France

Overview

The French Republic is a country whose region comprises of metropolitan France in Western Europe and with several overseas territories. The metropolitan France region stretches from the Mediterranean Sea connecting to the English Channel and the North Sea, the from the Rhine connecting to the North Sea.

France recorded a population of 66.99 million in 2019 and covers an area of 643,801 km2.

The country’s capital, a cultural hub and largest city is Paris. Paris is the second most visited city in the world after Bangkok. It is known as the city of love because many lovers all over the world visit there to spend their romantic time.

Other major cities are Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Lille and Nice. Marseille is the largest port city in France on the Mediterranean Sea.

Paris skyline at dusk.

History

The former monarchial government was ended by the French revolt which led to the establishment of its first republic in 1789. This was followed by a series of military rule in the French empire. The Fourth Republic was formed in 1946 where the country’s economy was reformed. This was followed by granting most of the French colonies their independence.

Food & culture

The country’s culture was influenced by the cultures of Celtic, Gallo-Roman and the Franks.

The main crops grown here are cereals, sugar beets, flax and potatoes. The popular dishes are French Onion Soup, Coq au VIN, Cassoulet and Crepes.

Wildlife

Common wildlife animals include lynx, chamois, wolves, wild boar, marmots, foxes and badgers.

Festivals & events

The major festivals are Nice Carnival, Les Choregies, Festival of Avignon, Tour De France and Mardi gras.

Things to see

Eiffel Tower is the most visited site in Paris named after its designer Gustave Eiffel.

The Louvre Museum in Paris is the largest art museum in the world and a historical memorial for the country.

There is the Cathedral of Notre Dame, which is a primitive historic Catholic Cathedral.

Other major visited sites are the Latin Quarter, Palace of Versailles, Centre Pompidou, Montmartre and the Georges Pompidou Centre.

Interesting facts

France and its overseas territories have the highest number of time zones in the world totalling to 12.

The country’s companies such as Peugeot, Renault, Citroen, Dior, Chanel and Givenchy are recognized all over the world.

The main religion is Catholicism.

The country is the second-largest producer of sugar beets after Russia and cheese and wine in the world.

Cities & towns I’ve visited

• Arcachon
• Bordeaux
• Calais
• Dunkirk
• La Teste-de-Buch
• Lille
• Paris
• Péronne
• Saint-Jean-d'Aulps
• Saint-Julien-Beychevelle
• Toulouse
• Tremblay-en-France

Neighbours

• Andorra
• Belgium
• Germany
• Italy
• Luxembourg
• Monaco
• Spain
• Switzerland