List of countries and territories where Tamil is an official language explained

The following is a list of sovereign states and territories where Tamil is an official language or language of government.

Tamil is the 17th most spoken language in the world. Tamil language speakers make up approximately 1.06% of the world population. The Tamil language is native to Tamil Nadu (India), Puducherry (India) and Sri Lanka, where most of the native Tamil speaking population is highly concentrated. Tamil is also recognized as a classical language by the Government of India in 2004 and was the first language to achieve such status.^[1] Tamil is one of the 22 official languages of India.^[2]

Tamil was one of the prominent languages of trade in the region during the pre-colonial era. Tamil mercantile guilds like Ainnurruvar were active in Southeast Asia, and several Tamil inscriptions and coins can be found in parts of Asia and Africa such as in China, Cambodia, Egypt and Indonesia.^[3] During the 18th century, British and French colonial rulers relocated several Tamil citizens to their other colonial possessions in Asia and Africa, which today contain sizeable Tamil-speaking communities as a result.

Sovereign states

width=170px	Sovereign state	width=170px	Tamil-speaking population	Notes
Singapore^[4]	688,591^[5]	Co-official language, along with English, Malay and Mandarin
Sri Lanka^[6]	4,200,000^[7]	Co-official language, along with Sinhala

Dependent entities

width=200px	Entity	width=200px	Tamil-speaking population	width=200px	Notes
Puducherry^a^[8]		Co-official language, along with Malayalam and Telugu
Tamil Nadu^b^[9]		Official language. English is used as an associate language for official purposes.
a. Union territory of India. b. State of India.

Recognized as a minority language

Country	Tamil-speaking population	width=400px	Notes
		The Malaysian government recognizes Tamil as a minority language along with Chinese. The "national-type" school's medium of instruction is either in Tamil or Chinese.^[11]
		Tamils were the first immigrants to be brought to Mauritius by the French. Later, the British would also bring Tamils to fight against the French. In recognition of their impact on the country's history, Tamil is one of the languages featured on the currency of Mauritius.^[12]
		The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 - Chapter 1: Founding Provisions states that "A Pan South African Language Board established by national legislation must promote and ensure respect for all languages commonly used by communities in South Africa, including... Tamil" along with several other minority languages.^[13]

Dependent entities and territories where Tamil was formerly an official language

width=150px class="unsortable"	Entity	Population	Time period	width=500px	Notes
Haryana^a	10,572	1969–2010	Tamil was once given nominal official status in Haryana but was later replaced with Punjabi in 2010.^[14]
Tamil Eelam^b		1983–2009	Tamil was the primary language. In 2009, the breakaway state was completely and forcefully disbanded by the Sri Lanka Army.^[15] ^[16]
a. State of India. b. Former unrecognized quasi-state in northeastern Sri Lanka.

See also

• Tamil population per nation
• Tamil population by cities
• States of India by Tamil speakers
• Tamil Loanwords in other languages
• Tamil language
• Tamil people
• List of languages by first written accounts
• Tamil keyboard

Notes and References

1. Stein. Burton. 1977-01-01. Circulation and the Historical Geography of Tamil Country. 2053325. The Journal of Asian Studies. 37. 1. 7–26. 10.2307/2053325.
2. Web site: Languages Included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian }} Department of Official Language Ministry of Home Affairs GoI]. www.rajbhasha.nic.in. 2019-03-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20180512053054/http://www.rajbhasha.nic.in/en/languages-included-eighth-schedule-indian-constution. 2018-05-12. dead.
3. Web site: Tamil Inscriptions . Archaeology India . Tamil Inscriptions of Egypt and Thailand . 2013-05-07 . https://archive.today/20130117153259/http://archaeologyindia.com/tamilinscriptions.asp . 2013-01-17 . dead .
4. Web site: Education in a Multicultural Setting - The Singapore Experience . Ministry of Education, Government of Singapore . Aline . Wong . 2009-01-18 . 2000-11-24 . There are four official languages: English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil. . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080504182452/http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/speeches/2000/sp24112000_print.htm . 2008-05-04 .
5. Web site: Department of Statistics, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Republic of Singapore. Census of population 2010. Department of statistics Singapore. https://web.archive.org/web/20170516214219/http://www.singstat.gov.sg/docs/default-source/default-document-library/publications/publications_and_papers/cop2010/census_2010_release1/cop2010sr1.pdf. 2017-05-16. dead.
6. Web site: Language Dept Sri Lanka . Tamil and Sinhala official language of Sri Lanka.
7. Web site: Census of Population and Housing of Sri Lanka, 2012. Census of Population and Housing of Sri Lanka, 2012. Department of Census and Statistics-Sri Lanka.
8. Web site: The Pondicherry Official Languages Act, 1965. 2018-08-09.
9. Web site: The Tamil Nadu Official Language Act, 1956. 2018-08-09.
10. Web site: The ASEAN Charter . ASEAN.
11. https://unchronicle.un.org/article/national-identity-and-minority-languages National Identity and Minority Languages
12. http://tamilelibrary.org/teli/mauritius1.html A Brief History of the Tamils of Mauritius
13. http://www.gov.za/documents/constitution/chapter-1-founding-provisions Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 - Chapter 1: Founding Provisions - South African Government
14. Web site: Punjabi edges out Tamil in Haryana. 2018-08-09.
15. Web site: India creates new state; demand rises for more states .:. Tibet Sun .
16. Web site: Telangana statehood: India may have 50 states if all demands for new states are met | India News - Times of India . .