France, March 20 -- Held on 20 March, International Francophonie Day - or, in the spirit of the day,Journee internationale de la francophonie -celebrates the French language, spoken by more than 321 million people across five continents, and the diversity of francophone culture.

French is the fifth most spoken language in the world - fourth on the internet - and francophone countries have 1.2 billion inhabitants in total, and hold16 percent of global wealth.

There are144 million learners of French around the world, making it the second most taught foreign language. And the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) - the organisation dedicated to the promotion of the French language and the ties between French-speaking countri...