From the 16th to the 17th centuries, the First French colonial empire stretched from a total area at its peak in 1680 to over , 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  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 110 million inhabitants, compared with 330 million for British India alone.
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.
A series of wars with Britain during the 18th century and early 19th century, which France finally lost, almost ended its colonial ambitions in these regions, and without it what some historians term the "first" French colonial empire.
In the 19th century, starting with the conquest of Algiers in 1830, France began to establish a new empire in Africa and Southeast Asia.
The following is a list of all 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.
In the Americas
Present-day Dominican Republic (1795–1809)
Canada
New France (1534–1763), and nearby lands:
Acadia (1604–1713)
Newfoundland
Hudson Bay
Saint Lawrence River
Great Lakes
Lake Winnipeg
Quebec
Present-day United States
The Fort Saint Louis (Texas) (1685–1689)
Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands (1650–1733)
Fort Caroline in French Florida (occupation by Huguenots) (1562–1565)
Vincennes and Fort Ouiatenon in Indiana
French Louisiana (23.3% of the current territory) (1764–1804) (sold by Napoleon I) (also see: Louisiana (New Spain))
Lower Louisiana
Upper Louisiana
Louisiana (New France) (1672–1764)
Present-day Brazil
France Équinoxiale (Bay of São Luis) (1610–1615)
The island of Saint Alexis (1531)
The Territory of Amapá (1897) (disputed Franco-Brazilian territory resolved in favour of Brazil)
The city of Viçosa-Ceará (Territory of Ibiapaba) (1590–1604)
France Antarctique, to Fort Coligny ( Rio de Janeiro Bay; intended as a haven for Huguenots) (1555–1567)
Île Delphine's island (1736–1737)
Haiti (1627–1804)
Present-day Suriname
Tapanahony (District of Sipaliwini) (Controversial Franco-Dutch in favour of the Netherlands) (25.8% of the current territory) (1814)
Îles des Saintes (1648–present)
Marie-Galante (1635–present)
la Désirade (1635–present)
Guadeloupe (1635–present)
Martinique (1635–present)
French Guiana (1604–present)
Saint Pierre and Miquelon (1604–1713, 1763–present)
Collectivity of Saint Martin (1624–present)
Saint Barthélemy (1648–1784, 1878–present)
Dominica (1625–1763, 1778–1783)
Nevis (1782–1784)
Grenada (1650–1762, 1779–1783)
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (1719–1763, 1779–1783)
Saint Christopher Island (1628–1690, 1698–1702, 1706, 1782–1783)
Antigua (briefly in 1666)
Saint Lucia (1650–1723, 1756–1778, 1784–1803)
Present-day Guyana (1782–1784)
Tobago (1666–1667, 1781–1793, 1802–1803)
In Africa
thumb|right|Map of French colonies in Africa (in green) [[French North Africa]]
French Morocco (1912–1956) (protectorate) (89% of the current territory) (now Morocco)
French Algeria (1830–1962)
French Tunisia (1881–1956) (protectorate) (Tunisia)
[[French West Africa]]
Ivory Coast (1843–1960)
Dahomey or French Dahomey (now Benin) (1883–1960)
Independent of Dahomey, under French protectorate in 1889
Porto-Novo (protectorate) (1863–1865, 1882)
Cotonou (protectorate) (1868)
French Sudan (now Mali) (1883–1960)
Senegambia and Niger (1902–1904)
Guinea or French Guinea (1891–1958)
Mauritania (1902–1960)
Adrar emirate (protectorate) (1909)
The Taganit confederation's emirate (protectorate) (1905)
Brakna confederation's emirate (protectorate)
Emirate of Trarza (protectorate) (1902)
Niger (1890–1960)
Sultanate of Damagaram (Zinder) (protectorate) (1899)
Senegal (1677–1960)
French Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) (1896–1960)
French Togoland (1918–1960) (formerly a German colony, mandate became a French colony) (now Togo)
Nigeria
The Enclaves of Forcados and Badjibo (territory under a lease of 30 years) (1900–1927)
The Emirate of Muri (Northeast of Nigeria) (1892–1893)
Gambia
Albreda (1681–1857)
Kunta Kinteh Island (1695–1697, 1702)
[[French Equatorial Africa]]
Chad (1900–1960)
Oubangui-Chari (currently Central African Republic) (1905–1960)
Dar al Kuti (protectorate) (1897) (in 1912 its sultanate was suppressed by the French)
Sultanate of Bangassou (protectorate) (1894)
Present-day The Republic of Congo, then French Congo (1875–1960)
Gabon (1839–1960)
French Cameroon (91% of current Cameroon) (1918–1960) (formerly a German colony, Mandate, Protectorate then French Colony)
São Tomé and Príncipe (1709)
East Africa and Indian Ocean
Madagascar (1896–1960)
Kingdom of Imerina (protectorate) (1896)
Isle de France (1715–1810) (now Mauritius)
Djibouti (French Somaliland) (the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas) (French Somalia) (1862–1977)
Mayotte (1841–present)
Seychelles (1756–1810)
Chagos Archipelago (1721–1745, 1768–1814)
The Scattered Islands (Banc du Geyser, Bassas da India, Europa Island, Juan de Nova Island, Glorioso Islands, Tromelin Island)
Comoros (1866–1975)
Réunion (1710–present)
In Asia
French Indochina
French Indochinese Union (1887–1954)
Laos (protectorate) (1893–1953)
Cambodia (protectorate) (1863–1953)
Vietnam
Cochinchina (Southern Vietnam) (1858–1949)
Annam (protectorate) (Central Vietnam) (1883–1949)
Tonkin (protectorate) (Northern Vietnam) (1884–1949)
State of Vietnam (1949–1954)
Spratly Islands (1933–1939)
Paracel Islands (1933–1939)
Some territories in the eastern part of Thailand (independent state, but after Franco-Siamese War in 1893, Thailand has lost 3 provinces during the next 15 years)
Chanthaburi Province (1893-1904)
Trat Province (1904-1907)
Dan Sai District (in the area of the Loei Province:1903-1907)
India and Sri Lanka
French India
French Establishments of India, composed of Pondichéry (1765–1954); Karikal (1725–1954); Mahé (1721–1954) Yanaon (1723–1954);  Chandernagor (1673–1952)
Taiwan
The city/port of Keelung (1884–1885)
Pescadores Islands (1885)
Basilan (1845)
China
The territory of Kouang-Tchéou-Wan, a dependency of French Indochina) (1898–1945)
The foreign concessions : French Concession of Shanghai (1849–1946), Tianjin (1860–1946) and Hankou (1898–1946)
The Spheres of French influence officially recognized by China on the provinces of Yunnan, Guangxi, Hainan, Guangdong
Shamian Island (1859–1949) (a fifth of the island)
Palestine
Syria or French Syria (1920–1946) (French Mandate of Syria)
Alawite State (1920–1936)
State of Aleppo (1920–1924)
State of Jabal Druze (1921–1936)
State of Damascus (1920–1924)
Sanjak of Alexandretta (now part of Turkey)
State of Greater Lebanon (now it is Lebanon) (1920–1946)
Lebanon or French Lebanon (1920–1946) (French Mandate of Lebanon)
Mount Lebanon (An international protocol fixes the autonomy of the mount Lebanon under the protection of France)
Yemen
Cheikh Saïd (Some French atlases and history books claimed the territory was French, but France never occupied it and never claimed jurisdiction or sovereignty over the territory, which therefore was never French, remaining under Turkish, then Yemeni control.Cheikh Saïd - The territory of Cheikh Saïd was acquired in 1868 by a French company.
It is for that reason that it was formerly shown with the French colours on certain atlases.
In fact, Cheikh Saïd has been occupied by the Turks since 1870, and by the Yemenis since the First World War., Dictionnaire encyclopédique Quillet, (1985 ed.). )
In Oceania
Clipperton Island (1858–present)
French Polynesia
Society Islands (became a French protectorate in 1843 and a colony in 1880)
Otaheiti, known as Tahiti (protectorate) (1842–1880)
Raiatea and Tahaa (protectorate) (1880)
Tuamotu Archipelago
Marquesas Islands (under French control in 1870, and later incorporated into the territory of French Polynesia)
Gambier Islands
Mangareva (protectorate) (1844/1871)
Austral Islands
Rurutu (Austral Islands) (protectorate) (1858–1889)
Papua New Guinea
New Ireland (1880–1882) (attempt at colonization, unofficial)
New Caledonia
Chesterfield Islands
Matthew and Hunter Islands
Loyalty Islands
Île des Pins
Hawaiian Islands (1837) (at the beginning of French presence there; however, the United States persuaded the local Queen to negotiate with them instead, by means of the strength of a company of U.S. Marines)
The New Hebrides (Vanuatu)
French protectorate (1887–1906)
Anglo-French condominium (1906–1980)
Australia
Dirk Hartog Island (1772) (made an unofficial annexation for all Australia)Philippe Godard, Tugdual de Kerros 2002, "Louis de Saint Aloüarn, un marin breton à la conquête des terres australes", Les Portes du large, Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande, 331-336
Wallis and Futuna (1887–present)
Kingdom of Uvea (Wallis and Futuna) (declared to be a protectorate by King of Uvea and Captain Mallet in 1842.
Officially in a treaty becomes a French protectorate in 1887 until annexed in 1917)
Kingdom of Sigave (signed a treaty establishing a French protectorate in 1888 until annexed in 1917)
Kingdom of Alo (Wallis and Futuna) (signed a treaty establishing a French protectorate in 1888 until annexed in 1917)
In Antarctica
French Southern and Antarctic Lands (TAAF)
Crozet Islands (24 January 1772– present)
Kerguelen Islands (13 February 1772– present)
Île Amsterdam (in 1843 but abandoned) (1892–present)
Île Saint-Paul (in 1843 but abandoned) (1892–present)
Adélie Land (1840–present) (sheltering one of two French Bases in Antarctica, the other one being Franco-Italian (that borders with the Australian Antarctic Territory on both sides and divides that in two)
See also
Overseas departments and territories of France
CFA franc
Franco-Trarzan War of 1825
French colonial forces
French colonisation of the Americas
French Colonial Union
Organisation internationale de la Francophonie
Kouang-Tchéou-Wan, a small French territory in China
French colonial flags
Frenchbooksonindia.com, an open access multilingual discovery tool with book data from 1531 to 2020, full-text ebooks from 1531 to 1937 and in-text search from c. 1830 to c. 1920
Notes and references
External links
Worldstatesmen.org: COLONIES (English)
NIEDCOLONI (French)
Francedownunder.com: French Forum
Maranhao.fr: (French)
Herodote.net (French)
Mappemonde (French)
France-Antarctique history (French)
France-Antarctique (French)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k109516t (French)
http://fan2figs.blog4ever.com/blog/lire-article-226522-1184741-le_reve_de_la_france_antarctique.html (French)
• Colonies .
Category:French colonisation in Africa Category:French colonisation in Asia Category:French colonization of the Americas List Category:Lists of former colonies
de:Französische Kolonien
