France
Dubbed ‘the most visited country’ in the entire world, France captivates the tourists with a wide variety of attractions and activities. Home to the French Riviera, Castles, Alpine slopes, Atlantic beaches, galleries, museums, et al, France is renowned for history, fashion, culture and gastronomic delights. Situated in the Western Europe, the country is flanked by Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Italy, Spain and Germany.
Visit:
Paris, the capital city is a must visit place that has over 200 art galleries and 80 museums. An art lover’s paradise, the famous museums are Musee d’Orsay, Georges Pompidou Centre of Modern Art, New Quai Branly Museum and the Palais du Louvre. Other highlights in this romantic capital are Eiffel tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Arc de Triomphe and the Sacre Coeur.
Chateau de Versaillers, Loire Valley Chateaux, Corsica Island, Mont St.Michael, Millau Viaduct, Pont du Card, Marseille, Lourdes, Camargue, Cote d’Azur, La Rochelle, et al feature among the significant highlights of the country. The Disneyland Resort in Paris is the best place for family fun. This theme park is situated in Marne La Vallee.
Roman ruins in Arles, ‘the Rome of the Gauls’ and Nimes transport a beholder to the past. The Palace of the Popes is yet another must visit sight in France. France is also home to numerous cathedrals like the Clovis, Reims, et al.
Indulge:
Travellers can pursue a gamut of activities in France that is renowned for its heritage and culture. The major activity that awaits a tourist in France is skiing. The resorts of Chamonix, Val Thorens, La Plagne, Les Arcs, et al are the prominent destinations for a wonderful skiing episode, in the France itinerary. Numerous golf courses like the Le Touquet, Les Bordes, etc attract the golf enthusiasts from across the globe. Renowned for the fine quality white and red wines, France allows the visitors to experience wine tasting as no other where.
The scenic countryside is perfect for cycling, biking and walking. The Rhone Alps region in France is ideally suited mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing, trekking, caving and many other adventure sports. The river Rhone provides perfect setting for fishing, trout fishing and white water rafting. The sprawling coastline of the country offers an opportunity to indulge in water sports like swimming, surfing, cruising, etc.
Taste:
In France, the land of culinary delights, restaurants offer ‘a la carte’ and ‘le menu’ meals. The must taste items in the country are inclusive of Ratatouille (made of courgettes, tomatoes and aubergines), bouillabaisse or fish stew, tapenade, aioli (vegetables and cod served with mayonnaise), choucroute, kugelholf, quenelles de brochet, soufflé grand-marnie ile flottante, ganache, et al.
Enjoy:
For a lively nightlife scene in France, tourists can visit Paris, Marseille and Lyon. The pubs, bars, nightclubs and discos serve a variety of alcohol, play different kinds of music and are open till the early hours of morning. The late night bars and cafes organise a wide variety of entertainment for the visitors. Innumerable casinos in France allow tourists to try a hand at poker and gambling.
Shop:
In France, the must buys are crystal glass, coffee, wines, spirits, lace, antiques, etc. Shoppers can head to Lile for textile items, banks of Seine for books and Arques for crystal ware. Louvre des Antiquaires and Village Suisse are renowned for selling antique furniture. Louvre des Antiquaires, Suisse village, Galleries Lafayette, Printemps, the town centre, et al are the places from where, a visitor can buy a range of products.
Capital
(and largest city) |
Paris
|
Official languages |
French |
Demonym |
French |
Government |
Unitary semi-presidential republic |
|
- |
President |
Nicolas Sarkozy (UMP) |
|
- |
Prime Minister |
François Fillon (UMP) |
Legislature |
Parliament |
|
- |
Upper House |
Senate |
|
- |
Lower House |
National Assembly |
Formation |
|
- |
French State |
843 (Treaty of Verdun) |
|
- |
Current constitution |
1958 (5th Republic) |
EU accession |
25 March 1957 |
Area |
|
- |
Total[1] |
674,843 km2 (40th)
260,558 sq mi |
|
- |
Metropolitan France |
|
- IGN[2] |
551,695 km2 (47th)
213,010 sq mi |
|
- Cadastre[3] |
543,965 km2 (47th)
210,026 sq mi |
Population |
|
(January 1, 2009 estimate) |
|
- |
Total[1] |
65,073,482[5] (19th) |
|
- |
Metropolitan France |
62,448,977[4] (22nd) |
|
- |
Density[6] |
115/km2 (89th)
297/sq mi |
GDP (PPP) |
2007 estimate |
|
- |
Total |
$2.067 trillion[7] (8th) |
|
- |
Per capita |
$34,262[7] (IMF) (18th) |
GDP (nominal) |
2007 estimate |
|
- |
Total |
$2.593 trillion[7] (6th) |
|
- |
Per capita |
$48,012[7] (IMF) (16th) |
Gini (2002) |
26.7 |
HDI (2005) |
▲ 0.952 (high) (10th) |
Currency |
Euro,[8] CFP Franc[9]
(EUR, XPF) |
Time zone |
CET[6] (UTC+1) |
|
- |
Summer (DST) |
CEST[6] (UTC+2) |
Drives on the |
right |
Internet TLD |
.fr[10] |
Calling code |
+331 |
1 |
The overseas regions and collectivities form part of the French telephone numbering plan, but have their own country calling codes: Guadeloupe +590; Martinique +596; French Guiana +594, Réunion and Mayotte +262; Saint Pierre et Miquelon +508. The overseas territories are not part of the French telephone numbering plan; their country calling codes are: New Caledonia +687, French Polynesia +689; Wallis and Futuna +681 |

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