List of French possessions and colonies
The French colonial empire is the set of territories outside Europe that were under French rule primarily from the 17th century to the late 1960s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the French colonial empire was one of the largest in the world, behind the British Empire, the Russian Empire, the Spanish Empire: it extended over 12,898,000 km² (4,980,000 sq. miles) of land at its height in the 1920s and 1930s. The French colonial empire was the largest empire in 17th century and the Second Empire in 1929. Including metropolitan France in 1929, the total amount of land under French sovereignty reached 13,018,575 km² (5,020,000 sq. miles) but 13,518,575 km² if we count Fezzan captured by Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque for Charles de Gaulle, at the time, which is 8.7% (or 9% with Fezzan) of the Earth's total land area. Its influence made French a widely spoken colonial European language, along with English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
France began to establish colonies in North America, the Caribbean and India, following Spanish and Portuguese successes during the Age of Discovery, in rivalry with Britain for supremacy. A series of wars with Britain during the 18th century and early 19th century, which France lost, ended its colonial ambitions on these continents, and with it is what some historians term the "first" French colonial empire. In the 19th century, France established a new empire in Africa and South East Asia. Some of these colonies lasted beyond the invasion and occupation of France by Nazi Germany during World War II. At present France possesses the second exclusive economic zone to the world just after the USA, it measures approximately (11,351,000 km2/4,383,000 mi2). Morever, the rest of its colonial empire is not more than 1% (that is ~ 120 000 km², Adélie Land is not counted but it measures 432 000 km²)
Here is a list of all the countries 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.
In Europe
- Albania
- Principality of Andorra (1806–1814) (the French President is Co-Prince of Andorra)
- Austria
- The French occupied zone in Austria (15.8% of the current country) (1945–1956)
- Belgium (1703–1706) (1745–1748) (1795–1814)
- Croatia
- Illyrian Provinces :
- The eleven French departments of Croatia (1808–1813) (Adelsberg, Bouches-du-Cattaro, Croatie, Dalmatie, Fiume, Gorice, Laybach, Neustdat, Raguse, Trieste, Willach)
- Greece
- Italy (1805–1814)
- Kingdom of Naples (1285-1309) by Charles I of Naples
- Town of Venice (1866)
- The fifteen French departments of Italy (26.5% of the current country) (1802–1814) (Doire, Marengo (department), Pô (department), Sésia, Stura, Tanaro, Apennins, Gênes, Montenotte, Méditerranée, Ombrone (department), Taro (department), Tibre, Trasimène)
- Germany
- Town of Kehl (French administration for seven years to prevent possible German attacks after the WWI) (1918–1925??) (1946–1953)
- The Confederation of the Rhine (1806–1813) (Around thirty German German States)
- The French Zone of Occupation in Germany (15.7% of the current country) (1945–1956)
- The French Protectorate of Saar (protectorate) (0.71% of the current country) (1920–1935) (1947–1956)
- Guernsey (1204–1205) (1205–1206) (1338–1340) (1372–1373)
- Jersey (1204–1205) (1205–1206) (1380–1382) (1461–1468) (1781 - Battle of Jersey)
- Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (1792–1793) (1795–1814)
- Malta (1798–1800)
- The rock of Monaco (1793–1814)
- Netherlands (1795–1810)
- Poland
- Portugal (1807–1810)
- Spain (1808–1813)
- Switzerland (1798–1813)
- United Kingdom (1066)(1216-1223)
- Vatican
- The French domains of Vatican (Five churches and their dependence : St Louis des Français, La Trinité des monts, St Nicolas des Lorrains, St Yves des Bretons, St Claude des Francs-comtois de Bourgogne. Then, 13 Residential properties in Rome and one building and about hectares of lands to Lorette)[4]
In the Americas
In Africa
In Asia
In Oceania
In Antarctica
See also
References
External links