France - Pháp

France is a country belonging to Europe. France has a number of islands and territories scattered across many other continents. France shares borders with Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Andorra and Spain. In some of its overseas territories, France shares land borders with Brazil, Suriname and Sint Maarten (Netherlands). France is also connected to Great Britain via the Channel Tunnel, which runs under the English Channel.

overview

France is the largest country in Western Europe and the third largest in Europe and has the second largest exclusive economic zone in the world. The important values ​​of this institution are embodied in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 1789 (Déclaration des Droits de l'Homme et du Citoyen). For more than 500 years, France has been a great power with strong cultural, economic, military and political influence in the country. Europe and worldwide. From the 17th to 20th centuries, France established the second largest colonial empire in the world, covering vast tracts of land in North, West and Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and many islands in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean.

France is a democratic country under a unitary semi-presidential republic. The country is an industrialized and developed country, having the fifth largest economy in the world by GDP, ninth by purchasing power parity and second largest in the world. Europe according to nominal GDP. France is rated by the World Health Organization as the "best overall health care country" in the world and the most visited country in the world with 79.5 million visitors. abroad every year.

France has the fifth largest nominal defense budget in the world and the largest per capita defense budget in the Union Europe, the third largest in NATO. The country possesses the third largest nuclear arsenal in the world with about 300 operational nuclear warheads as of May 25, 2010.

As the country with the second largest network of diplomatic relations in the world (after the United States), France is one of the founding countries of the Alliance. Europe, located in the euro area and the Schengen area. France is a founding member of NATO and the United Nations, and one of five permanent members on the United Nations Security Council.

In addition, France is considered to be at the top of the list of countries that sleep the most in the world. The average person in France sleeps 8.83 hours a day, the highest among developed nations, according to the latest figures from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

History

The borders of modern France are roughly similar to those of ancient Gaule, once inhabited by the Celts Gaule. Gaule was conquered by Julius Caesar's Rome in the first century BC, and the Gauls later adopted the Roman language (Latin, introduced into the French language) and Roman culture. Catholicism began to take root here in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, and began to have a solid foundation from the fourth and fifth centuries to the point where St. Jerome wrote that Gaule was the only region "free from heresy". In the Middle Ages, the French demonstrated this by calling themselves “the most Catholic Kingdom of France.” In the 4th century AD, Gaule's eastern border along the Rhine was occupied by Germanic tribes. , mainly Franks, invaded, and that is the origin of the word "Francie". The name "France" comes from the name of a feudal kingdom of the Capetian kings of France around Paris. The kingdom existed as a separate entity from the Treaty of Verdun (843), after Charlemagne divided the Carolingian empire into East Francia, Central Francia, and West Francia. Western Francia occupied an area roughly equivalent to present-day France. The Carolingian dynasty ruled France until 987, when Hugues Capet, Duke of France and Count of Paris, was crowned King of France. In his later generations, the Capetian, Valois, and Bourbon dynasties gradually unified the country through a series of wars and land inheritances. Feudalism reached its peak in the 17th century under King Louis XIV. During this period France had the largest population in Europe (see Demographics of France) and had a great influence on European politics, economy and culture. During the terrible Seven Years' War (1756 - 1763), France fought Britain in Europe and also its colonies in India and America for hegemony.[14] In 1759, the French were defeated in many battles in Canada and lost Quebec City to the British.[15] Not only that, in 1757, with a thunderous blow, the elite Prussian warriors, with a high spirit of discipline, destroyed the Franco-Austrian alliance in the bloody battle at Rossbach.[16] [17] Towards the end of this period, France played an important role in the American Revolution, providing money and some weapons to the rebels against the British Empire.

The monarchy lasted until the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789. King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette, were killed along with thousands of other French citizens. After a series of short-lived governments, Napoleon Bonaparte took control of the Republic in 1799, making himself Consul, and later Emperor of what is now known as the First French Empire. (1804-1814). During the wars, he conquered most of mainland Europe, and members of the Bonaparte family were appointed kings in the newly formed kingdoms. In 1813, Napoleon's elite army was crushed by the alliance of Prussia - Russia - Austria - Sweden in a fierce battle at Leipzig.[18] After Napoleon was defeated in 1815 at the Battle of Waterloo, the army The old French owner was re-established. In 1830, a civil revolt established the constitutional July Monarchy, which lasted until 1848. The brief Second Republic ended in 1852 when Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte proclaimed the establishment of the Second French Empire. two. Louis-Napoléon was ousted after his great defeat in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 and was replaced by the Third Republic. France had to pay a large amount of war expense to the victorious Prussia, and was also severely exhausted and degraded. In 1873, the last Prussian soldier withdrew from France.[19]

Eugène Delacroix - La Liberté guidant le peuple ("Liberty guides the People"), a symbol of the French Revolution of 1830 France owned colonies of various forms from the early 17th century until the 1960s. In 19th and 20th centuries, their global colonial empire was the second largest in the world after the British Empire. At its peak, between 1919 and 1939, the second French colonial empire exceeded 12,347,000 square kilometers (4,767,000 sq. mi) of land. Including the Mother Country of France, the total land area under French sovereignty reached 12,898,000 square kilometers (4,980,000 square miles) in the 1920s and 1930s, accounting for 8.6% of the world's land area. During World War I In the first world, the Germans destroyed so many French soldiers that it was difficult for the French to recover and had to rely on the British.[20] At the end of the War, France won a Pyrrhic victory, incurring enormous human and material losses (so it was almost like defeat) that weakened them in the following decades. . The 1930s were marked by numerous social reforms introduced by the Popular Front Government. During World War II, after a brief, violent and strategic mistake, France was defeated. [22] The French leadership decided to surrender to the Germans in 1940. The policy of cooperation with the Germans, an act that was opposed by some, led to the creation of Free French Forces outside the country. France and the French Resistance are inside. France was liberated by the Allies in 1944. The French Fourth Republic was established after World War II, and struggled to regain its economic and political status as a great power. France struggled to hold on to its colonial empire but quickly fell into crisis. The reluctant attempt in 1946 to regain control of French Indochina led to the First Indochina War, which ended in defeat and their withdrawal in 1954. Only a few months later, France was faced with with a new and fiercer conflict than that of their main and oldest colony, Algeria. The debate over whether to retain control of Algeria later led to more than 1 million European settlers. Europe here returned home, causing disagreement and almost led to civil war. In 1958, the ailing and unstable Fourth Republic gave way to the Fifth Republic, with the expansion of presidential powers; In this role, Charles de Gaulle sought to strengthen the country and take steps to end the war. The Algerian War of Independence ended with peace negotiations in 1962 with Algeria regaining its independence. In recent decades, French reconciliation and cooperation with Germany played a central role in their development. the political and economic integration of the European Union, including the issuance of the euro in January 1999. France has always been at the forefront of the European Union member states seeking to exploit advantages of a common currency to create a European Union with a unified view, homogenizing politics, defense and security at a higher level. However, French voters voted against the Treaty establishing a Common European Constitution in May 2005.

Geography

The main territory of France is located in Western Europe, but France also includes some territories in North America, Caribbean, South America, South Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean and Antarctica (sovereignty claimed in Antarctica is subject to the Antarctic Treaty System). These territories have various forms of government from overseas provinces to "overseas territories".

The main territory of France consists of many geographical regions ranging from the coastal plains in the north and west to the mountains in the southeast (the Alps) and in the southwest (the Pire-series). NS). Western Europe's highest point is located in the French Alps: Mont Blanc is 4,810 meters above sea level. There are many other high-altitude regions such as Massif Central, Jura, Vosges and Ardennes which are rich in rocks and woods. France also has large river systems such as the Loa River, the Ron River, the Garon River, and the Xen River.

With an area of ​​674,843 square kilometers, France is the largest country in Western Europe and the 40th largest country in the world. The main French territory covers an area of ​​551,695 square kilometers (213,010 mi²), slightly larger than Yemen and Thailand, slightly smaller than Kenya and the US state of Texas.

Thanks to the overseas regions and territories scattered across all the oceans of the planet, France possesses the second-largest Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the world with an area of ​​1,1035,000 square kilometers (4,260. 000 mi²), second only to the United States (11,351,000 km² / 4,383,000 mi²), but ahead of Australia (8,232,000 km² / 3,178,000 mi²). The French EEZ accounts for nearly 8% of the total area of ​​all EEZs in the world, while the mainland of the French Republic accounts for only 0.45% of the total surface of the Earth.

Climate

Very diverse, but mild winters and mild summers over most of the territory, and especially in Paris and in Normandy. Mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean and in the southwest (the latter has a lot of rain in winter). Winters are warm (with lots of rain) and summers are cool in the northwest (Brittany). Cool to cold winters and hot summers along the German border (Alsace). Along the Rhône valley, the occasional strong, cold, dry, north-northwesterly wind is called the mistral. Winters are cold with lots of snow in the mountainous regions: the Alps, the Pyrenees and the Auvergne. However, sometimes winter can be mild.

Region

Cannon is divided into 22 administrative regions, among which are grouped into 7 cultural regions:

City

• Paris - the capital, "City of Lights", romance and the Eiffel Tower
• Marseille - third French city, with a large port and in the center of Provence. European Capital of Culture in 2013
• Bordeaux - the city of wine, traditional stone villas and smart terraces
• Bourges - gardens, canals and a church included in the UNESCO heritage list
• Lille - a dynamic northern city called for its beautiful center and active cultural life
• Lyon - second city of France with a history from Roman times to resistance
• Nantes - "Green City" and according to some of the best places to live in Europe
• Strasbourg - famous for its historic center, and home to many European institutions
• Toulouse - "Pink City", with its distinctive brick architecture, the main city of the southern cultural region of Occitania.

Other destinations

• Camargue - one of Europe's largest river deltas and wetlands.
• Corsica - the birthplace of Napoleon, a unique island with a different culture and language (but everyone speaks French too).
• Disneyland Paris - the most visited destination in Europe.
• French Alps - home to the highest mountain in Western Europe, Mont Blanc.
• French Riviera (Côte d'Azur) - France's Mediterranean coast with many elite beaches, yachts and golf courses.
• Loire Valley - Loire Valley is world famous, famous for its wines and castles.
• Luberon - Provence stereotypes of picturesque villages, joie de vivre and wine.
• Mont Saint Michel - the second most visited site in France, a monastery and town built on a tiny rocky outcrop in the sand, cut from the mainland at high tide.
• Verdon Gorge - a beautiful river canyon of a turquoise, green color, great for boating, hiking, climbing or just driving around the limestone cliffs.

Arrive

France is a member of the Schengen Agreement. There is no border control between countries that have signed and implemented international treaties - Union Europe (except for Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland, Romania and the United Kingdom), Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Likewise, visas issued to any Schengen member are valid in all other countries that have signed and implemented the treaty. But beware: not all EU members have signed the Schengen agreement, and not all Schengen members are part of the Union. Europe. This means that there may be a customs check location but no immigration check (traveling within the Schengen area but to/from a non-EU country) or you may have to clear immigration but no customs (traveling within the EU but to/from a non-Schengen country).

Airports in Europe thus divided into "Schengen" and "non-Schengen" areas, which in effect act as "domestic" and "international" parts elsewhere. If you are flying from outside Europe If you become a Schengen country and so on, you will clear immigration and customs in the first country and then proceed to your destination with no further checks. Travel between a Schengen member and a non-Schengen country will result in normal border checks. Note that regardless of whether you are traveling within the Schengen area or not, many airlines will insist on seeing your ID card or passport.

Citizens of the EU and EFTA (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland) countries only need a valid national identity card or passport for entry - otherwise they will need a long-stay visa. any.

People from non-EU/EFTA countries will usually need a passport to enter a Schengen country and most will need a visa.

Only nationals of the following non-EU/EFTA countries do not require a visa to enter the Schengen area: Albania*, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Bosnia and Herzegovina*, Brazil , Brunei, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Japan, Macedonia*, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro*, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, San Marino, Serbia * / **, Seychelles, Singapore, Korea, Taiwan *** (Republic of China), United States, Uruguay, Vatican City, Venezuela, additional British National Officers (in abroad), Hong Kong or Macao. Visa-free non-EU/EFTA visitors may not be able to stay more than 90 days in a 180-day period in the Schengen area in total, not being able to work during the break (although a Some Schengen countries do not allow certain nationalities to work - see below). People count the days from when you enter any country in the Schengen area and do not reset it by leaving a particular Schengen country for a Schengen country, or vice versa. However, New Zealand citizens can stay longer than 90 days if they only visit special Schengen countries.

By air

The largest airport in France is Paris-Charles de Gaule Airport.

Flight to/from Paris

Main international airport, Roissy - Charles de Gaulle (IATA : CDG), -GB/Passagers/Home/, which is likely your port of entry to France if you're flying into France from outside Europe. CDG is home to Air France (AF), the national airline, for most intercontinental flights. AF and the companies that form the SkyTeam alliance (Netherlands KLM, Aeroméxico, Alitalia, Delta Air Lines, Korea Air) use Terminal 2 while most Star Alliance airlines use Terminal No. 1. A third terminal is used mainly for some low-cost and charter flights. If transferring via CDG (especially between different airline terminals) it is important to allow plenty of time between flights. Make sure you don't have less than an hour to travel between stations. Add more if you have to change air terminals because you will need to clear through security.

Switch to a flight in France: AF operates domestic flights from CDG, but a lot of domestic flights, and also some European internal flights, use the airport Orly, Paris's second airport. To transfer to the airport from CDG you can use the free train that connects all the airport terminals, train stations, car parks and airport terminal hotels. To transfer to Orly there is a bus route run by AF (free for AF passengers). The two airports are also linked by a local train (RER) which is slightly less expensive, runs faster but is more cumbersome to use with heavy luggage. AF has an agreement with SNCF, the national rail company, to operate TGVs (see below) out of CDG airports (some trains carry flight numbers). The TGV high speed train station is located in the airport terminal 2 and on the routes of the free shuttle. To transfer to downtown Paris, see Paris.

Several low-cost airlines, including Ryanair and Volare, fly to the airport Beauvais located about 80 km northwest of Paris. Buses to Paris are provided by airlines. Check schedules and fares on their website.

Flight to/from regional airport

Other airports outside of Paris have flights to/from international destinations: Bordeaux, Clermont-Ferrand, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Nice, Toulouse with flights to cities in Western Europe and North Africa, these airports are hubs to smaller airports in France and can be useful to avoid traveling between two Paris airports. Two airports, Basel-Mulhouse and Geneva, are shared by France and Switzerland and can allow entry into either country.

Multiple airlines with flights between regional airports in the UK and France operate:

bmibaby Open direct flights from UK to Chambery, Geneva, Nice, Paris CDG and Toulouse .

British Airways Open direct flights from UK to Angers, Basel (Mulhouse), Bordeaux, Chambery , Geneva, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Paris CDG, Paris Orly, Quimper and Toulouse.

Cityjet Open direct flights from UK to Avignon (Provence), Brest (Brittany), Brive (Dordogne), Deauville (Normandy), Nantes, Paris Orly, Pau (Pyrenees) and Toulon (Cote d'Azur).

easyJet Open direct flights from UK to Basel (Mulhouse), Biarritz, Bordeaux, Geneva , Grenoble, La Rochelle, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Nantes, Nice, Paris CDG, Paris Orly, and Toulouse.

Flybe Open direct flights from UK to Avignon (Provence), Bergerac, Beziers, Bordeaux, Brest (Brittany), Chambery, Clermont-Ferrand, Geneva, La Rochelle, Limoges, Nantes, Nice, Paris CDG, Paris Orly, Pau (Pyrenees), Perpignan, Rennes, Toulouse and Travel.

Jet2.com open direct flights from England to Bergerac, Chambery, Geneva, La Rochelle, Nice, Paris CDG and Toulouse.

Lydd Air operates a short cross-strait shuttle flight between Lydd in Kent and Le Touquet.

Ryanair opens direct flights from the UK to Bergerac, Béziers, Biarritz, Bordeaux, Carcassonne, Dinard (Saint-Malo), Grenoble, La Rochelle, Limoges, Lourdes, Marseille, Montpellier, Nîmes, Perpignan, Poitiers, Rodez, Toulon (Cote d'Azur) and Tours.

By train

The French railway company, SNCF, as well as many others (sometimes in partnership with SNCF), provide direct train service from most European countries using regular trains.

• Eurostar run the French high-speed train from UK and Belgium. Passengers traveling from the UK to France go through a French passport/identity card check in the UK before boarding the train, but not upon arrival in France. Passengers traveling from Brussels to Lille / Calais / Paris are within the Schengen area. Eurostar operates the following routes from France:

Paris (Gare du Nord) directly to London (St Pancras International) (2h 15 min), Ebbsfleet and Ashford and via Lille to Brussels (Zuid-Midi).

Lille (Europe) directly to London (St Pancras International) (1h 20 minutes), Ebbsfleet, Ashford and Brussels (Zuid-Midi)

Calais (Fréthun) directly to London (St Pancras International) (1h 2min; 2-3 days), Ebbsfleet (44min; 3-4 days), Ashford (35min; 1 day) and Brussels (Zuid-Midi) (1h 9min; 2-3 days) 'Note: Although the Brussels Midi-Calais Fréthun cannot be purchased on the Eurostar website, it is available on the Belgian Railways website. [1]

• Thalys use high speed to connect the Paris TGV train to Brussels and onward to cities in the Netherlands and Germany. It can cost a bit more than normal trains.

• Train Inter City run to all parts of Europe, including night train arrival San Sebastian in Spain, Porto and Lisbon in Portugal.

By car

By bus

By boat

Go

Language

The only official language of France is French, according to Article 2 of the 1992 Constitution. However, in Motherland France many local languages ​​such as: highland German variants (known as Alsatian and Lorraine German), Occitan (including Gascon and Provençal), Oïl dialects (such as Picard and Poitevin-Saintongeais), Basque, Breton, Catalan, Corsican and Franco-Provençal. There are also some languages ​​that are sometimes used or understood, mostly by the elderly. Similarly, there are many languages ​​spoken in French overseas territories and regions: Creole languages, Aboriginal languages Americas, Polynesian languages, New Caledonia, Comorian languages. However, the French government and the public school system until recently discouraged the use of such languages. They are now taught in a few schools, although French is the only official language of government, local or national. A number of immigrant languages ​​are also spoken in France, especially in large cities: Portuguese, Arabic Maghreb, many Berber languages, many sub-Saharan African languages, Turkish, Chinese-speaking variants (mostly Wu, Chinese, Teochew, and Mandarin), Vietnamese, and Khmer are also commonly spoken. Many French can speak at least one foreign language (45% can engage in communication in a foreign language according to their own language). a Eurobarometer 62.4 study conducted in 2005), especially in large cities and border regions such as the Pyrenees, Alsace, or the Alps. English (10%), Spanish (34%), German (7%) and Italian It is spoken to varying degrees of proficiency, and many families living along the border are fluent in both languages.

Shopping

Expense

Food

France is a country with exquisite and rich culinary arts. The French are very gourmet and take food seriously. French cuisine is famous for its wine, cheese and dishes like snails or fatty foie gras. Each region has its own unique features. The East has crêpes, Saumur and cider. The North has champagne with famous brands such as Veuve Cliquot, Roederer, Heidseik, Moët & Chandon, Laurent-Perrier... Central has a variety of cheeses, cognacs and Sancerre white wines. Southwest with fatty foie gras and Bordeaux brand. Paris is also very famous for its coffee and cafes. Coffee here is diverse in types and forms of service. Traditional French dishes often use a lot of fat. Today, the eating habits of the French have changed, they eat very little at dinner and breakfast becomes the most important meal of the day. The one who brought the potato plant to Europe was Charles de l'Écluse, son of the city of Arras.

Drinks

Accommodation

Learn

Do

Safe

Medical

To respect

Contact

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