France
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| République française | |||||
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| National information | |||||
| National motto: | Liberty, Equality, Brotherhood (French: Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité) |
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| National anthem: | La Marseillaise | ||||
| About the people | |||||
| Official languages: | French | ||||
| Population: (# of people) | |||||
| - Total: | 63,044,000[1]
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| - Density: | 111 per km² | ||||
| Geography / Places | |||||
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| Capital city: | Paris | ||||
| Largest city: | Paris | ||||
| Area | |||||
| - Total: | 674,843 km² (ranked 40) | ||||
| Politics / Government | |||||
| Leaders: | President: | ||||
| Economy / Money | |||||
| Currency: (Name of money) |
Euro (€)[3], CFP Franc[4] | ||||
| International information | |||||
| Time zone: | in summer | ||||
| Telephone dialing code: | 33 | ||||
| Internet domain: | .fr | ||||
France (French: France), officially the French Republic (French: République française) is a country in Europe. Its capital city is Paris. It is a member of the European Union. It is known for its many monuments, structures, and places such as the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, Giverny, Mont Saint Michel, Versailles, and Notre Dame. France is divided into régions and départements.
The country has been one of the world's biggest powers since the end of the 17th century. In the 18th and 19th centuries, it built a very big colonial empire across West Africa and Southeast Asia. Nowadays, it doesn't exist. It is the most visited country in the world. Around 82 million foreign tourists visit it every year.[5] France is a founding member of the European Union. It has the largest land area of any of the members. France is also a founding member of the United Nations, and a member of the G8 and NATO. It is one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. It is a nuclear power with active warheads and nuclear power plants.
There are many cities in France. Some of them are Nice, Nancy, Marseille, Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon, Toulouse, Strasbourg, Rennes, Nantes and Paris.
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[change] Geography and climate
France is in Western Europe. France has borders with Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Andorra, and Spain. France has two mountain ranges near its borders: the Alps in the east and the Pyrenees in the south. In France there are many rivers. Two of these rivers are the Seine and the Loire. In the north and west of France there are low hills and river valleys.
In France there are many different climates. The Atlantic has a large effect on the weather in the north and west. This means the temperature is about the same most of the year. In the east winters are cold and the weather is good. Summers are hot and stormy. In the south, summers are hot and dry. Winters are cool and wet.[6]
[change] History
The name "France" comes from Latin Francia, which literally means "land of the Franks" or "Frankland".
The borders of modern France are about the same as those of ancient Gaul. Ancient Gaul was inhabited by Celtic Gauls. Gaul was conquered for Rome by Julius Caesar in the 1st century BC. Eventually, the Gauls adopted Roman speech (Latin, from which the French language evolved) and Roman culture. Christianity first appeared in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. It became firmly established by the fourth and fifth centuries.
In the 4th century AD, the Germanic tribes, principally the Franks invaded the gauls. This is how the name Francie appeared. The modern name “France” comes from the name of the Capetian Kings of France around Paris. The Franks were the first tribe of Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire to convert to Catholic Christianity rather than Arianism. The French called themselves “the Most Christian Kingdom of France”.
The Treaty of Verdun (843), divided Charlemagne's Empire into three parts. The biggest area was Western Francia. It is similar to modern France.
The Carolingian dynasty ruled France until 987, when Hugh Capet became King of France. His descendants, the Direct Capetians, the House of Valois and the House of Bourbon, unified the country with many wars and dynastic inheritance. The monarchy was the most powerful during the 17th century and the reign of Louis XIV of France. At that time France had the largest population in Europe. The country had a big influence over European politics, economy, and culture. French became the common language of diplomacy in international affairs. Much of the Enlightenment happened in France. French scientists made big scientific discoveries in the 18th century. France also conquered many overseas possessions in the Americas, Africa and Asia.
France had a monarchy until the French Revolution in 1789. King Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette, were executed in 1793. Thousands of other French citizens were also killed. Napoleon Bonaparte took control of the Republic in 1799. He later made himself Emperor of the First Empire (1804–1814). His armies conquered most of continental Europe.
After Napoleon's final defeat in 1815 at the Battle of Waterloo, there was another monarchy. Later Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte created the Second Empire in 1852. Louis-Napoléon was removed after the defeat in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870. His regime was replaced by the Third Republic.
France built a large colonial empire in the 18th and 19th centuries. The empire included parts of West Africa and Southeast Asia. The culture and politics of these regions were influenced by France. Many ex-colonies officially speak the French language.
The country was where both WWI and WWII mainly took place. During the first world war, millions were killed in the trenches including xxxx in the Battle of the Somme. The conditions were very poor. The last surviving veteran was Pierre Picault who died on 20 November 2008 at the age of 109.[7] During the second world war, France was occupied by the Nazis. The Allies landed in normandy on June 6, 1944. They invaded Normandy and began the Battle of Normandy. German forces were lost France in just a few months.
[change] Divisions
First, France is divided into (administrative) regions. 22 of them are in Metropolitan France:
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1. Alsace |
12. Île-de-France |
Corse has a different status than the other 21 metropolitan regions. It is called collectivité territoriale.
France also has 4 overseas regions:
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- Guadeloupe (in the Caribbean)
- French Guiana (in South America)
- Martinique (in the Caribbean)
- Réunion (in the Indian Ocean).
These four overseas regions have the same status as the metropolitan ones. They are like the overseas American states of Alaska and Hawaii.
Then France is divided into 100 departments. The departments are divided into 342 arrondissements. The arrondissements are re-divided into 4,032 cantons. The smallest subdivision is the commune. On January 1, 2008, INSEE counted 36,781 communes in France. 36,569 of them are in metropolitan France and 212 of them are in overseas France.[8][9]
[change] Government
The government of France is a semi-presidential system determined by the French Constitution of the French fifth Republic.[10] The nation declares itself to be "an indivisible, secular, democratic, and social Republic" in it. The constitution provides for a separation of powers. It says France is attaced to the Rights of Man defined by the Declaration of 1789.
[change] Military
The French armed forces are divided into four branches:
- The Armée de Terre (Army)
- The Marine Nationale (Navy)
- The Armée de l'Air (Air Force)
- The Gendarmerie Nationale (A military force which acts as a National Rural Police)
France has about 359,000 military personnel.[11][12] France spends 2.6% of its GDP on defence. This is the highest in the European Union. France and the UK spend 40% of the EU defence budget. About 10% of France's defence budget is for nuclear weapons force.
[change] Foreign relations
- See also: European Union and United Nations Security Council
France is a member of the United Nations. It is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and has veto rights. It is also a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). It hosts the headquarters of the OECD, UNESCO and Interpol. In 1953, France was asked by the United Nations to choose a coat of arms to represent them internationally. The French emblem is now on their passports.
France was a founding member of the European Union. In the 1960s, France wanted to exclude the British from the organisation. It wanted to build its own economic power in continental Europe. Since the 1990s, France and Germany have gotten closer after WWII. This was to try to become the most influential country in the EU. It created rivalry with the UK and limited the influence of the new Easten European members. France is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). However, under President de Gaulle, it left the joint military command. In the early 1990s, France was criticized for its underground nuclear tests in French Polynesia. France vigorously opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq. France retains strong political and economic influence in its former African colonies. For instance it has supplied economic aid and troops for peace-keeping missions in the Ivory Coast and Chad.
[change] Economy
France is a member of the G8 group of leading industrialised countries. France has the eighth largest economy in the world by Gross domestic product (GDP) (which takes into account how much it costs to live in different countries and inflation rates).[13] France and 11 other European Union members jointly launched the euro on 1 January 1999 and started using it in 2002.[14]
France's economy has nearly 2.9 million registered companies.[15] The government has a considerable influence over railway, electricity, aircraft, and telecommunications firms (as it owns big companies like SNCF, EDF)[16] . France has an important aerospace (design of aircrafts and spacecrafts) industry led by Airbus.[17] It can also launch rockets from French Guiana.[18]
France has invested a lot in nuclear power. This made France the smallest producer of carbon dioxide among the seven most industrialised countries in the world.[19] As a result, most of the electricity produced in the country is generated by 59 nuclear power plants (78% in 2006,[20] up from only 8% in 1973, 24% in 1980, and 75% in 1990).
France is the leading agricultural producer and exporter in Europe.[21] France exports wheat, poultry, dairy products, beef and pork. It is also famous for its wine industry. France received 10 billion euros in 2006 from the European Community as subsidies to its farmers.[22]
[change] Culture
[change] Language
French is the official language of France. It belongs to the Romance language group, which includes Italian and Spanish. Many regional dialects are used in France. Alsatian, a German dialect is spoken in Alsace and in parts of Lorraine in eastern France. French was the language of diplomacy and culture in Europe between the 17th and 19th century and is still an important language in the world.[23]
Some people in France also speak Basque, Breton, Catalan, Corsican, German, Flemish, and Occitan.
[change] Religion
| France religiosity | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| religion | percent | |||
| Christianity | 54% | |||
| Not religious | 25% | |||
| Islam | 4% | |||
| Buddhism | 1.2% | |||
| Judaism | 1.2% | |||
| Other religions or no opinion |
10% | |||
France is a secular country and freedom of religion is guaranteed by the constitution.[24] The population is about 51% Roman Catholic, and 31% of people are agnostics or atheists. 4% say they are Muslim, 3% say they are Protestant and 1% say they are Jewish. 10% are from other religions or do not have an opinion about religion.[25][26]
According to a Poll in 2005:[27]
- 34% of French citizens responded that "they believe there is a God".
- 27% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force".
- 33% answered that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God, or life force".
[change] Literature
French literature began in the Middle Ages.[28] French was divided into several dialects at the time. Sometimes authors spell words differently from each other.
During the 17th century Pierre Corneille, Jean Racine, Molière Blaise Pascal and René Descartes were the main authors.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, French literature and poetry reach its best. The 18th century saw the writings of such writers, essayists and moralists as Voltaire and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. As for French children's literature in those times, Charles Perrault wrote stories such as “Little Red Riding Hood”, “Cinderella”, “Sleeping Beauty” and “Puss in Boots”.
Many famous French novels were written in the 19th century by author such as Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas and Jules Verne. They wrote popular novels like The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte-Cristo, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, or The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. Other 19th century fiction writers include Emile Zola, Guy de Maupassant, Théophile Gautier and Stendhal.
[change] Sports
The Tour de France cycling race in July is one of the best-known sporting events. It is a three-week (3,500 km) race that covers most of France and ends in the centre of Paris. Football is another popular sport in France. The French team won the FIFA World Cup in 1998 and the UEFA European Football Championship in 1984 and 2000. France is also famous for its 24 Hours of Le Mans car race. France also hosted the Rugby World Cup in 2007 and finished fourth. France is closely associated with the Modern Olympic Games. At the end of the 19th century the Baron Pierre de Coubertin suggested to have Olympic Games again. France hosted the Summer Olympics twice, in 1900 and 1924, in Paris. France also hosted the Winter Games three times. In 1924 in Chamonix, in 1968 in Grenoble and in 1992 in Albertville).
[change] Tourism
France is the number one tourist destination in the world. In 2007, 81.9 million foreign tourists visited France.[29] Spain comes second (58.5 million in 2006) and the United States come third (51.1 million in 2006). Some of the most famous attractions in Paris, the capital of France, are the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe. Another one is Mont Saint Michel.[30]
A European Disneyland is located in a suburb east of Paris. The resort opened in 1992 and is a popular tourist destination in Europe.
[change] References
- ↑ The French Republic, including all the overseas departments and territories. However it excludes the French territory of Terre Adélie in Antarctica where sovereignty is suspended since the signing of the Antarctic Treaty in 1959
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Metropolitan (i.e. European) France only
- ↑ Whole of the French Republic except the overseas territories in the Pacific Ocean
- ↑ French overseas territories in the Pacific Ocean only
- ↑ Le tourisme international en France en 2007 (PDF). Direction du Tourisme (French government's tourism agency). Retrieved on 5 June 2008. (French)
- ↑ Practical Information on France - General. French Tourist Office. Retrieved on 30 September 2009.
- ↑ Ders Des Ders Report - France (French)
- ↑ (French) INSEE, Government of France. Code officiel géographique - Présentation. Retrieved on 27 June 2008.
- ↑ (French) INSEE, Government of France. Code des collectivités d'outre-mer (COM). Retrieved on 27 June 2008.
- ↑ France's political system.
- ↑ Number of military personnel in France, page 32.
- ↑ Number of military personnel in France, page 112.
- ↑ CIA World Factbook GDP PPP data update of 2008. US Government (20 November 2008).
- ↑ Euro launched in 12 countries.
- ↑ Number of companies in France.
- ↑ Shareholding policy. Électricité de France (31 December 2007). Retrieved on 5 April 2009.
- ↑ (French) CNES. France (PDF). Retrieved on 30 May 2007.
- ↑ Rocket launch site in Kourou.
- ↑ France, smallest producer of CO2.
- ↑ DGEMP / Observatoire de l'énergie (April 2007). Électricité en France: les principaux résultats en 2006.. Retrieved on 23 May 2007.
- ↑ France is the leading agricultural producer and exporter in Europe.
- ↑ "Q&A: Common Agricultural Policy", BBC News, 20 November 2008.
- ↑ France an important language of diplomacy.
- ↑ Constitution of 1958.
- ↑ Catholic World News (2003). France is no longer Catholic, survey shows. Retrieved on 11 January 2007.
- ↑ (Romanian) Franţa nu mai e o ţară catolică, Cotidianul 2007-01-11
- ↑ Eurobarometer on Social Values, Science and technology 2005 - page 11 (pdf). Retrieved on 5 May 2007.
- ↑ French litterature started in the Middle Ages.
- ↑ Tourism in France.
- ↑ Musées et Monuments historiques.
[change] Other websites
- About-France.com Clear but detailed information about France
- CIA World Factbook-France
- Cities and Towns in France with lescommunes.com
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