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La Francophonie, or the Francophonie, is an international organization of polities and governments with French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
 as the mother or customary language, wherein a significant proportion of people are Francophones (French-speaking)
Francophone

The adjective francophone means French language-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
 or where there is a notable affiliation with the French language or culture
Culture of France

The culture of France and of the French people has been shaped by Geography of France, by profound History of France, and by foreign and internal forces and groups....
.

Formally known as the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) or the International Organization of the Francophonie, the organization comprises 56 member states and governments, 3 associate members, and 14 observers.






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La Francophonie, or the Francophonie, is an international organization of polities and governments with French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
 as the mother or customary language, wherein a significant proportion of people are Francophones (French-speaking)
Francophone

The adjective francophone means French language-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
 or where there is a notable affiliation with the French language or culture
Culture of France

The culture of France and of the French people has been shaped by Geography of France, by profound History of France, and by foreign and internal forces and groups....
.

Formally known as the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) or the International Organization of the Francophonie, the organization comprises 56 member states and governments, 3 associate members, and 14 observers. Francophonie may also refer, particularly in French, to the global community of French-speaking peoples, comprising a network of private and public organizations promoting special ties among all Francophones. The prerequisite for admission to the Francophonie is not the degree of French usage in the member countries, but a prevalent presence of French culture and language in the member country's identity, usually stemming from France's colonial ambitions with other nations in its history. Few of the member states are majority French-speaking, aside from France and its overseas possessions.

French geographer Onésime Reclus, brother of Élisée Reclus
Élisée Reclus

?lis?e Reclus , also known as Jean Jacques ?lis?e Reclus, was a renowned France geographer, writer and anarchist. He produced his 19-volume masterwork over a period of nearly 20 years: La Nouvelle G?ographic universelle, la terre et les hommes ....
, coined the word Francophonie in 1880 to refer to the community of people and countries using the French language. Francophonie was then coined a second time by Léopold Sédar Senghor
Léopold Sédar Senghor

L?opold S?dar Senghor was a Senegalese poet, politician, and cultural theorist who served as the first List of Presidents of Senegal of Senegal ....
, founder of the Négritude
Négritude

N?gritude is a literary and political movement developed in the 1930s by a group that included the future Senegalese President L?opold S?dar Senghor, Martinique poet Aim? C?saire, and the French Guiana L?on Damas....
 movement, in the review Esprit
Esprit (magazine)

Esprit is a French literary magazine. Founded in October 1932 by Emmanuel Mounier, it was the personalist review . From 1957 to 1976, it was directed by Jean-Marie Domenach....
 in 1962, who assimilated it into Humanism
Humanism

Humanism is a broad category of ethics that affirm the dignity and worth of all people, based on the ability to determine right and wrong by appealing to universal human qualities, particularly rationalism, without resorting to the supernatural or alleged divine authority from religious texts....
.

The modern organization was created in 1970. Its motto
Motto

A motto is a phrase meant to formally describe the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used....
 is égalité, complémentarité, solidarité ("equality, complementarity, and solidarity"), alluding to France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
's motto
Liberté, égalité, fraternité

Libert?, ?galit?, fraternit?, French language for "Liberty, Social equality, :wikt:fraternity ", is the national motto of France, and is a typical example of a tripartite motto....
. Started as a small club of northern French-speaking countries, the Francophonie has since evolved into a global organization whose numerous branches cooperate with its member states in the fields of culture, science, economy, justice, and peace.

The Francophonie could be compared to a French version of the Commonwealth of Nations
Commonwealth of Nations

The Commonwealth of Nations, also known as the Commonwealth or the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organization of fifty-three independent member states....
.

Structure

For the official structure, see the flow chart given on the OIF website: http://www.francophonie.org/doc/txt-reference/organigramme_2007.pdf The Francophonie has an observer status at the UN General Assembly. It has been renamed a few times since its founding:
  • 20 March 1970: Agency for Cultural and Technical Co-operation (ACCT) (Agence de coopération culturelle et technique).
    March 20 is now commemorated by the organization itself as the International Day of the Francophonie (Journée international de la Francophonie), also informally known as "The Celebration of the Francophonie" (la fête de la Francophonie).
  • 4 December 1995: Intergovernmental Agency of the Francophonie (Agence intergouvernementale de la Francophonie)
  • December 1998: International Organization of the Francophonie (OIF) (Organisation internationale de la Francophonie)

Executive Secretariat (Secretaries-general)

  • Boutros Boutros-Ghali
    Boutros Boutros-Ghali

    Boutros Boutros-Ghali is an Egyptian diplomat who was the sixth United Nations Secretary-General of the United Nations from January 1992 to January 1997....
     (Egypt
    Egypt

    Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west....
    ) : 16 Nov 1997 - 31 Dec 2002
  • Abdou Diouf
    Abdou Diouf

    Abdou Diouf was the second List of Presidents of Senegal of Senegal, serving from 1981 to 2000. Diouf is notable both for coming to power by peaceful succession, and leaving willingly after losing the Senegalese presidential election, 2000 to Abdoulaye Wade....
     (Senegal
    Senegal

    Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal, is a country south of the S?n?gal River in West Africa. Senegal is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Mauritania to the north, Mali to the east, and Guinea and Guinea-Bissau to the south....
    ) : 1 Jan 2003 - present

Summits

Summits of the Francophonie (often referred by the English media as the "Francophone Summit") are held every two years, at which time the leaders of the member states have an opportunity to meet and develop strategies and goals for the organization.

Past Summits:
  • Palace of Versailles
    Palace of Versailles

    The Palace of Versailles, or simply Versailles, is a royal ch?teau in Versailles, the ?le-de-France region of France. In French language, it is known as the Ch?teau de Versailles....
    , Paris
    Paris

    Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
    , France
    France

    France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
     (17-19 February 1986)
  • Quebec City
    Quebec City

    Qu?bec or Quebec, also Quebec City or Qu?bec City , is the Capital of the Canada Provinces and territories of Canada of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region....
    , Quebec
    Quebec

    Quebec , in French language, Qu?bec , is a Provinces and territories of Canada in the Central Canada and Eastern Canada regions of Canada....
     (Canada
    Canada

    Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
    ) (2-4 September 1987)
  • Dakar
    Dakar

    Dakar is the capital city of Senegal, located on the Cap-Vert, on the country's Atlantic Ocean coast. It is Senegal's largest city. Its position, on the western edge of Africa , is an advantageous departure point for trans-Atlantic and European trade; this fact aided its growth into a major regional seaport....
    , Senegal
    Senegal

    Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal, is a country south of the S?n?gal River in West Africa. Senegal is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Mauritania to the north, Mali to the east, and Guinea and Guinea-Bissau to the south....
     (24-26 May 1989)
  • Chaillot, Paris
    Paris

    Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
    , France
    France

    France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
     (19-21 November 1991)
  • Port Louis
    Port Louis

    Port Louis is the Capital of Mauritius. It is the largest city of the country and main port, which borders the Indian Ocean. It is located in the Port Louis District....
    ,Mauritius
    Mauritius

    Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius, , is an island nation off the coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about 900 kilometres east of Madagascar....
     (16-18 October 1993)
  • Cotonou
    Cotonou

    Cotonou is the economic capital of Benin, as well as its largest city. Its official population count was 761,137 inhabitants in 2006; however, some estimates indicate its population may be as high as 1.2 million....
    , Benin
    Benin

    Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north; its short coastline to the south leads to the Bight of Benin....
     (2-4 December 1995)
  • Hanoi
    Hanoi

    Hanoi , estimated population 3,398,889 , is the Capital of Vietnam. From 1010 until 1802, with a few brief interruptions, it was the political centre of an independent Vietnam....
    , Vietnam
    Vietnam

    Vietnam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam , is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by People's Republic of China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east....
     (14-17 November 1997)
  • Moncton, New Brunswick
    New Brunswick

    New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only Constitution of Canada bilingual province in the federation. The provincial capital is Fredericton....
     (Canada
    Canada

    Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
    ) (3-5 September 1999)
  • Beirut
    Beirut

    Beirut is the Capital and largest city of Lebanon with a population of over 2.1 million as of 2007. Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's coastline with the Mediterranean sea, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport and also forms the Beirut District area, which consists of the city and its suburbs....
    , Lebanon
    Lebanon

    Lebanon , officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic , is a country in Western Asia, on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea....
     (18-20 October 2002)
  • Ouagadougou
    Ouagadougou

    Ouagadougou is the Capital of Burkina Faso and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic center of the nation. It is also the country's largest city, with a population of 1,475,223 National 2006 census final results ....
    , Burkina Faso
    Burkina Faso

    Burkina Faso , also known by its short-form name Burkina, is a landlocked nation in West Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the south east, Togo and Ghana to the south, and C?te d'Ivoire to the south west....
     (26-27 November 2004)
  • Bucharest
    Bucharest

    Bucharest is the capital city, industrial and commercial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the D?mbovita River....
    , Romania
    Romania

    Romania is a country located in Southeastern Europe Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian Mountains, bordering on the Black Sea....
     (28-29 September 2006)
  • Quebec City
    Quebec City

    Qu?bec or Quebec, also Quebec City or Qu?bec City , is the Capital of the Canada Provinces and territories of Canada of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region....
    , Quebec
    Quebec

    Quebec , in French language, Qu?bec , is a Provinces and territories of Canada in the Central Canada and Eastern Canada regions of Canada....
     (Canada
    Canada

    Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
    ) (17-19 October 2008) (part of the 400th anniversary celebration of the founding of Quebec)


Ministerial conferences


Permanent council

The Permanent Council of the Francophonie consists of Ambassadors of the member countries, and, like the ministers' conferences, its main task is to plan future summits and also to supervise the implementation of summit decisions on a day-to-day basis.

Intergovernmental agency

The Intergovernmental Agency of the Francophonie is the main operator of the cultural, scientific, technical, economic and legal cooperation programs decided at the Summits. The Agency's headquarters are in Paris and it has three regional branches in Libreville
Libreville

Libreville is the capital city and largest city of Gabon. The city is a port on the Komo River, near the Gulf of Guinea, and a trade center for a timber region....
, Gabon
Gabon

Gabon is a country in west central Africa sharing borders with the Gulf of Guinea to the west, Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, and Cameroon to the north, with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south....
; Lomé
Lomé

Lom?, estimated population of 737,751, is the Capital and largest city of Togo. Located on the Gulf of Guinea, Lom? is the country's administrative and industrial centre and its chief port....
, Togo
Togo

Togo is a narrow country in West Africa bordering Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lom? is located....
; and Hanoi
Hanoi

Hanoi , estimated population 3,398,889 , is the Capital of Vietnam. From 1010 until 1802, with a few brief interruptions, it was the political centre of an independent Vietnam....
, Vietnam
Vietnam

Vietnam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam , is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by People's Republic of China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east....
.

Missions


The Charte de la Francophonie defines the role and missions of the organization. The current charter was adopted in Antananarivo
Antananarivo

Antananarivo is the Capital and largest city in Madagascar. It is also known by its French language name Tananarive or the colonial shorthand form Tana....
, on November 23, 2005. The summit held in Ouagadougou
Ouagadougou

Ouagadougou is the Capital of Burkina Faso and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic center of the nation. It is also the country's largest city, with a population of 1,475,223 National 2006 census final results ....
, Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso , also known by its short-form name Burkina, is a landlocked nation in West Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the south east, Togo and Ghana to the south, and C?te d'Ivoire to the south west....
 on 26-27 November 2004 saw the adoption of a strategic framework for the period 2004-2014.

French language, cultural and linguistic diversity


The primary mission of the organization is the promotion of the French language as an international language and the promotion of worldwide cultural and linguistic diversity in the era of economic globalisation. In this regard, countries that are members of the Francophonie have contributed largely to the adoption by the UNESCO
UNESCO

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on 16 November 1945....
 of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions
UNESCO: Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions

The Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions is a UNESCO Treaty and treaty adopted by the UNESCO General Conference on 20 October 2005....
 (October 20, 2005).

Peace, democracy and human rights


Similar to organization such as the Commonwealth of Nations
Commonwealth of Nations

The Commonwealth of Nations, also known as the Commonwealth or the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organization of fifty-three independent member states....
, the Francophonie has as its stated aims the promotion of democracy
Democracy

Democracy is a form of government in which power is held directly or indirectly by citizens under a free electoral system. It is derived from the Greek language d?????at?a , "popular government" which was coined from d???? , "people" and ???t?? , "rule, strength" in the middle of the 5th-4th century BC to denote the political syst...
 and human rights
Human rights

Human rights refer to the "basic rights and freedom to which all humans are entitled." Examples of rights and freedoms which have come to be commonly thought of as human rights include civil and political rights, such as the right to life and liberty, freedom of speech, and equality before the law; and social, cultural and economic rights, i...
. Following the November 3rd 2000 Déclaration de Bamako , the Francophonie has given itself the financial means to attain a number of set objectives in that regard.

In recent years, some participating governments, notably the governments of Quebec and Canada, pushed for the adoption of a Charter in order for the organization to sanction member States that are known to have poor records when it comes to the protection of human rights and the practice of democracy. Such a measure was debated at least twice but was never approved.

Members

The official list of members is available at the .

Mauritania
Mauritania

Mauritania , officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a country in northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the west, by Senegal on the southwest, by Mali on the east and southeast, by Algeria on the northeast, and by the Morocco-controlled Western Sahara on the northwest....
's membership was suspended on August 26, 2008, pending democratic elections, after a military coup
2008 Mauritanian coup d'état

A coup d'?tat took place in Mauritania on 6 August 2008 when President of Mauritania Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi was ousted from power by a group of high ranking generals he had dismissed from office earlier that day....
.

Country Status Year joined Official language Notes
member 1999 Albanian
Albanian language

Albanian is an Indo-European languages spoken by nearly 6 million people, primarily in Albania and Kosovo but also in other areas of the Balkans in which there is an Albanian population, including the west of the Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, and southern Serbia....
  		approximately 30% of young Albanians choose French as their first foreign language
member 2004 Catalan
Catalan language

Catalan is a Romance languages, the national language and official language of Andorra, and a official language in the Autonomous Communities of Spain of the Balearic Islands, Catalonia and Valencian Community and in the city of Alghero in the Italy List of islands in the Mediterranean of Sardinia....
  		President of France is co-Prince of Andorra
member 1970 officially trilingual, French included French is the native language of about 40% of the population. . Belgium's French community is also a member separately.
French Community of Belgium
French Community of Belgium

The French Community of Belgium is one of the three Communities and regions of Belgium#Communities in Belgium along with the Flemish Community and the German speaking community in Belgium....
 		 member 1980 French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
 official language 		a community of Belgium with its two components Wallonia
Wallonia

Wallonia is the Francophone southern part of Belgium. This region makes up about 31% of the Belgian population.Since 1970, Wallonia has approximately coincided with the territory of the Walloon Region, which is a federated component of the Belgian state and provides a government and a parliament to both Wallonia and the smaller German-s...
 (excepting the German speaking Community and Brussels-Capital Region [its French-Speaking majority])
member 1970 French former French colony
French colonial empires

The French colonial empire was the set of territories outside Europe that were under French rule from the 1600s to the late 1960s. In terms of land area, the Empire reached its height of 12,347,000 km? after World War One....
member 1993 Bulgarian
Bulgarian language

Bulgarian is an Indo-European languages, a member of the Slavic languages linguistic group.Bulgarian demonstrates several linguistic innovations that set it apart from all other Slavic languages except Macedonian language, such as the elimination of grammatical case, the development of a suffixed definite article , the lack of a verb infin...
 		French is spoken by 9% as additional language
member 1970 French former French colony
member 1970 French former Belgian UN-protectorate
Belgian colonial empire

The Belgian colonial empire consisted of three colonialism possessed by Belgium between 1901 to 1962. This empire was unlike those of the major European imperial powers since roughly 98% of it was just one colony ? the Belgian Congo ? and that had originated as the private property of the country's king, L?opold II of Belgium, rather than b...
member 1993 Khmer
Khmer language

Khmer , or Cambodian, is the language of the Khmer people and the official language of Cambodia. It is the second most widely spoken Austro-Asiatic languages, with speakers in the tens of millions....
 		 former French colony
member 1991 officially bilingual, French included over 90% of country was a French colony
member 1970 Officially bilingual
Bilingualism in Canada

Official bilingualism is the term used in Canada to collectively describe the policies, constitutional provisions, and laws which give English language and French language a special legal status over other languages in Canada?s courts, Parliament of Canada and administration....
, French included		the provinces
Provinces and territories of Canada

The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the List of countries and outlying territories by total area. The major difference between a Canada province and a territory is that a province receives its power and authority directly from the Monarchy in Canada, via the Constitution Act, 1867, whereas territories derive their manda...
 of Quebec and New Brunswick are participating governments; much of Quebec, Ontario
Ontario

Ontario is a Provinces and territories of Canada located in the Central Canada part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area....
 and the Maritimes
Maritimes

The Maritime provinces, also called the Maritimes or the Canadian Maritimes, is a list of regions of Canada#National regions of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces and territories of Canada: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island....
 formed part of former French Colonies (as part of New France
New France

The Viceroyalty of New France was the area French colonization of the Americas by France in North America during a period extending from the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River, by Jacques Cartier in 1534, to the cession of New France to Spain and Kingdom of Great Britain in 1763....
 and Acadia
Acadia

Acadia was the name given to lands in a portion of the French colonial empires in northeastern North America that included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritimes, and modern-day New England, stretching as far south as Philadelphia....
). As of 2004, a government representative from Ontario also attends as part of the Canadian delegation, although Ontario is not yet a participating government in its own right.
participating government 1977officially bilingual, French included province of Canada; former French colony Acadia
Acadia

Acadia was the name given to lands in a portion of the French colonial empires in northeastern North America that included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritimes, and modern-day New England, stretching as far south as Philadelphia....
, New France
New France

The Viceroyalty of New France was the area French colonization of the Americas by France in North America during a period extending from the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River, by Jacques Cartier in 1534, to the cession of New France to Spain and Kingdom of Great Britain in 1763....
.
participating government 1971 French province of Canada; former French colony Canada, New France
Canada, New France

Canada was the name of the French colonization of the Americas that once stretched along the Saint Lawrence River; the other colonies of New France were Acadia, Louisiana and Colony of Newfoundland....
.
member 1996 Portuguese
Portuguese language

Portuguese is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia and Portugal. It is derived from the Latin language spoken by the Romanization Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula around 2000 years ago....
 		 Former Portuguese colony with many neighboring French-speaking countries.
member 1973 officially bilingual, French included former French colony
member 1970 French former French colony
member 1977 officially trilingual, French included former French colony
member 1977 French former Belgian colony
member 1981 French former French colony
member 1970 French former French colony
member 1977 officially bilingual, French included former French colony
History of Djibouti

The Djibouti gained its independence on June 27, 1977. It is the successor to French Somaliland , which was created in the first half of the 19th century as a result of French interest in the Horn of Africa....
member 1979 English French and then British colony
British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, and other Dependent territory ruled or administered by the United Kingdom , that had originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries....
; Antillean Creole
Antillean Creole

Antillean Creole is a French language-lexified creole language spoken primarily in the Lesser Antilles. Its grammar and vocabulary also include elements of Carib language and African languages....
, a French-based creole
French-based creole languages

A French creole, or French-based creole language, is a creole language based on the French language, more specifically on a 17th century Koin%C3%A9_language French language extent in Paris, the French atlantic harbors, and the nascent French colonies....
 language, is spoken by 90% of the population.
member 1983 Arabic traditional Francophone elite
member 1989 officially bilingual, French included Former Spanish colony surrounded by French-speaking countries; member of the CFA
CFA franc

The CFA franc is a currency used in twelve formerly France-ruled African countries, as well as in Guinea-Bissau and in Equatorial Guinea . The ISO 4217s are XAF for the Central African CFA franc and XOF for the West African CFA franc....
.
member 2001 Macedonian
Macedonian language

Macedonian is the official language of the Republic of Macedonia and is a part of the Eastern group of South Slavic languages. Macedonian is closely related to and shares a high degree of mutual intelligibility with the Bulgarian language, Serbian language, Bosnian language, and Croatian language languages....
 		 
member 1970 French  
member 1970 French former French colony
member 2004 Greek French is understood and spoken by 8% of the population
member 1981 French former French colony
member 1979 Portuguese
Portuguese language

Portuguese is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia and Portugal. It is derived from the Latin language spoken by the Romanization Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula around 2000 years ago....
 		 country surrounded by French-speaking countries. Former Portuguese colony
member 1970 officially bilingual, French included former French colony
Haiti

Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Haitian Creole language- and French language-speaking Caribbean country. Along with the Dominican Republic, it occupies the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antilles archipelago....
member 1991 Lao
Lao language

Lao or Laotian is a tonal language of the Kradai language family. It is the official language of Laos, and also spoken in the northeast of Thailand, where it is usually referred to as the Isan language....
 		 former French colony
member 1973 Arabic; French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
 is an administrative language		 Under a French mandate
League of Nations mandate

A League of Nations mandate refers to a legal status for certain territories transferred from the control of one country to another following World War I, or the legal instruments that contained the terms for administering the territory on behalf of the League....
 from 1920-1943, French language used in schools and universities, and is understood by the majority of the population.
member 1970 Officially trilingual
Languages of Luxembourg

The linguistic situation in Luxembourg is characterized by the practice and the recognition of three official languages: French language, German language and Luxembourgish language....
, French included 		 
member 1970-1977
1989 		officially trilingual, French included former French colony
member 1970 French former French colony
member 1980 Arabic former French colony, French is an administrative language
member 1970 English
English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
; Creole is the mother tongue of the general population.		 Dutch, French, and then British colony; French is widely used by the media.
member 1996 Romanian
Romanian language

Romanian or Daco-Romanian ; self-designation: limba rom?na, ) is a Romance languages spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova....
 		 
member 1970 French former French protectorate
History of Monaco

The early history of Monaco is primarily concerned with the protective and strategic value of the Rock of Monaco, the area's chief geological landmark, which served first as a shelter for ancient peoples and later as a fortress....
member 1981 Arabic former French protectorate
History of Morocco

The [Capsian culture]brought Morocco into the Neolithic about 8000 BC, at a time when the Maghreb was less arid than it is today. The Berber languages probably was formed at roughly the same time as agriculture , and was developed by the existing population and adopted the immigrants who arrived later....
; French is commonly used
member 1970 French former French colony
member 1993 Romanian
Romanian language

Romanian or Daco-Romanian ; self-designation: limba rom?na, ) is a Romance languages spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova....
 		 French is understood and spoken by 24% of the population . Historic cultural ties with France, especially during the late 19th century and early 20th century.
member 1970 officially trilingual, French included former Belgian UN-protectorate
member 1981 English Former French and British colony
History of Saint Lucia

Pre-European peopleSaint Lucia's first known inhabitants were Arawaks, believed to have come from northern South America around 200-400 CE. Numerous archeology sites on the island have produced specimens of the Arawaks' well-developed pottery....
. Antillean Creole
Antillean Creole

Antillean Creole is a French language-lexified creole language spoken primarily in the Lesser Antilles. Its grammar and vocabulary also include elements of Carib language and African languages....
, a French-based creole language
French-based creole languages

A French creole, or French-based creole language, is a creole language based on the French language, more specifically on a 17th century Koin%C3%A9_language French language extent in Paris, the French atlantic harbors, and the nascent French colonies....
, is spoken by 90% of the population.
member 1999 Portuguese Former Portuguese colony, neighboring French-speaking countries.
member 1970 French former French colony
member 1976 officially trilingual, French included former French colony (first empire), later British colony, French is commonly used
member 1996 Officially quadrilingual
Demographics of Switzerland

This article is about the demographics features of the population of Switzerland, including population density, Ethnic group, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population....
, French included 		French is the native language of about 20% of all Swiss.
member 1970 French former French colony
member 1970 Arabic former French colony; French is commonly used
member 1979 officially trilingual
Languages of Vanuatu

Vanuatu has three official languages, English language, French language, and Bislama, a creole language evolved from English. Bislama is the first language of many urban ni-Vanuatu, that is, the residents of Port Vila and Luganville....
 		 former French and British condominium
Condominium (international law)

In international law, a condominium is a political territory in or over which two or more sovereign powers formally agree to share equally dominium and exercise their rights jointly, without dividing it up into 'national' zones....
member 1970 Vietnamese
Vietnamese language

Vietnamese , formerly known under French colonization as Annamese , is the national language and official language language of Vietnam. It is the mother tongue of the Vietnamese people , who constitute 86% of Demographics of Vietnam, and of about three million overseas Vietnamese, most of whom live in the United States....
 		 former French colony
associate member 2004 Armenian
Armenian language

The 'Armenian language' is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenians. It is the official language of the Armenia as well as in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh....
 		Armenian culture is tied to France via the Franco-Armenian dynasty of the Kingdom of Cilicia during the Middle Ages and the large Armenian community in France
Armenians in France

Armenians in France are ethnic Armenians living within the modern republic of France. Like much of the Armenian Diaspora, most Armenians immigrated to France after the Armenian Genocide of 1915....
. See also: Franco-Armenian relations
associate member 2006 Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
,Turkish
Turkish language

Turkish is a language spoken by over 63 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Cyprus, with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania and other parts of Eastern Europe....
French is understood and spoken by 12% of the population; Historical ties through the Lusignan
Lusignan

The Lusignan family originated in the Poitou near Lusignan in western France in the early 10th century. By the end of the 11th century, they had risen to become the most prominent petty lords in the region from their Ch?teau de Lusignan....
 rule of the Kingdom of Cyprus
Kingdom of Cyprus

The Kingdom of Cyprus was a Crusader kingdom on the island of Cyprus in the high and late Middle Ages, between 1192 and 1489. It was ruled by the French House of Lusignan....
 during the Middle Ages.
associate member 2006 English country surrounded by French-speaking countries


Observers


Country Year joined Language Notes
2004 German
German language

German is a West Germanic languages, thus related to and classified alongside English language and Dutch language. It is one of the world's world language and the most widely spoken mother tongue in the European Union....
 		French is spoken by 10% as additional language.
2004 Croatian
Croatian language

Croatian language is a South Slavic languages which is used primarily in Croatia, by Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in neighbouring countries where Croats are Indigenous peoples, in Italian region of Molise, and parts of the Croats diaspora....
 		French is understood and spoken by 4% of the population, and the county was the Illyrian Provinces
Illyrian provinces

The Illyrian Provinces were lands on the north and east coasts of the Adriatic Sea which were nominally part of France during the last years of Napoleon....
 during Napoleonic rule from 1809 to 1813.
1999 Czech
Czech language

Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czech people worldwide....
 		French is understood and spoken by 2% of the population.
2004 Georgian
Georgian language

Georgian is the official language of Georgia , a country in the Caucasus .Georgian is the primary language of about 3.9 million people in Georgia itself, and of another 500,000 abroad ....
 
2004 Hungarian
Hungarian language

Hungarian is a Uralic languages unrelated to most other languages in Europe. It is mainly spoken in Hungary and by the Hungarian minorities in the seven neighbouring countries....
 		 French is understood and spoken by 2% of the population.
2008 Latvian
Latvian language

Latvian is the official state language of Latvia. Alternative names include Lettish and Lettisch. There are about 1.5 million native Latvian speakers in Latvia and about 150,000 abroad....
 		 
1999 Lithuanian
Lithuanian language

Lithuanian is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognised as one of the official languages of the European Union. There are about 2.96 million native Lithuanian speakers in Lithuania and about 170,000 abroad....
 		 French is understood and spoken by 1% of the population, and in World War I the Baltic States were occupied by a French military garrison to protect them from the newly-formed Soviet Union
Soviet Union

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a Constitution of the Soviet Union socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991.The name is a translation of the , romanization of Russian Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated ????, SSSR....
 (1918).
2006 Portuguese
Portuguese language

Portuguese is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia and Portugal. It is derived from the Latin language spoken by the Romanization Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula around 2000 years ago....
 		former Portuguese colony.
1996 Polish
Polish language

Polish , an official language of Poland, has the largest number of speakers of any West Slavic languages. Polish-speakers use the language in a uniform manner through most of Poland, and it has a regular orthography....
 		 Poland has historic ties to France; French is understood and spoken by 3% of the population, and many Polish emigrants settled in France in the 20th century.
2006 Serbian
Serbian language

name=Serbian|nativename=|pronunciation=['sr?pski?]|familycolor=Indo-European|map=|states=See below under "Official status", besides that in Croatia and as an immigrant's language spread over Central Europe and Western Europe, as well as Northern America...
 		 French is taught in one-third of schools.
2002 Slovak
Slovak language

The Slovak language , sometimes incorrectly called ?Slovakian?, is an Indo-European languages that belongs to the West Slavic languages .The Czech and Slovak languages are Mutual intelligibility which means that even after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia Czech may be used in all official proceedings and documents in Slovakia, and vice ver...
 		French is spoken by 2% as additional language
1999 Slovenian
Slovenian language

Slovene or Slovenian is a South Slavic languages spoken by approximately 2.4 million speakers worldwide, the majority of whom live in Slovenia....
 		French is spoken by 4% as additional language.
2008 Thai
Thai language

Thai , is the national language and official language language of Thailand and the mother tongue of the Thai people, Thailand's dominant ethnic group....
 		 
2006 Ukrainian
Ukrainian language

Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic languages of the Slavic languages. It is the official language of Ukraine. In some areas of Russia there are dialects, Balachka or Surzhyk, which are the Ukrainianized versions of the Russian language....
 		 


The U.S. state of Louisiana
Louisiana

The State of Louisiana is a U.S. state located in the U.S. Southern States of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans....
 (the small French-speaking Cajun
Cajun

Cajuns are an ethnic group mainly living in Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles and peoples of other ethnicities with whom the Acadians eventually intermarried on the semitropical frontier....
 minority in Acadiana
Acadiana

Acadiana is the official name given to the French Louisiana region that is home to a large Francophone population. Of the 64 List of parishes in Louisiana that comprise Louisiana, 22 parishes, or about one-third of the total, make up Acadiana....
) is an observer member with some representation in the Francophonie; the state was formerly part of New France
New France

The Viceroyalty of New France was the area French colonization of the Americas by France in North America during a period extending from the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River, by Jacques Cartier in 1534, to the cession of New France to Spain and Kingdom of Great Britain in 1763....
 from 1680 to 1767 (the brief period of Spanish
Spanish Empire

The Spanish Empire was one of the largest empires in world history, and one of the first global empires. It included territories and colonies ruled by Spain in Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania between the 15th and late 19th centuries....
 rule by New Spain
New Spain

The Viceroyalty of New Spain , was the political unit of Spain territories in North America and Asia-Pacific. The territory included the present-day Southwestern United States, Central America, the Caribbean, and the Philippines....
, and again from 1800 to 1803 when the United States annexed Louisiana and the remainder known as the Louisiana Purchase
Louisiana Purchase

The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of of the French territory Louisiana in 1803. The U.S. paid 60 million French franc plus cancellation of debts worth 18 million francs , a total cost of $15,000,000 for the Louisiana territory....
.

Italy
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
 is not an observer even though French is one of the two official languages in the Aosta Valley
Aosta Valley

The Aosta Valley is a mountainous Autonomous regions with special statute Regions of Italy in north-western Italy. It is bordered by France to the west, Switzerland to the north and the region of Piedmont to the south and east....
 region.

Turkey
Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in southwest Asia and Thrace in the Balkans region of Southern Europe....
 has or had a large number French-speaking citizens, have a large presence of French Education in French and the Turkish language has many French words and a heavy French influence.

The current subdivisional members are Belgium
Belgium

* A small German-speaking Community of Belgium exists in eastern Wallonia. Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political and cultural conflicts are reflected in the history of Belgium and a complex Communities and regions of Belgium....
, Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
, Switzerland
Switzerland

Switzerland is a landlocked Swiss Alps country of roughly 7.7 million people in Western Europe with an area of 41,285 km?. Switzerland is a federal republic consisting of 26 states called Cantons of Switzerland....
 and Luxembourg
Luxembourg

Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a small landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany....
.

See also

  • Francophone
    Francophone

    The adjective francophone means French language-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
  • French colonial empire
  • Agence de coopération culturelle et technique
    Agence de Coopération Culturelle et Technique

    The Agence de coop?ration culturelle et technique was founded in 1970 and was the precursor to what is now the Francophonie....
  • Minister responsible for La Francophonie (Canada)
    Minister responsible for La Francophonie (Canada)

    The Minister responsible for La Francophonie is a member of the Canadian Cabinet who handles relations with the Francophonie, an international community of francophone nations....
  • Jeux de la Francophonie
    Jeux de la Francophonie

    The Jeux de la Francophonie are a combination of artistic and sporting events for French speaking nations, held every four years since 1989, partly as a counterweight to the Commonwealth Games....
  • Conseil international de la langue française
    Conseil international de la langue française

    The Conseil international de la langue fran?aise is an association formed in 1968 in Paris whose mission it to enrich the French language and to encourage its influence....
  • French immersion
    French immersion

    French immersion is a form of bilingual education in which a child who does not speak French language as his or her first language receives instruction in school in French....
  • Espace Francophone pour la Recherche, le Développement et l'Innovation
    Espace Francophone pour la Recherche, le Développement et l'Innovation

    native_name = Espace Francophone pour la Recherche, le D?veloppement et l'Innovation|linking_name= EFRARD|image_flag = logo-efrard.svg...
  • Journée internationale de la Francophonie
    Journée internationale de la Francophonie

    Half a billion Francophones around the world will celebrate International Day of Francophonie on 20 March. This event began in 1998 as a way for the 70 States members of Francophonie to celebrate their common bond, the French language, as well as their diversity....


  • French in Africa
    African French

    African French is the generic name of the varieties of french language spoken by an estimated 115 million African people spread across 31 francophone African countries....
  • French in India
    French India

    French India is a general name for the former France possessions in India. These included Puducherry , Karikal and Yanaon on the Coromandel Coast, Mah? on the Malabar coast, and Chandannagar in Bengal....
  • French in the United States
    French in the United States

    The French language is spoken as a minority language in the United States. According to year 2000 census figures, 1.6 million Americans over the age of five speak the language at home; making French the third most-spoken language in the country, behind English language and Spanish language....
  • Franco-Canadian relations
    Franco-Canadian relations

    Modern Canada-France relations have been marked by high levels of military and economic cooperation, but also by periods of diplomatic discord, primarily over the status of Qu?bec....
  • Franco-ontarien


  • List of countries where French is an official language
    List of countries where French is an official language

    The following is a list of the 29 countries where French language is an official language.Note that in most of these countries, French is not the only language, and therefore the population does not indicate the number of French-speakers....
  • List of international organizations which have French as an official language
    List of international organisations which have French as an official language

    List of international organisations which have French language as an official, administrative or working language....
  • List of French loanwords in Persian?


External links

  • ("French Speakers' Get Together"), event developed around the International Day of the Francophonie