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Esperantujo () or Esperantio () is the Esperanto community; the community of speakers of the
Esperanto Esperanto ( or ) is the world's most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Created by the Warsaw-based ophthalmologist L. L. Zamenhof in 1887, it was intended to be a universal second language for international communic ...
language and their
culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups ...
, as well as the places and institutions where the language is used. The term is used "as if it were a country." Although it does not occupy its own area of Earth's surface, it can be said to constitute the 120 countries which have their own national Esperanto association.


Etymology and terminology

The word is formed analogously to country names. In Esperanto, the names of countries were traditionally formed from the ethnic name of their inhabitants plus the suffix ''-ujo''. For example, "France" was , from (a Frenchman). The term analogous to ''Francujo'' would be ''Esperantistujo'' (Esperantist-nation). However, that would convey the idea of the physical body of people, whereas using the name of the language as the basis of the word gives it the more abstract connotation of a cultural sphere. Currently, names of
nation state A nation state is a political unit where the state and nation are congruent. It is a more precise concept than "country", since a country does not need to have a predominant ethnic group. A nation, in the sense of a common ethnicity, may ...
s are often formed with the suffix ''-io'' (traditionally reserved for deriving country names from geographic features — e.g. instead of ), and recently the form ''Esperantio'' has been used, among others, in the
Pasporta Servo The Pasporta Servo ( en, Passport Service) is a hospitality exchange service available both online and in print that lists people in Esperanto culture who are willing to offer free homestays to speakers of Esperanto. It is maintained by the W ...
and the Esperanto Citizens' Community.


History

In 1908, Dr. Wilhelm Molly attempted to create an Esperanto state in the Prussian-Belgian condominium of Neutral Moresnet, known as "Amikejo" (place of friendship). What became of it is unclear, and Neutral Moresnet was annexed to
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...
in the
Treaty of Versailles, 1919 The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 19 ...
. During the 1960s came a new effort of creating an Esperanto state, which this time was called Republic of Rose Island. The state island stood in the
Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to th ...
near
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
. In Europe on 2 June 2001 a number of organizations (they prefer to call themselves establishments) founded the '' Esperanta Civito'', which "aims to be a subject of international law" and "aims to consolidate the relations between the Esperantists who feel themselves belonging to the diaspora language group which does not belong to any country". ''Esperanto Civito'' always uses the name Esperantujo (introduced by
Hector Hodler Hector Hodler (1 October 1887, in Geneva – 31 March 1920, in Leysin, Switzerland) was a Swiss Esperantist who had a strong influence on the early Esperanto movement. Hodler was a son of the Swiss painter Ferdinand Hodler, who after a period of ...
in 1908), which itself is defined according to their interpretation of ''
raumism Raumism ( eo, Raŭmismo) is an ideology beginning in 1980 with the ''Rauma Manifesto'', which criticized the goals of the traditional Esperanto movement and defined the Esperanto community as "a stateless diaspora linguistic minority" based on ...
'', and the meaning, therefore, may differ from the traditional Esperanto understanding of the word ''Esperantujo''. A language learning partner application called
Amikumu Amikumu ( ; ) is a cross-platform app for smartphones ( Android and iOS) which can be used to find people nearby who speak or learn the same languages as the user. The app was launched for Esperanto speakers on 22 April 2017 and for speakers o ...
has been launched in 2017, allowing Esperanto speakers to find each other.


Geography

Esperantujo includes any physical place where Esperanto speakers meet, such as Esperanto gatherings or virtual networks. Sometimes it is said that it is everywhere where Esperanto speakers are connected. Although Esperantujo does not have its own official territory, a number of places around the world are owned by Esperanto organizations or are otherwise permanently connected to the Esperanto language and its community: *
Białystok Białystok is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the tenth-largest city in Poland, second in terms of population density, and thirteenth in area. Białystok is located in the Białystok U ...
, the birthplace of L. L. Zamenhof (the creator of Esperanto), and very much the place which inspired him to create an
international auxiliary language An international auxiliary language (sometimes acronymized as IAL or contracted as auxlang) is a language meant for communication between people from all different nations, who do not share a common first language. An auxiliary language is primaril ...
and facilitate communication across
language barrier A language barrier is a figurative phrase used primarily to refer to linguistic barriers to communication, i.e. the difficulties in communication experienced by people or groups originally speaking different languages, or even dialects in some ...
s. * The German city
Herzberg am Harz Herzberg am Harz is a town in the Göttingen district of Lower Saxony, Germany. Geography Herzberg is situated on the southwestern rim of the Harz mountain range and the Harz National Park. Natural monuments in the surrounding area include th ...
is home to the ''Interkultura Centro Herzberg'', and, since 12 July 2006, advertises itself as "Esperanto city" (, ). There are bilingual signs and pointers, in both
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
and Esperanto. * The
Château de Grésillon The Château de Grésillon ( eo, Kastelo Greziljono) is situated 250 km to the southwest of Paris in Baugé between Angers, Le Mans and Tours in France. The nonprofit organization "Cultural House of French Esperanto Speakers," established in ...
() in France is owned by the non-profit organization "Cultural House of Esperanto" (), which hosts various Esperanto events in the summer and during French school holidays. * The
Esperanto Museum and Collection of Planned Languages The Esperanto Museum and Collection of Planned Languages (german: Esperantomuseum und Sammlung für Plansprachen, eo, Esperantomuzeo kaj kolekto por planlingvoj), commonly known as the Esperanto Museum, is a museum for Esperanto and other const ...
, a department of the
Austrian National Library The Austrian National Library (german: Österreichische Nationalbibliothek) is the largest library in Austria, with more than 12 million items in its various collections. The library is located in the Neue Burg Wing of the Hofburg in center of V ...
, is a museum for Esperanto and other
constructed language A constructed language (sometimes called a conlang) is a language whose phonology, grammar, and vocabulary, instead of having developed naturally, are consciously devised for some purpose, which may include being devised for a work of fiction. ...
s, located in
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
. * Zamenhof-Esperanto objects can be found all over the world. These are places and objects — such as streets, memorials, public spaces, buildings, vehicles, or even geographic features — that are named after, or otherwise linked to the language, its creator L. L. Zamenhof, or its community of speakers . Judging by the members of the
World Esperanto Association The Universal Esperanto Association ( eo, Universala Esperanto-Asocio, UEA), also known as the World Esperanto Association, is the largest international organization of Esperanto speakers, with 5501 individual members in 121 countries and 9215 th ...
, the countries with the most Esperanto speakers are (in descending order): Brazil, Germany, Japan, France, the United States, China, Italy.


Politics


Associations

There is no governmental system in Esperantujo because it is not a true state. However, there is a social hierarchy of associations: *
Universal Esperanto Association The Universal Esperanto Association ( eo, Universala Esperanto-Asocio, UEA), also known as the World Esperanto Association, is the largest international organization of Esperanto speakers, with 5501 individual members in 121 countries and 9215 th ...
(UEA) is the principal association created in 1908, its central office is located in
Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte (river), Rotte'') is the second largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the Prov ...
. The aim of the UEA is to promote the use of Esperanto, to strive for the solution of the language problem in international relations, to encourage all types of spiritual and material relations among people and ''to nurture among its members a strong sense of solidarity, and to develop in them understanding and respect for other peoples''. * Sometimes exist associations by continent, for example, the European Esperanto Union. On the same level exist UEA commissions dedicated to promote spreading of Esperanto in Africa, America (North & South), Asia, Middle-East & North Africa, and Oceania. * In at least 120 countries in the world exist national associations: Brazilian Esperanto League, the German Esperanto Association, Japanese Esperanto Association,
Esperanto-USA Esperanto-USA (E-USA) is the largest organization for speakers and supporters of Esperanto in the United States. It was founded in 1952 as the Esperanto League for North America (ELNA) in Sacramento, California. Headquartered in Portland, Maine, ...
and
Australian Esperanto Association The Australian Esperanto Association (AEA) is a national Esperanto association of Australia. It is affiliated with the Universal Esperanto Association. History The Australian Esperanto Association was formed in October 1911, during the first Aust ...
are examples from all continents across the world. The goals are usually to help teach the language and use of Esperanto in the country. * Finally, there exist local associations or Esperanto clubs where volunteers or activists offer courses to learn the language or get to know more about the culture of Esperanto. Sometimes they teach Esperanto in universities or schools. Also there are thematic associations worldwide, which are concerned with spirituality, hobbies, science or that brings together Esperantists which share common interests. There is also a number of global organizations, such as
Sennacieca Asocio Tutmonda Sennacieca Asocio Tutmonda (SAT; en, World Anational Association) is an independent worldwide cultural Esperanto association of a general left-wing orientation. Its headquarters are in Paris. According to Jacques Schram, chairman of the Executiv ...
(SAT), or the World Esperanto Youth Organization (TEJO), which has 46 national sections.


Foreign relations

Universal Esperanto Association The Universal Esperanto Association ( eo, Universala Esperanto-Asocio, UEA), also known as the World Esperanto Association, is the largest international organization of Esperanto speakers, with 5501 individual members in 121 countries and 9215 th ...
is not a governmental system; however, the association represents Esperanto worldwide. In addition to the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...
and
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...
, the UEA has consultative relationships with
UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to c ...
and the
Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; french: Conseil de l'Europe, ) is an international organisation founded in the wake of World War II to uphold human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it has 46 member states, with a p ...
and general cooperative relations with the
Organization of American States The Organization of American States (OAS; es, Organización de los Estados Americanos, pt, Organização dos Estados Americanos, french: Organisation des États américains; ''OEA'') is an international organization that was founded on 30 Apri ...
. UEA officially collaborates with the
International Organization for Standardization The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ) is an international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries. Membership requirements are given in A ...
(ISO) by means of an active connection to the ISO Committee on terminology (ISO/TC 37). The association is active for information on the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...
and other interstate and international organizations and conferences. UEA is a member of
European Language Council {{no footnotes, date=May 2011 The European Language Council is a permanent and independent association whose main aim is the quantitative and qualitative improvement of knowledge of the languages and cultures of the European Union The Europ ...
, a joint forum of universities and linguistic associations to promote the knowledge of languages and cultures within and outside the European Union. Moreover, on 10 May 2011, the UEA and the International Information Center for Terminology (Infoterm) signed an Agreement on Cooperation, its objectives are inter exchange information, support each other and help out for projects, meetings, publications in the field of terminology and by which the UEA become Associate Member of Infoterm.


Political movement

In 2003 there was a European political movement called
Europe–Democracy–Esperanto Europe–Democracy–Esperanto (EDE, E–D–E, or E° D° E°; Esperanto: ''Eŭropo–Demokratio–Esperanto'') is an electoral list, which participates in the European elections. The party's main platform is the introduction of Esperanto as the ...
created. Within it is found a European federation that brings together local associations whose statutes depends on the countries. The working language of the movement is Esperanto. The goal is "to provide the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...
with the necessary tools to set up member rights democracy". The international language is a tool to enable cross-border political and social dialogue and actively contribute to peace and understanding between peoples. The original idea in the first ballot was mainly to spread the existence and the use of Esperanto to the general public. However, in France voices have grown steadily: 25067 (2004) 28944 (2009) and 33115 (2014). In this country there are a number of movements which support the issue: France Équité, Europe-Liberté, and Politicat.


Symbols

The flag of Esperanto is called ''Verda Flago'' (Green Flag). It consists of: * a rectangular shape, officially with a 2:3 ratio. * a green field, where the green color symbolizes hope. There is no indication that any "official" color was ever chosen. The color green used varies in different sources, yet the color is most often used. * a white, square
canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ente ...
(upper hoist quarter), measuring exactly half the hoist, where the white color symbolizes peace and neutrality. * in the canton, a green five-pointed
star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...
known as ''Verda Stelo'' (Green Star), which symbolizes the five continents. The anthem is called ''"La Espero"'' since 1891: it is a poem written by L. L. Zamenhof. The song is usually sung at the triumphal march composed by
Félicien Menu de Ménil Félicien Menu de Ménil (16 July 1860 – 28 March 1930) was a French composer and Esperanto enthusiast best known for his musical setting of Ludwig Zamenhof's poem " La Espero". He was also the editor of and a contributor to ''La Revuo '' ...
in 1909. The Jubilee symbol represents the language internally, while the flag represents the Esperanto movement. It contains the Latin letter E (Esperanto) and the Cyrillic letter Э (Эсперанто) symbolizing the unification of West and East. The Jubilee symbol has been controversial, with some Esperantists derisively calling it "the melon." In addition, Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof, the initiator of the language, is often used as a symbol. Sometimes he is even called "Uncle Zam", referring to the cartoon incarnation of American
Uncle Sam Uncle Sam (which has the same initials as ''United States'') is a common national personification of the federal government of the United States or the country in general. Since the early 19th century, Uncle Sam has been a popular symbol of ...
.


Population


Education

In addition to textbooks, including the '' Fundamento de Esperanto'' by Zamenhof, the Assimil-methods and the video-methods such as Muzzy in Gondoland of the BBC and '' Pasporto al la tuta mondo'', there are many courses for learning online. Moreover, some universities teach Esperanto, and the Higher Foreign Language training (University Eötvös Loránd) delivers certificates in accordance with the
Common European Framework of Reference for Languages The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment, abbreviated in English as CEFR or CEF or CEFRL, is a guideline used to describe achievements of learners of foreign languages across Europe and, increasing ...
(CEFR). More than 1600 people have such a certificate around the world: in 2014 around 470 at the level of B1, 510 at the level of B2 and 700 for C1. The International League of Esperanto Teachers (ILEI) is also working to publish learning materials for teachers. Th
University of Esperanto
offers video lectures in Esperanto, for specialties like Confronting War, Informational Technologies and Astronomy. Courses are also held during the
World Esperanto Congress The World Esperanto Congress ( eo, Universala Kongreso de Esperanto, UK) is an annual Esperanto convention. It has the longest tradition among international Esperanto conventions, with an almost unbroken run for 113 years. The congresses have be ...
in the framework of the Internacia Kongresa Universitato (IKU). After that, UEA uploads the related documents on its website. Science is an appropriate department for works in Esperanto. For example, the
Conference on the Application of Esperanto in Science and Technology The Conference on the Application of Esperanto in Science and Technology ( eo, Konferenco pri Aplikoj de Esperanto en Scienco kaj Tekniko, KAEST) is a biennial conference on the application of the constructed international auxiliary language Espe ...
(KAEST) occurs in November every year since 1998 in the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
and
Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...
. Personal initiatives are also common: Doctor of mathematics Ulrich Matthias created a document about the foundations of Linear Algebra and the American group of
Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and nor ...
(USA) wrote a guidebook to learn the programming language Python. In general, Esperanto is used as a
lingua franca A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, vehicular language, or link language, is a language systematically used to make communication possible between groups ...
in some websites aiming teaching of other languages, such as
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
, Slovak, Swahili, Wolof or
Toki Pona Toki Pona (rendered as ''toki pona'' and often translated as 'the language of good'; ; ) is a philosophical artistic constructed language (philosophical artlang) known for its small vocabulary, simplicity, and ease of acquisition. It was create ...
.


Media

Since 1889 when '' La Esperantisto'' appeared, and soon other magazines in Esperanto throughout many countries in the world. Some of them are information media of Esperanto associations (''
Esperanto Esperanto ( or ) is the world's most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Created by the Warsaw-based ophthalmologist L. L. Zamenhof in 1887, it was intended to be a universal second language for international communic ...
'', '' Sennaciulo'' and ''
Kontakto ''Kontakto'' is an Esperanto magazine published by TEJO and supported by the Universal Esperanto Association (UEA). The magazine has readers in about 90 countries of the world. It started in 1963 through a proposal of the UEA committee by Humphre ...
''). Online Esperanto magazines like ''
Libera Folio ''Libera Folio'' (English: ''Free Folio'') is an online Esperanto periodical about the Esperanto movement independent from the Universal Esperanto Association The Universal Esperanto Association ( eo, Universala Esperanto-Asocio, UEA), also ...
'', launched in 2003, offer independent view of the Esperanto movement, aiming to soberly and critically shed light on current development. Most of the magazines deal with current events; one of such magazines is ''
Monato ''Monato'' is a monthly magazine produced in Esperanto which carries articles on politics, culture and economics. It is printed in Belgium and distributed to readers in 65 countries. The title simply means "month". It has 100 correspondents ...
'', which is read in more than 60 countries. Its articles are written by correspondents from 40 countries, which know the local situation very well. Other most popular Esperanto newspapers are ''
La Ondo de Esperanto ''La Ondo de Esperanto'' (English: ''The Wave of Esperanto'') was an illustrated Esperanto periodical published monthly in the Russian Baltic Sea enclave of Kaliningrad (formerly Königsberg). Since 2017 it is available only in pdf- or epub - fo ...
'', '' Beletra Almanako'', ''
Literatura Foiro ''Literatura Foiro'' (English: ''Literary Fair'') is a bi-monthly List of Esperanto periodicals, periodical of Esperanto culture in the Esperanto, Esperanto language. History In 1970, the magazine was founded by the literature circle ''La Patrolo' ...
'', and ''
Heroldo de Esperanto ''Heroldo de Esperanto'' ( en, Esperanto Herald, italic=yes) is a magazine published in Esperanto. It was founded in 1920 by Teo Jung in Cologne under the name of ''Esperanto triumfonta'' and was edited by Jung from 1920 to 1961. In the years befo ...
''. Often national associations magazines are also published in order to inform about the movement in the country, such as ''Le Monde de l'espéranto'' of Espéranto-France. There are also scientific journals, such as '' Scienca Revuo'' of Internacia Scienca Asocio Esperantista (ISAE). ''Muzaiko'' is a radio that has broadcast an all-day international program of songs, interviews and current events in Esperanto since 2011. The latest two can be downloaded as podcasts. Besides Muzaiko, these other stations offer an hour of Esperanto-language broadcasting of various topics: '' Radio Libertaire'', ''
Polskie Radio Polskie Radio Spółka Akcyjna (PR S.A.; English: Polish Radio) is Poland's national public-service radio broadcasting organization owned by the State Treasury of Poland. History Polskie Radio was founded on 18 August 1925 and began making ...
'', ''
Vatican Radio Vatican Radio ( it, Radio Vaticana; la, Statio Radiophonica Vaticana) is the official broadcasting service of Vatican City. Established in 1931 by Guglielmo Marconi, today its programs are offered in 47 languages, and are sent out on short wave, ...
'', '' Varsovia Vento, '' Radio Verda and '' Kern.punkto''.


Internet

Spread of the
Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, p ...
has enabled more efficient communication among Esperanto speakers and slightly replaced slower media such as
mail The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letters, and parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid-19th century, national postal sys ...
. Many massively used websites such as
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dust ...
or
Google Google LLC () is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company focusing on Search Engine, search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, software, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, ar ...
offer Esperanto interface. On 15 December 2009, on the occasion of the jubilee of 150th birthday of L. L. Zamenhof, Google additionally made visible the Esperanto flag as a part of their Google Doodles. Media as
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
,
Telegram Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ...
,
Reddit Reddit (; stylized in all lowercase as reddit) is an American social news aggregation, content rating, and discussion website. Registered users (commonly referred to as "Redditors") submit content to the site such as links, text posts, imag ...
or Ipernity also contain a significant number of people in this community. In addition, content-providers such as
WordPress WordPress (WP or WordPress.org) is a free and open-source content management system (CMS) written in hypertext preprocessor language and paired with a MySQL or MariaDB database with supported HTTPS. Features include a plugin architectu ...
and
YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
also enable bloggers write in Esperanto. Esperanto versions of programs such as the office suite
LibreOffice LibreOffice () is a free and open-source office productivity software suite, a project of The Document Foundation (TDF). It was forked in 2010 from OpenOffice.org, an open-sourced version of the earlier StarOffice. The LibreOffice suite co ...
and
Mozilla Firefox Mozilla Firefox, or simply Firefox, is a free and open-source web browser developed by the Mozilla Foundation and its subsidiary, the Mozilla Corporation. It uses the Gecko rendering engine to display web pages, which implements current an ...
browser, or the educational program about programming Scratch are also available. Additionally, online games like
Minecraft ''Minecraft'' is a sandbox game developed by Mojang Studios. The game was created by Markus "Notch" Persson in the Java programming language. Following several early private testing versions, it was first made public in May 2009 before b ...
offer complete Esperanto interface.
Monero Monero (; Abbreviation: XMR) is a decentralized cryptocurrency. It uses a public distributed ledger with privacy-enhancing technologies that obfuscate transactions to achieve anonymity and fungibility. Observers cannot decipher addresses tra ...
, an anonymous
cryptocurrency A cryptocurrency, crypto-currency, or crypto is a digital currency designed to work as a medium of exchange through a computer network that is not reliant on any central authority, such as a government or bank, to uphold or maintain it. It i ...
, was named after the Esperanto word for "''coin''" and its official
wallet A wallet is a flat case or pouch often used to carry small personal items such as paper currency, credit cards; identification documents such as driver's license, identification card, club card; photographs, transit pass, business cards and ...
is available in Esperanto. The same applies t
Monerujo
(''"Monero container"''), the only
open-source Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution. Products include permission to use the source code, design documents, or content of the product. The open-source model is a decentralized so ...
wallet for Android.


Sport

Although Esperantujo is not a country, there is an Esperanto football team ( eo, es), which has existed since 2014 and participates in matches during
World Esperanto Congress The World Esperanto Congress ( eo, Universala Kongreso de Esperanto, UK) is an annual Esperanto convention. It has the longest tradition among international Esperanto conventions, with an almost unbroken run for 113 years. The congresses have be ...
es. The team is part of the
N.F.-Board The N.F.-Board (french: Nouvelle Fédération-Board) was a federation of football associations established on 12 December 2003. It was made up of teams that represent nations, dependencies, unrecognized states, minorities, stateless peoples, r ...
and not of
FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
, and have played against the teams of Armenian-originating Argentine Community in 2014 and the team from
Western Sahara Western Sahara ( '; ; ) is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the Maghreb region of North and West Africa. About 20% of the territory is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), while the ...
in 2015.


Esperanto speakers and Esperantists

Initially, Esperanto speakers learned the language as it was described by L. L. Zamenhof. In 1905, the '' Fundamento de Esperanto'' put together the first Esperanto textbook, an exercise book and a universal dictionary. The "Declaration about the essence of Esperantism" (1905) defines an "Esperantist" to be anyone who speaks and uses Esperanto. "Esperantism" was defined to be a movement to promote the widespread use of Esperanto as a supplement to
mother tongues A first language, native tongue, native language, mother tongue or L1 is the first language or dialect that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tongu ...
in international and inter-ethnic contexts. As the word "esperantist" is linked with this "esperantism" (the
Esperanto movement The Esperanto movement, less commonly referred to as Esperantism ( eo, Esperantismo), is a movement to disseminate the use of the planned international language Esperanto.See the definition in theDeklaracio pri la Esenco de la Esperantismo ("Bul ...
) and as -ists and -isms are linked with ideologies, today many people who speak Esperanto prefer to be called "Esperanto speaker". The monthly magazine ''
La Ondo de Esperanto ''La Ondo de Esperanto'' (English: ''The Wave of Esperanto'') was an illustrated Esperanto periodical published monthly in the Russian Baltic Sea enclave of Kaliningrad (formerly Königsberg). Since 2017 it is available only in pdf- or epub - fo ...
'' every year since 1998 proclaims an 'Esperantist of the year', who remarkably contributed to the spreading of the language during the year.


Economy


Businesses

Publishing and selling books, the so-called book services, is the main market and is often the first expenditure of many Esperanto associations. Some companies are already well known: for example Vinilkosmo, which publishes and makes popular Esperanto music since 1990. Then there are initiatives such as the job-seeking website '' Eklaboru'', created by Chuck Smith, for job offers and candidates within Esperanto associations or Esperanto meetings.


Currency

In 1907,
René de Saussure René de Saussure (17 March 1868 – 2 December 1943) was a Swiss Esperantist and professional mathematician (he defended a doctoral thesis on a subject in geometry at the Johns Hopkins University in 1895 and until 1899 he was professor at the Ca ...
proposed the
spesmilo The ''spesmilo'' (, plural ''spesmiloj'' ) is an obsolete decimal international currency, proposed in 1907 by René de Saussure and used before World War I by a few Great Britain, British and Switzerland, Swiss banks, primarily the Ĉekbanko Espe ...
⟨₷⟩ as an international currency. It had some use before the First World War. In 1942 a currency called the '' stelo'' ("star"; plural, ''steloj'') was created. It was used at meetings of the '' Universala Ligo'' and in Esperanto environments such as the annual Universal Congress. Over the years it slowly became unusable and at the official closing of the Universala Ligo in the 1990s, the remaining ''steloj'' coins were handed over to the UEA. You can buy them at the UEA's book service as souvenirs. The current ''steloj'' are made of plastic, they are used in a number of meetings, especially among young people. The currency is maintained by Stelaro, which calculates the rates, keeps the stock, and opened branches in various e-meetings. Currently, there are ''stelo''-coins of 1 ★, 3 ★ and 10 ★. Quotes of Stars at 31 December 2014 were 51 EUR = 4.189 ★.


Culture


Architectural heritage

There exist Zamenhof-Esperanto objects (ZEOs), scattered in numerous countries around the world, which are the things named in honor of L. L. Zamenhof or Esperanto: monuments, street names, places and so on. There also exists a UEA-committee for ZEOs. In addition, in several countries there are also sites dedicated to Esperanto: meetup places, workshops, seminars, festivals, Esperanto houses. These places provide attractions for Esperantists. Here are two: the Castle of Grésilion in
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and the Department of Planned Languages and Esperanto Museum in
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
(
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
).


Cultural heritage

Esperanto literary heritage is the richest and the most diverse of any constructed language. There are over 25,000 Esperanto books (originals and translations) as well as over a hundred regularly distributed
Esperanto magazines Esperanto periodicals have been an important element of the Esperanto movement since its beginning because it was one of the only practical ways the language could be used between conferences. The first Esperanto periodical was '' La Esperantis ...
. There are also a number of movies which have been published in Esperanto. Moreover, Esperanto itself was used in numerous movies.


Celebrations

Many public holidays recognized by Esperanto speakers are celebrated internationally, having gained full acceptance by organizations such as UN and
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...
, and are also publicly observed in select countries that are UN members. This is largely a byproduct of the influence the Esperanto community once had on organizations that worked in the field of international relations (including the United Nations) in the mid-20th century. Here are the celebrations proposed as international holidays by the UEA since 2010:


Cultural events

Every year numerous meetings of Esperanto speakers in different topics around the world take place. They mobilize Esperanto-speakers which share the same will about a specific topic. The main example is the Universal Congress of Esperanto (UK), which annually organizes the UEA every summer for a week. Other events: * SAT-Kongreso, annually organized by
Sennacieca Asocio Tutmonda Sennacieca Asocio Tutmonda (SAT; en, World Anational Association) is an independent worldwide cultural Esperanto association of a general left-wing orientation. Its headquarters are in Paris. According to Jacques Schram, chairman of the Executiv ...
; * International Youth Congress of Esperanto (IJK), official annual congress of
TEJO Tejo may refer to: *Tagus (Portuguese: ''Tejo''), a river on the Iberian Peninsula. * Tejo (sport), a sport and national pastime of Colombia. * Tejo (Argentina), a sport and national pastime of Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argen ...
; * Internacia Infana Kongreseto (IIK), arrangement for children between 6 and 16 years that occur simultaneously with and close to the Universal Congress of Esperanto; * Somera Esperanto-Studado (SES), the largest international Esperanto meeting aimed at learning of Esperanto. Next to these globally comprising meetings there are also local events such as New Year's Gathering (NR) or Esperanto Youth Week (JES), which occur during the last days of December and first days of January. These meetings seem to have been successful during the last 20 years. Due to the fact that there are a lot of Esperanto meetings around the globe, there are two websites which aim to list and share them
Eventoj.hu
describes them with a list and dates, and contains an archive until 1996, whil
Esperant.io
offers world map with the locations of future meetings.


See also

* Outline of Esperanto *
Universal Esperanto Association The Universal Esperanto Association ( eo, Universala Esperanto-Asocio, UEA), also known as the World Esperanto Association, is the largest international organization of Esperanto speakers, with 5501 individual members in 121 countries and 9215 th ...


References

{{Reflist Esperanto