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| Sunday, 16 October 2005 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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France.... Where the 'City of Light'glows
France is a major industrialised nation in western Europe. The third largest country in Europe, after Russia and Ukraine, it is the fourth most populous. Paris is the nation's capital and largest city. France is a nation of varied landscapes, ranging from coastal lowlands and broad plains in the north, to hilly uplands in south central France, to lush valleys and towering, snow-capped Alps in the east. Mountainous and hilly areas lie on nearly all of France's borders, creating a series of natural boundaries for the country. Only the nation's northeastern border is largely unprotected. Several major rivers flow through France, including the Seine, Loire, Garonne, and Rhine. Roughly hexagonal in shape, France shares boundaries with Belgium and Luxembourg to the northeast; Germany, Switzerland, and Italy to the east; and Spain and Andorra to the southwest. In the northwest, France is bounded by the English Channel. At the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the channel, France and England are separated by just 34 km (21 mls). France faces three major seas: the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the North Sea to the north, and the Mediterranean Sea to the southeast. France is highly urbanised. Three-quarters of the population lives in cities, including more than ten million people in the metropolitan area of Paris, the most densely populated region in France. The French are among the healthiest, wealthiest, and best-educated people in the world. Most citizens speak French, the principal language. The dominant religion is Roman Catholicism. France is one of the founding members of the European Union, and has the largest land area of all members. France is also a founding member of the United Nations. It is one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council wielding veto power, and it is also one of only eight acknowledged nuclear powers. Although ultimately a victor in World Wars I and II, France suffered extensive losses in its empire, wealth, manpower, and rank as a dominant nation-state. Nevertheless, France today is one of the most modern countries in the world and is a leader among European nations. In recent years, its reconciliation and cooperation with Germany have proved central to the economic integration of Europe, including the introduction of a common exchange currency, the euro, in January 1999. At present, France is at the forefront of efforts to develop the EU's military capabilities to supplement progress toward an EU foreign policy. Origin of the country's name The name France comes from Medieval Latin Francia, which literally means "land of the Franks, Frankland". Originally it applied to the whole Frankish Empire, extending from southern France to eastern Germany. "France" (and its adjective "French") can have four different meanings which is important to distinguish in order to avoid mixed meanings. In one meaning, "France" refers to the whole French Republic. In a second meaning, it refers to metropolitan France only. This is the most common meaning. In a third meaning, "France" refers specifically to the province of Ile-de-France (with Paris at its centre). In a fourth meaning, "France" refers only to the Pays de France, one of the many pays (Latin: pagi, singular pagus) of Ile-de-France. French provinces are traditionally made up of several pays, which are the direct continuation of the pagi set up by the Roman administration during Antiquity. Fact File * The flag: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), white, and red became the flag during the French Revolution and was made popular by Marquis de Lafayette. It was known as the drapeau tricolore (Tricolour Flag). * The foundation of France is traditionally dated to 496 (baptism of Clovis I). In reality, however, the legal founding of France is 843, the date of the Treaty of Verdun, which divided the Frankish Empire and created the kingdom of Francia Occidentalis ("Western Frankland"), from which France is descended. The French state has been in continuous existence since 843, among the oldest states in existence in the world. * The capital and most populous city, Paris, is considered by many to be one of the most famous and beautiful cities in the world. Paris is also home to numerous historical buildings and monuments. Paris is world-famous for its beauty and charm, and for its long history as a centre of learning and knowledge. Parisians call their city the "City of Light". People from around the world flock to the city to view its impressive array of monuments and museums, savor its cuisine, and relax in its sidewalk cafes and nightclubs. Paris is the political, cultural, and economic centre of France as well as one of the most vibrant metropolises in the world. About 15 per cent of France's inhabitants live in the Paris metropolitan area. * The Mont-Saint-Michel is the most visited tourist site in France. Other very popular and well-known tourist sites include: Louvre Museum, Eiffel Tower, Palace of Versailles, Disneyland Resort Paris, the chateaux of the Loire Valley, the ski resorts of the French Alps, Tahiti and the lagoons of French Polynesia. * France is the top tourist country in the world. It has 71.4 million visitors each year. **** Capital city: Paris Government type: Republic Population: 60,424,213 Languages: French 100 per cent, rapidly declining regional dialects and languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan and Basque, Flemish) Religion: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, unaffiliated Currency: Euro (EUR) |
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| Politics | Produced by Lake House |
It's the land that holds one of the wonders of the world...the Eiffel
Tower. It's a land of beauty and culture, and a land of plenty which is
one of the wealthiest and most visited countries of the world. It's
France. 
