FRANCE Nastya Voronina, Mila Grebelkina France is a

FRANCE Nastya Voronina, Mila Grebelkina

France is a unitary semi-presidential republic located mostly in Western Europe, with several overseas regions and territories. France is the largest country in Western Europe and the third-largest in all Europe. It possesses the second-largest exclusive economic zone in the world. France has been a major power with strong cultural, economic, military, and political influence in Europe and around the world.

France is a developed country and the wealthiest nation in Europe – and the fourth-wealthiest in the world. It is the most-visited country in the world, receiving 79.5 million foreign tourists annually. The name "France" comes from the Latin Francia, which means "country of the Franks"

Geography From southwest to northeast, France shares borders with Spain, Andorra, Monaco, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg, and Belgium. The European territory of France covers 547,030 square km, having the largest area among European Union members. France possesses a wide variety of landscapes, from coastal plains in the north and west to mountain ranges of the Alps in the south-east, the Massif Central in the south-central and Pyrenees in the south-west.

France also has river systems such as the Seine, the Loire, the Garonne, and the Rhone, which divides the Massif Central from the Alps and flows into the Mediterranean Sea.

Administrative divisions France is divided into 27 administrative regions. The regions are further subdivided into 101 departments which are numbered. This number is used in postal codes and vehicle number plates amongst others.

History Here was one of the centers of formation of Cro-Magnons. France opened the Gauls tribe, from which subsequently came all the French.

People Population of France is about 65 million people. About 5 million people are of foreign origin

In France live Corsicans, Jews, Italians, Spaniards, Poles, Algerians, Moroccans and other people of different nationalities. They speak in French and their native languages.

Culture France has been a center of cultural creation for centuries. Many French artists have been among the most renowned of their time, and France is still recognized in the world for its rich cultural tradition.

French artists developed the rococo style in the 18th century, as a more intimate imitation of old baroque style. In the second part of the 19th century, France's influence over painting became even more important, with the development of new styles of painting like Impressionism and Symbolism. The most famous impressionist painters of the period were Camille Pissarro, Édouard Manet, Edgar Degas At the beginning of 20th century, Cubism was developed.

Architecture The Gothic architecture was the first French style of architecture to be copied in all Europe. The most important are French Gothic cathedrals. The kings were crowned in important Gothic church: Notre-Dame de Reims.

France, and especially Paris, have some of the world's largest museums, including the Louvre, which is the most visited art museum in the world, but also the Musée d'Orsay, mostly devoted to impressionism, and Beaubourg, dedicated to Contemporary art.

Eiffel Tower (6.2 million)

Louvre Museum (5.7 million)

Palace of Versailles (2.8 million)

Musée d'Orsay (2.1 million)

Arc de Triomphe (1.2 million)

Notre-Dame de Paris

Catholicism Catholicism is the primary religion in France.

Gastronomy French cuisine is extremely diverse and has exerted a major influence on other western cuisines. According to the regions, traditional recipes are different, the North of the country prefers to use butter as the preferred fat for cooking, whereas olive oil is more commonly used in the South. France's most renowned products are wines including Champagne, Bordeaux, Bourgogne, and Beaujolais as well as a large variety of different cheeses, such as Camembert, Roquefort and Brie. There are more than 400 different varieties.

Rosé wines are primarily consumed within the country, but champagne and Bordeaux wines are major exports, being known worldwide. Agriculture is thus an important sector of France's economy : 3.5% of the active population is employed in agriculture.

Climate In the south-east - Mediterranean climate. In the west - oceanic with a high level of rainfall, mild winters and cool to warm summers. climate of the Alps and other mountainous regions is mainly alpine.

Provence

Mountain climate in the Alsace

Animal life In mountains people can see foxes, badgers, deer, roe deer, hares and squirrels. France is home to many birds. They are grouse, hawks, vultures, pigeons, sparrows, magpies and many other birds

Wild Forest Cat

Mountain goats

Alpine marmot

Education Nowadays, the schooling system in France is centralized, and is composed of three stages, primary education, secondary education, and higher education. Higher education in France is divided between public universities and the prestigious and selective. The National and University Library on the campus of the University of Strasbourg, the largest university in France.

Sports Popular sports played in France include football, judo, tennis and basketball. The Tour de France is the oldest and most prestigious of Grands Tours, and also the world's most famous cycling race

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