List of territorial entities 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.

Historical map of Chola Kingdom where Tamil was the language of administration.
Distribution of Tamil speakers in Indian Subcontinent.

Tamil is the 20th most spoken language in the world. Tamil language speakers make approximately 1.06% of the world population. 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 there are Tamil inscriptions and coins found in parts of Asia and Africa such as in China, Cambodia, Egypt and Indonesia.[1]

During the 18th century, the British and French colonial rulers brought Tamils to many parts of Asia and Africa where many countries have sizeable number of Tamil speakers with significant cultural impact. There are more than 2,000,000 speakers of Tamil language in Malaysia itself. Tamil is the classical language of India and one of the oldest surviving language in the world.[2]

Sovereign states

The skyline of a city, showing many tall buildings near a body of water
The skyline of Singapore in 2015
Countries where Tamil is an official language (de jure)
Country Region Population1 Status
Singapore Singapore[3] Asia 188,591[4]Sovereign State
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka[5] Asia 5,007,003[6]Sovereign State

Dependent entities

Entity Country Population Status
India Auroville[7]India2,600Autonomous City of India
India Puducherry[8]India1,244,464Union Territory of India
India Tamil Nadu[9]India72,138,958State of India

Recognized as minority language

Country Population Notes
South Africa South Africa250,000Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 - Chapter 1: Founding Provisions states "A Pan South African Language Board established by national legislation must promote and ensure respect for Tamil" along with other minority languages.[10]
Malaysia Malaysia1,800,000Malaysian government recognize Tamil as a minority language along with Chinese. The "national-type" school's medium of instruction is either in Tamil or Chinese.[11]
Mauritius Mauritius72,089Tamils are the first immigrants to Mauritius who were brought by French. Later British brought Tamils to fight with French and as a recognition, Tamil is being used on the currency of Mauritius.[12]

Partially recognized and unrecognized territories

Entity Notes
Tamil Eelam (Eelam)Claiming sovereignty over the North and Eastern Sri Lanka and Puttalam district as[13][14]
India KaraikalClaiming for a separate union territory in India.[15]

Former territories resp. dependent entities where Tamil was an official language

Entity Continent Population Status Notes
India Haryana Asia 10,572 State of India Tamil was once given nominal official status in Haryana but it was later replaced with Punjabi, in 2010.[16]

See also

Notes

    References

    1. ↑ "Tamil Inscriptions". Archaeology India. Tamil Inscriptions of Egypt and Thailand
    2. ↑ 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.
    3. ↑ 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.
    4. ↑ "Department of Statistics, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Republic of Singapore" (PDF). Census of population 2010. Department of statistics Singapore.
    5. ↑ "Language Dept Sri Lanka". Tamil and Sinhala official language of Sri Lanka
    6. ↑ "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.
    7. ↑ "Auroville - A to Z". Retrieved 2018-08-09.
    8. ↑ "The Pondicherry Official Languages Act, 1965" (PDF). Retrieved 2018-08-09.
    9. ↑ "The Tamil Nadu Official Language Act, 1956" (PDF). Retrieved 2018-08-09.
    10. ↑ Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 - Chapter 1: Founding Provisions - South African Government
    11. ↑ National Identity and Minority Languages
    12. ↑ A Brief History of the Tamils of Mauritius
    13. ↑ http://www.tibetsun.com/news/2013/07/31/india-creates-new-state-demand-for-smaller-states-rise
    14. ↑ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-may-have-50-states-if-all-demands-for-new-states-are-met/articleshow/21599282.cms
    15. ↑ http://www.hindu.com/2005/09/14/stories/2005091404810300.htm
    16. ↑ "Punjabi edges out Tamil in Haryana". Retrieved 2018-08-09.
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