About the French language

French is one of a number of languages, the Romance languages, which stem from Latin. It has also become an important language in Africa because of the colonisation of large parts of the continent by France. For a long time, French was also the language of the elite in Europe. Many French words have also been borrowed into the English language. French is one of the six official languages of the United Nations and one of the 24 official languages of the European Union. See below for some general facts about French.

Facts about the French language

Countries in which French is spoken include France, Belgium, Luxemburg, Switzerland, Monaco, Canada, and many countries in Africa.

French is spoken in many countries outside of France, such as Algeria, Belgium, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Italy (Aosta Valley), Ivory Coast, Laos, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Monaco, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, Seychelles, Switzerland, Togo, Tunisia, Vanuatu, Vietnam, and the United States (Louisiana).