This article was originally published July 21, 2014.
10. Equatorial Guinea
The eighth, ninth and 10th places on our list are a three-way tie. In Equatorial Guinea, which has some beautiful beaches as witnessed in the above phone, some 60 percent of the population speaks some level of French.
9. Republic of Congo
Same story in the Republic of Congo — well minus the beaches and sadly, adding in war — 60 percent of the population speaks French.
8. Seychelles
A popular luxury travel destination, especially with the French, some 60 percent of the population living on the island of Seychelles speaks some degree of Creole and proper French.
7. Guinea
Around 63.2 percent of people in Guinea, or some 6 million of its residents, can speak French.
6. Tunisia
Some 63 percent of people living in the North African nation can speak some level of French, making Tunisia No. 6 on our list.
5. Sao Tome and Principe
Portuguese is the official language of this island off the coast west of Gabon but 65 percent of the population can speak French.
4. Senegal
Tying for No. 4 with Côte d’Ivoire, 70 percent of the population of Senegal speaks French.
3. Cote d’Ivoire
With 70 percent of the population — or 12.7 million people — speaking French, this West African nation ties with Senegal for the No. 3 spot.
2. Mauritius
The island nation of Mauritius comes in at No. 2 with 72.7 percent of the population able to speak French –the country’s official language. Creole, the French spoken here, is a different dialect than that spoken in West Africa.
1. Gabon
With 80 percent Gabon’s citizens speaking some level of French, it is No. 1 on our list. French is the official language of the country and considered a unifying force among the country’s 40 different ethnic groups, all of which have diverse local languages.