Guide Note

France is a Western European country bordered by Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Andorra and Spain. France is also connected to England via the Channel Tunnel which is a 31 mile tunnel comprised of three interconnected tubes and travels for 23 miles through the English Channel.¹

France was the top tourist destination in the world in 2007 with approximately 82 million visitors.² French exports include wine, cheese, bread, makeup and cosmetics.³

Fast Facts

Capital: Paris
Government: Republic
Prime Minister: François Fillon
Population: 64,057,790 (July 2008 est.)⁴
Currency: Euro (€)
Official Language: French
Anthem: La Marseillaise

The Channel Tunnel Train

Connects France and England via a tunnel¹
Also known as the "Chunnel¹
Cost $15 billion dollars to construct¹
Average depth is 150 feet under the seabed¹
Only 20 minutes are spent traveling through the tunnel on Eurostar trains¹
1994: Officially opened by President Francois Mitterand of France and HRH Queen Elizabeth II of England¹

French Islands and Territories

Réunion: Located in the Indian Ocean and is part of the Mascarene Archipelago⁵
Mayotte: Known as "the perfume island" it is the southernmost of the islands of the Comoro⁵
Martinique: Located in the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean⁵
Guadeloupe: An archipelago in the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean⁵
French Guiana: Located between Surinam and Brazil, in the northeastern region of South America⁵
St Pierre and Miquelon: Located off the Canadian coast, in the northwest Atlantic Ocean
New Caledonia: Part of of a group of islands which make up Melanesia and is in the Pacific Ocean⁵
French Polynesia: Consists of several islands in the southern Pacific Ocean, including Tahiti⁵
Wallis and Futuna: Part of Polynesian Oceania, the archipelago is made from three volcanic islands, Wallis, Futuna and Alofi⁵
French Southern and Antarctic Lands (TAAF): Part of Antarctica and located in the southern zone of the Indian Ocean, the TAAF consists of the islands of St Paul and Amsterdam, the Crozet Islands and Kerguelen Islands and Terre Adélie⁵

Popular Destinations

Categories

Geography | Travel | Western Europe | Countries

View Note History

France

The Mahalo Top 7

Official French Government Tourism Office site: FranceGuide
Official Site: Embassy of France in the U.S.
Wikipedia: France
CIA World Factbook: France
Foreign & Commonwealth Office: France
Mahalo's pages on History of France
BBC News: France

France Recent News

BBC News: EU Plans Georgia Peace Monitors (August 13, 2008)
Xinhua: China Calls on France to Make Joint Efforts... (August 13, 2008)
BBC News: Dalai Lama Begins Visit to France (August 12, 2008)
Sydney Morning Herald: France Still World's Top Tourist Destination (June 6, 2008
Google News: France News Search
Le Figaro: French Newspaper
Topix: France News
Expatica: France
newsnabou.com: France News
French News: France's English Language Newspaper

France Vacation

Mahalo's page on Paris
Mahalo's page on Paris Vacation
Mahalo's page on Paris Hotels
Mahalo's page on Paris Restaurants
Mahalo's page on Paris Tours

France Travel Information

Official Website: French Government Tourist Office
Lonely Planet: France
JustFrance: France Travel Guide
UNESCO World Heritage Centre: France

French Riviera

Wikipedia: French Riviera
Riviera Times: The Riviera Times Online
Travel Channel: French Riviera Photos
Guideriviera: French Riviera News

France Politics

Mahalo's page on French Elections
Wikipedia: Politics of France| Liberalism and Radicalism in France
Wikipedia: History of the Left in France| History of the Far-right in France| Anarchism in France
Palgrave-journals.com: French Politics

France Government

Wikipedia: Government of France| Constitution of France
Official Site: Prime Minister
Official Site: President of France
Official Site: Official Constitution of France
Official Site: The French National Assembly
Official Site: French Senate
Official Site: Supreme Court of the Magistrate

France Foreign/International Relations

Official Site: France diplomate Diplomatic News
Official Site: Embassy of France in the United States: Foreign Policy
Official Site: Council on Foreign Relations
France diplomatie: Defence- A new strategy for a new international enviorment

France Economy

Official Site: Bank of France
Official Site: French Economic and Social Council
Official Site: National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies
Hertiage Foundation: Index of Economic Freedom: France
International Monetary Fund: France and the IMF
The Economist: France

France Military

Wikipedia: Military of France| Army| Navy| Air Force| National Gendarmerie
Official Site: Ministry of Defence
Official Site: Army| French Navy| Air Force
Un-Official Site: French Fleet Air Army
GlobalSecurity: France Nuclear Forces

France Facts and History

Mahalo's page on History of France
Wikipedia: History of France
U.S. Department of State: France Facts
World History Database: History of France
Embassy of France: History
University of North Carolina: French History Timeline

Napoleon

Mahalo's page on Napoleon Bonaparte
Wikipedia: Napoleon of France
Official Site: International Napoleonic Society

French Revolution

Wikipedia: French Revolution
Center for History and New Media: Exploring the French Revolution
Internet Modern History Sourcebook: French Revolution

Normandy

Mahalo's page on Normandy Vacation
Wikipedia: Normandy| Battle of Normandy
Official Site of Tourism: Normandy
Claribole: Normandie Photos

Algerian War

Wikipedia: Algerian War
TIME: French-Algerian War
GlobalSecurity: Algerian National Liberation (1954-1962)

France Maps and Geography

Creative Commons image by "CIA World Factbook"

Creative Commons image by "CIA World Factbook"

WorldAtlas.com: France Maps
Embassy of France: France Map
Wikipedia: Geography of France
Earth Observatory NASA: The Topography of France

France Capital

Mahalo's page on Paris
Mahalo's page on Paris Vacation
Mahalo's page on Paris Hotels
Mahalo's page on Paris Restaurants
Mahalo's page on Paris Tours
Mahalo's page on French Open
Official Site: Eiffel Tower
Paris-Live: Eiffle Tower Webcams
BBC Weather: Paris

France Major Cities

Mahalo's page on Nice
Mahalo's page on Cannes
Mahalo's page on Saint-Tropez
Mahalo's page on Lyon
Wikipedia: Nice| Cannes| Saint-Tropez| Lyon
Nicetourism: Nice Tourism
Canneslions: Highlights of Cannes 2007
Official Site of Tourism: Saint-Tropez Tourism
OnlyLyon Tourism: Lyon

French Riviera

Wikipedia: French Riviera
BusinessRiviera.com: French Riviera History
Riviera Times: Riviera Times
Riviera Magazine: Riviera Magazine

France Channel Tunnel

Wikipedia: Channel Tunnel
Official Site: Eurotunnel
RailEurope: The Channel Tunnel
Tunnels.mottmac.com: Channel Tunnel

France Photos

National Geographic: France Text, Photos and Video
TrekEarth: France Photos
TravellersPoint: Featured Photos of France
Offrench.net: France in Photos
Flickr: France

France Videos

Video Jug: France
Wondersoftheworld: France
Daily Motion: France Videos| France Documentaries
Google Video: France| France Documentaries

France Culture

Mahalo's page on French Food
Mahalo's page on French Wine
Wikipedia: Culture of France
Kwintessential: France- French Culture, Customs and Etiquette
Library of Congress: Creating French Culture

France Sports

Mahalo's page on Tour de France
Mahalo's page on French Open
Wikipedia: Football in France | Rugby union in France | Rugby league in France
Official Site: International Federation of Association Football- France
Official Site: Rugby World Cup
Official Site: Vendee Globe

France's other Cultural Areas

Wikipedia: IRCAM ('Institut royal de la culture amazighe')
Official Site: IRCAM
Official Site: Louvre
Official Site: Chateau de Versailles
Official Site: Film France
Balletcompanies.com: Ballet Companies of France

France Humor and Satire

Wikipedia: Marhurin Regnier
Understandfrance.org: French Attitudes
Faxtoons.com: Political Jokes: French Jokes
MagazineArt.org: French Humor Magazine Covers
YouTube: Speak english in french! Funny!!(Time 1:22)
YouTube: The French Revolution - The History of The World Part 1
YouTube: French Taunting - Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Related Searches

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