France

📖 In short

France is the biggest country in western Europe by area, facing the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Its capital is Paris, on the Seine, one of the most famous cities in the world for art, science and museums.

🤩 Did you know?

France's capital is Paris.
The official language is French, and the currency is the euro.
About a sixth of France's people live in Paris and its suburbs.
Every summer France holds the famous cycle race, the “Tour de France”.

🗂️ Fact file

Capital: Paris
Official language: French
Official name: French Republic
Currency: The franc
Area: France's area, including Corsica, is 551,500 km²
Population: 2000 estimate: 59,024,000 people

🔎 Find out more

🌟 The Eiffel Tower

Paris has the iron Eiffel Tower, built more than 130 years ago for a big exhibition, and it became France's most famous symbol. At night it lights up with thousands of bulbs.

🔍 Varied landscapes

France has the snowy Alps with Mont Blanc, warm beaches in the south, green plains, lots of rivers, and old castles along the River Loire.

💡 Bread and cheese

The French are famous for the long loaf called the “baguette”, hundreds of kinds of cheese, pastries and croissants.

🎯 Museums and monuments

Paris has the Louvre museum, home of the Mona Lisa, Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Arc de Triomphe and the old Sorbonne university.

📸 More pictures

🧩 Test yourself

1 What is France's most famous symbol?

2 Which river is Paris on?

3 Paris has the iron Eiffel Tower, built more than ?? years ago for a big exhibition, and it became France's most famous symbol.

4 Which picture shows “France”?

🌍 Discover more

📷 Picture sources: Wikimedia Commons

Dennis G. Jarvis · CC BY-SA 2.0
Anthony Baratier · CC BY-SA 4.0
kallerna · CC BY-SA 4.0