Chapter M: Major infectious diseases (116)

This entry provides a rank ordering of languages starting with the
largest and sometimes includes the percent of total population
speaking that language.
Country

Languages(%)

Afghanistan
Afghan Persian or Dari (official) 50%, Pashto (official)
35%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor
languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism

Akrotiri
English, Greek

Albania
Albanian (official - derived from Tosk dialect), Greek,
Vlach, Romani, Slavic dialects

Algeria
Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects

American Samoa
Samoan 90.6% (closely related to Hawaiian and other
Polynesian languages), English 2.9%, Tongan 2.4%, other Pacific
islander 2.1%, other 2%
note: most people are bilingual (2000 census)

Andorra
Catalan (official), French, Castilian, Portuguese

Angola
Portuguese (official), Bantu and other African languages

Anguilla
English (official)

Antigua and Barbuda
English (official), local dialects

Argentina
Spanish (official), Italian, English, German, French

Armenia
Armenian 97.7%, Yezidi 1%, Russian 0.9%, other 0.4% (2001
census)

Aruba
Papiamento (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect) 66.3%,
Spanish 12.6%, English (widely spoken) 7.7%, Dutch (official) 5.8%,
other 2.2%, unspecified or unknown 5.3% (2000 census)

Australia
English 78.5%, Chinese 2.5%, Italian 1.6%, Greek 1.3%,
Arabic 1.2%, Vietnamese 1%, other 8.2%, unspecified 5.7% (2006
Census)

Austria
German (official nationwide) 88.6%, Turkish 2.3%, Serbian
2.2%, Croatian (official in Burgenland) 1.6%, other (includes
Slovene, official in Carinthia, and Hungarian, official in
Burgenland) 5.3% (2001 census)

Azerbaijan
Azerbaijani (Azeri) 90.3%, Lezgi 2.2%, Russian 1.8%,
Armenian 1.5%, other 3.3%, unspecified 1% (1999 census)

Bahamas, The
English (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants)

Bahrain
Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu

Bangladesh
Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English

Barbados
English

Belarus
Belarusian, Russian, other

Belgium
Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German
(official) less than 1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French)

Belize
Spanish 46%, Creole 32.9%, Mayan dialects 8.9%, English 3.9%
(official), Garifuna 3.4% (Carib), German 3.3%, other 1.4%, unknown
0.2% (2000 census)

Benin
French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in
south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north)

Bermuda
English (official), Portuguese

Bhutan
Dzongkha (official), Bhotes speak various Tibetan dialects,
Nepalese speak various Nepalese dialects

Bolivia
Spanish 60.7% (official), Quechua 21.2% (official), Aymara
14.6% (official), foreign languages 2.4%, other 1.2% (2001 census)

Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian

Botswana
Setswana 78.2%, Kalanga 7.9%, Sekgalagadi 2.8%, English
2.1% (official), other 8.6%, unspecified 0.4% (2001 census)

Brazil
Portuguese (official and most widely spoken language); note -
less common languages include Spanish (border areas and schools),
German, Italian, Japanese, English, and a large number of minor
Amerindian languages

British Virgin Islands
English (official)

Brunei
Malay (official), English, Chinese

Bulgaria
Bulgarian 84.5%, Turkish 9.6%, Roma 4.1%, other and
unspecified 1.8% (2001 census)

Burkina Faso
French (official), native African languages belonging
to Sudanic family spoken by 90% of the population

Burma
Burmese, minority ethnic groups have their own languages

Burundi
Kirundi (official), French (official), Swahili (along Lake
Tanganyika and in the Bujumbura area)

Cambodia
Khmer (official) 95%, French, English

Cameroon
24 major African language groups, English (official),
French (official)

Canada
English (official) 58.8%, French (official) 21.6%, other
19.6% (2006 Census)

Cape Verde
Portuguese, Crioulo (a blend of Portuguese and West
African words)

Cayman Islands
English 95%, Spanish 3.2%, other 1.8% (1999 census)

Central African Republic
French (official), Sangho (lingua franca
and national language), tribal languages

Chad
French (official), Arabic (official), Sara (in south), more
than 120 different languages and dialects

Chile
Spanish (official), Mapudungun, German, English

China
Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing
dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghainese), Minbei (Fuzhou),
Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority
languages (see Ethnic groups entry)

Christmas Island
English (official), Chinese, Malay

Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Malay (Cocos dialect), English

Colombia
Spanish

Comoros
Arabic (official), French (official), Shikomoro (a blend of
Swahili and Arabic)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the
French (official), Lingala (a
lingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or
Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba

Congo, Republic of the
French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba
(lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects
(of which Kikongo is the most widespread)

Cook Islands
English (official), Maori

Costa Rica
Spanish (official), English

Cote d'Ivoire
French (official), 60 native dialects with Dioula the
most widely spoken

Croatia
Croatian 96.1%, Serbian 1%, other and undesignated 2.9%
(including Italian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, and German) (2001
census)

Cuba
Spanish

Cyprus
Greek, Turkish, English

Czech Republic
Czech 94.9%, Slovak 2%, other 2.3%, unidentified 0.8%
(2001 census)

Denmark
Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (an Inuit dialect), German
(small minority)
note: English is the predominant second language

Dhekelia
English, Greek

Djibouti
French (official), Arabic (official), Somali, Afar

Dominica
English (official), French patois

Dominican Republic
Spanish

Ecuador
Spanish (official), Amerindian languages (especially Quechua)

Egypt
Arabic (official), English and French widely understood by
educated classes

El Salvador
Spanish, Nahua (among some Amerindians)

Equatorial Guinea
Spanish 67.6% (official), other 32.4% (includes
French (official), Fang, Bubi) (1994 census)

Eritrea
Afar, Arabic, Tigre and Kunama, Tigrinya, other Cushitic
languages

Estonia
Estonian (official) 67.3%, Russian 29.7%, other 2.3%,
unknown 0.7% (2000 census)

Ethiopia
Amarigna 32.7%, Oromigna 31.6%, Tigrigna 6.1%, Somaligna
6%, Guaragigna 3.5%, Sidamigna 3.5%, Hadiyigna 1.7%, other 14.8%,
English (major foreign language taught in schools) (1994 census)

European Union
Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian,
Finnish, French, Gaelic, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian,
Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovene,
Spanish, Swedish
note: only official languages are listed; German, the major language
of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, is the most widely spoken
mother tongue - over 19% of the EU population; English is the most
widely spoken language - about 49% of the EU population is
conversant with it (2007)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
English

Faroe Islands
Faroese (derived from Old Norse), Danish

Fiji
English (official), Fijian (official), Hindustani

Finland
Finnish 91.2% (official), Swedish 5.5% (official), other
3.3% (small Sami- and Russian-speaking minorities) (2007)

France
French 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects and
languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque,
Flemish)
overseas departments: French, Creole patois

French Polynesia
French 61.1% (official), Polynesian 31.4%
(official), Asian languages 1.2%, other 0.3%, unspecified 6% (2002
census)

Gabon
French (official), Fang, Myene, Nzebi, Bapounou/Eschira,
Bandjabi

Gambia, The
English (official), Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, other
indigenous vernaculars

Gaza Strip
Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by many Palestinians), English
(widely understood)

Georgia
Georgian 71% (official), Russian 9%, Armenian 7%, Azeri 6%,
other 7%
note: Abkhaz is the official language in Abkhazia

Germany
German

Ghana
Asante 14.8%, Ewe 12.7%, Fante 9.9%, Boron (Brong) 4.6%,
Dagomba 4.3%, Dangme 4.3%, Dagarte (Dagaba) 3.7%, Akyem 3.4%, Ga
3.4%, Akuapem 2.9%, other 36.1% (includes English (official)) (2000
census)

Gibraltar
English (used in schools and for official purposes),
Spanish, Italian, Portuguese

Greece
Greek 99% (official), other 1% (includes English and French)

Greenland
Greenlandic (East Inuit) (official), Danish, English

Grenada
English (official), French patois

Guam
English 38.3%, Chamorro 22.2%, Philippine languages 22.2%,
other Pacific island languages 6.8%, Asian languages 7%, other
languages 3.5% (2000 census)

Guatemala
Spanish 60%, Amerindian languages 40% (23 officially
recognized Amerindian languages, including Quiche, Cakchiquel,
Kekchi, Mam, Garifuna, and Xinca)

Guernsey
English, French, Norman-French dialect spoken in country
districts

Guinea
French (official); note - each ethnic group has its own
language

Guinea-Bissau
Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages

Guyana
English, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Caribbean Hindustani (a
dialect of Hindi), Urdu

Haiti
French (official), Creole (official)

Holy See (Vatican City)
Italian, Latin, French, various other
languages

Honduras
Spanish, Amerindian dialects

Hong Kong
Chinese (Cantonese) 89.2% (official), other Chinese
dialects 6.4%, English 3.2% (official), other 1.2% (2001 census)

Hungary
Hungarian 93.6%, other or unspecified 6.4% (2001 census)

Iceland
Icelandic, English, Nordic languages, German widely spoken

India
Hindi 41%, Bengali 8.1%, Telugu 7.2%, Marathi 7%, Tamil 5.9%,
Urdu 5%, Gujarati 4.5%, Kannada 3.7%, Malayalam 3.2%, Oriya 3.2%,
Punjabi 2.8%, Assamese 1.3%, Maithili 1.2%, other 5.9%
note: English enjoys associate status but is the most important
language for national, political, and commercial communication;
Hindi is the most widely spoken language and primary tongue of 41%
of the people; there are 14 other official languages: Bengali,
Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya,
Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Sanskrit; Hindustani is a
popular variant of Hindi/Urdu spoken widely throughout northern
India but is not an official language (2001 census)

Indonesia
Bahasa Indonesia (official, modified form of Malay),
English, Dutch, local dialects (the most widely spoken of which is
Javanese)

Iran
Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects
26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%

Iraq
Arabic, Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions), Turkoman (a
Turkish dialect), Assyrian (Neo-Aramaic), Armenian

Ireland
English (official) is the language generally used, Irish
(Gaelic or Gaeilge) (official) spoken mainly in areas along the
western coast

Isle of Man
English, Manx Gaelic

Israel
Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority,
English most commonly used foreign language

Italy
Italian (official), German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adige
region are predominantly German speaking), French (small
French-speaking minority in Valle d'Aosta region), Slovene
(Slovene-speaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area)

Jamaica
English, English patois

Japan
Japanese

Jersey
English 94.5% (official), Portuguese 4.6%, other 0.9% (2001
census)

Jordan
Arabic (official), English widely understood among upper and
middle classes

Kazakhstan
Kazakh (Qazaq, state language) 64.4%, Russian (official,
used in everyday business, designated the "language of interethnic
communication") 95% (2001 est.)

Kenya
English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous
languages

Kiribati
I-Kiribati, English (official)

Korea, North
Korean

Korea, South
Korean, English widely taught in junior high and high
school

Kosovo
Albanian (official), Serbian (official), Bosnian, Turkish,
Roma

Kuwait
Arabic (official), English widely spoken

Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyz 64.7% (official), Uzbek 13.6%, Russian 12.5%
(official), Dungun 1%, other 8.2% (1999 census)

Laos
Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages

Latvia
Latvian (official) 58.2%, Russian 37.5%, Lithuanian and other
4.3% (2000 census)

Lebanon
Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian

Lesotho
Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa

Liberia
English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages few
of which can be written or used in correspondence

Libya
Arabic, Italian, English, all are widely understood in the
major cities

Liechtenstein
German (official), Alemannic dialect

Lithuania
Lithuanian (official) 82%, Russian 8%, Polish 5.6%, other
and unspecified 4.4% (2001 census)

Luxembourg
Luxembourgish (national language), German (administrative
language), French (administrative language)

Macau
Cantonese 85.7%, Hokkien 4%, Mandarin 3.2%, other Chinese
dialects 2.7%, English 1.5%, Tagalog 1.3%, other 1.6% (2001 census)

Macedonia
Macedonian 66.5%, Albanian 25.1%, Turkish 3.5%, Roma 1.9%,
Serbian 1.2%, other 1.8% (2002 census)

Madagascar
English (official), French (official), Malagasy (official)

Malawi
Chichewa 57.2% (official), Chinyanja 12.8%, Chiyao 10.1%,
Chitumbuka 9.5%, Chisena 2.7%, Chilomwe 2.4%, Chitonga 1.7%, other
3.6% (1998 census)

Malaysia
Bahasa Malaysia (official), English, Chinese (Cantonese,
Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu,
Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai
note: in East Malaysia there are several indigenous languages; most
widely spoken are Iban and Kadazan

Maldives
Maldivian Dhivehi (dialect of Sinhala, script derived from
Arabic), English spoken by most government officials

Mali
French (official), Bambara 80%, numerous African languages

Malta
Maltese (official) 90.2%, English (official) 6%, multilingual
3%, other 0.8% (2005 census)

Marshall Islands
Marshallese (official) 98.2%, other languages 1.8%
(1999 census)
note: English (official), widely spoken as a second language

Mauritania
Arabic (official and national), Pulaar, Soninke, Wolof
(all national languages), French, Hassaniya

Mauritius
Creole 80.5%, Bhojpuri 12.1%, French 3.4%, English
(official; spoken by less than 1% of the population), other 3.7%,
unspecified 0.3% (2000 census)

Mayotte
Mahorian (a Swahili dialect), French (official language)
spoken by 35% of the population

Mexico
Spanish only 92.7%, Spanish and indigenous languages 5.7%,
indigenous only 0.8%, unspecified 0.8%; note - indigenous languages
include various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional languages (2005)

Micronesia, Federated States of
English (official and common
language), Chuukese, Kosrean, Pohnpeian, Yapese, Ulithian, Woleaian,
Nukuoro, Kapingamarangi

Moldova
Moldovan (official, virtually the same as the Romanian
language), Russian, Gagauz (a Turkish dialect)

Monaco
French (official), English, Italian, Monegasque

Mongolia
Khalkha Mongol 90%, Turkic, Russian (1999)

Montenegro
Serbian 63.6%, Montenegrin (official) 22%, Bosnian 5.5%,
Albanian 5.3%, unspecified 3.7% (2003 census)

Montserrat
English

Morocco
Arabic (official), Berber dialects, French often the
language of business, government, and diplomacy

Mozambique
Emakhuwa 26.1%, Xichangana 11.3%, Portuguese 8.8%
(official; spoken by 27% of population as a second language), Elomwe
7.6%, Cisena 6.8%, Echuwabo 5.8%, other Mozambican languages 32%,
other foreign languages 0.3%, unspecified 1.3% (1997 census)

Namibia
English 7% (official), Afrikaans common language of most of
the population and about 60% of the white population, German 32%,
indigenous languages 1% (includes Oshivambo, Herero, Nama)

Nauru
Nauruan (official; a distinct Pacific Island language),
English widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and
commercial purposes

Nepal
Nepali 47.8%, Maithali 12.1%, Bhojpuri 7.4%, Tharu
(Dagaura/Rana) 5.8%, Tamang 5.1%, Newar 3.6%, Magar 3.3%, Awadhi
2.4%, other 10%, unspecified 2.5% (2001 census)
note: many in government and business also speak English (2001 est.)

Netherlands
Dutch (official), Frisian (official)

Netherlands Antilles
Papiamento 65.4% (a
Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect), English 15.9% (widely
spoken), Dutch 7.3% (official), Spanish 6.1%, Creole 1.6%, other
1.9%, unspecified 1.8% (2001 census)

New Caledonia
French (official), 33 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects

New Zealand
English (official), Maori (official), Sign Language
(official)

Nicaragua
Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995
census)
note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast

Niger
French (official), Hausa, Djerma

Nigeria
English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo (Ibo), Fulani

Niue
Niuean, a Polynesian language closely related to Tongan and
Samoan; English

Norfolk Island
English (official), Norfolk - a mixture of 18th
century English and ancient Tahitian

Northern Mariana Islands
Philippine languages 24.4%, Chinese 23.4%,
Chamorro 22.4%, English 10.8%, other Pacific island languages 9.5%,
other 9.6% (2000 census)

Norway
Bokmal Norwegian (official), Nynorsk Norwegian (official),
small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities; note - Sami is official
in six municipalities

Oman
Arabic (official), English, Baluchi, Urdu, Indian dialects

Pakistan
Punjabi 48%, Sindhi 12%, Siraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10%,
Pashtu 8%, Urdu (official) 8%, Balochi 3%, Hindko 2%, Brahui 1%,
English (official; lingua franca of Pakistani elite and most
government ministries), Burushaski, and other 8%

Palau
Palauan 64.7% official in all islands except Sonsoral
(Sonsoralese and English are official), Tobi (Tobi and English are
official), and Angaur (Angaur, Japanese, and English are official),
Filipino 13.5%, English 9.4%, Chinese 5.7%, Carolinian 1.5%,
Japanese 1.5%, other Asian 2.3%, other languages 1.5% (2000 census)

Panama
Spanish (official), English 14%; note - many Panamanians
bilingual

Papua New Guinea
Tok Pisin, English, and Hiri Motu are official
languages; some 860 indigenous languages spoken (over one-tenth of
the world's total)
note: Tok Pisin, a creole language, is widely used and understood;
English is spoken by 1%-2%; Hiri Motu is spoken by less than 2%

Paraguay
Spanish (official), Guarani (official)

Peru
Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara, and a large
number of minor Amazonian languages

Philippines
Filipino (official; based on Tagalog) and English
(official); eight major dialects - Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano,
Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinan

Pitcairn Islands
English (official), Pitkern (mixture of an 18th
century English dialect and a Tahitian dialect)

Poland
Polish 97.8%, other and unspecified 2.2% (2002 census)

Portugal
Portuguese (official), Mirandese (official - but locally
used)

Puerto Rico
Spanish, English

Qatar
Arabic (official), English commonly used as a second language

Romania
Romanian 91% (official), Hungarian 6.7%, Romany (Gypsy)
1.1%, other 1.2%

Russia
Russian, many minority languages

Rwanda
Kinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu vernacular, French
(official), English (official), Kiswahili (Swahili) used in
commercial centers

Saint Barthelemy
French (primary), English

Saint Helena
English

Saint Kitts and Nevis
English

Saint Lucia
English (official), French patois

Saint Martin
French (official language), English, Dutch, French
Patois, Spanish, Papiamento (dialect of Netherlands Antilles)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon
French (official)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
English, French patois

Samoa
Samoan (Polynesian), English

San Marino
Italian

Sao Tome and Principe
Portuguese (official)

Saudi Arabia
Arabic

Senegal
French (official), Wolof, Pulaar, Jola, Mandinka

Serbia
Serbian 88.3% (official), Hungarian 3.8%, Bosniak 1.8%,
Romany (Gypsy) 1.1%, other 4.1%, unknown 0.9% (2002 census)
note: Romanian, Hungarian, Slovak, Ukrainian, and Croatian all
official in Vojvodina

Seychelles
Creole 91.8%, English 4.9% (official), other 3.1%,
unspecified 0.2% (2002 census)

Sierra Leone
English (official, regular use limited to literate
minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne
(principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole,
spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled
in the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10%
of the population but understood by 95%)

Singapore
Mandarin 35%, English 23%, Malay 14.1%, Hokkien 11.4%,
Cantonese 5.7%, Teochew 4.9%, Tamil 3.2%, other Chinese dialects
1.8%, other 0.9% (2000 census)

Slovakia
Slovak (official) 83.9%, Hungarian 10.7%, Roma 1.8%,
Ukrainian 1%, other or unspecified 2.6% (2001 census)

Slovenia
Slovenian 91.1%, Serbo-Croatian 4.5%, other or unspecified
4.4% (2002 census)

Solomon Islands
Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua
franca; English (official but spoken by only 1%-2% of the
population); 120 indigenous languages

Somalia
Somali (official), Arabic, Italian, English

South Africa
IsiZulu 23.8%, IsiXhosa 17.6%, Afrikaans 13.3%, Sepedi
9.4%, English 8.2%, Setswana 8.2%, Sesotho 7.9%, Xitsonga 4.4%,
other 7.2% (2001 census)

Spain
Castilian Spanish (official) 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%,
Basque 2%, are official regionally

Sri Lanka
Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil
(national language) 18%, other 8%
note: English is commonly used in government and is spoken
competently by about 10% of the population

Sudan
Arabic (official), English (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie,
diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages
note: program of "Arabization" in process

Suriname
Dutch (official), English (widely spoken), Sranang Tongo
(Surinamese, sometimes called Taki-Taki, is native language of
Creoles and much of the younger population and is lingua franca
among others), Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Javanese

Svalbard
Norwegian, Russian

Swaziland
English (official, government business conducted in
English), siSwati (official)

Sweden
Swedish, small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities

Switzerland
German (official) 63.7%, French (official) 20.4%,
Italian (official) 6.5%, Serbo-Croatian 1.5%, Albanian 1.3%,
Portuguese 1.2%, Spanish 1.1%, English 1%, Romansch (official) 0.5%,
other 2.8% (2000 census)
note: German, French, Italian, and Romansch are all national and
official languages

Syria
Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian
widely understood; French, English somewhat understood

Taiwan
Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects

Tajikistan
Tajik (official), Russian widely used in government and
business

Tanzania
Kiswahili or Swahili (official), Kiunguja (name for Swahili
in Zanzibar), English (official, primary language of commerce,
administration, and higher education), Arabic (widely spoken in
Zanzibar), many local languages
note: Kiswahili (Swahili) is the mother tongue of the Bantu people
living in Zanzibar and nearby coastal Tanzania; although Kiswahili
is Bantu in structure and origin, its vocabulary draws on a variety
of sources including Arabic and English; it has become the lingua
franca of central and eastern Africa; the first language of most
people is one of the local languages

Thailand
Thai, English (secondary language of the elite), ethnic and
regional dialects

Timor-Leste
Tetum (official), Portuguese (official), Indonesian,
English
note: there are about 16 indigenous languages; Tetum, Galole,
Mambae, and Kemak are spoken by significant numbers of people

Togo
French (official and the language of commerce), Ewe and Mina
(the two major African languages in the south), Kabye (sometimes
spelled Kabiye) and Dagomba (the two major African languages in the
north)

Tokelau
Tokelauan (a Polynesian language), English

Tonga
Tongan, English

Trinidad and Tobago
English (official), Caribbean Hindustani (a
dialect of Hindi), French, Spanish, Chinese

Tunisia
Arabic (official and one of the languages of commerce),
French (commerce)

Turkey
Turkish (official), Kurdish, other minority languages

Turkmenistan
Turkmen 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7%

Turks and Caicos Islands
English (official)

Tuvalu
Tuvaluan, English, Samoan, Kiribati (on the island of Nui)

Uganda
English (official national language, taught in grade schools,
used in courts of law and by most newspapers and some radio
broadcasts), Ganda or Luganda (most widely used of the Niger-Congo
languages, preferred for native language publications in the capital
and may be taught in school), other Niger-Congo languages,
Nilo-Saharan languages, Swahili, Arabic

Ukraine
Ukrainian (official) 67%, Russian 24%, other 9% (includes
small Romanian-, Polish-, and Hungarian-speaking minorities)

United Arab Emirates
Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu

United Kingdom
English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of
Wales), Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland)

United States
English 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%, other Indo-European
3.8%, Asian and Pacific island 2.7%, other 0.7% (2000 census)
note: Hawaiian is an official language in the state of Hawaii

Uruguay
Spanish, Portunol, or Brazilero (Portuguese-Spanish mix on
the Brazilian frontier)

Uzbekistan
Uzbek 74.3%, Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%, other 7.1%

Vanuatu
local languages (more than 100) 72.6%, pidgin (known as
Bislama or Bichelama) 23.1%, English 1.9%, French 1.4%, other 0.3%,
unspecified 0.7% (1999 Census)

Venezuela
Spanish (official), numerous indigenous dialects

Vietnam
Vietnamese (official), English (increasingly favored as a
second language), some French, Chinese, and Khmer; mountain area
languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)

Virgin Islands
English 74.7%, Spanish or Spanish Creole 16.8%,
French or French Creole 6.6%, other 1.9% (2000 census)

Wallis and Futuna
Wallisian 58.9% (indigenous Polynesian language),
Futunian 30.1%, French 10.8%, other 0.2% (2003 census)

West Bank
Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many
Palestinians), English (widely understood)

Western Sahara
Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic

World
Mandarin Chinese 13.22%, Spanish 4.88%, English 4.68%, Arabic
3.12%, Hindi 2.74%, Portuguese 2.69%, Bengali 2.59%, Russian 2.2%,
Japanese 1.85%, Standard German 1.44%, French 1.2% (2005 est.)
note: percents are for "first language" speakers only

Yemen
Arabic

Zambia
Bemba 30.1% (official), Nyanja 10.7% (official), Tonga 10.6%
(official), Lozi 5.7% (official), Chewa 4.9%, Nsenga 3.4%, Tumbuka
2.5%, Lunda 2.2% (official), Kaonde 2% (official), Lala 2%, Luvale
1.7% (official), English 1.7% (official), other 22.5% (2000 Census)

Zimbabwe
English (official), Shona, Sindebele (the language of the
Ndebele, sometimes called Ndebele), numerous but minor tribal
dialects

======================================================================

@2100

Field Listing :: Legal system

This entry contains a brief description of the legal system's
historical roots, role in government, and acceptance of
International Court of Justice (ICJ) jurisdiction.
Country

Legal system

Afghanistan
based on mixed civil and Sharia law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Akrotiri
the Sovereign Base Area Administration has its own court
system to deal with civil and criminal matters; laws applicable to
the Cypriot population are, as far as possible, the same as the laws
of the Republic of Cyprus

Albania
has a civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction; has accepted jurisdiction of the International
Criminal Court for its citizens

Algeria
socialist, based on French and Islamic law; judicial review
of legislative acts in ad hoc Constitutional Council composed of
various public officials including several Supreme Court justices;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

American Samoa
NA

Andorra
based on French and Spanish civil codes; no judicial review
of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Angola
based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law;
modified to accommodate political pluralism and increased use of
free markets; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Anguilla
based on English common law

Antarctica
Antarctica is administered through meetings of the
consultative member nations; decisions from these meetings are
carried out by these member nations (with respect to their own
nationals and operations) in accordance with their own national
laws; more generally, access to the Antarctic Treaty area, that is
to all areas between 60 and 90 degrees south latitude, is subject to
a number of relevant legal instruments and authorization procedures
adopted by the states party to the Antarctic Treaty; note - US law,
including certain criminal offenses by or against US nationals, such
as murder, may apply extraterritorially; some US laws directly apply
to Antarctica; for example, the Antarctic Conservation Act, 16
U.S.C. section 2401 et seq., provides civil and criminal penalties
for the following activities unless authorized by regulation of
statute: the taking of native mammals or birds; the introduction of
nonindigenous plants and animals; entry into specially protected
areas; the discharge or disposal of pollutants; and the importation
into the US of certain items from Antarctica; violation of the
Antarctic Conservation Act carries penalties of up to $10,000 in
fines and one year in prison; the National Science Foundation and
Department of Justice share enforcement responsibilities; Public Law
95-541, the US Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978, as amended in
1996, requires expeditions from the US to Antarctica to notify, in
advance, the Office of Oceans, Room 5805, Department of State,
Washington, DC 20520, which reports such plans to other nations as
required by the Antarctic Treaty; for more information, contact
Permit Office, Office of Polar Programs, National Science
Foundation, Arlington, Virginia 22230; telephone: (703) 292-8030, or
visit its website at www.nsf.gov

Antigua and Barbuda
based on English common law

Argentina
mixture of US and West European legal systems; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Armenia
based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Aruba
based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law
influence

Ashmore and Cartier Islands
the laws of the Commonwealth of
Australia and the laws of the Northern Territory of Australia, where
applicable, apply

Australia
based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction with reservations

Austria
civil law system with Roman law origin; judicial review of
legislative acts by the Constitutional Court; separate
administrative and civil/penal supreme courts; accepts compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction

Azerbaijan
based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction

Bahamas, The
based on English common law

Bahrain
based on Islamic law and English common law; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Bangladesh
based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction

Barbados
English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Belarus
based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Belgium
based on civil law system influenced by English
constitutional theory; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Belize
English law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Benin
based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Bermuda
English law

Bhutan
based on Indian law and English common law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Bolivia
based on Spanish law and Napoleonic Code; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; the 2009 Constitution incorporates
indigenous community justice into Bolivia's judicial system

Bosnia and Herzegovina
based on civil law system; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Botswana
based on Roman-Dutch law and local customary law; judicial
review limited to matters of interpretation; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction with reservations

Bouvet Island
the laws of Norway, where applicable, apply

Brazil
based on Roman codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

British Indian Ocean Territory
the laws of the UK, where applicable,
apply

British Virgin Islands
English law

Brunei
based on English common law; for Muslims, Islamic Sharia law
supersedes civil law in a number of areas; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Bulgaria
civil and criminal law based on Roman law; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Burkina Faso
based on French civil law system and customary law; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Burma
based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Burundi
based on German and Belgian civil codes and customary law;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Cambodia
primarily a civil law mixture of French-influenced codes
from the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC)
period, royal decrees, and acts of the legislature, with influences
of customary law and remnants of communist legal theory; increasing
influence of common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with
reservations

Cameroon
based on French civil law system, with common law
influence; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Canada
based on English common law, except in Quebec, where civil
law system based on French law prevails; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction with reservations

Cape Verde
based on the legal system of Portugal; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Cayman Islands
British common law and local statutes

Central African Republic
based on French law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Chad
based on French civil law system and Chadian customary law; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Chile
based on Code of 1857 derived from Spanish law and subsequent
codes influenced by French and Austrian law; judicial review of
legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction; note - in June 2005, Chile completed overhaul of
its criminal justice system to a new, US-style adversarial system

China
based on civil law system; derived from Soviet and continental
civil code legal principles; legislature retains power to interpret
statutes; constitution ambiguous on judicial review of legislation;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Christmas Island
under the authority of the governor general of
Australia and Australian law

Clipperton Island
the laws of France, where applicable, apply

Cocos (Keeling) Islands
based upon the laws of Australia and local
laws

Colombia
based on Spanish law; a new criminal code modeled after US
procedures was enacted into law in 2004 and reached full
implementation in January 2008; judicial review of executive and
legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Comoros
French and Islamic law in a new consolidated code; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Congo, Democratic Republic of the
civil law based on Belgian law
with Napleonic Civil Code influence; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction with reservations

Congo, Republic of the
based on French civil law system and
customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Cook Islands
based on New Zealand law and English common law

Coral Sea Islands
the laws of Australia, where applicable, apply

Costa Rica
based on Spanish civil law system; judicial review of
legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Cote d'Ivoire
based on French civil law system and customary law;
judicial review in the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Croatia
based on Austro-Hungarian law system with Communist law
influences; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Cuba
based on Spanish civil law and influenced by American legal
concepts with large elements of Communist legal theory; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Cyprus
based on English common law, with civil law modifications;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Czech Republic
civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes;
legal code modified to bring it in line with Organization on
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) obligations and to expunge
Marxist-Leninist legal theory

Denmark
civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Dhekelia
the Sovereign Base Area Administration has its own court
system to deal with civil and criminal matters; laws applicable to
the Cypriot population are, as far as possible, the same as the laws
of the Republic of Cyprus

Djibouti
based on French civil law system, traditional practices,
and Islamic law; accepts ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Dominica
based on English common law; accepts ICJ jurisdiction

Dominican Republic
based on French civil codes; Criminal Procedures
Code modified in 2004 to include important elements of an accusatory
system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Ecuador
based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Egypt
based on Islamic and civil law (particularly Napoleonic
codes); judicial review by Supreme Court and Council of State
(oversees validity of administrative decisions); accepts compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

El Salvador
based on civil and Roman law with traces of common law;
judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Equatorial Guinea
partly based on Spanish civil law and tribal
custom; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Eritrea
primary basis is the Ethiopian legal code of 1957 with
revisions; new civil, commercial, and penal codes have not yet been
promulgated; government also issues unilateral proclamations setting
laws and policies; also relies on customary and
post-independence-enacted laws and, for civil cases involving
Muslims, Islamic law; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Estonia
based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction with reservations

Ethiopia
based on civil law; currently transitional mix of national
and regional courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

European Union
comparable to the legal systems of member states;
first supranational law system

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
English common law

Faroe Islands
the laws of Denmark, where applicable, apply

Fiji
based on British system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Finland
civil law system based on Swedish law; the president may
request the Supreme Court to review laws; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction with reservations

France
civil law system with indigenous concepts; review of
administrative but not legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction

French Polynesia
the laws of France, where applicable, apply

French Southern and Antarctic Lands
the laws of France, where
applicable, apply

Gabon
based on French civil law system and customary law; judicial
review of legislative acts in Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme
Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Gambia, The
based on a composite of English common law, Islamic law,
and customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with
reservations

Georgia
based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Germany
civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial review
of legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Ghana
based on English common law and customary law; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Gibraltar
the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply

Greece
based on codified Roman law; judiciary divided into civil,
criminal, and administrative courts; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction with reservations

Greenland
the laws of Denmark, where applicable, apply

Grenada
based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Guam
modeled on US; US federal laws apply

Guatemala
civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Guernsey
the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply; justice is
administered by the Royal Court

Guinea
based on French civil law system, customary law, and decree;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Guinea-Bissau
based on French civil law; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Guyana
based on English common law with certain admixtures of
Roman-Dutch law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Haiti
based on Roman civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Heard Island and McDonald Islands
the laws of Australia, where
applicable, apply

Holy See (Vatican City)
based on Code of Canon Law and revisions to
it

Honduras
rooted in Roman and Spanish civil law with increasing
influence of English common law; recent judicial reforms include
abandoning Napoleonic legal codes in favor of the oral adversarial
system; accepts ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Hong Kong
based on English common law

Hungary
based on the German-Austrian legal system; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Iceland
civil law system based on Danish law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

India
based on English common law; judicial review of legislative
acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations;
separate personal law codes apply to Muslims, Christians, and Hindus

Indonesia
based on Roman-Dutch law, substantially modified by
indigenous concepts and by new criminal procedures and election
codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Iran
based on Sharia law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Iraq
based on European civil and Islamic law under the framework
outlined in the Iraqi Constitution; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Ireland
based on English common law substantially modified by
indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme
Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Isle of Man
the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply and Manx
statutes

Israel
mixture of English common law, British Mandate regulations,
and, in personal matters, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim legal
systems; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Italy
based on civil law system; appeals treated as new trials;
judicial review under certain conditions in Constitutional Court;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Jamaica
based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Jan Mayen
the laws of Norway, where applicable, apply

Japan
modeled after German civil law system with English-American
influence; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Jersey
the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply and local
statutes; justice is administered by the Royal Court

Jordan
based on Islamic law and French codes; judicial review of
legislative acts in a specially provided High Tribunal; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Kazakhstan
based on Islamic law and Roman law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Kenya
based on Kenyan statutory law, Kenyan and English common law,
tribal law, and Islamic law; judicial review in High Court; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; constitutional
amendment of 1982 making Kenya a de jure one-party state repealed in
1991

Kiribati
English common law supplemented by local, customary law

Korea, North
based on Prussian civil law system with Japanese
influences and Communist legal theory; no judicial review of
legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Korea, South
combines elements of continental European civil law
systems, Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Kosovo
evolving legal system based on terms of UN Special Envoy
Martti AHTISAARI's Plan for Kosovo's supervised independence

Kuwait
civil law system with Islamic law significant in personal
matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Kyrgyzstan
based on French and Russian laws; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Laos
based on traditional customs, French legal norms and
procedures, and socialist practice; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Latvia
based on civil law system with traces of Socialist legal
traditions and practices; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Lebanon
mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code, and
civil law; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Lesotho
based on English common law and Roman-Dutch law; judicial
review of legislative acts in High Court and Court of Appeal;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Liberia
dual system of statutory law based on Anglo-American common
law for the modern sector and customary law based on unwritten
tribal practices for indigenous sector; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction with reservations

Libya
based on Italian and French civil law systems and Islamic law;
separate religious courts; no constitutional provision for judicial
review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Liechtenstein
local civil and penal codes based on civil law system;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Lithuania
based on civil law system; legislative acts can be
appealed to the constitutional court; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction

Luxembourg
based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Macau
based on Portuguese civil law system

Macedonia
based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative
acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Madagascar
based on French civil law system and traditional Malagasy
law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Malawi
based on English common law and customary law; judicial
review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Appeal; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Malaysia
based on English common law; judicial review of legislative
acts in the Supreme Court at request of supreme head of the
federation; Islamic law is applied to Muslims in matters of family
law and religion; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Maldives
based on Islamic law with admixtures of English common law
primarily in commercial matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Mali
based on French civil law system and customary law; judicial
review of legislative acts in Constitutional Court; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Malta
based on English common law and Roman civil law; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Marshall Islands
based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the
legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Mauritania
a combination of Islamic law and French civil law; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Mauritius
based on French civil law system with elements of English
common law in certain areas; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
with reservations

Mayotte
the laws of France, where applicable, apply

Mexico
mixture of US constitutional theory and civil law system;
judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction with reservations

Micronesia, Federated States of
based on adapted Trust Territory
laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary
laws; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Moldova
based on civil law system; Constitutional Court reviews
legality of legislative acts and governmental decisions of
resolution; accepts many UN and Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) documents; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction

Monaco
based on French law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Mongolia
blend of Soviet and German systems that employ
"continental" or "civil" code; case-precedent may be used to inform
judges, but all decisions must refer to the law as written;
constitution ambiguous on judicial review of legislative acts; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Montenegro
based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction

Montserrat
English common law and statutory law

Morocco
based on Islamic law and French and Spanish civil law
systems; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional
Chamber of Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Mozambique
based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Namibia
based on Roman-Dutch law and 1990 constitution; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Nauru
acts of the Nauru Parliament and British common law; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Navassa Island
the laws of the US, where applicable, apply

Nepal
based on Hindu legal concepts and English common law; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Netherlands
based on civil law system incorporating French penal
theory; constitution does not permit judicial review of acts of the
States General; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Netherlands Antilles
based on Dutch civil law system with some
English common law influence

New Caledonia
based on French civil law; the 1988 Matignon Accords
grant substantial autonomy to the islands

New Zealand
based on English law, with special land legislation and
land courts for the Maori; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with
reservations

Nicaragua
civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative
acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Niger
based on French civil law system and customary law; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Nigeria
based on English common law, Islamic law (in 12 northern
states), and traditional law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
with reservations

Niue
English common law; note - Niue is self-governing with the
power to make its laws

Norfolk Island
based on the laws of Australia, local ordinances and
acts; English common law applies in matters not covered by either
Australian or Norfolk Island law

Northern Mariana Islands
based on US system, except for customs,
wages, immigration laws, and taxation

Norway
mixture of customary law, civil law system, and common law
traditions; Supreme Court renders advisory opinions to legislature
when asked; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Oman
based on English common law and Islamic law; ultimate appeal to
the monarch; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Pakistan
based on English common law with provisions to accommodate
Pakistan's status as an Islamic state; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction with reservations

Palau
based on Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature,
municipal, common, and customary laws; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction

Panama
based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative
acts in the Supreme Court of Justice; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction with reservations

Papua New Guinea
based on English common law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Paraguay
based on Argentine codes, Roman law, and French codes;
judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court of Justice;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Peru
based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
with reservations

Philippines
based on Spanish and Anglo-American law; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Pitcairn Islands
local island by-laws

Poland
based on a mixture of Continental (Napoleonic) civil law and
holdover Communist legal theory; changes being gradually introduced
as part of broader democratization process; limited judicial review
of legislative acts, but rulings of the Constitutional Tribunal are
final; court decisions can be appealed to the European Court of
Justice in Strasbourg; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with
reservations

Portugal
based on civil law system; the Constitutional Tribunal
reviews the constitutionality of legislation; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction with reservations

Puerto Rico
based on Spanish civil code and within the US Federal
system of justice

Qatar
based on Islamic and civil law codes; discretionary system of
law controlled by the Amir, although civil codes are being
implemented; Islamic law dominates family and personal matters; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Romania
based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Russia
based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative
acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Rwanda
based on German and Belgian civil law systems and customary
law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Saint Barthelemy
the laws of France, where applicable, apply

Saint Helena
English common law and statutes supplemented by local
statutes

Saint Kitts and Nevis
based on English common law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Saint Lucia
based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction

Saint Martin
the laws of France, where applicable, apply

Saint Pierre and Miquelon
the laws of France, where applicable, apply

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
based on English common law; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Samoa
based on English common law and local customs; judicial review
of legislative acts with respect to fundamental rights of the
citizen; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

San Marino
based on civil law system with Italian law influences;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Sao Tome and Principe
based on Portuguese legal system and customary
law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Saudi Arabia
based on Sharia law, several secular codes have been
introduced; commercial disputes handled by special committees; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Senegal
based on French civil law system; judicial review of
legislative acts in Constitutional Court; the Council of State
audits the government's accounting office; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction with reservations

Serbia
based on civil law system

Seychelles
based on English common law, French civil law, and
customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Sierra Leone
based on English law and customary laws indigenous to
local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Singapore
based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction

Slovakia
civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; legal code modified
to comply with the obligations of Organization on Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal
theory

Slovenia
based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Solomon Islands
English common law, which is widely disregarded; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Somalia
no national system; a mixture of English common law, Italian
law, Islamic Sharia, and Somali customary law; accepts compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

South Africa
based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands
the laws of the UK, where
applicable, apply; the senior magistrate from the Falkland Islands
presides over the Magistrates Court

Spain
civil law system, with regional applications; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Sri Lanka
a highly complex mixture of English common law,
Roman-Dutch, Kandyan, and Jaffna Tamil law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Sudan
based on English common law and Islamic law; as of 20 January
1991, the now defunct Revolutionary Command Council imposed Islamic
law in the northern states; Islamic law applies to all residents of
the northern states regardless of their religion; however, the CPA
establishes some protections for non-Muslims in Khartoum; some
separate religious courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with
reservations; the southern legal system is still developing under
the CPA following the civil war; Islamic law will not apply to the
southern states

Suriname
based on Dutch legal system incorporating French penal
theory; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Svalbard
the laws of Norway, where applicable, apply

Swaziland
based on South African Roman-Dutch law in statutory courts
and Swazi traditional law and custom in traditional courts; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Sweden
civil law system influenced by customary law; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Switzerland
civil law system influenced by customary law; judicial
review of legislative acts, except with respect to federal decrees
of general obligatory character; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
with reservations

Syria
based on a combination of French and Ottoman civil law;
Islamic law is used in the family court system; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Taiwan
based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Tajikistan
based on civil law system; no judicial review of
legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Tanzania
based on English common law; judicial review of legislative
acts limited to matters of interpretation; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Thailand
based on civil law system with influences of common law;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Timor-Leste
UN-drafted legal system based on Indonesian law remains
in place but is to be replaced by civil and penal codes based on
Portuguese law; these have passed but have not been promulgated; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Togo
French-based court system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
with reservations

Tokelau
New Zealand and local statutes

Tonga
based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Trinidad and Tobago
based on English common law; judicial review of
legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction

Tunisia
based on French civil law system and Islamic law; some
judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court in joint
session; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Turkey
civil law system derived from various European continental
legal systems; note - member of the European Court of Human Rights
(ECHR), although Turkey claims limited derogations on the ratified
European Convention on Human Rights; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Turkmenistan
based on civil law system and Islamic law; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Turks and Caicos Islands
based on laws of England and Wales with a
few adopted from Jamaica and The Bahamas

Tuvalu
English common law supplemented by local customary law

Uganda
in 1995, the government restored the legal system to one
based on English common law and customary law; accepts compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Ukraine
based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative
acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

United Arab Emirates
based on a dual system of Sharia and civil
courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

United Kingdom
based on common law tradition with early Roman and
modern continental influences; has nonbinding judicial review of
Acts of Parliament under the Human Rights Act of 1998; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

United States
federal court system based on English common law; each
state has its own unique legal system, of which all but one
(Louisiana, which is still influenced by the Napoleonic Code) is
based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges
the laws of the US,
where applicable, apply

Uruguay
based on Spanish civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Uzbekistan
based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction

Vanuatu
unified system being created from former dual French and
British systems; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Venezuela
open, adversarial court system; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Vietnam
based on communist legal theory and French civil law system;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Virgin Islands
based on US laws

Wake Island
the laws of the US, where applicable, apply

Wallis and Futuna
the laws of France, where applicable, apply

World
all members of the UN are parties to the statute that
established the International Court of Justice (ICJ) or World Court

Yemen
based on Islamic law, Turkish law, English common law, and
local tribal customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Zambia
based on English common law and customary law; judicial
review of legislative acts in an ad hoc constitutional council; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Zimbabwe
mixture of Roman-Dutch and English common law; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

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@2101

Field Listing :: Legislative branch

This entry contains information on the structure (unicameral,
bicameral, tricameral), formal name, number of seats, and term of
office. Elections includes the nature of the election process or
accession to power, date of the last election, and date of the next
election. Election results includes the percent of vote and/or
number of seats held by each party in the last election.
Country

Legislative branch

Afghanistan
the bicameral National Assembly consists of the Meshrano
Jirga or House of Elders (102 seats, one-third elected from
provincial councils for four-year terms, one-third elected from
local district councils for three-year terms, and one-third
nominated by the president for five-year terms) and the Wolesi Jirga
or House of People (no more than 249 seats), directly elected for
five-year terms
note: on rare occasions the government may convene a Loya Jirga
(Grand Council) on issues of independence, national sovereignty, and
territorial integrity; it can amend the provisions of the
constitution and prosecute the president; it is made up of members
of the National Assembly and chairpersons of the provincial and
district councils
elections: last held 18 September 2005 (next election expected in
2010)
election results: the single non-transferable vote (SNTV) system
used in the election did not make use of political party slates;
most candidates ran as independents

Albania
unicameral Assembly or Kuvendi (140 seats; 100 members
elected by direct popular vote and 40 by proportional vote to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held 3 July 2005 (next to be held in 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PD
56, PS 42, PR 11, PSD 7, LSI 5, other 19
note: Parliament in November 2008 approved an electoral reform
package that will transform the electoral system from a majority
system to a regional proportional system; the code will also
establish an electoral threshold limiting smaller party
representation