The French language (or la langue française, pronounced [la ‘læŋ frɑːn’se]) is currently spoken by approximately 350 million people around the world. It is one of the main Romance languages belonging to the Indo-European group and is official in 29 countries. From the 17th century to approximately the middle of the 20th century the French was the most important language of diplomacy and international relations. Writing system: Latin (French alphabet) Official language in: Belgium, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, France, Gabon, Guinea, Haiti, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mali, Monaco, Niger, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Switzerland, Togo, Vanuatu