Did you know that France means Land of the Franks? This is just one of the facts about France. There are many such pieces of trivia that contribute to the mystique of the country
Take a worldwide survey on which country people would like to visit and one of the countries that would feature in the top results would be France. France has an almost magnetic pull over people.
Maybe it is the fact that it is home to the city of love, or the fact that it has an artistic culture that far surpasses any other country, or maybe it is just French cuisine that is widely heralded by gourmets.
People all over the world are obsessed with eating French food, dressing the way the French do, quoting famous French sayings, peppering their conversation with French tit-bits. It is almost like every second person you meet is a bit of a Francophil.
A culturally diverse country, France has a long history. Even today France is an important country where international affairs is concerned. It is a founding member state of European Union and is also the largest state in the EU according to area. Given below is a table that give you some important facts about France.
The tradition of wearing a white dress on your wedding day originated in France.
France Facts and Figures
Type of Government: Republic Capital: Paris Official Language: French Official Currency: Euro National Day: 14th July Geographic Area: 244,340 square miles Population: 65 million approximately
Now that you know some of the important details about France, let us take a look at some of the facts that makes this country so intriguing. For many decades now France has been the place to visit for tourists and travelers all over the world. This can be probably attributed to the cultural diversity of the country that makes it so interesting.
** France is the largest nation in Western Europe.
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** Europe's tallest peak, Mont Blanc, which is about 15,781 feet high, is located in the Graian Alps, in France.
** The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, which was read out in 1789, has the prestige of being the first universal declaration of human rights in the world.
** Tourism is one of the biggest industries in France. In 2011, it reported that 79.50 million people visited the country.
** The French flag is a drapeau tricolore, a three-colored flag. The blue color is identified with Saint Martin, white, an ancient French color, and the red is identified with Saint Denis.
** A person who can speak French fluently is known as a Francophone.
** Since 1974, France Republic has had only five presidents, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, François Mitterrand, Jacques Chirac, Nicolas Sarkozy, and François Hollande.
** One of the most famous French monuments is Musée du Louvre or the Louvre museum which is home to art works like the Mona Lisa. This museum is the most visited art gallery in the world.
** France is divided into 27 administrative regions, 22 in Metropolitan France, and 5 regions overseas.
** The tradition of wearing a white dress on your wedding day originated in France, with Anne of Brittany being the first bride to wear a white dress on her wedding day in 1499, when she married Louis XII.
** At a height of 324 m, the Eiffel tower, completed in 1887, was the tallest building in the world till the year 1930.
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** The Statue of Liberty, which is located at Liberty Island, New York City, was a gift from the people of France to the United States.
** The Millau Viaduct, a bridge across the river Tarn near Millau, at 343 meters, is the tallest bridge in not only France, but in the world.
** France produces more than 350 kinds of cheese. These various types are made from cow milk, sheep milk, goat milk, or a combination of the three.
** Denim clothing which is so commonplace today was originally developed in France in the city of Nimes.
** Did you know that the famous fairy tales, Puss in Boots, The Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Little Red Riding Hood, were all written by a Frenchman named Charles Perrault. He is credited with the literary genre of fairy tales.
** There are as many as 37 UNESCO World Heritage sites in France including the Palace and Park of Versailles and the Chartres Cathedral.
** French citizens have won more Nobel Prizes in Literature than any other country in the world
** Paris, the capital city of France was originally named Lutetia.
So now you know about some of the most interesting facts about France. There are many names that this country has been bestowed with, thanks to its rich cultural and natural heritage. This story only lists out some of those interesting tit-bits that most children find extremely fascinating.