Evolution of the French colonial empire

From the 16th to the 17th centuries, the First French colonial empire stretched from a total area at its peak in 1680 to over 10,000,000 km2, the second largest empire in the world at the time behind only the Spanish Empire. During the 19th and 20th centuries, the French colonial empire was the second largest colonial empire in the world only behind the British Empire; it extended over 13,500,000 km2 of land at its height in the 1920s and 1930s. In terms of population however, on the eve of World War II, France and her colonial possessions totaled only 150 million inhabitants, compared with 330 million for British India alone. The total area of the French colonial empire, with the first (mainly in the Americas and Asia) and second (mainly in Africa and Asia), the French colonial empires combined, reached 24,000,000 km2, the second largest in the world (the first being the British Empire). The French colonial empire had an enormous impact on world history. France had about 80 colonies throughout its history, the second most colonies in the world behind only the British Empire. Around 40 countries gained independence from France throughout its history, the second most in the world behind only the British Empire. Over 50% of the world's borders today, were drawn as a result of British and French imperialism. In Stuart Laycock’s book, All the Countries We've Ever Invaded: And the Few We Never Got Round To, he cites that 90% of the world's countries have suffered a British invasion at some point in their history, with only 22 spared. France is the nearest rival to Britain's record with 80% of the world’s countries invaded by France with only 43 spared.

This is a list of all territories that were part of the French colonial empires in the last 500 years, either entirely or in part, either under French sovereignty or as mandate or protectorate. When only a part of the country was under French rule, that part is listed in parentheses after the country. When there are no parentheses, it means the whole country was formerly part of any one of the French colonial empires. Countries listed are those where French sovereignty applied effectively. Areas that were only claimed, but not effectively controlled (such as Manhattan or Western Australia) are not listed.


 * N.B.:
 * "1st" means the country/territory was part of the first French colonial empire. (pre 1814/1815)
 * "2nd" means the country/territory was part of the second French colonial empire. (post 1830)
 * "Now" means this is a territory still part of the French Republic today.

North America

 * Canada (most of eastern and central Canada, see Acadia and Canada, New France)—1st
 * Saint-Pierre and Miquelon—1st, 2nd, & now
 * United States (entire basin of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, Great Lakes, see Louisiana (New France))—1st

Caribbean

 * Anguilla (briefly)—1st
 * Antigua and Barbuda (briefly)—1st
 * Dominica—1st
 * Dominican Republic (briefly)—1st
 * Grenada—1st
 * Guadeloupe—1st, 2nd, & now
 * Haiti—1st
 * Martinique—1st, 2nd, & now
 * Montserrat (briefly)—1st
 * Saint Martin (northern half only)—1st, 2nd, & now
 * Saint-Barthélemy—1st, 2nd, & now
 * Saint Lucia—1st
 * Saint Vincent and the Grenadines—1st
 * Sint Eustatius (briefly)—1st
 * St Kitts and Nevis (St Kitts, but not Nevis)—1st
 * Trinidad and Tobago (Tobago only)—1st
 * US Virgin Islands (Saint Croix only)—1st

South America
(see France Antarctique and France Équinoxiale)
 * Brazil (Rio de Janeiro briefly, and São Luís briefly)—1st
 * French Guiana—1st, 2nd, & now

West Africa

 * Benin (as Dahomey)—2nd
 * Burkina Faso (as Upper Volta)—2nd
 * Côte d'Ivoire—2nd
 * Guinea—2nd
 * Mali (as French Sudan)—2nd
 * Mauritania—2nd
 * Niger—2nd
 * Senegal—1st & 2nd
 * Togo—2nd

Equatorial Africa

 * Cameroon (91% of Cameroon)—2nd
 * Central African Republic (as Oubangui-Chari)—2nd
 * Chad—2nd
 * Democratic Republic of Congo ('Congo-Kinshasa')—2nd
 * Gabon—2nd
 * Republic of the Congo ('Congo-Brazzaville')—2nd

Indian Ocean

 * Comoros—2nd
 * Madagascar—2nd
 * Mauritius—1st
 * Mayotte—2nd & now
 * Réunion—1st, 2nd, & now
 * Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean—2nd & now
 * Seychelles—1st
 * Tanzania (Zanzibar, briefly)—2nd

Red Sea

 * Djibouti (as French Somaliland)—2nd
 * Yemen (Cheikh Saïd peninsula)

Middle East

 * Lebanon—2nd
 * Syria—2nd
 * Turkey (Sanjak of Alexandretta, now called Hatay Province)—2nd

South Asia

 * India
 * half of India (see French India)—1st
 * only Pondicherry, Karikal, Yanaon, Mahé, and Chandernagore—2nd

East Asia

 * China
 * Kwang-Chou-Wan leased territory, now the city of Zhanjiang (Guangdong province)—2nd
 * French concessions in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Tianjin, and Hankou—2nd
 * French sphere of influence recognized by China over the provinces of Yunnan, Guangxi, Hainan, and Guangdong—2nd

South East Asia

 * Cambodia—2nd
 * Laos—2nd
 * Vietnam (as Tonkin, Annam, and Cochinchina)—2nd
 * Eastern Thailand under French Sphere of Influence—2nd

Oceania

 * Clipperton—2nd & now
 * New Caledonia—2nd & now
 * French Polynesia—2nd & now
 * Vanuatu (condominium shared with the British Empire)—2nd
 * Wallis and Futuna—2nd & now

Antarctic Ocean

 * French Southern and Antarctic Lands—2nd & now