According to countryaah, France is located in Western Europe and is the largest country on this continent and the European Union. The Republic of France is subdivided into twenty-seven regions, which in turn are subdivided into one hundred and one departments. Twenty-two of these regions are found in Europe, the others being overseas territories of France. These include French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte and Réunion. In addition, and more overseas areas belong to France, but these are not part of the European Union and can therefore not be paid with the euro.
France has been inhabited for many centuries. The Celts have settled here since the seventh century BC. These were expelled by the Romans in the first century BC. The Romans clearly left traces, some of which can still be seen today. After the Romans came the Franks who founded the Frankish empire here. This would turn out to be the forerunner of today’s France. In the centuries that followed, many things happened and many wars were waged, but the Kingdom of France remained fairly unchanged. In the seventeenth century, Louis XIV, the Sun King, came to power and made France an absolute monarchy.
In 1789 the French Revolution took place. The storming of the Bastille was the beginning of the revolution that would make France a Republic. A few years after the French Revolution, Napoleon came to power that would add large parts of Europe to France. He was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. In the twentieth century, France played an important role in both the First and Second World Wars.
In between all these wars, the country has produced some of the foremost painters and writers. The beautiful French landscape has served as a source of inspiration for many painters. Some well-known examples of this are Claude Monet, Pierre-August Renoir, Paul Gauguin, Edgar Degas and Eugene Delacroix. Some famous French writers are Victor Hugo, Jules Verne, Jean-Paul Sartre, Honoré de Balzac and Moliére.
France has been one of the favorite holiday countries among the Dutch for years. In principle, people travel all year round to the various cities and regions, but France is extremely popular especially in the summer period. On the French toll roads you see plenty of cars driving with Dutch license plates. Not infrequently you see a caravan or folding trailer behind it. There are also many people who opt for the convenience of a holiday home, hotel or mobile home. For example, Roan offers nice mobile homes in various places in France. The Côte d’Azur, Ardèche, Dordogne, Provence and Languedoc-Roussillon are particularly popular as camping destinations. Those who prefer to stay in a holiday home can do so at Interhome choose from a large number of holiday homes in various regions.
France is a destination that you can visit any time of the year. The summer holidays are very popular for a trip to France, but this fantastic country actually has something to offer every season. Think, for example, of the beautiful autumn colors that appear in the autumn or the wintry winters in the French Alps that can provide a lot of winter sports pleasure.
Sights
There are many places of interest in France, and it is not for nothing that France has been the most popular holiday destination for the Dutch for years. Every region, region, city or village has its own sights. In addition, there are of course the sights that France is known for. These can simply be divided into three parts, the historical sites, museums, amusement parks and culinary attractions.
For example, historic sites include the Eiffel Tower, the Pont du Gard, Mont Saint-Michel, Chambord Castle and the Palace of Versailles.
Some of the most famous museums in the world can be found in France. The Louvre is without doubt the best known of these, this museum has been the most visited museum in the world for years. Other famous museums in France include Center Georges Pompidou, Musée d’Orsay, Musée du quai Branly, Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille and the Musée National de Préhistoire.
Famous amusement parks and zoos in France include Disneyland Paris, Marinaland, Parc Zoologique de la Palmyre, Zooparc Beauval and Parc Astérix.
Besides all these highlights, France is also known for its culinary highlights. Some of the most refined products in the world come from France. Who is not familiar with the excellent French wines or the delicious French cheeses. Many of these products come under the Appellation d’Origine Protégée (AOP). This means that products may only be called that if they are produced in a certain region or region. The most famous example of this is champagne.
UNESCO
France had thirty-eight entries on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2012. There are too many to discuss them all in this section, so we will stick to what we consider to be the most special entries in France.
The first inscriptions in France on the World Heritage List in France took place in 1979. This included some of the most beautiful sights of France such as; Mont Saint-Michel, the Palace and Park of Versailles and the Basilica of Vézelay. In the years that followed, the Palace of Fontainebleau, Notre-Dame de Amiens and the Pont du Gard were added. Other inscriptions worth mentioning in France are the Popes’ Palace in Avignon, the Canal du Midi, the fortified city of Carcassonne and the Abbey of Fontenay. There are also a few cities or parts of cities on the list, such as the historic center of Lyon, the banks of the Seine in Paris, the episcopal city of Albi, the rebuilt city of Le Havre, the town of Provins and the historic center of Bordeaux.. Strangely enough, none of the major tourist attractions in Paris such as the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, the Sacre Coeur or the Notre Dame are on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Climate
In France there are three climate types and if you include the high mountain climate in some places in the Alps and in the Pyrenees, there are four climate types. Most of France has a temperate maritime climate. The climate in these parts of France is influenced by the Atlantic Ocean. In these parts of France there are few temperature extremes and the climate is very pleasant for most of the year. Long periods of frost can occur in some parts of the country. This especially in the more northern and more inland parts of France.
In the mountain ranges of France the temperate country climate occurs and on the highest peaks of these mountain ranges even the high mountain climate. The temperatures in this climate can be much further apart than in the other parts of France.
The most pleasant climate of France can be found in the area around the Mediterranean Sea and in Corsica. This part of France has a warm Mediterranean climate. The temperatures in the summer months are very pleasant here and in the winter the mercury rarely drops below freezing. The sea temperature of the Mediterranean Sea is ideal for swimming in the summer months.
Because France is a very large country, the temperature difference within France can sometimes rise to twenty degrees Celsius.
Geography
France is the largest country entirely in Europe, only Russia and Kazakhstan are larger but only a small part of this is in Europe. France has borders with Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Spain and Andorra. France is located in the west on the Channel, the Atlantic Ocean and the Bay of Biscay and in the southeast on the Mediterranean Sea. The island of Corsica, which belongs to France, is located entirely in the Mediterranean Sea.
The longest river running through France is the Loire, which rises in the Ardéche and flows into the Atlantic Ocean more than a thousand kilometers later. Other well-known rivers that flow through France are the Seine, the Rhone, the Meuse, the Moselle, the Garonne and the Dordogne. The Rhine partly forms the border between France and Germany.
There are three major mountain ranges in France. The Massif Central, as the name suggests, is located in the central southeastern part of France and is the lowest of the three French mountain ranges. At 1,886 meters, the Puy de Sancy is the highest mountain in the Massif Central. The Pyrenees lie in the south on the border with Spain. The highest peak in this mountain range is the Aneto at 3404 meters. The Alps are located in the southeast of France. the Alps form a large part of the border with Italy and Switzerland. With 4808 meters, Mont Blanc is the highest point in the Alps and in France. It has long been thought that this was also the highest point in Europe, but this honor now goes to a mountain in the Ural Mountains.
Paris is the largest city in France, other major cities in France are Lyon, Marseilles, Toulouse, Nice, Nantes and Strasbourg. Despite the fact that more than sixty million people live in France, it is one of the least populated countries in Europe.
Travel advice
France is generally seen as a safe country, yet the travel advice of the ministry has been on ‘be vigilant’ for some time. This is mainly due to the disturbances that can occur in the suburbs of Paris and other major cities of Paris.
The risk of attacks in France is greater than in many other European countries as France gets involved in many international conflicts. This creates an increased risk of attacks, airports, train stations and metro stations can be the targets of this. Places where many foreigners come together, such as tourist attractions or museums, can also be a target.
Pickpockets can be active in major cities, at tourist attractions and in public transport. Be vigilant about this. Pay extra attention to your personal belongings in these places and avoid empty compartments and back streets.
Travel documents
France is one of the Schengen countries, which ensures that residents of other Schengen countries can travel freely between the different countries. Tourists from outside one of the Schengen countries can apply for a standard visa, which has a duration of 3 months and money for all Schengen countries. However, you must be in possession of a valid ID and since 2012 this also applies to children.
Info table
| Capital city | Paris |
| Phone (country code) | 33 |
| Internetdomein | .fr |
| Language(s) (official) | Frans |
| Language(s) (colloquial) | French and some related dialects |
| Religion(s) | Catholic |
| Time zone(s) | UTC+1 |
| Time difference summer | In France, time runs parallel with the Netherlands |
| Time difference winter | In France, time runs parallel with the Netherlands |
| Daylight Saving Time Control | is |
| Currency | euro |
