List of countries where English is an official language

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List of countries where English is an official language
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The following is a list of sovereign states and territories where English is an official language. Most of these countries, such as India, Ireland, New Zealand, Canada and the Philippines, use English as an official language but not the sole official language (and usually not the main official language).
This list does not include countries where English is the dominant language, but does not have official status. In Australia, English is spoken by the vast majority of the population and is the only language used in government institutions, yet Australia does not have an official language. This is the same in the United States although many states and regions within the U.S. have English as an official language.

Map of nations using English as an official language or as the predominant language
Almost all of these countries are current or former colonies or dependencies of the United Kingdom (see also British Empire). The notable exceptions are Madagascar and Rwanda which are former French and Belgian colonies respectively with English-speaking neighbors; Philippines, which became a U.S. dependent territory in 1898 by action of the Treaty of Paris; and Liberia which, after being privately colonized beginning in 1821 by the American Colonization Society, developed into the Republic of Liberia.
India's linguistic picture is complex. According to the Constitution of India, "Hindi in the Devanagari script" is the official language of the union[1] and English the 'subsidiary official language';[2] however, English is mandated for the authoritative texts of all federal laws and Supreme Court decisions, and (along with Hindi) is one of the two languages of the Indian Parliament. English is used almost exclusively for all higher education, business and science. English is extensively used for administrative purposes in India. As such, many consider English to be the de facto official language of India. See Official languages of India.
In Malaysia, English is widely understood in service industries and is a compulsory subject in primary and secondary school. It is also the main language spoken in most private colleges and universities.
Contents[hide]
1 Majority English Speaking Countries
2 Sovereign states
3 Non-sovereign entities
4 See also
5 Footnotes
6 References
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[edit] Majority English Speaking Countries
It is quite common for major non-English-speaking countries and their nationals to assume that only the UK, USA, Canada[3] Ireland, New Zealand and Australia are the only major English speaking countries—especially when it comes to university admissions. This is wrong. Additional major English speaking countries are found mostly in the Caribbean, comprising of former British Colonies. These include, Antigua Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago. Though these islands are small, they are culturally and lingustically tied to the UK. Present overseas territories such as Anguilla, Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands, Turks & Caicos, Monsterrat, among others are also major English speaking countries. Other countries in Africa which, due to the influence of major regional languages, use English as their official language also fall into this category. Singapore in Asia is also a majority English speaking country but visitors should take note that 36% of the Singapore populace is made up of foreigners, many of whom do not speak English.