Esperanto, the international language, is a language developed to make it
easier for people of different cultures to communicate. Its author, Dr. L.
L. Zamenhof (1859-1917), published his "Lingvo Internacia" in 1887 under
the pseudonym "Dr. Esperanto". It is now spoken by at least two million
people, in over 100 countries. There are thousands of books and over 100
periodicals published currently. But what makes it any more international
than French, English or Russian?

Incorrectly termed 'artificial' (the right word is 'planned'), Esperanto is
specifically intended for international/intercultural use, so those who use
it meet each other on an equal footing, since neither is using his or her
native language. With national languages, the average person isn't able to
express himself as well as a native speaker or the gifted linguist. Thanks
to its simple, logical, regular design, anyone can learn Esperanto fairly
rapidly.