Seguro de viaje.

Cuando se planifica viajar hay que pensar si es necesario contratar seguros de viaje. Existen situaciones que pueden hacer que debamos cancelar el viaje, volver a casa antes de tiempo o buscar atención médica al estar viajando. Un seguro de viaje puede proporcionar esa protección extra que necesitamos. Antes de comprar la cobertura del seguro de viaje, hay que revisar la póliza de los seguros que tengamos (si es que se posee alguno), para evitar cualquier confusión o superposición de cobertura de riesgos. Los artículos de cierto valor como cámaras de video, computadora personal, electrodomésticos, artículos de joyería, arte, ropa y demás, pueden estar cubiertos por el seguro de la casa por ejemplo, por si fueran robados durante nuestra ausencia. Respecto al caso de que la aerolínea pierda nuestro equipaje ya registrado, tiene la obligación de darnos un reembolso por las maletas (hasta por una cierta cantidad de dinero). O si nos enfermamos o sufrimos alguna lesión al viajar, el seguro médico personal puede cubrir el monto de los costos médicos. En las pólizas de seguros de viajes se incluyen por lo regular varios tipos de protección que debemos tener en cuenta y diferenciar bien respecto a cualquier otro seguro que tengamos. Asegúrate de leer lo que está escrito en letra más pequeña: éstas establecen si el seguro de viaje cubre lo que suponemos que cubre. Las pólizas y las compañías de seguro varían en su cobertura, así que asegúrate de preguntar cualquier duda que tengas. Algunos de los diferentes tipos de seguro disponibles incluyen: -Cancelación/interrupción del viaje (TCI por sus siglas en inglés): si los planes se ven alterados de pronto y tienes que cancelar o dar por terminado tu viaje antes de tiempo, TCI te cubrirá por todo esto. Pero solo te reembolsará en caso de que tengas un motivo incluido en la lista del seguro, como por ejemplo lesión, enfermedad, muerte propia o de algún miembro de la familia, de un compañero de viaje o socio. -Algunas pólizas incluirán únicamente algún motivo de tipo médico y otras no cubrirán condiciones médicas pre-existentes. Insisto que es muy importante leer lo que está escrito con letra más pequeña. -Traslado por emergencia médica: Si te tomas unas vacaciones tipo aventura o a una zona alejada de un centro hospitalario que cuente con todo lo necesario, sería buena idea comprar este tipo de cobertura. Si el tratamiento adecuado no se encuentra disponible en un hospital local, serías transferido a la instalación médica apropiada que se encuentre más cercana. -Pérdida de equipaje: Esta cobertura te reembolsa por la perdida o daño a tu equipaje. Antes de empacar, asegúrate de hacer una lista de todo, pues si pierdes tus maletas, se te hará el reembolso de una parte de su contenido, más no de todo. Lee lo que esté escrito en letra más pequeña. Entérate exactamente de qué tipo de cobertura estás o no estás recibiendo. -Considera adquirir tu seguro de viajes de una companía independiente, en vez de comprarla de tu operadora de viajes o de cruceros. -Pretégete aún más, pagando con una tarjeta de crédito. La protección por pérdida de equipaje es necesaria únicamente si llevas en tus maletas artículos con un valor mayor a los $2,500. Verifica la póliza de tus otros seguros, si es que los posees. No olvides preguntar (y anotar) cuáles son los pasos a seguir si surge un imprevisto y debes hacer valer el seguro contratado. ¿A qué número telefónico llamar o dónde debes dirigirte? ¿Qué documentación deberás tener a mano en tal caso? Trata de evitar ser engañado por publicidades o folletería. Debes guardar comprobantes de todos los gastos que realices para poder exigir el reembolso (si es que corresponde) cuando regreses a casa. Finalmente, antes de firmar el contrato de tu seguro de viaje recuerda que te debe quedar claro que es lo que se va a asegurar y que alcance tiene esa cobertura.

Para viajar por las capitales del mundo.

LAS CAPITALES DE PAÍSES Y SU POBLACIÓN APROXIMADA. Son datos a tener presente para viajar con mayor seguridad. El conocimiento, aunque sea elemental, siempre facilita las cosas en un rápido viaje de fin de semana o en viajes de turismo planificado.

Afghanistan	Kabul, 2,206,300
Albania	Tirana, 353,400
Algeria	Algiers, 3,917,000 (metro. area), 1,742,800 (city proper)
Andorra	Andorra la Vella, 23,000
Angola	Luanda, 2,297,200
Antigua and Barbuda	St. John's, 23,500
Argentina	Buenos Aires, 13,349,000 (metro. area), 2,768,772 (city proper)
Armenia	Yerevan, 1,462,700 (metro. area), 1,267,600 (city proper)
Australia	Canberra, 327,700
Austria	Vienna, 2,041,300 (metro area), 1,523,600 (city proper)
Azerbaijan	Baku, 2,118,600 (metro area), 1,235,400 (city proper), a port on the Caspian Sea
Bahamas	Nassau, 222,200
Bahrain	Al-Manámah, 527,000 (metro area), 149,900 (city proper)
Bangladesh	Dhaka, 12,560,000 (metro.area), 5,378,023 (city proper)
Barbados	Bridgetown, 98,900
Belarus	Mensk (Minsk), 1,769,500
Belgium	Brussels, 1,750,600 (metro area), 981,200 (city proper)
Belize	Belmopan, 8,700
Benin	Porto-Novo (official), 231,600; Largest city and seat of government: Cotonou 734,600
Bhutan	Thimphu (official), 60,200
Bolivia	Sucre, 204,200; Administrative capital: La Paz, 1,576,100 (metro. area), 830,500 (city proper)
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Sarajevo, 581,500 (unofficial)
Botswana	Gaborone, 195,000
Brazil	Brasília, 2,160,100
Brunei	Bandar Seri Begawan, 78,000
Bulgaria	Sofia, 1,088,700
Burkina Faso	Ouagadougou, 962,100
Burundi	Bujumbura, 331,700
Cambodia	Phnom Penh, 1,169,800
Cameroon	Yaoundé, 1,395,200 (metro. area), 1,154,400 (city proper)
Canada	Ottawa, Ontario, 1,142,700 (metro. area)
Cape Verde	Praia, 99,400
Central African Republic	Bangui, 810,000 (metro. area), 669,800 (city proper)
Chad	N'Djamena, 609,600
Chile	Santiago, 5,333,100 (metro. area), 4,372,800 (city proper)
China	Beijing, 10,849,000 (metro. area), 8,689,000 (city proper)
Colombia	Santafé de Bogotá, 7,594,000 (metro. area), 7,185,889 (city proper)
Comoros	Moroni (on Grande Comoro), 60,200
Congo, Democratic Republic of the	Kinshasa, 6,541,300
Congo, Republic of	Brazzaville, 1,169,900
Costa Rica	San José, 1,527,300 (metro. area), 337,200 (city proper)
Côte d'Ivoire	Yamoussoukro (official), 185,600; Largest city and administrative center: Abidjan, 4,113,600 (metro. area), 3,427,500 (city proper)
Croatia	Zagreb, 685,500
Cuba	Havana, 2,686,000 (metro. area), 2,343,700 (city proper)
Cyprus	Lefkosia (Nicosia) (in government-controlled area), 197,600
Czech Republic	Prague, 1,378,700 (metro. area), 1,169,800 (city proper)
Denmark	Copenhagen, 1,094,400
Djibouti	Djibouti, 383,000
Dominica	Roseau, 20,000
Dominican Republic	Santo Domingo, 2,851,300 (metro. area), 2,252,400 (city proper)
East Timor	Dili, 50,800
Ecuador	Quito 1,780,700 (metro. area), 1,443,900 (city proper)
Egypt	Cairo, 11,146,000 (metro. area), 7,629,866 (city proper)
El Salvador	San Salvador, 1,791,700 (metro. area), 504,700 (city proper)
Equatorial Guinea	Malabo, 92,900
Eritrea	Asmara, 899,000 (metro. area), 400,000 (city proper)
Estonia	Tallinn, 379,000
Ethiopia	Addis Ababa, 2,716,200
Fiji	Suva (on Viti Levu), 177,300
Finland	Helsinki, 1,162,900 (metro. area), 582,600 (city proper)
France	Paris, 9,854,000 (metro. area), 2,110,400 (city proper)
Gabon	Libreville, 661,600
Gambia	Banjul, 46,700
Georgia	Tbilisi, 1,440,000 (metro. area), 1,240,200 (city proper)
Germany	Berlin (capital since Oct. 3, 1990), 3,933,300 (metro. area), 3,274,500 (city proper)
Ghana	Accra, 2,825,800 (metro. area), 1,661,400 (city proper)
Greece	Athens, 3,247,000 (metro. area), 747,300 (city proper)
Grenada	St. George's, 4,300
Guatemala	Guatemala City, 2,655,900 (metro. area), 1,128,800 (city proper)
Guinea	Conakry, 1,767,200
Guinea-Bissau	Bissau, 296,900
Guyana	Georgetown, 227,700
Haiti	Port-au-Prince, 1,764,000 (metro. area), 1,119,000 (city proper)
Honduras	Tegucigalpa, 1,436,000 (metro. area), 1,248,300 (city proper)
Hungary	Budapest, 2,597,000 (metro. area), 1,769,500 (city proper)
Iceland	Reykjavik, 184,200 (metro. area), 114,800 (city proper)
India	New Delhi, 15,334,000 (metro. area), 9,817,439 (city proper)
Indonesia	Jakarta, 13,194,000 (metro. area), 8,389,443 (city proper)
Iran	Tehran, 7,796,257 (city proper)
Iraq	Baghdad, 6,777,300 (metro. area), 5,772,000 (city proper)
Ireland	Dublin, 1,018,500
Israel	Jerusalem, 695,500 Note: Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its capital in 1950, but the U.S., like nearly all other countries, maintains its embassy in Tel Aviv.
Italy	Rome, 3,550,900 (metro. area), 2,455,600 (city proper)
Jamaica	Kingston, 937,700 (metro. area), 590,500 (city proper)
Japan	Tokyo, 35,327,000 (metro. area), 8,483,050 (city proper)
Jordan	Amman, 2,677,500 (metro. area), 1,293,200
Kazakhstan	Astana, 288,200 (formerly Aqmola; capital since 1997)
Kenya	Nairobi, 3,064,800 (metro. area), 2,411,900 (city proper)
Kiribati	Tarawa, 26,600
Korea, North	Pyongyang, 3,222,000 (metro. area), 2,767,900
Korea, South	Seoul, 10,287,847 (city proper)
Kosovo	Pristina, 400,000 (est.)
Kuwait	Kuwait, 1,709,800 (metro. area), 32,600 (city proper)
Kyrgyzstan	Bishkek (formerly Frunze), 824,900
Laos	Vientiane, 194,200
Latvia	Riga, 867,700 (metro. area), 706,200 (city proper)
Lebanon	Beirut, 1,916,100 (metro. area), 1,171,000 (city proper)
Lesotho	Maseru 173,700
Liberia	Monrovia, 1,348,900 (metro. area), 550,200 (city proper)
Libya	Tripoli, 2,357,800 (metro. area), 1,269,700 (city proper)
Liechtenstein	Vaduz, 5,300
Lithuania	Vilnius, 543,500
Luxembourg	Luxembourg, 78,800
Macedonia	Skopje, 587,300 (metro. area), 452,500 (city proper)
Madagascar	Antananarivo, 1,390,800
Malawi	Lilongwe, 499,200
Malaysia	Kuala Lumpur, 3,688,200 (metro. area), 1,403,400
Maldives	Malé, 81,600
Mali	Bamako, 1,323,200 (metro. area), 935,400
Malta	Valletta, 194,200 (metro. area) 6,900 (city proper)
Marshall Islands	Majuro, 20,500
Mauritania	Nouakchott, 661,400
Mauritius	Port Louis, 577,200 (metro. area), 143,800 (city proper)
Mexico	Mexico City, 19,013,000 (metro. area), 8,591,309 (city proper)
Micronesia	Palikir 11,600
Moldova	Chisinau, 772,500 (metro. area), 709,900 (city proper)
Monaco	Monaco, 1,400
Mongolia	Ulaan Baatar, 804,200
Montenegro	Podgorica (administrative capital), 117,875; Cetinje (capital city), 14,700
Morocco	Rabat, 1,636,600
Mozambique	Maputo, 1,691,000 (metro. area), 1,114,000 (city proper)
Myanmar	Rangoon (Yangon), 4,344,100
Namibia	Windhoek, 221,000. Summer capital: Swakopmund, 26,200
Nauru	Yaren, 4,900
Nepal	Kathmandu, 1,203,100 (metro. area), 729,000 (city proper)
Netherlands	Amsterdam (official), 737,900; The Hague (administrative capital), 465,900
New Zealand	Wellington, 342,500 (metro. area), 165,100 (city proper)
Nicaragua	Managua, 1,390,500 (metro. area), 1,146,000 (city proper)
Niger	Niamey, 748,600
Nigeria	Abuja, 590,400 (metro. area), 165,700 (city proper)
Norway	Oslo, 791,500
Oman	Muscat, 797,000 (metro. area), 54,800 (city proper)
Pakistan	Islamabad, 601,600
Palau	Koror, 11,100
Palestinian State (proposed)	Undetermined
Panama	Panama City, 1,053,500 (metro. area), 437,200 (city proper)
Papua New Guinea	Port Moresby, 324,900
Paraguay	Asunción, 1,482,200 (metro. area), 525,100
Peru	Lima, 8,180,000 (metro. area), 7,029,928 (city proper)
Philippines	Manila, 10,677,000 (metro. area), 1,581,082 (city proper)
Poland	Warsaw, 2,201,900 (metro. area), 1,607,600 (city proper)
Portugal	Lisbon, 2,618,100 (metro. area), 559,400
Qatar	Doha, 550,700 (metro. area), 318,500 (city proper)
Romania	Bucharest, 2,210,800 (metro. area), 1,906,800 (city proper)
Russia	Moscow, 10,672,000 (metro. area), 10,101,500 (city proper)
Rwanda	Kigali, 298,100
St. Kitts and Nevis	Basseterre (on St. Kitts), 11,500
St. Lucia	Castries, 60,300
St. Vincent and the Grenadines	Kingstown, 17,600
Samoa	Apia, 35,900
San Marino	San Marino, 4,300
São Tomé and Príncipe	São Tomé, 53,300
Saudi Arabia	Riyadh, 3,724,100
Senegal	Dakar, 2,476,400
Serbia	Belgrade, 1,717,800 (metro. area), 1,285,200 (city proper)
Seychelles	Victoria, 23,000
Sierra Leone	Freetown, 1,051,000
Singapore	Singapore, 3,438,600
Slovakia	Bratislava, 428,800
Slovenia	Ljubljana, 258,000
Solomon Islands	Honiara (on Guadalcanal), 54,600
Somalia	Mogadishu, 1,208,800
South Africa	Pretoria, 1,541,300 (metro. area), 1,249,700 (city proper); Legislative capital and largest city: Cape Town, 3,140,600 (metro. area), 2,733,000 (city proper). Judicial capital: Bloemfontein, 378,000. No decision has been made to relocate the seat of government. South Africa is demarcated into nine provinces, consisting of the Gauteng, Northern Province, Mpumalanga, North West, KwaZulu/Natal, Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Northern Cape, and Free State. Each province has its own capital
Spain	Madrid, 5,130,000 (metro. area), 3,169,400 (city proper)
Sri Lanka	Colombo, 2,436,000 (metro. area), 656,100 (city proper). Legislative and judicial capital: Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, 118,300
Sudan	Khartoum, 5,717,300 (metro. area), 1,397,900 (city proper)
Suriname	Paramaribo, 217,300
Swaziland	Mbabane, 69,000; Royal and legislative capital: Lobamba, circa 5,000
Sweden	Stockholm, 1,622,300 (metro. area), 1,251,900 (city proper)
Switzerland	Bern, 122,700
Syria	Damascus, 2,381,800 (metro. area), 1,861,900
Taiwan	Taipei, 7,871,900 (metro. area), 2,722,600 (city proper)
Tajikistan	Dushanbe, 817,100 (metro. area), 590,300 (city proper)
Tanzania	Dodoma, 164,500. Largest city (2003 est.): Dar es Salaam, 2,489,800
Thailand	Bangkok, 6,320,174 (city proper)
Togo	Lomé, 749,700 (metro. area), 676,400 (city proper)
Tonga	Nuku'alofa, 24,500
Trinidad and Tobago	Port-of-Spain, 263,800 (metro. area), 45,300 (city proper)
Tunisia	Tunis, 1,660,300 (metro. area), 699,700 (city proper)
Turkey	Ankara, 3,582,000 (metro. area), 3,456,100 (city proper)
Turkmenistan	Ashgabat, 727,700
Tuvalu	Funafuti, 5,300
Uganda	Kampala, 1,461,600 (metro. area), 1,244,000 (city proper)
Ukraine	Kyiv (Kiev), 3,296,100 (metro. area), 2,588,400 (city proper)
United Arab Emirates	Abu Dhabi, 539,800
United Kingdom	London, 7,615,000 (metro. area), 7,429,200 (city proper)
United States	Washington, DC, 570,898
Uruguay	Montevideo, 1,745,100 (metro. area), 1,347,600 (city proper)
Uzbekistan	Tashkent, 3,457,500 (metro. area), 2,155,400 (city proper)
Vanuatu	Port Vila, 35,300
Venezuela	Caracas, 3,517,300 (metro. area), 1,741,400 (city proper)
Vietnam	Hanoi, 2,543,700 (metro. area), 1,396,500 (city proper)
Western Sahara (proposed state)	El Aaiun 198,200
Yemen	Sanaá, 1,778,900
Zambia	Lusaka, 1,773,300 (metro. area), 1,265,000 (city proper)
Zimbabwe	Harare, 2,331,400 (metro. area), 1,919,700 (city proper)

Para viajar y aprender idiomas.

Conoce las lenguas que se hablan en los distintos países. Es bueno que tengas presente sus lenguas antes de emprender un viaje. Ya sea para un viaje de fin de semana o para hacer turismo prolongado.

Afghanistan	Dari Persian, Pashtu (both official), other Turkic and minor languages
Albania	Albanian (Tosk is the official dialect), Greek
Algeria	Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects
Andorra	Catalán (official), French, Castilian, Portuguese
Angola	Portuguese (official), Bantu and other African languages
Antigua and Barbuda	English (official), local dialects
Argentina	Spanish (official), English, Italian, German, French
Armenia	Armenian 98%, Yezidi, Russian
Australia	English 79%, native and other languages
Austria	German (official nationwide); Slovene, Croatian, Hungarian (each official in one region)
Azerbaijan	Azerbaijani Turkic 89%, Russian 3%, Armenian 2%, other 6% (1995 est.)
Bahamas	English (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants)
Bahrain	Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu
Bangladesh	Bangla (official), English
Barbados	English
Belarus	Belorussian (White Russian), Russian, other
Belgium	Dutch (Flemish) 60%, French 40%, German less than 1% (all official)
Belize	English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole
Benin	French (official), Fon, Yoruba, tribal languages
Bhutan	Dzongkha (official), Tibetan dialects (among Bhotes), Nepalese dialects (among Nepalese)
Bolivia	Spanish, Quechua, Aymara (all official)
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian
Botswana	English 2% (official), Setswana 78%, Kalanga 8%, Sekgalagadi 3%, other (2001)
Brazil	Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French
Brunei	Malay (official), English, Chinese
Bulgaria	Bulgarian 85%, Turkish 10%, Roma 4%
Burkina Faso	French (official); native African (Sudanic) languages 90%
Burundi	Kirundi and French (official), Swahili
Cambodia	Khmer 95% (official), French, English
Cameroon	French, English (both official); 24 major African language groups
Canada	English 59.3%, French 23.2% (both official); other 17.5%
Cape Verde	Portuguese, Criuolo
Central African Republic	French (official), Sangho (lingua franca, national), tribal languages
Chad	French, Arabic (both official); Sara; more than 120 languages and dialects
Chile	Spanish
China	Standard Chinese (Mandarin/Putonghua), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghaiese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages
Colombia	Spanish
Comoros	Arabic and French (both official), Shikomoro (Swahili/Arabic blend)
Congo, Democratic Republic of the	French (official), Lingala, Kingwana, Kikongo, Tshiluba
Congo, Republic of	French (official), Lingala, Monokutuba, Kikongo, many local languages and dialects
Costa Rica	Spanish (official), English
Côte d'Ivoire	French (official) and African languages (Dioula esp.)
Croatia	Croatian 96% (official), other 4% (including Italian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, German)
Cuba	Spanish
Cyprus	Greek, Turkish (both official); English
Czech Republic	Czech
Denmark	Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (Inuit dialect), German; English is the predominant second language
Djibouti	French and Arabic (both official), Somali, Afar
Dominica	English (official) and French patois
Dominican Republic	Spanish
East Timor	Tetum, Portuguese (official); Bahasa Indonesia, English; other indigenous languages, including Tetum, Galole, Mambae, and Kemak
Ecuador	Spanish (official), Quechua, other Amerindian languages
Egypt	Arabic (official), English and French widely understood by educated classes
El Salvador	Spanish, Nahua (among some Amerindians)
Equatorial Guinea	Spanish, French (both official); pidgin English, Fang, Bubi, Ibo
Eritrea	Afar, Arabic, Tigre and Kunama, Tigrinya, other Cushitic languages
Estonia	Estonian 67% (official), Russian 30%, other (2000)
Ethiopia	Amharic, Tigrigna, Orominga, Guaragigna, Somali, Arabic, English, over 70 others
Fiji	English (official), Fijian, Hindustani
Finland	Finnish 92%, Swedish 6% (both official); small Sami- (Lapp) and Russian-speaking minorities
France	French 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects (Provençal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish)
Gabon	French (official), Fang, Myene, Nzebi, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi
Gambia	English (official), Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, other indigenous
Georgia	Georgian 71% (official), Russian 9%, Armenian 7%, Azerbaijani 6%, other 7% (Abkhaz is the official language in Abkhazia)
Germany	German
Ghana	English (official), African languages (including Akan, Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga)
Greece	Greek 99% (official), English, French
Grenada	English (official), French patois
Guatemala	Spanish 60%, Amerindian languages 40% (23 officially recognized Amerindian languages, including Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam, Garifuna, and Xinca)
Guinea	French (official), native tongues (Malinké, Susu, Fulani)
Guinea-Bissau	Portuguese (official), Criolo, African languages
Guyana	English (official), Amerindian dialects, Creole, Hindi, Urdu
Haiti	Creole and French (both official)
Honduras	Spanish (official), Amerindian dialects; English widely spoken in business
Hungary	Magyar (Hungarian) 94%, other 6%
Iceland	Icelandic, English, Nordic languages, German widely spoken
India	Hindi 30%, English, Bengali, Gujarati, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Kannada, Assamese, Sanskrit, Sindhi (all official); Hindi/Urdu; 1,600+ dialects
Indonesia	Bahasa Indonesia (official), English, Dutch, Javanese, and more than 580 other languages and dialects
Iran	Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%
Iraq	Arabic (official), Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions), Assyrian, Armenian
Ireland	English, Irish (Gaelic) (both official)
Israel	Hebrew (official), Arabic, English
Italy	Italian (official); German-, French-, and Slovene-speaking minorities
Jamaica	English, Jamaican Creole
Japan	Japanese
Jordan	Arabic (official), English
Kazakhstan	Kazak (Qazaq, state language) 64%; Russian (official, used in everyday business) 95% (2001 est.)
Kenya	English (official), Swahili (national), and numerous indigenous languages
Kiribati	English (official), I-Kiribati (Gilbertese)
Korea, North	Korean
Korea, South	Korean, English widely taught
Kuwait	Arabic (official), English
Kyrgyzstan	Kyrgyz, Russian (both official)
Laos	Lao (official), French, English, various ethnic languages
Latvia	Latvian 58% (official), Russian 38%, Lithuanian, other (2000)
Lebanon	Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian
Lesotho	English, Sesotho (both official); Zulu, Xhosa
Liberia	English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic-group languages
Libya	Arabic, Italian, and English widely understood in major cities
Liechtenstein	German (official), Alemannic dialect
Lithuania	Lithuanian 82% (official), Russian 8%, Polish 6% (2001)
Luxembourg	Luxermbourgish (national) French, German (both administrative)
Macedonia	Macedonian 67%, Albanian 25% (both official); Turkish 4%, Roma 2%, Serbian 1% (2002)
Madagascar	Malagasy and French (both official)
Malawi	Chichewa 57.2% (official), Chinyanja 12.8%, Chiyao 10.1%, Chitumbuka 9.5%, Chisena 2.7%, Chilomwe 2.4%, Chitonga 1.7%, other 3.6% (1998)
Malaysia	Bahasa Melayu (Malay, official), English, Chinese dialects (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai; several indigenous languages (including Iban, Kadazan) in East Malaysia
Maldives	Maldivian Dhivehi (official); English spoken by most government officials
Mali	French (official), Bambara 80%, numerous African languages
Malta	Maltese and English (both official)
Marshall Islands	Marshallese 98% (two major dialects from the Malayo-Polynesian family), English widely spoken as a second language (both official); Japanese
Mauritania	Hassaniya Arabic (official), Pulaar, Soninke, French, Wolof
Mauritius	English less than 1% (official), Creole 81%, Bojpoori 12%, French 3% (2000)
Mexico	Spanish, various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional indigenous languages
Micronesia	English (official, common), Chukese, Pohnpeian, Yapase, Kosrean, Ulithian, Woleaian, Nukuoro, Kapingamarangi
Moldova	Moldovan (official; virtually the same as Romanian), Russian, Gagauz (a Turkish dialect)
Monaco	French (official), English, Italian, Monégasque
Mongolia	Mongolian, 90%; also Turkic and Russian (1999)
Montenegro	Serbian/Montenegrin (Ijekavian dialect—official)
Morocco	Arabic (official), Berber dialects, French often used for business, government, and diplomacy
Mozambique	Portuguese 9% (official; second language of 27%), Emakhuwa 26%, Xichangana 11%, Elomwe 8%, Cisena 7%, Echuwabo 6%, other Mozambican languages 32% (1997)
Myanmar	Burmese, minority languages
Namibia	English 7% (official), Afrikaans is common language of most of the population and of about 60% of the white population, German 32%; indigenous languages: Oshivambo, Herero, Nama
Nauru	Nauruan (official), English
Nepal	Nepali 48% (official), Maithali 12%, Bhojpuri 7%, Tharu 6%, Tamang 5%, others. English spoken by many in government and business (2001)
Netherlands	Dutch, Frisian (both official)
New Zealand	English, Maori (both official)
Nicaragua	Spanish 98% (official); English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast (1995)
Niger	French (official), Hausa, Djerma
Nigeria	English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Ibo, Fulani, and more than 200 others
Norway	Bokmål Norwegian, Nynorsk Norwegian (both official); small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities (Sami is official in six municipalities)
Oman	Arabic (official), English, Baluchi, Urdu, Indian dialects
Pakistan	Urdu 8%, English (both official); Punjabi 48%, Sindhi 12%, Siraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10%, Pashtu 8%, Balochi 3%, Hindko 2%, Brahui 1%, Burushaski, and others 8%
Palau	Palauan 64.7%, English 9.4%, Sonsoralese, Tobi, Angaur (each official on some islands), Filipino 13.5%, Chinese 5.7%, Carolinian 1.5%, Japanese 1.5%, other Asian 2.3%, other languages 1.5% (2000)
Palestinian State (proposed)	Arabic, Hebrew, English
Panama	Spanish (official), English 14%, many bilingual
Papua New Guinea	Tok Pisin (Melanesian Pidgin, the lingua franca), Hiri Motu (in Papua region), English 1%–2%; 715 indigenous languages
Paraguay	Spanish, Guaraní (both official)
Peru	Spanish, Quéchua (both official); Aymara; many minor Amazonian languages
Philippines	Filipino (based on Tagalog), English (both official); eight major dialects: Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinense
Poland	Polish 98% (2002)
Portugal	Portuguese (official), Mirandese (official, but locally used)
Qatar	Arabic (official); English a common second language
Romania	Romanian (official), Hungarian, German
Russia	Russian, others
Rwanda	Kinyarwanda, French, and English (all official); Kiswahili in commercial centers
St. Kitts and Nevis	English
St. Lucia	English (official), French patois
St. Vincent and the Grenadines	English, French patois
Samoa	Samoan, English
San Marino	Italian
São Tomé and Príncipe	Portuguese (official)
Saudi Arabia	Arabic
Senegal	French (official); Wolof, Pulaar, Jola, Mandinka
Serbia	Serbian (official); Romanian, Hungarian, Slovak, and Croatian (all official in Vojvodina); Albanian (official in Kosovo)
Seychelles	Seselwa Creole 92%, English 5%, French (all official) (2002)
Sierra Leone	English (official), Mende (southern vernacular), Temne (northern vernacular), Krio (lingua franca)
Singapore	Mandarin 35%, English 23%, Malay 14.1%, Hokkien 11.4%, Cantonese 5.7%, Teochew 4.9%, Tamil 3.2%, other Chinese dialects 1.8%, other 0.9% (2000)
Slovakia	Slovak 84% (official), Hungarian 11%, Roma 2%, Ukrainian 1% (2001)
Slovenia	Slovenian 91%, Serbo-Croatian 5% (2002)
Solomon Islands	English 1%–2% (official), Melanesian pidgin (lingua franca), 120 indigenous languages
Somalia	Somali (official), Arabic, English, Italian
South Africa	IsiZulu 23.8%, IsiXhosa 17.6%, Afrikaans 13.3%, Sepedi 9.4%, English 8.2%, Setswana 8.2%, Sesotho 7.9%, Xitsonga 4.4%, other 7.2% (2001)
Spain	Castilian Spanish 74% (official nationwide); Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2% (each official regionally)
Sri Lanka	Sinhala 74% (official and national), Tamil 18% (national), other 8%; English is commonly used in government and spoken competently by about 10%
Sudan	Arabic (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages, English
Suriname	Dutch (official), Surinamese (lingua franca), English widely spoken, Hindustani, Javanese
Swaziland	English, siSwati (both official)
Sweden	Swedish, small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities
Switzerland	German 64%, French 20%, Italian 7% (all official); Romansch 0.5% (national)
Syria	Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood
Taiwan	Chinese (Mandarin, official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects
Tajikistan	Tajik (official), Russian widely used in government and business
Tanzania	Swahili, English (both official); Arabic; many local languages
Thailand	Thai (Siamese), English (secondary language of the elite), ethnic and regional dialects
Togo	French (official, commerce); Ewé, Mina (south); Kabyé, Dagomba (north); and many dialects
Tonga	Tongan (an Austronesian language), English
Trinidad and Tobago	English (official), Hindi, French, Spanish, Chinese
Tunisia	Arabic (official, commerce), French (commerce)
Turkey	Turkish (official), Kurdish, Dimli, Azeri, Kabardian
Turkmenistan	Turkmen 72%; Russian 12%; Uzbek 9%, other 7%
Tuvalu	Tuvaluan, English, Samoan, Kiribati (on the island of Nui)
Uganda	English (official), Ganda or Luganda, other Niger-Congo languages, Nilo-Saharan languages, Swahili, Arabic
Ukraine	Ukrainian 67%, Russian 24%, Romanian, Polish, Hungarian
United Arab Emirates	Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu
United Kingdom	English, Welsh, Scots Gaelic
United States	English 82%, Spanish 11% (2000)
Uruguay	Spanish, Portunol, or Brazilero
Uzbekistan	Uzbek 74.3%, Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%, other 7.1%
Vanuatu	Bislama 23% (a Melanesian pidgin English), English 2%, French 1% (all 3 official); more than 100 local languages 73%
Vatican City (Holy See)	Italian, Latin, French, various other languages
Venezuela	Spanish (official), numerous indigenous dialects
Vietnam	Vietnamese (official); English (increasingly favored as a second language); some French, Chinese, Khmer; mountain area languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)
Western Sahara (proposed state)	Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic
Yemen	Arabic
Zambia	English (official); major vernaculars: Bemba, Kaonda, Lozi, Lunda, Luvale, Nyanja, Tonga; about 70 other indigenous languages
Zimbabwe	English (official), Shona, Ndebele (Sindebele), numerous minor tribal dialects