French language

About French in general
French language (français) is probably the most internationally significant Romance language in the world.
At the beginning of the 21st century, French was an official language of more than 25 countries.
A lingua franca

Number of speakers
France and Corsica - about 60 million;
Canada - more than 7.3 million;
Belgium - more than 3.9 million;
Switzerland (cantons of Neuchâtel, Vaud, Genève, Valais, Fribourg) - more than 1.8 million;
Monaco - about 80,000;
Italy - about 100,000;
United States (especially Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont) - about 1.3 million.…