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France Culture | Fun Facts About France
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France Culture | Fun Facts About France

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A fun and effective resource to learn English in context to talk about France and French culture. A great way to learn daily vocabulary and practical English expressions to talk about everyday topics. Full transcripts, vocabulary flashcards, quizzes and lots more when you sign up at: www.pocketpassport.com

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Bonjour mes amis and welcome to France…the most visited country in the world! Officially the French Republic (République française) is one of the oldest nations on Earth, and with Paris, the city of light, as its capital, the most famous. Over 90 million international visitors traveled to the country in 2019, that’s almost a third more than its own population, approximately 65 million, ooh la la! France is the largest country in Western Europe, extending from the Mediterranean to the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It borders Germany, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Luxembourg and Andorra within Europe, and has 13 overseas territories spanning every corner of the globe. Due to its convenient and neighbourly location, France has long been an economic and geographic bridge between nations and has played a significant role in international affairs. It is Europe’s most important agricultural producer, where 50% of its territory is farmland or countryside, and it is one of the world’s leading industrial powers, the third biggest manufacturing country in Europe. Financial services, banking and insurance play a major role in the economy’s success. Of course, tourism is up there too. People are drawn to France for the fine cuisine, the culture, the fashion, the art, the diversity, and the beauty. France and the French are known for their elegance but also, maybe rightfully so, for their snobbery. Tourism makes up 8% of the country’s GDP. From the beautiful beaches on the French Riviera to the snow-capped mountains of the Alps & Pyrenees and, of course, its most treasured and iconic Eiffel Tower in the heart of Paris, it’s no wonder the country attracts so many tourists. Around 7 million people head to the Eiffel Tower every year, 75% of which are foreigners, making it the most visited monument (that you have to pay to enter) in the world. It’s not all about the tower though, Paris has a wealth of famous landmarks that draw tourists – L’Arc de Triomphe & the Champs-Élysées, often cited as the world’s most beautiful avenue, Notre-Dame Cathedral, which is presently under renovation following a huge fire in 2019 and the Louvre Museum which houses the most famous painting in the world, the Mona Lisa. But the list is endless…. On another, lighter, crisper, tastier note, wine and cheese are big business in France! Second, only to Italy, France produces around 14% of the world’s wine and consumes over 11 million glasses per year. Its most famous vineyards include Burgundy, Bordeaux, and, of course, Champagne! As for cheese, it is estimated that the average consumption per person per year is around 26.7kg….mon Dieu, that is some dairy intake! Football is the most popular sport in the country; the national team has won the World Cup two times and has produced some of the most famous names in footballing history. The world’s most famous cycling race, “Tour de France”, has also put France on the world’s sporting stage annually since 1903. Well, I guess they do have to work off all that wine, bread & cheese somehow, right? That’s all for now mes amis….au revoir!

31 Comments

  9. @jfrancobelge

    Speaking of the French overseas territories, two more fun facts:

    1. the direct flight to/from Paris from/to La Réunion (off the coast of Madagascar) is the world's longest single domestic flight (9365 kms).

    2. France's longest land border with another country is in… South America, the border with Brazil (act. between French Guyana and Brazil). It's 730 kms long, about 100 kms longer than the European border between Mainland France and Spain.

  11. @barbaramattson817

    I LIKE FRANCE. IT'S JUST WHERE IT SHOULD BEE. OVER THERE. OVER THERE!! OVER THERE!! THE YANKS ARE COMMINN!! OVER THERE!! AND IT WON'T BEE OVER TILL IT'S OVER, OVER THERE!! SOOO GO STICK THAT IN AHH LITTLE CRAWLLYTHING THANK YOU, GOD BLESS.

  22. @domitiusafer

    The principalities of Andorra and Monaco are states associated with France. Thus in the Principality of Monaco, the head of government is chosen by the French government and it is French officials who administer the principality in particular in the judicial field.The President of the Republic in title is during the duration of his mandate prince d"Andorra, a survival of royalty, title that"he shares with the bishop of"Urgel.

    -The French national day takes place since a decision of the "National Assembly in 1879, July 14 of each year and contrary to popular belief does not celebrate the capture of the Parisian fortress on July 14, 1789 by the Parisian population in arms (the term anglosaxon of Bastille Day is therefore false) but July 14, 1790 Festival of the Federation ,national reconciliation ceremony one year after the storming of the Bastille, taking place on the Champs de Mars (March field) bringing together the royal family, the people assembled with parliamentarians. Indeed, the French parliamentarians chose as the date of the national holiday 14 July 1790 because there was no French blood shed unlike 14 July 1789 date of the storming of the Bastille. The Eiffel Tower, built for the 1889 Paris World’s Fair to commemorate the centenary of the beginning of the French Revolution, was precisely set up on the site of the Champs de Mars.

    -The region of Alsace and the department of Moselle have a special status since 1919 following their annexation between 1871 and 1919 by Germany after the Franco-German war of 1870-71 with the maintenance of several German laws and the Napoleonic concordat of 1802 according to which the French state remunerates the priests, pastors and rabbis whereas the French Republic is a secular republic and imposes since the law of 1905 a separation between the Church and the State, so that the law of 1905 is applied on the whole of the French territory except in Alsace and Moselle.

    -France is the country with the record number of roundabouts with more than 30,000 roundabouts.

    -It is in France that the best preserved Roman monuments of their kind are located in the department of Gard with the Aqueduct of the Pont du Gard spanning the river Gardon or l"Roman amphitheatre of Nîmes built between 79 and 121 AD on the model of the Colosseum of Rome but better preserved than its Italian model.

    "La baguette de pain", The bread stick has developed as a factor of social peace since Benvegüe, the engineer in charge of the construction of the Paris metro for the 1900 World Fair, noticed that the number of frequent knife fights among the workers had decreased since that was distributed to them for the meal, bread in the form of a baguette that could be cut with only one hand instead of bread in the form of a round loaf that required the use of a knife which thus became useless for cutting bread in the form of a baguette.

    -Bread is so essential to French culture and catering that French law compels restaurateurs to provide free during each meal in addition to water, bread so that the restaurateur cannot charge the customer for water and bread.

    -French law also requires restaurateurs to provide for lunches as sacred in France as naps for Spanish, a menu with starter,dish and dessert for a small price to allow people who work to eat at a reasonable price during each lunch meal.

  26. @setayesh____alz2938

    Interesting facts ; thank you
    It would be nice if you make a vidoe like this about Iran
    Iran is one the best country that contains a combination of different culture , many traditional foods,dress and tribes
    We have also uniq nature
    We will be so happy if all the people around the world finally see the reallity of Iran.❤

  28. @ceylonholidaytours

    I am francaphone guide in sri lanka unfortunately i don't have money to go france if have money also not possible to get visa .

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