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France, in Western Europe, encompasses medieval cities, alpine villages, and Mediterranean beaches. Historically and culturally among the most important nations in the Western world, France has played a significant role in international affairs. France is one of the major economic powers, ranking with the United States, Japan, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom. French culture greatly influences the development of art and science, particularly anthropology, philosophy, and sociology.
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France is a secular country in which freedom of religion is a constitutional right. French religious policy is based on the concept of laïcité, a strict separation of church and state under which public life is kept completely secular.
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France hates and vigourously fights against communautarism. Communitarianism is a philosophy that emphasizes the connection between the individual and the community. Its overriding philosophy is based upon the belief that a person's social identity and personality are largely molded by community relationships, with a smaller degree of development being placed on individualism.
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The current French flag is known as 'Tricolore' for its blue, white, and red stripes. It was created as part of the French Revolution in 1794.
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The French Revolution is one of the most important events in the country's history. It began when a number of people stormed the Bastille (prison). They overthrew the monarchy and took control of the government. Following the French Revolution and the subsequent Reign of Terror, General Napoleon Bonaparte seized control of the French government in 1799. Five years later he declared himself Emperor of France.
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French people look to the state as the primary guardian of liberty, and the state in turn provides programs of amenities, including free education, health care, and pension plans. Social Security is not "free" in France. On average, the government takes approximately 45 percent of a person's gross salary with the employee contributing 15 percent and the employer contributing the rest. Most French people have a "mutuelle" (complementary private insurance) so that whatever medical needs they have, they are refunded. Homeless people have the same rights that even the wealthiest people have for medical care and surgeries.
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Charles de Gaulle was born in 1890 and he died in 1970. In 1962 he said that France had 265 varieties of cheese. Present day 2020 France has approximately 1,000-1,600 distinct types of cheese, grouped into eight categories, 'les huit familles de fromage.'
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French cuisine developed throughout the centuries influenced by the surrounding cultures of Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and Belgium, in addition to its own food traditions on the long western coastlines of the Atlantic, the Channel, and inland.
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French monks and the Romans mixed unfermented grape juice, known as must, with ground mustard seeds (called sinapis) to make "burning must," mustum ardens. That is the source of the name "must ard."
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The French word for snail is escargot. Not all snails are edible and it is the land snail that is most often eaten. Approximately 100 registered snail farms existed in France in 2015. In France, people eat approximately 500,000,000 snails per year. They are often served with garlic, parsley, and butter. |
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French Fries were not invented in France. They were invented in Belgian. |
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(Born From Necessity)
France has one of the highest densities of bakeries in the world. In France, by law, a bakery must make everything it sells from scratch in order to have the right to be called a bakery. Bread is an important part of French culture.
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One beloved food that generally represents French cuisine is the delicious croissant. However, the croissant was not invented in France. The forerunner to the croissant was the kipferl, first documented in the 13th century in Austria. In late 1839 a Viennese baker in Paris introduced it and the French love affair with the croissant began. |
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France has some of the most decadent desserts in the world. Éclair au chocolat, macarons, puff pastries, tarte tatin, crêpes, flaky pastry profiteroles, pain au chocolat, soufflé, paper thin pancakes, crème brûlée custard, praline flavored Paris-Brest-Paris, layered pastry mille-feuille, sponge cake Madeleines, French apple pie, French lemon tarts, prune cake Far Breton, L'escargot chocolat pistache pastry, clafoutis, Rum soaked Baba au Rhum, chocolate mousse, meringues, and fine chocolates. |
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A national French dish is Pot-au-Feu, a stewed meat and vegetable dish.
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French people actually drink far less wine nowadays, but as always, the wine they drink is of excellent quality.
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Until the French Revolution, France was a monarchy. The Palace of Versailles was built in the 17th century. It was the principal royal residence of France from 1682, under Louis XIV, until the start of the French Revolution in 1789, under Louis XVI. It is located in the department of Yvelines, in the region of Île-de-France, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) southwest of the centre of Paris.
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France is famous for its luxurious ski resorts and skiing tracks in the French Alps. Mont Blanc is the second-highest mountain in Europe after Mount Elbrus. It is the eleventh-most prominent peak in the world. The Mont Blanc massif is popular for outdoor activities such as hiking, climbing, trail running, and winter sports such as skiing and snowboarding. The most popular route is the Goûter Route, which typically takes two days.
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Côte d'Azur is the Mediterranean coast of southeastern France and it is known as the French Riviera. Each year it hosts approximately 50 percent of the world's most expensive yachts. The French Riviera includes famous luxurious resorts like Cannes and Saint-Tropez, but also Monaco - the independent micro-state which is famous for Monte Carlo and its casinos. The main promenade in Cannes is lined with lavish shops like Chanel and Louis Vuitton. Saint-Tropez is known for its glitzy nightlife.
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The Cannes Film Festival is in Cannes, France located on the French Riviera. The population of the city is over 75,000 people. The festival lasts approximately two weeks. It previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from around the world. Founded in 1946, the invitation-only festival is held annually (usually in May) at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès. It is one of the "Big Five" film festivals, alongside the Venice Film Festival in Italy, the Berlin International Film Festival in Germany, the Toronto International Film Festival in Canada, and the Sundance Film Festival in the United States. The Big Five are internationally acclaimed for giving creators the artistic freedom to express themselves through film. On March 20, 2020, organizers announced the postponement of the Cannes Film Festival 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. |
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France is famous for its 'beaux-arts' (fine arts). Paris is considered the culture capital of the world. France has been home to many influential and great painters, artisans, and sculptors. To name several: Edgar Degas, Eugene Delacroix, Edouard Manet, Camille Pissarro, Henri Rousseau, Henri Matisse, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Marcel Duchamp, Paul Gauguin, Paul Cézanne. The most notable French sculptor was Auguste Rodin. The two most notable French artists were Claude Monet and Henri Matisse.
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Vincent van Gogh was Dutch, born in Zundert in the Netherlands in 1853. During his time in France, he lived in Paris, Arles and Saint-Remy-de-Provence, and finally in Auvers-sur-Oise outside Paris. He spent much of his life at a painter in France. In 1888, after a few years living in Paris, van Gogh moved to the South of France. The unique light in Provence fascinated him and the quality of life there suited him.
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France has produced some of the world's most influential writers and philosophers. Descartes and Pascal are from the 17th century, Voltaire is from the 18th century, Baudelaire and Flaubert are from the 19th century, and Sartre and Camus are from the 20th century. To date, France has won more Noble Prizes for Literature than any other country.
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In Search of Lost Time (French: À la recherche du temps perdu), also translated as Remembrance of Things Past, is a novel in seven volumes by Marcel Proust (1871-1922). It is his most prominent work, known for its length and its theme of involuntary memory, the most famous example of which is the "episode of the madeleine," which occurs early in the first volume. It gained fame in English in translations by C. K. Scott Moncrieff and Terence Kilmartin as Remembrance of Things Past, but the title In Search of Lost Time, a literal rendering of the French, became ascendant after D.J. Enright adopted it for his revised translation published in 1992.
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Alexandre Dumas was a French writer. His works have been translated into numerous languages, and he is one of the most widely read French authors. Many of his historical novels of high adventure were originally published as serials, including The Count of Monte Cristo, The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, and The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later.
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Marie Skłodowska Curie was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist. She fled to France from Poland to survive. She conducted pioneering research on radioactivity from her laboratory in Paris. As part of the Curie family legacy of five Nobel Prizes, she was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person and the only woman to win the Nobel Prize twice, and the only person to win the Nobel Prize in two scientific fields. She was also the first woman to become a professor at the University of Paris. |
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The music of France reflects a diverse array of styles. In the field of classical music, France has produced several prominent romantic composers, while folk and popular music have seen the rise of the chanson and cabaret style.
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Even though it is the English Channel, it is still something that France is famous for. The body of water that separates France and England is the busiest shipping area in the world, and known worldwide for the iconic underwater tunnel.
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The Tour de France started in 1903. It is an annual men's multiple stage bicycle race primarily held in France. It has been described as the world's most prestigious and most difficult bicycle race. |
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France is one of the countries that have the honor of hosting Formula 1 races, and it is famous for the French Grand Prix. It is one of the oldest motor races in the world, and also the first Grand Prix. Monaco is another country that hosts the (Monte Carlo) Grand Prix. One of the greatest Formula 1 drivers of all time is from France - Alain Prost. He held the record for most wins for a long time. He is currently the fourth driver with most wins, preceded by Schumacher, Hamilton, and Vettel. |
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France was a pioneer in the automotive industry and is the 11th-largest automobile manufacturer in the world by 2015 unit production and the third largest in Europe (after Germany and Spain). The French car market has consistently developed. The top five French car brands are Renault, Peugeot, Citroën, Alpine, and Bugatti. |
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Disneyland Paris is the only Disneyland in Europe. It is in Chessy, France, 32 km (20 miles) east of the centre of Paris. It has two theme parks, many resort hotels, Disney Nature Resorts, shopping, dining, an entertainment complex, a golf course, and several recreational and entertainment venues.
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The French perfume industry is legendary. Their products are in demand worldwide and are exported to over 100 countries. Some of France's most famous perfume brands are Vichy, L'Oreal, Lancôme, Guerlain, Clarins, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Lacroix, Givenchy, Christian Louboutin, Yves Rocher, and L'Occitane. Grasse in France is known as the world's capital of perfume. |
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France is famous for its influence in the fashion world. Paris is one of four fashion capitals of the world, hosting fashion weeks and other noteworthy fashion events. The other three fashion capitals are New York, Milan, and London. France has designer labels that dominate the fashion market. Some of the most prominent fashion brands include Yves Saint Laurent, Dior, Chanel, Balmain, Louis Vuitton, Christian Louboutin, Thierry Mugler, Givenchy, and Pierre Cardin. |
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France is famous for the beret, a flat-crowned hat that was originally part of military uniforms, but is now a fashion statement. The beret is commonly associated with French cultural identity. However, in 2020, very few French people wear a beret. |
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The face of most CPR dolls in existence was modeled after an unidentified girl whose lifeless body was found in the Seine River in France during the late 1880s. She was never identified and she was called L'Inconnue.
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Homing pigeons have played an important role in war. Due to their homing ability, speed, and altitude, they were often used as military messengers. A carrier pigeon's job was dangerous. Nearby enemy soldiers tried to shoot down pigeons, knowing they were carrying important messages. Some pigeons became famous among the infantrymen. One pigeon, named "The Mocker," flew 52 missions before he was wounded.
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In 1915, the French Army became the first to create a dedicated camouflage unit. The word camouflage comes from the French verb meaning to make up for the stage. Its practitioners, many of whom were artists, were known as camoufleurs. They painted guns and vehicles.
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If you are in France on 1 April, don't be surprised if children attempt to secretly tape paper fish to your back. April Fools' Day is known for poisson d'avril (April Fish). The tradition dates back to 1564. People, especially children, attempt to attach a paper fish to someone's back without being noticed. |
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French musicians Jean Hotteterre and Michel Danican Philidor invented the oboe in the 17th century. The instrument's success was established at the court of Louis XIV and spread across Europe. By 1700 most orchestras included oboes.
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Turning a baguette upside down is considered unlucky in France.
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Like many European cities, Paris was founded by the Romans, in the third century BC. Back then it was named Lutetia. In Latin, Lutetia means place near a swamp. The name Paris is from the Parisii, a Celtic community that lived on the banks of the River Seine.
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The Eiffel Tower in Paris is an important symbol of France. Its iron-wrought lattice tower was originally constructed to commemorate the centennial of the French Revolution. It is named after Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923), a French engineer who also worked with Auguste Bartholdi, designer of the Statue of Liberty that France gave to America on July 4, 1884. The Eiffel Tower was the main exhibition of World's Fair 1889. The Eiffel Tower is probably the most popular sight in France. On 28th November 2002, the Eiffel Tower received its 200,000,000th guest.
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The Louvre, or the Louvre Museum, is the world's largest art museum and a historic monument. It was originally built to be a household castle at the end of the 12th century for French Kings. In 1692 the palace was converted to a museum by Louis XIV and displayed the royal collection. It is one of the most famous tourist and art attractions in Paris. It receives more than ten million visitors annually. It is known for the glass pyramid and Da Vinci's Mona Lisa painting. |
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This medieval Catholic cathedral is an iconic sight, and it is one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. Notre-Dame is one of the top three tourist attractions in Paris. The bell of Notre-Dame tips the scale at 13 tons. It is as famous as the cathedral, and it also has a name - Emmanuel.
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The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris, commonly known as Sacré-Cæur Basilica, is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in Paris, France. A popular landmark, the basilica stands at the summit of the butte Montmartre, the highest point in the city. Sacré-Cæur Basilica is above all a religious (Catholic) building, shown by its perpetual adoration of the Holy Eucharist since 1885, and is also seen as a double monument, political and cultural, both a national penance for the defeat of France in the 1870 Franco-Prussian War and for the socialist Paris Commune of 1871 crowning its most rebellious neighborhood, and an embodiment of conservative moral order, publicly dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which was an increasingly popular devotion since the visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque in Paray-le-Monial. Paul Abadie designed the basilica. Construction began in 1875 and was completed in 1914. The basilica was consecrated after the end of World War I in 1919. |
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The Place du Tertre is a square in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, France. Only a few streets away from Montmartre's Basilica of the Sacré Cæur and the Lapin Agile, it is near the summit of the city's elevated Montmartre quarter. Place du Tertre was the heart of the prestigious Benedictine Montmartre Abbey, established in 1133 by King Louis VI. Montmartre Abbey thrived through the centuries and until the French revolution under the patronage of the Kings of France. Place du Tertre was opened to the public in 1635 as Montmartre village Central Square. From the end of the 18th century until World War One, the whole Montmartre Boheme could be seen here: painters, songwriters, and poets. |
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The globally renowned cabaret, The Moulin Rouge, is in the heart of Paris' Red Light District. It is a popular tourist attraction and the most famous French cabaret. Today, the theatre has approximately 80 performers on rotation year-round. It also has dinner meals and magic shows. The original building was built in 1889, and it is known for the red windmill on the roof. The original building burned down in 1915, and was closed for six years.
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In 1862, Charles Garnier started building the famous Opéra de Paris, which would later be given his name, Palais Garnier. He encountered a serious issue; the swampy ground on which he planned to build endangered the building's foundations. He built a concrete liner filled with water to block infiltrations. Inaccessible to the public, the 10,000-cubic-meter lake is today used by the scuba divers of the Paris fire brigade for their training.
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Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris SG, or simply Paris or PSG, is a French professional football club based in Paris. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. PSG are France's most successful club, having won over forty competitive honours, including nine league titles and one major European trophy. Their home ground is the Parc des Princes. |
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Despite an incredible amount of traffic, there are no "Stop" signs and no "Do Not Enter" signs in Paris. Paris has a "Priority To The Right" across the whole city. Paris has traffic lights and on the Saint Exupéry dock, at the exit of a construction company, was the one and only "Stop" sign in Paris. In 2012, a "No Left Turn" sign replaced it. Paris holds the world record for the fewest number of stop signs.
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There is much more about Paris. Please research further on your own, if you wish to learn more. |
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