English is a West Germanic language with heavy influence from Old Norse, Old French, and other Romance languages. English is widely spoken around the world due to previous British exploration and colonization and later American expansion and cultural influence, including the internet. English is spoken as a first language by more than 300 million people and as a second language by more than 500 million. Untold more millions around the world can understand enough English to converse to a limited extent. In smaller European countries such as Iceland, Belgium, and Netherlands, the rate of fluency in English is high. •See also Old English, Scots, Languages of the British Isles and Ireland.