5th century B.C., contained specific provisions designed to change the prevailing customary law. Early Roman law was drawn from custom and statutes; later, during the time of the empire, emperors asserted their authority as the ultimate source of law. The basis for Roman laws was the idea that the exact form - not the intention - of words or of actions produced legal consequences. It was only in the late 6th century A.D. that a comprehensive Roman code of laws was published (see Civil Law above). Roman law served as the basis of law systems developed in a number of continental European countries. Roman-Dutch Law - A type of civil law based on Roman law as applied in the Netherlands. Roman-Dutch law serves as the basis for legal systems in seven African countries, as well as Guyana, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka. This law system, which originated in the province of Holland and expanded throughout the Netherlands (to be replaced by the French Civil Code in 1809), was instituted in a number of sub-Saharan African countries during the Dutch colonial period. The Dutch jurist/philosopher Hugo Grotius was the first to attempt to reduce Roman-Dutch civil law into a system in his Jurisprudence of Holland (written 1619-20, commentary published 1621). The Dutch historian/lawyer Simon van Leeuwen coined the term "Roman-Dutch law" in 1652. Spanish Law - A type of civil law, often referred to as the Spanish Civil Code, it is the present legal system of Spain and is the basis of legal systems in 12 countries mostly in Central and South America, but also in southwestern Europe, northern and western Africa, and southeastern Asia. The Spanish Civil Code reflects a complex mixture of customary, Roman, Napoleonic, local, and modern codified law. The laws of the Visigoth invaders of Spain in the 5th to 7th centuries had the earliest major influence on Spanish legal system development. The Christian Reconquest of Spain in the 11th through 15th centuries witnessed the development of customary law, which combined canon (religious) and Roman law. During several centuries of Hapsburg and Bourbon rule, systematic recompilations of the existing national legal system were attempted, but these often conflicted with local and regional customary civil laws. Legal system development for most of the 19th century concentrated on formulating a national civil law system, which was finally enacted in 1889 as the Spanish Civil Code. Several sections of the code have been revised, the most recent of which are the penal code in 1989 and the judiciary code in 2001. The Spanish Civil Code separates public and private law. Public law includes constitutional law, administrative law, criminal law, process law, financial and tax law, and international public law. Private law includes civil law, commercial law, labor law, and international private law. United States Law - A type of common law, which is the basis of the legal system of the United States and that of its island possessions in the Caribbean and the Pacific. This legal system has several layers, more possibly than in most other countries, and is due in part to the division between federal and state law. The United States was founded not as one nation but as a union of 13 colonies, each claiming independence from the British Crown. The US Constitution, implemented in 1789, began shifting power away from the states and toward the federal government, though the states today retain substantial legal authority. US law draws its authority from four sources: constitutional law, statutory law, administrative regulations, and case law. Constitutional law is based on the US Constitution and serves as the supreme federal law. Taken together with those of the state constitutions, these documents outline the general structure of the federal and state governments and provide the rules and limits of power. US statutory law is legislation enacted by the US Congress and is codified in the United States Code. The 50 state legislatures have similar authority to enact state statutes. Administrative law is the authority delegated to federal and state executive agencies. Case law, also referred to as common law, covers areas where constitutional or statutory law is lacking. Case law is a collection of judicial decisions, customs, and general principles that began in England centuries ago, that were adopted in America at the time of the Revolution, and that continue to develop today. Country