France - About, Facts, History, Government, Geography, Culture, Climate, People, Land, Nature, Business & Economy ~ All Around

Capital: Paris
Largest City: Paris (2,175,200)
Language: French
Currency: Euro
Population: 60,180,529 (July 2003 est.)
Religions: Roman Catholic 85%, Muslim 10%, Protestant 2%, and Jewish 1%
Area: more than 210,000 square miles includes the island of Corsica in the Mediterranean Sea
Highest Mountain: Mont Blanc, in the Alps. It is the highest mountain in Europe
Longest River: River Loire
Natural resources: coal, iron ore, bauxite, fish, timber, zinc, potash
Weather: France generally has cool winters and mild summers. However, along the Mediterranean they have hot summers. The north has cool weather. In the south it gets very hot in summer. Fruits such as oranges and lemons grow in the south
Mountains: There are mountains in parts of France. Some mountains are snow-capped all year round. France's highest mountains are the French Alps and Jura Mountains, bordering Italy and Switzerland, and the Pyrénées, along the frontier with Spain. The highest mountain is Mont Blanc in the French Alps. It rises to 4,807m (15,771 ft). Mount Blanc is also the highest peak in the whole of Europe
French Cheeses: More than 350 kinds of cheese are made in France
France is Famous for: France is famous for cheese (Camembert, Brie, Roquefort) wine, perfume (Chanel, Dior, Givenchy) and cars (Renault, Citroen, Peugeot).France is also famous for the Tour de France and the Eiffel
Famous Landmarks of Paris: Symbols such as the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Cathedral of Notre Dame, the Latin Quarter, Montmartre, and the Georges Pompidou Center make Paris one of the most visited places in the world
Quick Fact: Every summer more than 100 professional cyclists race in the Tour de France. The race is approximately 2,000 miles long. The race lasts up to three weeks and is held in July. The route changes from year to year

France remains the world's number one tourist destination, and it's not hard to understand why. France has it all - or more or less. It has tourist sights for all tastes; it has some of the greatest beaches in Europe, as well as the highest mountains and the finest historic monuments, the most beautiful cities, the most idyllic countryside, the most magnificent castles, the finest rivers, and plenty more, not to mention some of the best restaurants and the finest wines and more hotels than any other country in Europe.

France has something for everyone, which is one of the reasons why it remains the world's number one tourist destination. It has magnificent holiday opportunities for everything from a short weekend city break, in places such as Paris, Nice or Bordeaux, to a relaxed family holiday in a gite in the countryside, a week or two's relaxation by the seaside, or an energetic break hiking, climbing, kayaking or cycling in France's great outdoors.

Facts about France

There are 964,356 km of road with 7,396 km of "autoroutes" or motorways; 31 940 km of railway track, 1 268 reserved for the high-speed TGV train. The railway system in France is nationalised and called the SNCF (Societe Nationale des Chemins de Fer)
Main airport, Charles de Gaule Roisy Paris, secondary is Orly, Paris.
Military service is now abolished, however 3 days of civil service for men and women from 18 years of age are required.
The forces are divided into Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie

History

The history of France is complicated, with frontiers that continually changed, invasions and wars with the neighbours and migrations of populations to and from various countries. The country changed in shape and size through the centuries and even the capital changed locations.

Currency

Until 02 January 2002, the currency was the French Franc, it has since changed into the European currency and now the Euro is the legal tender.

1 Euro (€) = 100 Euro centimes

Geographical information

The country is split into 22 administrative regions

The regions listed in alphabetical are :

Alsace, Aquitaine, Auvergne, Basse-Normandie, Bourgogne, Bretagne, Centre, Champagne-Ardenne, Corse, Franche-Comte, Haute-Normandie, Ile-de-France, Languedoc-Roussillon, Limousin, Lorraine, Midi-Pyrenees, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Pays de la Loire, Picardie, Poitou-Charentes, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, Rhone-Alpes.

Each region is divided into "departments" (counties). There is a total of 96 departments (106 when including the DOMs which are the overseas counties).

There are 36851 towns and villages in France (including the DOMs).

Total land surface 550,000 sq km. The highest point being the Mont Blanc which culminates at 4,807 metres above sea-level. The coastline is more than 5,500 km long, with access to the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea and Mediterranean Sea.