Facts About France: Map, Flag, Places, Food
- Capital of France: Paris
- Population: 67 million inhabitants in 2021 (source)
- Official Name: République Française (French Republic)
- Area: 210,016 mi²
- Official Language: French
- Currency: Euro
- Flag: blue, white and red. The French flag is called “le tricolore”.
- Major Mountain Ranges: Alps, Pyrenees, Massif Central.
- Major Rivers: Seine, Rhine, and Rhône
Map of France
- In western Europe, France stands as the largest country and is the second-largest country in Europe after Ukraine.
- France is known to be the largest country in the EU, third-largest in Europe, and with 31% of forest land, it is the fourth most forested country in the EU.
- It has a six-sided shape, and it is sometimes called Hexagone.
- It has flat wild and fertile plains and low rolling hills in the north and west sides that make France an agricultural center of Europe. In rest of the France, you can see mountains. In the south there are Pyrenees, and the east is dominated by the snowcapped Alps.
- Mont Blanc is the highest point of France with the height of 15,770 f and 4807 m; it is also the second-highest peak in Europe. The lowest point of France Rhone River delta (-7ft / -2m).
- The longest river in France is the Loire (630mi / 1020km).
- Bordering countries of France are Belgium Luxembourg in the northeast, Germany. Italy and Switzerland are in the East of France, Andorra, Italy, Spain, and Andorra are in the south, in the north, it shares its maritime border with the UK.
- In the west of France in the Bay of Biscay (North Atlantic Ocean.
- The Mediterranean Sea is in the south, and the English Channel is in the northwest.
- The climate of France in the eastern region is continental, with warm summers, thunderstorms, and in winters, the temperature drops below 0 degrees Celsius. Mountains see snowfall in this region. Southern France sees a Mediterranean climate with hot summers and dry winters, and heavy rains.
France Flag Facts
- The French flag is known as “Le Drapeau Tricolore” meaning French Tricolor.
- The flag of France has three equal-sized colors bands; blue on the right, white on the center, and red on the left.
- White represents the Bourbon monarchy, also represents the color of Joan arc defeated the English in the 15th century and drove them away from France. Blue and red represent Paris.
- Marie Joseph Yves Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, Jacques-Louis David are the designers of French flag.
- On February 15, 1794, it was officially adopted by the French National Convention.
- When the Bourbon monarchy returned to power during 1814-130 after defeating Napoleon in the Waterloo battle, the white flag was used.
- 1830 Louis-Philippe restored the try color flag.
- In 1970 the current colors of the flag were used in reversed order and they were changed to the current order in 1794.
France Famous Places
Basilica of Sacred Heart of Paris:
It is a Roman Catholic Church located at Montmarte hill the highest point in Paris. It is constructed using travertine stones they are a special type of limestones that are formed in hots springs. You get to see a breathtaking view of the city of Paris from the top of the dome of the Basilica of the sacred heart.
Pont Du Gard Bridge, Nime:
In the city of Rome, situated in southern France, this giant ancient roman bridge is located. It was constructed in the first century AD and is 50 kilometers in length. It is listed under the world heritage sites by UNESCO’s.
Verdon Gorge Canyon, Alpes De Haute Province:
Famous as the Grand Canyon of Europe, it is located in Southeastern France in Alpes De Haute province. It is about 25 kilometers in length and 700 meters in height. It has beautiful turquoise green color water of Verdon river. The breathtaking view and sports like paragliding rafting, and canoeing make it one of the top tourist attractions of France.
Chateau De Chambord, Loir et Cher:
It is situated within the central France in Loire valley. It is the largest incomplete chateau that represents French renaissance architecture. It is surrounded by the largest forest park. The Chateau has 440 rooms, 80 staircases, and 280 fireplaces.
The Louvre, Paris:
It is a museum located in Paris, and is one of the largest museums in the world. It contains 35000 prehistoric objects from the 6th century BC to the 19th century AD. The museum is a part of Lovre palace from the medieval period.
Palace of Versailles, IIe de France Region:
Also popularly known as chateau de Versailles is the largest palace of France. Palace has 700 rooms, 2153 windows, 68 staircases, and 2000 acres of a beautiful garden. The garden holds 200000 trees, and 50 fountains.
Disneyland, Paris:
Disney land in Paris is built in the area of 4800 acres. It has 2 theme parks, 57 rides, 62 shops, 5899 hotel rooms. Restaurants, shopping experiences, and movie-based rides make it one of the most recognizable entertainment spots.
Eiffel tower:
Opened in the year 1889 the Eiffel tower was one of the tallest structures in the world, with a height of 320 meters. It is named after Gustave Eiffel, who was the head architect of the Eiffel tower.
Most Popular Food in France
Soupe à l’oignon:
French onion soup is a traditional French soup made with beef stock and caramelizing onions for long hours. It is served with melted cheese and croutons.
Coq au vin:
Translated as “Rooster in wine” was a signature dish of Julia Child. Ingredients used in it are salty pork or bacon (lardons), mushrooms, onions, garlic, and chicken braised with wine.
Cassoulet:
It is a dish where white beans are slowly stewed with duck or pork meat. It is a comfort recipe popular in eastern France.
Boeuf bourguignon:
This dish comes from Burgundy in eastern France. It is a stew made in red wine and beef broth and includes mushrooms and onions.
Chocolate soufflé:
Chocolate soufflé originated in 18 century in France, it is popular across the world.
Ratatouille:
Ratatouille is a baked vegetable dish that tastes great. You can have it in the main course or as a side dish.
The Green Fairy:
Also known as absinthe is an aniseed-flavored drink with bright green color, is known for its hallucinatory effects. The drink was also banned, but in 2011 it again returned to bars.
Fun Facts About France
FACT 1. The word France comes from the Latin word named Francia means Land of franks.
FACT 2. France is the world’s number one tourist destination, with Paris being the third most visited city after Bangkok and London.
FACT 3. To your surprise, French was the official language of England from 1066 to 1362 for around 300 years and is the official language of 29 countries (for detail).
FACT 4. Louis XIX is the shortest reigning monarch in history who was king of France for only 20 minutes.
FACT 5. 1n 1915, during world war one France becomes the first one to use camouflage.
FACT 6. If you can prove that the dead person had an intention to marry you, you can marry the dead one with the permission of the French president.
FACT 7. Tin cans, hairdryers, and hot air balloons were invented in France.
FACT 8. France was the first nation to perform the first artificial heart transplant in 2013 and face transplant in 2005.
FACT 9. Around 30000 tons of snails are eaten in France every year.
FACT 10. France is known to produce 1600 varieties of cheese and 1,7 million tons every year.
FACT 11. The French railway network is 9th largest in the world and 2nd in Europe.
FACT 12. The tradition of wearing a white dress at a wedding originated in France with Anne of Britany and Lois Xii of France in 1499.
FACT 13. France is two times bigger than the United Kingdom and eight times the size of Ireland; however, it is smaller than Texas.
FACT 14. In France, supermarkets donate around 45000 pounds of food annually because France has passed a law that food near the “best by” date can not be thrown. This law was passed in 2016 to reduce food wastage.
FACT 15. French people believe placing bread upside down on a table causes a piece of bad luck.
FACT 16. Tour De France is a cycling race that started in the year 1903 and that makes it hundred years old. This race took place even during the Covid19 Pandemic.
FACT 17. France is known to consume 25 million wines per year and is the second-largest consumer of wine after the US.
Hope you enjoyed these amazing facts about France.
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