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Finding the Civil Code in French-Speaking Jurisdictions Worldwide

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220 years ago, the Napoleonic Code was established in France, then the First French Empire. Though revised over time, this became the French Civil Code. Since its inception, the French Civil Code, and the French civil law system, have become the basis for jurisdictions worldwide, from the former colonies of the French Empire to countries including China. We encourage you to explore the Law Library’s historic civil law materials to learn more about the origins of various civil codes, dating back to the Roman Empire.

The Napoleonic Code granted legal equality to all male citizens and restructured the possibilities of acquiring property. It also brought civil institutions under state control, secularized marriage being an example. As opposed to prior legal systems in France, the Napoleonic Code regulated much of everyday social life. Today, codes in varying subjects are free to access online via the French government.

The French Civil Code currently exists in former French colonial possessions as well as jurisdictions with no history of French rule. The Law Library covers 29 independent jurisdictions where French is an official language. The French Civil Code and its civil law system is prominent in many of these areas’ legal systems. Below is a map showing which jurisdictions still use the French civil law system, and the other types of law (common and Sharia) that may also be present.

A world map (water is white, land is grey) with color-coded jurisdictions identifying where French is an official language and the varying types of law. Red is for common/civil law, yellow is civil law only, and blue is civil law/Sharia law.
A map depicting the various French-speaking jurisdictions and the legal systems that govern them. Created by Bailey DeSimone with DataWrapper.

Many jurisdictions using a civil law system modeled on the French system also incorporate customary laws, which vary based on the history and culture of each region. Below is a list of the jurisdictions mapped, linked to their respective Guide to Law Online, where you can learn more about their legal systems and related materials in the Law Library’s collections.

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Comments (3)

  1. Shouldn’t Louisiana be listed?

    • Thank you for your comment! The state of Louisiana does indeed draw from the French Civil Code & civil law system (https://guides.loc.gov/law-us-louisiana). For consistency’s sake, only independent jurisdictions were mapped in the visual.

  2. Thanks! This is a great article. I hope to see more like it. Perhaps a map showing the influence of the Spanish Civil Code?

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