In which regions of the world is knowledge of English still comparatively limited?

[Omanvassal]

In Communist times, how much foreign-language media was there available (whether legally or illegally)?

You have to go more liberal place Czech, Germany, etc and buy audiotape or buy a book from library that is only media outside available

[Tooting Carmen]

You have to go more liberal place Czech, Germany, etc and buy audiotape or buy a book from library that is only media outside available

East Germany was almost certainly no more 'liberal' than post-Stalin USSR.

[Maguzanci]

East Germany was almost certainly no more 'liberal' than post-Stalin USSR.

Do you know why users voted Francophone Africa the least out of the four regions?

I think there is much much less people who know English in Francophone Africa (not counting North Africa) than in Northeast Asia, Latin America, Central Asia tbh. In fact, Francophone Africa (excluding North Africa) might have the least amount of English speakers outside of the four regions imo. (It seems that way from how they write online but speaking might be a different story).

The reason why I exclude North Africa is because there seem to be a lot of younger Algerians, Moroccans, Tunisians especially those I saw on internet, who seem very advanced to pretty fluent in English compared to Francophone Sub-Saharan Africans imo.

Francophone West and Central Africans seem to know way way less English than North Africans especially the newer generations.

[Lluna Plena]

South Europe (France, Italy, Spain). Also in Japan. I worked in a International Hotel for a few years. When Japanese travellers came to the Hotel it was difficult to interact with them cos they only spoke Japanese.
Their body language is different also,...so sometimes is difficult to know what do they want to express when they put a hand up, bow their head, etc...

[Tooting Carmen]

South Europe (France, Italy, Spain). Also in Japan. I worked in a International Hotel for a few years. When Japanese travellers came to the Hotel it was difficult to interact with them cos they only spoke Japanese.
Their body language is different also,...so sometimes is difficult to know what do they want to express when they put a hand up, bow their head, etc...

A friend of mine is married to a Japanese woman. He says it is reasonably easy to get by with English in Tokyo but not that much elsewhere in the country. But you are really exaggerating by saying Southern Europe too.