Throughout history, France
has always played a pivotal role in Europe. From Art to Politics to Architecture,
it is a fascinating place. Here is some background information to consider
before your trip.
An Overview of France
for Travelers
The official name of the
country is the French Republic. The French Republic covers an area of 220,668
square miles. This makes it the largest country in Western Europe, which
is about 80 percent the size of Texas for comparison purposes. The capital
of France is Paris. Other major cities of note include the port city of
Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Strasbourg, Nice, Rennes, Lille and Bordeaux
in the famous wine region of the same name. If you have ever watched the
Tour de France, you know the terrain in France varies from majestic mountain
peaks to flat plains to beautiful coast line along the southern and western
borders of the country. This gives the country various climatic conditions
ranging from very cool in the mountain areas to downright hot in the southern
beach locations such as Nice.
Citizens of the French Republic
are designated with the name French. The total population exceeds 62.4
million with a strong annual growth rate of over 2 percent. Ethnicity is
broken down as Celtic and Latin for strong influences of Teutonic, Slavic,
North African, Sub-Saharan African, Indochinese and Basque minorities.
The strong minority base is due to two facts, a lax immigration policy
and the migration of peoples from former colonies of France during its
more imperial periods.
Despite the massive immigrant
influx over time, France is a largely uniform religious society. Over 90
percent of all French claim the Roman Catholic faith as their religion
of choice. Strong Muslim population sectors, however, exist and are growing
rapidly through immigration. The official language of the country is French
and it is also the dominant language used in daily life. The literacy rate
for France is over 99 percent, which makes sense given the free, compulsory
education system.
As this overview of France
demonstrates, it has played a major role in European history. This makes
it a great travel destination since much of the country has historical
value, which you can experience by just walking down the street.
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