List of countries and territories where Tamil is an official language
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.
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
^Stein, Burton (1977-01-01). "Circulation and the Historical Geography of Tamil Country". The Journal of Asian Studies. 37 (1): 7–26. doi:10.2307/2053325. JSTOR 2053325.
^"Languages Included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constution [sic] | Department of Official Language | Ministry of Home Affairs | GoI". www.rajbhasha.nic.in. Archived from the original on 2018-05-12. Retrieved 2019-03-20.
^"Tamil Inscriptions". Archaeology India. Archived from the original on 2013-01-17. Retrieved 2013-05-07. Tamil Inscriptions of Egypt and Thailand
^Wong, Aline (2000-11-24). "Education in a Multicultural Setting - The Singapore Experience". Ministry of Education, Government of Singapore. Archived from the original on 2008-05-04. Retrieved 2009-01-18. There are four official languages: English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil.
^"Department of Statistics, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Republic of Singapore" (PDF). Census of population 2010. Department of statistics Singapore. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-05-16.
^"Language Dept Sri Lanka". Tamil and Sinhala official language of Sri Lanka
^"Census of Population and Housing of Sri Lanka, 2012" (PDF). Census of Population and Housing of Sri Lanka, 2012. Department of Census and Statistics-Sri Lanka.
^"The Pondicherry Official Languages Act, 1965" (PDF). Retrieved 2018-08-09.
^"The Tamil Nadu Official Language Act, 1956" (PDF). Retrieved 2018-08-09.