France
Flag of France
Interesting Facts:
France is the largest country in Western Europe
The population of France is 60.9 million people
It is the 23rd most populated country in the world
16.4% of the population of France are 65 years old or more
The capital of France is Paris
110+ million people use French as their first language
60 million people use French as their second language
The currency in France is the Euro
France is the world’s most popular tourist destination (78 million in 2006)
France gave America the Statue of Liberty
France is famous for producing the best perfumes of the world
The only Disneyland in Europe is located near Paris
The most famous bicycle race in the world is the Tour of France
There are more dogs in Paris--approximately 300,000--than there are children
The French are known for their rudeness to tourists
The French health care system was ranked number one in the world back in 1997
Map of France
President of France
Nicholas Sarkozy
President Nicholas Sarkozy
Sarkozy is the 23rd President of the French Republic
He is the French co-prince of Andorra
He was elected to office on May 6, 2007
The president is elected by direct popular vote for a 7-year term
The president appoints the prime minister
Government
Branches of Government are:
Executive--President (chief of state)
Prime minister (head of government)
Legislative--bicameral Parliament
*577-member National Assembly
*319-member Senate
Judicial--Court of Cassation (civil and criminal law)
Council of State (administrative court)
Constitutional Council (constitutional law)
Senate members serve 9-year terms
The National Assembly is elected very five years
The minimum voting age is 18 years
The four leading French political
parties are:
The Socialist party
The conservative Rassemblement pour la République (RPR)
The Union pour la Democratie Française (UDF)
The French Communist party
France is a country where freedom of thought and of religion are preserved, in virtue of the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
The Republic is based on the principle of laïcité ("freedom of conscience," including the lack there of)
Currency of France
The Euro (EUR) is the official currency in France
The monetary system of France is decimal based
The names and relative values of the coins depicted above are,
from left to right:
One Cent - 1/100 of a Euro
Two Cents - 2/100 of a Euro
Five Cents - 5/100 of a Euro
Ten Cents - 10/100 of a Euro
Twenty Cents - 20/100 of a Euro
Conversion Rate
American verses France
$1.00 .75
$5.00 3.77
$10.00 7.53
$20.00 15.06
$50.00 37.66
$100.00 75.32
Religion in France
France guarantees freedom of religion as a constitutional right and the government generally respects this right in practice
Catholicism is the primary religion in France
Roman Catholic is 85%
Muslim 10%
Protestant 2%
Jewish 1%.
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen guarantees freedom of religion, as long as religious activities do not infringe on public order in ways detrimental to society
Agricultural Products of France
wheat
barley
corn
dairy products
sugar beets
oilseed
meat
poultry
fruits
vegetable
French Farmer Laying Compost on his farm
Famous Landmarks
Eiffel tower in Paris, France
Classic french castle in Loire valley
Pont du Gard in Southern France
Roman arena in Nimes France
French Art
Architecture
Textiles
Ceramics
Tapestry
Animal carvings
Masks
Goddess statuettes (such as Venus)
Bone pins
Flint and stone
arrowheads
Megalithic(large stone) monuments
Painted stones
Monumental works
Sculptures
Metalwork,
Small-scale sculpture
Mosaics
Fresco
Panel painting
Stained glass
FrescoPainting
The Mask of La Roche-Cotard
In the year 2002, the Mask of La Roche-Cotard was discovered in a cave near the banks of the Loire River
It is believed to be a Mousterian or Neanderthal artifact dating back to about 33,000 B.C.
The artifact is a piece of flat flint that has been shaped into the upper part of a face with a piece of bone pushed through a hole in the stone represents eyes
The Cave of Lascaux, France
The art in the cave of Lascaux, France was discovered by a group of teenage boys in the 1940’s
The cave contains over 2000 images of various types of animals, such as deer, bison, horses, and bulls
Favorite French Foods
French eat ...
Snails
Pate
Lamb’s brain
Veal
Lobster
Crayfish
Butter
Pigeon
Goose
Duck
Lamb
Mussels
Monkeyfish
and
Horse
Smoked and salted horse meat on a sandwich
Music in France
Homenagen a Claude Bolling
A French Pianist, Composer
and Arranger
Opera
Folk music
Ballads
Bagpipes
Pop Rock
Electric music
Hip Hop music Rap
Progressive Rock
Free Jazz
Heavey Metal
Raï
French House - (the latest form of Euro disco Rock
Hurdy gurdy (is essentially a mechanical violin)
