• France: is a country in Western Europe, bordering the Atlantic Ocean and English Channel between Belgium and Spain; and bordering the Mediterranean Sea between Italy and Spain.

• Capital of France: Paris.

National Anthem: La Marseillaise.Official language: French.

• Currency: Euro.

• Mountain ranges the Pyrenees. Massif Central. the Alps.

• Some important rivers Rhine/Rhin The Seine Rhone

• North and Northwest: Temperate climate.• South-east: Mediterranean climate.• West: Oceanic with a high level of rainfall, mild

winters and cool to warm summers.• Inland: Continental with hot, stormy summers,

colder winters and less rain.• The Alps: Alpine.

• Government: Democratic Republic. President of the republic:

Nicolas Sarkozy.• Prime minister: François Fillon.

• The French Revolution: (1789-1799) was a period of political and social radical change in the history of France witch meant.

• The abolition and replacement of the French monarchy with a radical democratic republic.

• Radical social change to forms based on Enlightenment principles of citizenship and inalienable rights.

• Member of the EC, the European Union and the United Nations. A member of the G8 group of leading industrialised countries, it is ranked as the fifth largest economy.

Leading industrial sectors:Telecommunications.Aerospace and defense.Ship building.Pharmaceutucals.Construction and civil engineering.Chemicals.Automobile production. Domestic brands are: Renault, Peugeot and Citroën

Weapons industry. France is the fourth largest weapons supplier in the word.

Other leading sectors:Research and development.Energy: nuclear power. Electricity production.

Agriculture: Wheat, fruits, vegetaables.

Dairy products, mainly cheese.Pork, poultry and beef production.Wine.

• Natural resources:Coal Bauxite Fish Timber Potash Zinc.

• Tourism: Is a significant contributor to the French Economy, France is the most visited country in the world with over 75 millions visitors a year.

• France is a secular country as freedom of religion is a constitutional right. Catholicism being the primary religion.

• Architecture. Important Gothic cathedrals and basilicas.Saint Denis Basilica

Notre-Dame de París

Other important buildings and monumentsThe Palace of Versailles

The Arc de Triomphe

The Eiffel Tower.

• Painting.• Art museum The Louvre in Paris is one of the most famous and

thelargest art museums in the world. It holds a vast amount of art of French and other artists, e.g. the Mona lisa, by Leonardo da Vinci, and classical Greek Venus de Milo.

• Some important French painters• Renoir

• Gauguin

• Some important French writers, poets, playwrights and philosophers.

• 17th – 18th Century

- Molière - Denise diderot

- Charrles Perrault

- Voltaire - Jean Rousseau

• 19th-20th CenturyCharles Baudelaire Paul Verlaine

Stéphane Mallarmé

Victor Hugo Alexandre Dumas

Jules Verne Emile Zola

Marcel Proust Albert Camus

Jean-Paul Sartre

• Classical music legendary composers, like Frederic Chopin.

• Legendary French singer Edith Piaf: La Vie en Rose.• Modern pop music: French hip hop, French rock,

techno/funk…

• In the late 19th century, Auguste and Louis Lumiere invented the cinematographe.

• French movie stars of te 1960s and 70s are: Alain Delon Romy Schneider

Jeanne Moreau Simone Signoret

Yves Montad Catherine Denueve

Jean – Paul Belmondo

Brigitte Bardot Jean Gabin.

Successful French films: Jean-Paul Rappeneau’s Cyrano de Bergerac in 1990 and Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Amelie.

• Other famous French movie stars are : Gérard Depardieu , Juliette Binoche and Jean Reno.4

• French film directors include Gerard Pires ( Riders, 2002). Pitof (Catwoman), Florent Emilio Siri (Hostage), Louis Leterrier ( The Increible Hulk).

• The French educational system is highly centralized, organized, and remified. It is divided into three different stages:– Primary education - Secondary education

- Higher education

• The traditional emblem of France was the fleur-de-lis.

• Marianne is a symbol of the French Republic. She is an allegorical figure of liberty and the Republic and first appeared at the time of the French Revolution.

• Fashion is an important industry and cultural export of France. Today, Paris, along with Tokyo, London, Milan, and

York City, is considered one of the world’s fashion capitals.

• Histrorically, many of the world’s top designers and fashion houses have been French, including;

Coco Chanel Christian Dior Louis Vuitton

Lanvin Chloe

Guy Laroche Yves Saint Laurent

Shoe designer Christian Louboutin

• Popular sports include:– Football - Rugby

– Basketball - Sports car

Handball Cycling ( Tour de France)

Tennis Sailing

• Popular French products and dishes– Chesse - Wine - Pastries (croissants)

- Crêpe - Foie gras - Omelette