Western Europe
Andorra
"Andorra is an autonomous and semi-independent coprincipality which has been under the joint suzerainty of the French state and the Spanish bishops of Urgel since 1278"(Johnson, '92). The countries official language is Catalan, but with such a long history of occupation and the fact that it lies on the border between Spain and France, gives this country a strong French speaking community.
Belgium
As a neighbor to France, Belgium has had an on going relationship with France since the Franks invaded it in the 5th century. During the wars following the French Revolution, Belgium was occupied and later annexed to France. After the downfall of Napolean, Belgium declared their independence in 1830. Today, there are conflicts between the French- and Flemish speaking communities, with Flemish being 56% of the population, French at 32%, and the bilingual population at 11%.
France
The history of France and its' rich language is found on the map page. Under the Valois line of kings, France became a powerful nation. During the age of exploration and the maritime empires, France traveled overseas to build its empire and gain resources but was not equipped to keep many of its possessions. The Empire became the French Union and the presidency weakend with the rise of the National Assembly.
Italy
Italy does not have a large French speaking population that is indigenous to the country, however, there are a considerable amount of Italians who speak French and vice-versa, due to border proximity and immigration. One major French influence came in 1805 when Napolean unified Italy and named himself King of Italy. Control was given back to Austria in 1815 through the Congress of Vienna. The surviving French speaking community as stated by the World Fact Book is the Valle d'Aosta region.
Luxembourg
In the 5th century, Luxembourg was conquered by the Franks and became a part of Charlemagne's Frankish empire. In 1794, French revolutionary troops seized and occupied the territory. In 1815, it was given to Netherland by the Congress of Vienna. In later parts of the 19th century, workers would cross the border to France to look for work. Today, French is listed as one of the official languages of Luxembourg.
Monaco
After being independent for 800 years, Monaco was annexed to France in 1793. In 1861, it continued to be under French guardianship but it was allowed independence. In 1918, France established the right to have a veto over the successor to the throne of Monaco. French is one of three major languages spoken there.
Switzerland
In 1798, French revolutionary troops occupied Switzerland and named it Helvetic Republic. Napolean restored its federal government in 1803. In 1815, the French- and Italian-speaking communities were given political equality in a mostly German society. 65% of the population speaks German, 10% speak Italian, and 18% speak French.
Greece
During the rule of Alexander the Great, Turkish, Slavic, Albanian, Italian, and French words were used to enrich the idiom. Today the educated and second-generation members of the upper class generally speak English or French fluently. French is still seen by many people as a culturally rich and diplomatic language.