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FRANCE
Capital city: Paris
Current Chairman: Emmanuel Macron
Official languages of the EU: French
EU Member State: since 1 January 1958
Currency: euro. Member of the euro area since 1 January 1999.
Schengen: Member of the area since 26 March 1995.
Figures: geographical area - population - gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in PPS.
HISTORY OF FRANCE
In 451, Attila, the leader of the Huns invaded Gaul with the help of the Franks and Visigoths,
and settled in the main part of Gaul. In the 4th century, the eastern border of Gaul along the
Rhine was crossed by Germanic peoples, mainly the Franks, from whom the old name
"Francie" derives. Modern France" owes its name to the feudal domain of the Capet kings
of France, around Paris. The Franks were the first tribe among the Germanic conquerors of
Europe, after the fall of the Roman Empire, to convert to Christianity following the baptism
of King Clovis in 498; thus, France obtained the title of "eldest daughter of the Church", and
the country would adopt this as justification for calling itself "the most Christian kingdom of
France".
Officially the French Republic (Republique française), it is a sovereign country, member of
the European Union, constituted as a social and democratic state under the rule of law and
whose form of government is the semi-presidentialist republic.
TERRITORY:
France is divided administratively into regions, departments, districts and municipalities. In
addition, there are collectivities, territories and dependencies. The 27 regions and their 101
departments are either metropolitan or overseas.
MAJOR CITIES:
- Paris
- Lyon
- Tolouse
- Nice
- Straburgos
- Bordeaux
- Lille
- Montepiller
- Nantes
- marsellie

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

The current Constitution was approved by referendum on September 28, 1958. With its
introduction, the office of President of the Republic notably strengthened its authority over
the executive branch, previously embodied in the prime minister and government, becoming
the true representative of the Executive in relation to parliament.
According to the Constitution, the president is elected by direct suffrage for a period of 5
years.

TRADE
The retail sector is dominated by large distribution companies.
The French retail sector employs more than 2.5 million people. With 1 600 hypermarkets
and 10 000 supermarkets, France is one of the countries with the largest networks in the
world. Distributors sell more than 60% of food distribution and 30% of non-food products.
Specialized groups such as Carrefour, Auchan, Intermarché, Champion, E.Leclerc and
Casinodominan dominate the sector, and have settled abroad.

ECONOMY:
France is a world-renowned economic power. It has a service economy that has a notable
advantage over other sectors such as agriculture, fishing and industry. Today it ranks sixth
in the world economy behind countries such as the United States, Japan, Germany, China
and Great Britain. Its currency is the Euro adopted as the single currency in 2002 and despite
some economic ups and downs the cost of living in France can be said to be reasonable.
With a relatively high unemployment rate, France remains a rich country and has managed
to reduce its poverty rate in recent years.
GEOGRAPHY:
The French Republic is a European country stretching from the Pyrenees to the centre of
Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union. Its territory extends over five
continents. Metropolitan (or continental) France is bordered to the south by Spain, the
Mediterranean Sea, Andorra and Monaco; to the west by Italy, Switzerland and Germany,
to the north by Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, the North Sea and the English Channel
and to the west by the English Channel and the Cantabrian Sea, in the Bay of Biscay or
Gascony.
BIODIVERSITY:
On the Flora and fauna of France comment that in metropolitan France there are 136
species of trees, something exceptional being a European country. Vegetable species
cultivated for direct human consumption and for agro-industrial production occupy large
areas of the French surface, highlighting the vine and wheat among many others. In France,
intensive breeding and exploitation of cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and horses is practised.
Minor species such as rabbits and poultry are also abundant. The number of deer and deer
in the wild is increasing thanks to policies aimed at this goal, also ensuring the protection of
native non-domestic species, with the creation of parks and nature reserves, as well as the
reintroduction of species that were exterminated in the country (brown bear, lynx, European
bison, griffon vulture and bearded vulture, among others).

ECOSYSTEM:
The French Republic is a western European state, made up of a metropolitan part and a
series of Overseas Departments. Metropolitan France is bordered by four seas: the North
Sea, the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, which also surrounds the island of
Corsica.
in the French part of the Alps, alpine. Its natural heritage includes three World Heritage sites
declared by UNESCO: it shares with Spain the mixed property "Pyrenees - Monte Perdido"
(1997, 1999); natural properties are "Gulf of Porto, Piana cove, Gulf of Girolata and
Scandola reserve" (1983) and the "New Caledonian Lakes: diversity of reefs and related
ecosystems" (2008), in the Overseas Territory. It has 10 biosphere reserves, including the
transboundary reserve, shared with Germany, of Vosgues du Nord/Pfälzerwald. 3,314,275
hectares are protected as wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar
Convention, a total of 36 Ramsar sites. It has five national parks: Ecrins, Mercantour, Port
Cros, Pyrénées Occidentales and Vanoise.

TOURISM:
By France we mean a rich and unique culture that goes back to good wine and champagne,
museums, fashion, famous monuments, glamour, fashion, beauty and beautiful landscapes.
France is also synonymous with Paris, the Arc de Triomphe and the Pantheon and is also
the country of Louis XIV's centralism, Napoleon's strife, De Gaulle's France, the great
museums and respect for ecology.
CULTURE
Since the Middle Ages, French culture has stood out as a cultural centre in all systems of
activities in Europe. The high wealth, through the Amount of money that has been granted
to a person, as an economic aid to make a work or for its maintenance to the art that the
monarchy made for several centuries, attracted to Paris the greatest European talents. An
important increase in wealth was also the one that allowed in the past the growth of a very
wealthy class that began to practice the art of elegance both in clothing and in refined social
behavior.

CLOTHING
The clothing of French Culture is characterized by being very bohemian and maintain the
ability to have been filled and mixed with many of the issues that shook today. This costume
of the French Culture, fits perfectly with the elements related to the monarchy and the hippie.
We will know it next.
WOMEN'S CLOTHING
The feminine dress of the French Culture is based on a long dress decorated with very fine
flowers or simple figures of details. Earth colours are normally used. It also has a detailed
corset with bows and metal parts to support the copetes. The woman must also have a fresh
jacket of short sleeve fabric that passes a little of the men and that fits at that end where you
can add very delicate brigadero. The woman wears shoes of high elegance that are in tune
with the suit and a mantle that they use to surround her body.
MEN'S CLOTHING
The man perfectly accompanies the woman with a shirt full of flounces at the top where you
can also include brigadero. This consists of a high neck as well as the overcoat that wears
with decorative details on the edges. Both men and women wear gloves highlighting the
elegance of the suit.
As we have seen, France builds its costume with an extremely elegant model and design
representing how the country wants to look in the eyes of the world.

FRENCH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

The language of the French Culture is a very dialogued language in the territory of France,
along with other dialects such as the Breton language in Brittany, Occitan in Occitan.

Traditional foods:
- Aligot
- Quenelle
- Cassoulet
- Cheese fondue
- Ratatouille
- Baker's oven
- Salade niçoise
- Nizarda salad
- Lean meat fillet
DESSERTS
- Crêpes
- Pancakes
- Macaroni
- Tarte tatin
- Apple tart
- Biscuits
DRINKS
- Pastries
- Kir
- Armagnac
- Triple sec
- Cognac
- Chambord
SPORTS
- Football
- Basketball
- Bike Races
- Rugby
- Sailing
- Tennis
CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS OF FRENCH CULTURE
The customs of the French Culture have been very rich and balanced throughout the history
product of the currents that have migrated and that have arrived to this country, although
this country has been able to conserve a fundamental wealth in its formations and rites that
make for those who have the possibility to witness them and to enjoy them something
unforgettable, although nowadays the biggest cities already have a very strong relation of
influence of the African, European and South American civilizations that live in them.
In the French Culture it is very fundamental the greeting and the form to be treated, this
goes more than everything, to those informal countries. In France every time that people
present themselves you have to stretch out the hand of the stranger being courteous, also
do not give kisses until you have a lot of confidence, which is done even between men,
something that for some nationalities is very shocking.
EDUCATION IN FRANCE
The education system in France is very complex, but one of the most important features is
that in the nineteenth century was introduced compulsory schooling, where in addition the
French republican school was secular, public and compulsory this being the basis of the
construction of the country.
FRENCH ANTHEM
(THE MARSEILLAISE)
"La Marseillaise" (in French, La Marseillaise) is the national anthem of France, officially since
July 14, 1795. It was written in 1792 by Rouget de Lisle. It was forbidden during the Empire
and the Restoration. It has been the national anthem since the Third Republic. During 1940-
1945 it was again forbidden, and its singing was considered a symbol of resistance to the
German occupation and to the collaborationist Vichy regime. It is played in part of Pyotr Ilich
Tchaikovsky's Overture 1812.

The official version is available on the website of the Presidency of the Republic.
TRADITIONAL MUSIC OF FRANCE
Different types of traditional music in France
Three types of traditional music stand out:

- Opera
- Trova
- Pop
OPERA: In France, opera stands out for its composers as well as for its operas. Opera in
France began around 1669, but when it really stood out was in the 19th century. A very
prominent opera singer in France was Camille Sain-Saëns.

TROVA: The trova is poetry with music, are songs that tell love stories. In the fifteenth
century there was the French trova. It is usually played with a guitar, a violin, an accordion...a
great troubadour was bernanrt de ventadorn.

POP: The first style of French pop music that emerged was French rock, during the sixties.
French pop is usually performed by singers from France, Belgium, France,... A great pop
singer is Gérard Lenorman.
TEN CURIOSITIES THAT YOU PROBABLY DON'T KNOW ABOUT FRANCE

1) A NOBEL PRIZE-WINNING COUNTRY. France is the country with the most Nobel Prizes
in Literature.

2) PARADISE OF FUN. The country has many theme parks: Disneyland Resort Paris, one
of its best known; Asterix Park, a theme park dedicated to the popular comic character;
Futuroscope; La Cité de l'Espace; Spirou Park, and a theme park dedicated to the Little
Prince.
3) A CURIOUS WAY TO GREET EACH OTHER

4) OFFICIAL LANGUAGE... OF ENGLAND!. For more than 300 years French was the
official language of England.

5. RECOGNISED FOOD. French food was declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of

Humanity by UNESCO.

6) A GREAT EMPIRE. There was a time when France controlled almost 10% of the earth's
surface.

7) NO EATING OF POTATOES. Between 1748 and 1772 potatoes were illegal because
they were believed to be the cause of leprosy.

8) A DIFFERENT CHEESE FOR EACH DAY OF THE YEAR

9. WHITE FLAG. Formerly the flag of France was white.

10) KING BEFORE HE WAS BORN. was crowned king five months before he was born.