List of countries where Tamil is an official language
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The following is a list of sovereign states and territories where Tamil is an official or language of government.
Sovereign Countries[change | change source]
| Country | Region | Population1 | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
 India[1]
|
Asia | 1,247,540,000 | Sovereign country |
 Sri Lanka[2]
|
Asia | 5,007,003[3] | Sovereign country |
 Singapore[4]
|
Asia | 188,591[5] | Sovereign country |
Dependent entities where Tamil is an official language[change | change source]
| Entity | Continent | Population | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auroville |
Asia | 2,600 | Autonomous city of India |
| Pondicherry |
Asia | 1,244,464 | Union Territory of India |
| Tamil Nadu |
Asia | 72,138,958 | State of India |
Recognized as minority language[change | change source]
| Country | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|
 South Africa |
250,000 | Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 - Chapter 1: Founding Provisions states "A Pan South African Language Board established by national legislation must promote and ensure respect for Tamil" along with other minority languages.[6] |
 Malaysia |
1,800,000 | Malaysian government recognize Tamil as a minority language along with Chinese. The "national-type" school's medium of instruction is either in Tamil or Chinese.[7] |
 Mauritius |
72,089 | Tamils are the first immigrants to Mauritius who were brought by French. Later British brought Tamils to fight with French and as a recognition, Tamil is being used on the currency of Mauritius.[8] |
Partially recognized and unrecognized territories[change | change source]
| Entity | Notes |
|---|---|
| Tamil Eelam (Eelam) | Claiming sovereignty over the North and Eastern Sri Lanka and Puttalam district as[9][10] |
| Karaikal |
Claiming for a separate union territory in India.[11] |
Former territories resp. dependent entities where Tamil was an official language[change | change source]
| Entity | Continent | Population | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haryana
|
Asia | 10,572 | State of India | Tamil was once given nominal official status in Haryana but it was later replaced with Punjabi, in 2010. |
Countries where Tamil is used and has cultural impact but not official[change | change source]
| Country | Region |
|---|---|
 Réunion [12]
|
Africa |
 Seychelles [13]
|
Africa |
References[change | change source]
- ↑ "Languages with official status in India". Wikipedia. 2019-09-23.
- ↑ "Language Dept Sri Lanka".
Tamil and Sinhala official language of Sri Lanka
- ↑ "Census of Population and Housing of Sri Lanka, 2012" (PDF). Census of Population and Housing of Sri Lanka, 2012. Department of Census and Statistics-Sri Lanka.
- ↑ Wong, Aline (2000-11-24). "Education in a Multicultural Setting - The Singapore Experience". Ministry of Education, Government of Singapore. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
There are four official languages: English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil.
- ↑ "Department of Statistics, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Republic of Singapore" (PDF). Census of population 2010. Department of statistics Singapore.
- ↑ "Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 - Chapter 1: Founding Provisions - South African Government". www.gov.za.
- ↑ "National Identity and Minority Languages - UN Chronicle". unchronicle.un.org.
- ↑ "A Brief History of the Tamils of Mauritius (M. Sangeelee)". tamilelibrary.org.
- ↑ http://www.tibetsun.com/news/2013/07/31/india-creates-new-state-demand-for-smaller-states-rise
- ↑ "India may have 50 states if all demands for new states are met - Times of India". The Times of India.
- ↑ "The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Pondy Dy. Speaker flayed". www.thehindu.com.
- ↑ "Reunion Culture".
- ↑ "Seychelles National Culture".