FRANCE

The name “France” comes from “Frank”, a Germanic tribe that invaded the Western Roman Empire in the 6th century and found the first independent kingdom covering most of today’s France. The French state is one of the oldest in Europe.It was found in 843.

BORDERSANDORRA

LUXEMBOURG

SWITZERLAND

President of French Republic

Nicolas Sarkozy

since 16 May 2007

LIFESTYLELIFESTYLE

• French people cheek kiss to greet each others between family and friends, even between men. The number of kisses varies according to the region, from 1 to 4 (e.g. Paris and most of the North), and occasionally up to 5 in Corsica.

CHEEK KISSING

• A 2007 study revealed that the French were the biggest consumers of medicines in Europe, both in quantity and total money spent per person.

• French people are also the second biggest consumers of alcohol per capita in the Western world – after Luxembourg…

LAND

• France is the third largest European country in terms of land area, after Russia and Ukraine.

• Nearly 20% of the territory of France lies outside Europe. These regions are known as “DOM-TOM”, where over 2.5 million French citizens live.

• The largest canyon in Europe is the Verdon Gorge, near Castellane and Moustiers-Sainte-Marie. It is the world’s second largest gorge, at about 25 kilometers in length and up to 700 meters deep.

• The Canal du Midi is Europe’s oldest functional canal. It is 240 km long, has 63 locks, 126 bridges, 55 aqueducts, 7 canal-bridges, 6 barrages and 1 tunnel.

LANGUAGE• French used to be the language of the

nobility and diplomacy all across Europe and in the Ottoman Empire, it was the world’s first real international language until English replaced it in the mid-20th century.

• French was the official language of England for over 300 years (from 1066 until the early 15th century). It is still the official language of 30 countries worldwide.

• Metropolitan France counts several native regional languages : Alsatian and Lorraine German, Occitan, Oïl, Basque, Breton, Catalan, Corsican and Franco-Provençal.

• The French language is spoken by 270 million people worldwide (almost as much as

the population of the USA), of which 120 million are native or fluent.

Culture & Sciences

• There are over 40,000 châteaux (castles, manors, palaces…)in France. Bordeaux alone has over 9,000 of them.

• Famous French inventions include the adding machine, the hot air balloon, the airship, the parachute, the submarine, the ambulance service, photography, animation and cinema.

• France is the country that has won the most Nobel prizes for literature (13 as of 2005, with the last prize going back to 1985).

• The first flight of the Concorde took place in 1969, from the French city of Toulouse, one of the centers of the aerospace industry in Europe.

• There are 28 categories of sites in France listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, including 3 Roman sites (Arles, Orange and Le Gard), 4 cathedrals (Amiens, Bourges, Chartres, Reims), 4 abbeys (Fontenay, Reims, Saint-Savin sur Gartempe and Vezelay), 8 historic city/town centres (Paris, Strasbourg, Lyon, Avignon, Le Havre, Mont-Saint-Michel, Provins and Carcassone) as well as numerous belfries, castles and palaces.

• The Statue of Liberty, one of the most widely recognized structures of US, was made in France. It was then gifted to the US in 1886 to celebrate its centennial.

The Millau Viaduct• The Millau Viaduct, completed in 2005 in the

south of France, is the tallest bridge in the world.

FOOD& DRINKS

In France:• There are 2 new cooking books published every day.• Are made over 300 kinds of cheese .• Crêpes is originated from Brittany (western France) and

is one of the most popular food in Europe.• Wine has been made since Roman times.In 2004, the

country produced 56.6 millions hectoliters of wine.• France produces some of the world’s most famous

liqueurs, such as Grand Marnier, Cointreau, Triple Sec, Mandarine Napoleon, Cognac, Armagnac, Crème de Cassis, Pastis, Chartreuse, etc.

Structure of meals

Le petit déjeuner (breakfast) Is often a quick meal

consisting of tartines (slices) of French bread with jelly or jam, croissants or 

pain au chocolat also named chocolatine in the south of France (a pastry filled with chocolate) along with coffee or tea.

Le déjeuner (lunch) was once a two hour mid-day

meal.Sunday lunches are often longer and are taken with the family. Many restaurants close on Saturday and Monday during lunch.

Le dîner 

(dinner) often consists of three courses

-  hors d'œuvre / entrée , plat principal and a cheese course or dessert. The meal is often accompanied by bread, wine and 

mineral water.

CREPES

CROISSANTS

FROG LEGS

PARISPARIS

•  Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine.

• An important settlement for more than two millennia, Paris is today one of the world's leading business and cultural centres, and its influences in politics, education,entertainment, media, fashion, science, and the arts,all contribute to its status as one of the world's major global cities.

• The city and its region contain 3,800 historical monuments and four UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Arc de Triomphe

It is one of the most famous monuments in Paris. It stands in the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle ,at the western end of the Champs-Élysées.There is a smaller arch, the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, which stands west of the Louvre.

Musée du Louvre

It is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the right bank of the Seine.

La Tour Eiffel

also known as

La dame de fer (the iron lady)

The Eiffel Tower is apuddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world. The tower is the tallest building in Paris and the most-visited paid monument in the world.

Named for its designer, engineer Gustave Eiffel, the tower was built as the entrance arch to the 1889 World's Fair. The tower stands 324 metres tall. The tower has three levels for visitors. Tickets can be purchased to ascend, by stairs or lift, to the first and second levels. The walk to the first level is over 300 steps, as is the walk from the first to the second level. The third and highest level is accessible only by elevator. Both the first and second levels feature restaurants.

Notre Dame de Paris French for Our Lady of Paris

It is a Gothic, Catholic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris. Notre Dame de Paris is widely considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture in France and in Europe, and the naturalism of its sculptures and stained glass are in contrast with earlier Romanesque architecture.

FASHION

Christian Lacroix

Jean Paul Gaultier

Pierre Cardin

Coco Chanel

Christian Dior

LACOSTE

Guy Laroche

Christian Louboutin

Yves Saint Laurent

Some other facts about France:• France is also home to the only Disneyland in Europe,

located near Paris. • The Tour de France, the most famous bicycle race in the

world is an annual bicycle race of France, in which cyclists cover over 2100 miles in 23 days.

• France is the world’s leader in luxury goods, including haute couture, perfumes and cosmetics.

• It also has the third highest GDP in the world, after Norway and Luxembourg, with an average of US$ 38.16 per hour.

• The largest and most advanced passenger cruise ship, the Queen Mary 2, was built in France in 2004.

THE ENDTHE ENDTHANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!