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France
Quick Facts
Capital Paris
Government republic
Currency euro (EUR)
Area 547,030 sq km
Population 59,765,983 (July 2002 est.)
Language French 100%, some regional dialects
Religion Roman Catholic 83%-88%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%,
Muslim 5%-10%, unaffiliated 4%
France is a country in Western Europe. It has coastlines
on the Bay of Biscay and English Channel as well as the Mediterranean
Sea. It lies southeast of the United Kingdom and has Belgium
and Luxembourg to the northeast, Spain and Andorra to the
southwest, Monaco and Italy to the southeast, Germany and
Switzerland to the east.
France is renowned for its gastronomy.
Table of contents [showhide]
1 Regions
2 Cities
3 Understand
3.1 Climate
3.2 Terrain
3.3 History
4 Get in
4.1 By plane
4.2 By train
4.3 By car
4.4 By bus
4.5 By boat
5 Get around
5.1 By car
5.2 By Train
6 Talk
7 Buy
8 Eat
9 Drink
10 Sleep
11 Learn
12 Work
13 Stay safe
14 Stay healthy
15 Respect
16 Contact
17 External links
Regions
Map of France
Map of France with prefectures
France is divided into 22 administrative regions, which themselves
can be grouped into 7 main "cultural regions", which
share common points.
The Ile de France is the region surrounding the capital, Paris.
The North is a region where the world wars have left scars.
It includes Nord-Pas de Calais, Picardie, and Haute-Normandie.
The North-East is a region where the European culture (and
specially German culture) has merged with the French culture,
giving interesting results. It includes Alsace, Lorraine,
Champagne-Ardenne and Franche-Comte.
The Great West is an oceanic region, with a culture more influenced
by the ancient Gaelic and Anglo-Saxon people. It includes
Brittany (French: Bretagne), Basse-Normandie, and Pays de
la Loire.
The Center is an agricultural region, with valleys and old
mountains. It includes Centre, Poitou-Charentes, Bourgogne,
Limousin, and Auvergne.
The South-West is a region of sea and wine, with nice beaches
over the Atlantic ocean, as well as young, high mountains
close to Spain. It includes Aquitaine and Midi-Pyrenees.
The South-East is the main touristic region of the country,
with a warm climate and sea, as well as tall mountains. It
includes Rhône-Alpes, Languedoc-Roussillon, Provence-Alpes-Côte
d'Azur and Corsica (French: Corse).
Cities
Listed below are the biggest cities in France, and the cities
which cannot be missed if you wish to thoroughly explore the
country.
Aix-en-Provence -- lively university town
Arles -- the gate to the Camargue and the city of Van Gogh
Avignon -- the city of the popes and the great theatre festival
Bordeaux -- city of wine, capital of South-West
Brest -- the heart of maritime Bretagne
Dijon -- the heart of Bourgogne, region of great wines
Grenoble -- the 1968 Winter Olympic Games and an important
new technologies center
Lille -- great northern city, industrial, European City of
Culture 2004
Lyon -- History from Roman times to the Resistance, restaurants
(Beaujolais and delicatessen)
Marseille -- big harbor, heart of Provence
Nancy
Nantes -- big harbor, city of Jules Verne, a great traveler
Nice -- the sun and glamour of the Riviera
Paris -- the "city of lights", capital of France
Strasbourg -- European capital (EU parliament and European
Council)
Toulouse -- very nice and lively city
Cities with the most of Roman monuments:
Orange
Arles
Nîmes
Elne
Understand
Climate
Generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters
and hot summers along the Mediterranean; occasional strong,
cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as mistral.
Terrain
Mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west;
remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps
in east
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Rhone River delta -2 m
highest point: Mont Blanc 4,807 m
History
France is a very old country. Until the Roman invasion, it
was pretty much uncivilized. The Romans brought culture, roads,
technology, and order. A lot of Roman artifacts are still
visible, particularly in the south part of the country. Some
of the main roads still follow the routes originally traced
2,000 years ago, and the urban organisation of many old town
centers still transcript the cardo and the decumanus of the
former Roman camp.
Get in
France is a member of the European Union and the Schengen
Agreement. European visa policy will be covered in the article
about the EU. In brief, a visa to any other signatory state
of the Schengen Agreement is valid in France too. No visa
is required for citizens of other EU member states, and those
of some selected nations with whom the European Union or France
have special treaties. Inquire at your travel agent or call
the local consulate or embassy of France.
Also, there are hardly any border controls between France
and other Schengen Agreement nations, making travel less complicated.
However, sometimes cars and buses are stopped at borders or
at the first toll-booth after entering the country.
By plane
Most overseas travellers will arrive via Charles de Gaulle
airport in Paris. From here, you can take a train to Paris
or other parts of France, usually changing at one of Paris'
train stations. Smaller regional airports exist, for example
in Lyon, Marseille and Nice have daily flights to many European
cities. Several low-fare airlines operate to and from France,
these include easyJet, Ryanair and Volare.
By train
The Eurostar service uses high-speed TGV trains to connect
Lille and Paris with Brussels and London, the later via the
Calais-Dover channel tunnel.
By car
By bus
By boat
Get around
By car
France has a well-developed system of highways. You need to
be aware, however, that they have a toll system much like
the one in use in America. Every few dozen kilometers you
have to pay a few Euros. Keep cash handy. All toll stations
accept credit cards. Policemen sometimes read your ticket
at the toll station to see how long you took since joining
the autoroute: it could cost you a speeding fine. On the topic
of speeding, be aware that there is a new (as of 2004) photo-radar
system that is being implemented throughout France. For the
moment, this system is most commonly found along major highways,
and near major cities. Large brown rectangular signs warn
when you are entering a photo-radar area.
France is a good country for hitchhiking.
By Train
Trains are a great way to get around in France. You can get
pretty much from anywhere to anywhere else by train. For long
distances, use the TGV (Train a Grande Vitesse - High-Speed
Train). Reservations are obligatory. But, if you have time,
take the slow train and enjoy the scenery. The landscape is
part of what makes France one of the top tourist destinations
in the world.
The national railway network is managed by the SNCF (Société
Nationale des Chemins de fer Français). You can get
schedules and book a ticket from their website. Booking is
available in two classes: première classe (First Class)
is less crowded but also 50% more expensive than deuxième
classe (Second Class). If your TGV is fully-booked, step aboard
seconds before the doors close: the guard will find you a
seat somewhere.
Talk
French is the official language of France, although there
are regional variations.
In Alsace and part of Lorraine a kind of German is spoken.
In the south, the language is closer to Catalan than to French,
and is called Langue d'Oc (because the word for "yes"
is oc) or Provençal. In Brittany, Breton is spoken;
this Celtic language sounds like French, but is incomprehensible
unless you also know Welsh. In parts of Aquitaine they speak
Basque, but not as much as on the Spanish side of the border.
In Corsica a kind of Italian is spoken.
Overall, though, everyone speaks French. The regional languages
are (sadly) disappearing, despite some valiant efforts to
keep them alive. This is due to the laws in France trying
to unify the nation: 1 nation = 1 language.
While many people in France actually speak English, they
are usually unwilling to give it a try. In most cases they
are just out of practice, but some do make a principle out
of the matter. Oftentimes, starting the conversation with
at least a few basic French phrases goes a long way to convince
them to try and help you. Note that this holds also true with
many people in the service- and even tourism industries -
although these are much more likely to have a co-worker who
speaks good English.
See also: French phrasebook
Buy
France is part of the Eurozone, so like in many other European
Union countries the currency here is the euro (symbol: €).
Eat
The food is reason enough to go to France. Even the most curmudgeonly
visitors admit that the food is better there than anywhere
else. That is because food is not just food to the French
- it's a passion. There are various places to enjoy French
food in France, from three-star Michelin restaurants to French
"brasseries" that you can find at almost every corner,
especially in big cities like Paris, Lille, Bordeaux. There
are also specific local restaurants, like "bouchons lyonnais"
in Lyons, "crêperies" in Brittany (or in the
Montparnasse area of Paris), etc. Most French people still
have a standard meal for lunch, so many restaurants and brasseries
are packed at lunchtime.
People from the English-speaking world must be aware that,
in France, taxes (19.6 per cent of the total) and service
(15 per cent) are always included in the bill ; so anything
patrons add to the bill amount is an "extra-tip".
French people usually leave one or two coins if they were
happy with the service.
Drink
Champagne, Burgundy, Bordeaux, Rhone, the Loire...France is
the home of wine, and it can be found cheaply just about anywhere.
There are a couple of mixed drinks which seem to be more
or less unique to France, and nearby francophone countries.
Monaco is a mix of beer and lemonade with a bit of grenadine
syrup added.
Kir is a sweet aperitif of white wine or champagne (kir royale)
and cassis (blackcurrant liqueur).
Pastis is a sweet anise-based (licorice-flavored) spirit
that is more popular in the South, but is also available everywhere
in Paris. Served with a small pitcher of water that is used
to dilute the drink.
Sleep
Learn
Work
For European people coming from an EU country, working in
France is allowed without problem, and working in many French
cities is possible. If you're from outside the EU, you will
probably need a work permit - check with the French Embassy
in your country. Depending on your qualifications, you can
find a lot of different jobs. Do not forget though that the
unemployment rate is around 10%.
If you want to earn money to continue traveling, Interim
agencies (e.g. Adecco, Manpower) are a good source of temporary
jobs. You can also consider working in bars, restaurants,
and/or nightclubs (they are often looking for English-speaking
workers, particularly those restaurants in tourist areas -
fast-food restaurants such as McDonalds and Quick are also
always looking for people).
A lot of "student jobs", if you happen to be in
a big city, are also available for younger travelers, and
foreigners are often very welcome. Such jobs include, for
example, giving private English tuition, taking care of young
children or many other things...check out the university buildings,
they often have a lot of advertisements.
Don't forget that being an English speaker is a big advantage
when you're looking for a job - French employers really have
a problem finding English-speaking workers. Do note, however,
that it will be much easier for you if you know a bit of French,
for the same reason (your colleagues are not likely to speak
English).
The French work market tends to operate through personal
contacts - if you know someone that works somewhere, you can
probably figure out quite an easy way to work at that place
too. It always helps to know people living in the area you
wish to work.
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