List of countries and territories 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| 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 | 688,591[5] | Sovereign country |
Dependent entities where Tamil is an official language
change| 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| Country | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|
 South Africa |
650,000 | 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 |
4,800,000 | 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| 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| 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| Country | Region |
|---|---|
 Réunion [12]
|
Africa |
 Seychelles [13]
|
Africa |
References
change- ↑ "Languages with official status in India". Wikipedia. 2019-09-23.
- ↑ "Language Dept Sri Lanka". Archived from the original on 2012-09-15. Retrieved 2012-10-19.
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. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04.
- ↑ Wong, Aline (2000-11-24). "Education in a Multicultural Setting - The Singapore Experience". Ministry of Education, Government of Singapore. Archived from the original on 2018-12-26. 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. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-05-16.
- ↑ "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. Archived from the original on 2019-06-30. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
- ↑ "A Brief History of the Tamils of Mauritius (M. Sangeelee)". tamilelibrary.org.
- ↑ "India creates new state; demand rises for more states .:. Tibet Sun".
- ↑ "India may have 50 states if all demands for new states are met - Times of India". The Times of India. 4 August 2013.
- ↑ "The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Pondy Dy. Speaker flayed". www.thehindu.com.
- ↑ "Reunion Culture".
- ↑ "Seychelles National Culture". Archived from the original on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2012-10-19.