The name "France" comes from the Latin Francia, which means "country of the Franks."
France and Great Britain were joined by land until about 10,000 years ago when the English Channel was formed.
Ninth-century Kings of France include Charles the Bald, Charles the Fat and Charles the Simple.
For a long time during the Middle Ages, the kings only controlled Paris and the surrounding area, as much of the rest of France was in the hands of barons or English. During the Hundred Years War, the English controlled Paris from 1420 to 1437.
France and Great Britain were joined by land until about 10,000 years ago when the English Channel was formed.
Ninth-century Kings of France include Charles the Bald, Charles the Fat and Charles the Simple.
For a long time during the Middle Ages, the kings only controlled Paris and the surrounding area, as much of the rest of France was in the hands of barons or English. During the Hundred Years War, the English controlled Paris from 1420 to 1437.
In 1558 Francis, Duke of Guise, retook Calais, England's last continental possession, for France.
The English nickname ‘Frogs’ for the French was originally applied to the Dutch during the 17th century Anglo-Dutch Wars.
The English nickname ‘Frogs’ for the French was originally applied to the Dutch during the 17th century Anglo-Dutch Wars.
The Bourbon dynasty in France began with King Henry IV (Henry of Navarre) when he ascended to the throne in 1589. He was a Protestant but converted to Catholicism to secure his position as king. His reign brought about a period of relative stability and prosperity known as the "Bourbon Restoration."
The most famous monarch of the French Bourbon dynasty was Louis XIV, who is often referred to as the "Sun King." His reign from 1643 to 1715 was the longest in European history. Louis XIV centralized power in the monarchy and solidified the absolutist rule.
Mathematician, astronomer and engineer Giovanni Cassini measured the size of France accurately for the first time in the 1670s. The true size turned out to be much smaller than King Louis XIV had expected, and Louis quipped that Cassini had taken more of his kingdom from him than he had won in all his wars.
The French Revolution, which started in 1789, marked the end of the Bourbon monarchy in France. King Louis XVI, a Bourbon, was overthrown and executed, along with his wife Marie Antoinette, during the revolution. The revolutionaries proclaimed France a republic, and the Bourbon monarchy was abolished.
The flag of France is a vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red. The tricolour design by Jacques-Louis David was first adopted on February 15, 1794. The royal white flag was used during the Bourbon restoration from 1815 to 1830; the tricolour was brought back after the July Revolution and has been used ever since 1830.The Tricolour has become one of the most influential flags in history, with its three-color scheme being copied by many other nation.
The flag of France is a vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red. The tricolour design by Jacques-Louis David was first adopted on February 15, 1794. The royal white flag was used during the Bourbon restoration from 1815 to 1830; the tricolour was brought back after the July Revolution and has been used ever since 1830.The Tricolour has become one of the most influential flags in history, with its three-color scheme being copied by many other nation.
Charles X of France abdicated on August 2, 1830 in the aftermath of the July Revolution, which was a popular uprising against his rule. Louis XIX, who was Charles X's son and the Dauphin of France, was initially recognized as the new king by Charles X's supporters after his father's abdication. However, Louis XIX's reign was extremely short-lived. He abdicated approximately 20 minutes later on the same day, August 2, 1830, in favor of his nephew, Henry V (Henri d'Artois). However, Henry V's claim to the throne was not widely recognized, and instead, the July Monarchy was established with Louis Philippe I as the "King of the French" (not King of France), effectively ending the Bourbon Restoration and introducing a constitutional monarchy.
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, France possessed the second-largest colonial empire in the world.
During the May 1968 protests in France, the government came so close to collapsing that Charles de Gaulle fled the country while officials began burning documents, obtaining fake IDs, and planning their escapes. The prime minister was offered a gun with the advice, "You will need it."
There's a 460 square miles (1,190 sq kms) area in France called the Zone Rouge containing so much human and animal remains and millions of items of unexploded classic and chemical weapons from World War 1. It's been legally defined as Impossible to clean - Human life impossible.
France is the EU’s largest country in area and the second largest (after Germany) in population.
France is the most visited country in the world. Around 82,000 foreign tourists visit France each year, more than the entire population.
The capital of France is Paris. It has a population of approximately 2.3 million.
The Louvre in Paris is the world’s most visited art museum.
There are 40,000 chateaux in France.
The highest mountain in France is Mont Blanc. At 15,780 feet, Mont Blanc is a part of the French Alps.
France has won the most Nobel Prizes for Literature - 16 to date. The UK comes next with 12.
Over one-half of the traffic roundabouts in the world are located in France.
The French are the world’s biggest consumers of mood-altering drugs - around 25% have taken anti-depressants or tranquillisers.
The average person in France sleeps 8.83 hours per day, the most in the developed world.
France is the leading agricultural producer and exporter in Europe. It is the only European country to be completely self-sufficient in basic food production.
France is a secular country and the constitution guarantees freedom of religion. The population is about 51% Roman Catholic, and 31% of people are agnostics or atheists.
Sources Daily Mail, Daily Express
France is the EU’s largest country in area and the second largest (after Germany) in population.
France is the most visited country in the world. Around 82,000 foreign tourists visit France each year, more than the entire population.
The capital of France is Paris. It has a population of approximately 2.3 million.
The Louvre in Paris is the world’s most visited art museum.
There are 40,000 chateaux in France.
The highest mountain in France is Mont Blanc. At 15,780 feet, Mont Blanc is a part of the French Alps.
France has won the most Nobel Prizes for Literature - 16 to date. The UK comes next with 12.
Over one-half of the traffic roundabouts in the world are located in France.
The French are the world’s biggest consumers of mood-altering drugs - around 25% have taken anti-depressants or tranquillisers.
The average person in France sleeps 8.83 hours per day, the most in the developed world.
France is the leading agricultural producer and exporter in Europe. It is the only European country to be completely self-sufficient in basic food production.
France is a secular country and the constitution guarantees freedom of religion. The population is about 51% Roman Catholic, and 31% of people are agnostics or atheists.
Sources Daily Mail, Daily Express
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