List of French possessions and colonies


From the 16th to the 17th centuries, the First French colonial empire stretched from a total area at its peak in 1680 to over 10,000,000 km2 (3,900,000 sq mi), the second largest empire in the world at the time behind only the Spanish Empire.[1][2] 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 13,500,000 km2 (5,200,000 sq mi)[3][4] 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 150 million inhabitants, compared with 330 million for British India alone. The total area of the French colonial empire, with the first (mainly in the Americas and Asia) and second (mainly in Africa and Asia), the French colonial empires combined, reached 24,000,000 km2 (9,300,000 sq mi), the second largest in the world (the first being the British Empire). [5][6] The French colonial empire had an enormous impact on world history. France had about 80 colonies throughout its history, the second most colonies in the world behind only the British Empire.[7] Around 34 countries gained independence from France throughout its history, the second most in the world behind only the British Empire.[8] Over 40% of the world’s borders today, were drawn as a result of British and French imperialism.[9][10][11] In Stuart Laycock’s book, All the Countries We've Ever Invaded: And the Few We Never Got Round To, he cites that 90% of the world's countries have suffered a British invasion at some point in their history, with only 22 spared. France is the nearest rival to Britain's record with 80% of the world’s countries invaded by France with only 43 spared.[12]

This article is about every French colonial possession in history. For the current French overseas possessions, see Overseas France.

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 from 1534 (1534) to the present, either entirely or in part, either under French sovereignty or as mandate.

In the Americas
Further information: List of French forts in North America
See also: Former colonies and territories in Canada and Timeline of the colonization of North America
Map of the northern part and upper southern parts of the Americas, showing the results of the expeditions of Father Marquette and Louis Jolliet (1673) and of Cavelier de la Salle in the Mississippi valley (1681).
Map of the territories having been controlled by France in North America.
This map shows the Louisiana Purchase area, which corresponds approximately with colonial French Louisiana.
Taking up of the Louisiana by La Salle in the name of the Kingdom of France
New France at its greatest extent in 1710.

In Southern Europe

In Africa
Map of French colonies in Africa (in green)

French North Africa


French West Africa

French Equatorial Africa

East Africa and Indian Ocean

In Asia


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In Oceania

In Antarctica
Territory claim by France in Antarctic (Adélie Land)

See also

Notes and references
  1. "Western colonialism - European expansion since 1763". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
  2. Havard, Vidal, Histoire de L’Amérique française, Flammarion, 2003, p. 67.
  3. Robert Aldrich, Greater France: A History of French Overseas Expansion (1996) p 304
  4. Melvin E. Page, ed. (2003). Colonialism: An International Social, Cultural, and Political Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 218. ISBN 9781576073353. Archived from the original on 19 November 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  5. Robert Aldrich, Greater France: A History of French Overseas Expansion (1996) p 304
  6. Melvin E. Page, ed. (2003). Colonialism: An International Social, Cultural, and Political Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 218. ISBN 9781576073353. Archived from the original on 19 November 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  7. Shillington, Kevin (2005). Encyclopedia of African history. New York: CRC Press, p. 878
  8. David Armitage, The Declaration of Independence in World Context, Organization of American Historians, Magazine of History, Volume 18, Issue 3, Pp. 61–66 (2004)
  9. Manning, Patrick (1990). Slavery and African Life: Occidental, Oriental, and African Slave Trades. London: Cambridge University Press.
  10. Lovejoy, Paul E. (2012). Transformations of Slavery: A History of Slavery in Africa. London: Cambridge University Press.
  11. Martin Klein, "Slave Descent and Social Status in Sahara and Sudan", in Reconfiguring Slavery: West African Trajectories, ed. Benedetta Rossi (Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2009), 29.
  12. Seymour, Richard, "The British have invaded 90% of the world's countries. Ha ha?", The Guardian (London), 6 November 2012
  13. "Drapeau de Rurutu - Tahiti Heritage". www.tahitiheritage.pf. Archived from the original on 10 October 2014. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  14. "Consulter le sujet - L'Australie serait-elle française ?!... • [Forums". Francedownunder.com. Retrieved 2011-03-26.
  15. Godard, Philippe; Kerros, Tugdual de; Margot, Odette; Stanbury, Myra; Baxter, Sue; Western Australian Museum; Godard, Phillippe; De Kerros, Tugdual; Margot, Odette; Stanbury, Myra; Baxter, Sue (2008), 1772 : the French annexation of New Holland : the tale of Louis de Saint Aloürn, Western Australian Museum, ISBN 978-1-920843-98-4
  16. 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
  17. "TAAF". Taaf.fr. Archived from the original on 2012-01-20. Retrieved 2012-01-10.
  18. "Kerguelen – yves trémarec – james cook – asia – hillsborough – rhodes". Kerguelen-voyages.com. Archived from the original on 2013-10-02.
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