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 again 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. However, on the eve of World War II, France and her colonial possessions totalled only 150 million inhabitants, in terms of population 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 empire in the world and human history (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 to the present, either entirely or in part, either under French sovereignty or as mandate.