The Loire and the castle of Montsoreau, view from the village. Monstoreau, in the Loire Valley, is listed one of the most beautiful villages of France, member of the…
Photo: Philippe49730, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Photo: Patrick Nouhailler's…, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Did you know?
Metropolitan France was settled during the Iron Age by Celtic tribes known as Gauls before Rome annexed the area in 51 BC, leading to a distinct Gallo-Roman culture. In the Early Middle Ages, the Franks formed the kingdom of Francia, which became the heartland of the Carolingian Empire. The Treaty of Verdun of 843 partitioned the empire, with West Francia evolving into the Kingdom of France.
Wikipedia: France – read more, CC BY-SA 4.0
Chamonix valley and Mont Blanc as seen from la Flégère in the end of 2010 July.
Photo: Ximonic , Simo Räsänen, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Courtyard of the Museum of Louvre , and its pyramid.
Photo: Benh LIEU SONG ( Flickr ), CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Etymology
Originally applied to the whole Frankish Empire, the name France comes from the Latin Francia, or 'realm of the Franks'. The name of the Franks is related to the English word frank ('free'): the latter stems from the Old French franc ('free, noble, sincere') and ultimately from the Medieval Latin word francus ('free, exempt from service; a freeman, a Frank'), a generalisation of the tribal name that emerged as a Late Latin borrowing of the reconstructed Frankish endonym *Frank.
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![Reims Cathedral ], the seat of the Archdiocese of Reims , as seen from south. The church was the traditional location of the crowning of the French kings.](https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Cath%C3%A9drale_Notre-Dame_de_Reims%2C_South_view_20140306_2.jpg/1920px-Cath%C3%A9drale_Notre-Dame_de_Reims%2C_South_view_20140306_2.jpg?utm_source=sk.wikipedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
Reims Cathedral ], the seat of the Archdiocese of Reims , as seen from south. The church was the traditional location of the crowning of the French kings.
Photo: DXR, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
I did not go inside all all that is there is a movie to be seen..... The Maison Carrée (Square House) stands in the centre of town. Dating from the 1st century AD, it…
Photo: Dennis G, CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
This building is indexed in the base Mérimée , a database of architectural heritage maintained by the French Ministry of Culture , under the reference PA00117357 .…
Photo: Citevia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
History
The oldest traces of archaic humans in what is now France date from approximately 1.8 million years ago. Neanderthals occupied the region into the Upper Paleolithic era but were slowly replaced by Homo sapiens around 35,000 BC. This period witnessed the emergence of cave painting in the Dordogne and Pyrenees, including at Lascaux, dated to c. 18,000 BC. At the end of the Last Glacial Period (10,000 BC), the climate became milder. From approximately 7,000 BC, this part of Western Europe entered the Neolithic era, and its inhabitants became sedentary.
Wikipedia: France – read more, CC BY-SA 4.0
Beynac ( Dordogne ). View from Chateau de Castelnaud.
Photo: Wolfgang Sauber, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
This building is indexed in the base Mérimée , a database of architectural heritage maintained by the French Ministry of Culture , under the reference PA00098286 .…
Photo: ZohaStel, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Geography
The vast majority of France's territory and population is situated in Western Europe and is called Metropolitan France. It is bordered by the North Sea to the north, the English Channel to the northwest, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the southeast. Its land borders consist of Belgium and Luxembourg in the northeast, Germany and Switzerland in the east, Italy and Monaco in the southeast, and Andorra and Spain in the south and southwest.
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young Lama Pyrénés (France)
Photo: Luc Viatour, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Air France flight AF 028 landing at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia, USA.
Photo: Joe Ravi, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Photo: Eugène Delacroix, Public domain · source
Politics
France is a representative democracy organised as a unitary semi-presidential republic. Democratic traditions and values are deeply rooted in French culture, identity and politics. The Constitution of the Fifth Republic was approved by referendum in 1958, establishing a framework consisting of executive, legislative and judicial branches. It sought to address the instability of the Third and Fourth Republics by combining elements of both the parliamentary and presidential systems, while greatly strengthening the authority of the executive relative to the legislature.
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Inauguration EYE2014 Parlement européen Strasbourg 9 mai 2014.
Photo: Photo Claude TRUONG-NGOC, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
sentier des ocres
Photo: Landreau Patrick, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Economy
France has a social market economy characterised by sizeable government involvement and diversified sectors. For two centuries, it has consistently ranked among the ten largest globally; as of 2025 it is the world's ninth largest by purchasing power parity and second largest in the EU, after Germany. Considered a great power with considerable economic strength, it is a member of the Group of Seven leading industrialised countries, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the G20. France ranked 13th in the 2025 Global Innovation Index.
Wikipedia: France – read more, CC BY-SA 4.0
Camembert de Normandie (Protected Designation of Origin)
Photo: Coyau, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Stone Row of Kermario, Carnac, Department of Morbihan, Region of Brittany, France
Photo: Zairon, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Demographics
With an estimated population of 69,081,996 people, France is the 20th most populous country in the world, the third-most populous in Europe, and the second most populous in the European Union. For much of the 21st century, France has been an outlier among developed countries, particularly in Europe, for its relatively high rate of natural population growth; by birth rates alone, it was responsible for almost all natural population growth in the EU in 2006.
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Le Palais Bourbon à Paris.
Photo: ZeusUpsistos, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Bakery Stohrer, 51 rue Montorgueil, Paris 2nd arrond. On the left of the shop window, we can see an information panel named " Starck shovel ". These panel are recent and…
Photo: Tangopaso, Public domain · source
Culture
The origins of a distinctly French art date back to the Middle Ages. In the 12th century, Paris and its region saw the birth of Gothic art, known at the time as Opus Francigenum (lit. 'French work'), which from the cathedrals of Chartres, Amiens and Reims soon radiated throughout Europe, thanks to French architects and sculptors who went abroad.
French art was very much influenced first by Flemish art then by Italian art at the time of the Renaissance.
Wikipedia: France – read more, CC BY-SA 4.0
