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298<img style="max-width: 1096px; width: 100%; height: 100%; max-height: 603px;" class="prov" alt="France in brief" src="photos/19/seine.jpg">
299<h1>France in Brief</h1>
300<h2 style="margin-top: 6px; margin-bottom: 2px;">About-France.com
301- a connoisseur's guide to France</h2>
302</div>
303<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.3; padding-right: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-top: 3px;" class="middle">
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306<li style="float: left; margin-left: -0.5%; color: rgb(255, 255, 51); background-color: rgb(121, 3, 63);" class="rocot">Explore
307France ►</li>
308<li style="z-index: 3;" class="rocot">Essential
309pages
310<ul>
311<li><a href="/">Home page</a></li>
312<li><a href="accommodation">Where to
313stay</a></li>
314<li><a href="france-hotel-search">Find
315a hotel</a></li>
316<li><a href="climate-weather">Climate
317&amp; weather</a></li>
318<li><a href="visit-france">Plan your
319trip</a></li>
320<li><a href="budget-france">France on a
321budget</a></li>
322<li><a href="food-and-eating">Eating in
323France</a> </li>
324<li><a href="tourism/camping">Camping
325in France</a></li>
326<li><a href="search">Search About-France</a></li>
327<li><a href="dictionary/index">A-Z of
328French life</a></li>
329</ul>
330</li>
331<li class="rocot">Travel in France
332<ul>
333<li><a href="driving">Driving in France</a></li>
334<li><a href="motorway-services">Motorway
335services</a></li>
336<li><a href="routes-from-calais">Routes
337from Calais</a></li>
338<li><a href="highway-code">Rules of the
339road</a></li>
340<li><a href="driving-checklist">Driver's
341checklist</a></li>
342<li><a href="cross-channel-ferries">Ferries
343to France</a></li>
344<li><a href="fly-to-france">Flying to
345France</a></li>
346<li><a href="france-rail-travel">Rail
347travel in France</a></li>
348<li><a href="france-bus-travel">Bus and
349coach travel</a></li>
350</ul>
351</li>
352<li class="rocot">Where to go
353<ul>
354<li><a href="paris">Paris</a></li>
355<li><a href="maps">Maps of France</a></li>
356<li><a href="tourism/best-cities">Other
357main cities</a></li>
358<li><a href="regions">Choose a region</a></li>
359<li><a href="regions/south-of-france">The
360south of France</a></li>
361<li><a href="tourism/river-dordogne-area">The
362Dordogne</a></li>
363<li><a href="tourism/french-seaside-coast">The
364French seaside</a></li>
365<li><a href="tourism/chateaux-loire">The
366Loire
367valley</a></li>
368<li><a href="tourism/massif-central">The
369Massif
370central</a></li>
371</ul>
372</li>
373<li class="rocot">&nbsp;
374What to see and do
375<ul style="margin-left: -50px;">
376<li><a href="tourism/tourist-attractions">Top
377attractions</a></li>
378<li><a href="tourism/best-of-france">Best
379of France</a></li>
380<li><a href="cities/index">Heritage
381cities</a></li>
382<li><a href="tourism/skiing">Skiing
383&amp;
384wintersports</a></li>
385<li><a href="tourism/small-towns">Best
386small towns</a></li>
387<li><a href="tourism/rural-france">Best
388of rural
389France</a></li>
390<li><a href="tourism/wild-france">Wild
391France</a></li>
392<li><a href="tourism/tourist-map-france">Tourist
393map of
394France</a></li>
395</ul>
396</li>
397</ul>
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411<div><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">►</span>&nbsp;You
412are here:
413&nbsp; <a href="/"><span>About-France.com</span>
414</a>&nbsp;›
415France in brief</div>
416</div>
417</div>
418</div>
419<br>
420<h3 class="roco" style="clear: both; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(153, 0, 0); text-align: center; font-size: 36px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 36px;">Essential
421information for France</h3>
422<table style="text-align: left; background-color: white; width: 100%; font-size: 13px;" class="pagi" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="4">
423<tbody style="background-color: rgb(130, 106, 95);">
424<tr align="left">
425<td colspan="1" rowspan="3" style="font-weight: bold;
425 background-color: rgb(53, 53, 161);">On
426this page <span style="color: rgb(255, 232, 29);">►</span></td>
427<td><a href="#brief">Essential
428facts:</a>
429</td>
430<td><a href="#territory">Territory</a></td>
431<td><a href="#culture">Culture</a></td>
432</tr>
433<tr>
434<td><a href="#Money">Money</a></td>
435<td><a href="#climate">Climate</a></td>
436<td><a href="#bread">Food
437and wine</a></td>
438</tr>
439<tr>
440<td><a href="#regions">Paris, and
441the
442rest of France</a></td>
443<td><a href="#pubhol">Public
444holidays
445in France</a></td>
446<td><a href="#planning">Planning a
447trip - before you go</a></td>
448</tr>
449</tbody>
450</table>
451<br>
452<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 0); font-weight: bold;"></span>
453<div style="text-align: left;">
454<div class="roco" style="border: 2px solid rgb(31, 43, 192); padding: 6px; width: 70%; margin-bottom: 16px; max-width: 260px; background-color: white; margin-top: 1px; float: right; margin-left: 15px; text-align: right;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;">Site
455search</span>
456<span style="font-weight: bold;">About-France.com</span>
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458What are you looking for ? </span><br>
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463mentioned on this <span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">France
464in
465Brief</span> page, follow the underlined
466hyperlinks.</div>
467<br>
468<h3 style="clear: both;">France
469in a nutshell </h3>
470France is a modern European <a href="political-system"><b>state</b></a>
471and
472a <a href="political-system">republic</a>, and
473is one of the world's&nbsp; <a href="geo/french-economy">top
474six economies</a>. The French head of state is the President,
475currently <span style="font-weight: bold;">Emmanuel Macron</span>,
476elected by universal suffrage: the president governs through a Council
477of Ministers and a <a href="political-system">parliament</a>
478made up of two chambers, the National Assembly (lower house) and the
479Senate (upper house).&nbsp; <br>
480Metropolitan France (France in Europe) has a population of slightly
481over 62 million, a little more than that of the United Kingdom. For
482more key data see <a href="facts-figures">facts and
483figures</a><br>
484<a name="territory"></a><br>
485<h3>Territory
486</h3>
487<div class="roco" style="border: 1px solid rgb(102, 102, 102); background-color: white; padding-bottom: 8px; font-size: 14px; float: right; margin-left: 10px;">&nbsp;<br>
488</div>
489<b>Surface
490area:</b>
491with a surface area of 547,030 km², or 211,209 sq. miles,
492metropolitan
493France is twice the size of the UK, and slightly smaller than the state
494of Texas. It is the biggest nation in western Europe.. France has land
495borders with Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain
496and Andorra. It is also bordered by the North Sea, the English Channel,
497the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean. See <a href="tourism/french-seaside-coast">coasts</a><br>
498<br>
499<h4><span style="font-weight: bold; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 153);">Major
500cities:</span> </h4>
501The <b>capital</b>
502and the nation's largest city is <a href="paris">Paris</a>.
503Apart from Paris by far the largest urban area in France, other major
504cities are <a href="cities/lyon">Lyon</a>, <a href="cities/marseille">Marseille</a>, <a href="cities/lille">Lille</a> and
505<a href="cities/toulouse">Toulouse</a>. For city
506populations
507and more details see <a href="tourism/main-towns-cities">French
508city ranking tables</a>. For top tourist cities, see <a href="/tourism/best-cities">city breaks</a>.<br>
509<br>
510<h4><span style="font-weight: bold; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 153);">Administrative
511areas:</span></h4>
512Metropolitan France (France in Europe) is divided, administratively,
513into 13 <a href="regions">regions</a>, and 96
514counties, known as departments. See <a href="maps">maps
515of France.</a> &nbsp;The number of regions was reduced from
51622 to 13 in 2016.<br>
517<br>
518<a name="culture"></a>
519<h3 style="border-top: 1px solid silver; margin-top: 12px; padding-top: 4px;">Culture</h3>
520<div style="margin-top: 6px;">
521<h4><span style="font-weight: bold; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 153);">Language</span></h4>
522</div>
523The <b>official language</b>
524is <a href="french/french-language">French</a>,
525though regional languages such as Breton and Alsacian are making a
526comeback. <br>
527<h4><span style="font-weight: bold; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 153);">National
528heritage</span></h4>
529One of the oldest nations in Europe, France - which the Romans called
530<span class="crib">Gaul</span> - is also a country
531with a very rich cultural and environmental
532and <a href="tourism/monuments">cultural
533heritage</a>.
534<h3><a name="Religion"></a>Religion</h3>
535There is no official religion in France; France is a secular republic.
536However about about half of French people say they are Catholics,
537and 2% Protestants. Less than 10% of French Catholics are regular
538church-goers. Some 3% to 4% of the French population are Muslims. There
539are churches
540in all French towns and most villages. More information: <a href="religion">Religion in France</a>
541<h3><a name="Money"></a>Money</h3>
542<h4><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 153);">Currency</span>:</h4>
543France's currency is the Euro, and virtually all garages, hotels and <a href="shopping-in-france">shops in France</a>
544accept credit cards from major providers (Visa and Mastercard), as well
545as digital wallets (ApplePay, etc). Click
546here for <a href="currency-exchange">advice
547about currency exchange</a>. <br>
548<br>
549<h4><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 153);">Cost
550of living</span></h4>
551The <span style="font-weight: bold;">cost of living</span>
552in France is fairly similar to neighbouring countries, though some
553things (like supermarket food) may be more expensive. Staying in <a href="paris">Paris</a> can be expensive - as can
554staying on the Riviera, particularly during the peak tourist periods.<br>
555On the other hand, fruit, <a href="wines">wine</a>,
556travel, <a href="france-hotel-guide">hotels</a>
557and restaurants tend to
558be cheaper than they are in the United Kingdom, particularly in rural
559areas, and there are plenty of ways of avoiding tourist traps.
560<h3><a name="climate"></a>Climate:</h3>
561The <a href="climate-weather">climate</a>
562in France is quite varied, but generally west European - on the whole a
563bit warmer than the UK, a bit cooler than Spain . Don't expect to find
564summer in winter in the South of France!
565<h3><a name="bread"></a>Food and drink
566- French life</h3>
567In spite of the great variety of <a href="food-and-eating">food
568and cuisine</a> to be found in France, some things like the <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(188, 0, 0);">
568"baguette"</span>
569the famous French bread stick, change little from one region to
570another; <span>the 'artisanal know-how and culture of <em>baguette</em>
571bread' is now listed by UNESCO on &nbsp;its intangible cultural <em>heritage</em>'
572list.</span> You'll find baguettes of all qualities in all
573regions, varying
574from the absolutely delicious, to the hard and tasteless. Yet a fresh
575baguette, coming warm from a traditional bakery, is surely one of the
576most delicious forms of bread to be found anywhere in the world! There
577are many <a href="french-bread">different types of
578French bread</a>,
579but tasty baguettes can be bought all over France, and a trip to the
580local "boulangerie" is often one of the daily highlights of a holiday
581in France. But do not confuse the "boulangerie" with the bread-counter
582in a supermarket! Indeed, the pre-frozen "fresh-baked" bread counters
583in supermarkets are not even allowed, by law, to call themselves "<span style="font-style: italic;">boulangeries</span>". <br>
584&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Then there's <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(188, 0, 0);">wine</span>.
585France is one of the world's great wine producing countries, and a
586country with a vast range of wines, from heavy Mediterranean reds to
587light fruity sparkling whites, via less well known varieties including
588"grey wine" (vin gris) and "yellow wine" (vin jaune). The
589About-France.com <a href="wines">French wines</a>
590pages are there
591to help you learn about the wines of France; Bordeaux, Burgundy and
592Champagne are just the tip of the iceberg; our wine guide takes you
593through these and all the other wine regions of France.<a name="planning"></a><br>
594<h3>Tourism</h3>
595<a style="border: 1px solid rgb(153, 153, 153); float: right; margin-left: 9px;" href="compare-paris-passes"><img class="roco" style="border: 1px solid white; margin-right: 3px; margin-left: 3px; max-height: 367px; max-width: 250px; height: 100%; width: 100%;" alt="compare" src="photos/ads/compass250.jpg"></a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 153); color: rgb(145, 19, 128); font-weight: bold;">Planning
596a trip to France</span>:
597France is one of the world's leading tourist destinations. If you have
598all the time in the world, you may not need to plan your holiday in
599France, you can just wander along at your own leisurely pace, and it
600will be a wonderful and varied experience. Whether you plan to drive or
601fly to France, you may find it useful to check out our words of warning
602<a href="travel-offers">tips on booking
603your travel to France</a>. <br>
604About-France.com provides information to help you choose a <a href="regions">destination</a>, or <a href="driving">travel through France</a>, check
605your <a href="tourism/journey-route-planner">route
606through France</a>, discover the <a href="tourism/tourist-attractions">things to visit in
607France</a> and its regions, <a href="france-car-hire">hire
608a car</a>, find a place to stay, for example a <a href="https://gitelink.com/">holiday cottage</a>, or a
609place to <a href="study">study French</a>, and
610much more. There's even a page on <a href="medical-help">medical
611cover for your stay in France</a>, and what to do if you get
612taken ill or have an accident, as well as some advice and information
613for people interested in <a href="living-in-france">buying
614property in France</a>.<span style="font-weight: bold; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 153);"><br>
615<a name="city"></a><br>
616City-breaks and short trips: <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Paris</span></span><br>
617<a href="paris">Paris</a>
618is Paris ... Staying in Paris for a couple of nights is a great way to
619discover France for the first time... or the second, or the third...
620Paris is a city that people easily fall in love with, and with
621city-centre to city-centre transport from Brussels or London, thanks to
622<a href="https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100lIzj/pubref:eurost">Eurostar
623</a>; it has a wealth of museums and monuments,
624it is one of the world's great <a href="shopping-in-france">shopping</a>
625cities, and also arguably the finest city in Europe, a place where you
626can easily spend days just walking around, savouring the atmosphere,
627enjoying the life. But don't be caught out by France's <a href="#pubhol">closing hours and public holidays</a>.<br>
628About-France.com provides information on <a href="paris-tourist-attractions">Paris tourist
629attractions</a> including things to do <a href="paris-free">for
630free</a>, a comparison of
631the different <a href="compare-paris-passes">Paris
632visitor passes</a> and tips on
633how to <a href="budget-paris">save money</a>
634during your stay. And staying in a <a href="france-hotel-guide">hotel</a>
635in Paris for a couple of nights won't break the bank But, as they say
636in the rest of France, Paris is Paris, it is not the whole of France.
637So what about the rest of France? <br>
638<a name="regions"></a><br>
639<span style="font-weight: bold; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 153);">The
640rest of France - summer or winter - a wealth of experiences to choose
641from. </span><br>
642The largest country in Western Europe, France is also the most varied
643in terms of scenery and climate. From <a href="https://gitelink.com/brittany/">Brittany</a> to <a href="https://gitelink.com/provence/">Provence</a>,
644the
645<a href="http://auvergne.gitelink.com/">
645Auvergne</a>
646, the <a href="regions/pays-loire">Loire Valley</a>,
647the <a href="tourism/river-dordogne-area"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dordogne</span></a>
648or the Alps, <a href="regions/burgundy">Burgundy</a>
649to the <a href="regions/languedoc">Languedoc</a>
650, <a href="regions/poitou-charente">Poitou-Charentes</a>
651or <a href="regions/aquitaine">Aquitaine</a>
652and the <a href="regions/pyrenees">Pyrenees</a>,
653each region is special, each is a holiday in itself.
654It is also a country with over 2000 miles of <a href="tourism/french-seaside-coast">beaches and seashores</a>,
655plenty of space for even the most demanding of holidaymakers! So what
656are you waiting for? <br>
657<br>
658<a name="pubhol"></a><font style="font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,Times,serif;" color="#990000">CLOSED TODAY .........</font>
659Foreign visitors in France are sometimes surprised to find themselves
660faced with closed doors, on reaching a museum or a famous monument. So
661it is not a bad idea, before visiting France, to learn what is closed
662in France, and when? On Sundays, public holidays and holiday periods in
663general, shops, museums, businesses and public services may be closed.
664Museums are often closed on Tuesdays. See the About-France.com guide to
665<a href="holidays-sundays">Public
666holidays, Sundays and other holidays</a> for more information.<br>
667<br>
668<span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 14px;"></span><br>
669<br>
670<br>
671<br>
672<div class="foot" style="margin-bottom: 8px; text-align: center;">About-France.com
673&nbsp; <a href="/">Home
674page</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;- &nbsp;<a href="regions">Regions</a>
675&nbsp;- &nbsp;<a href="maps">Maps of France</a>
676&nbsp;
677</div>
678<br>
679</div>
680<div style="font-size: 15px; color: white; padding-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0.2%; background-color: black;" class="res2">
681<img style="border: 1px solid ; color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 10px; width: 100%; max-width: 335px; max-height: 425px; height: 100%;" alt="La Baguette" src="breadsm.jpg"><br>
682<span style="font-weight: bold;">
683Baguettes</span>
684- France's emblematic bread. The delicious baguette is an icon of this
685country famed for its "gastronomy" and good food......<br>
686<img style="border: 1px solid ; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 4px; width: 100%; max-width: 300px; max-height: 247px; height: 100%;" alt="Mont St Michel - Brittany" src="photos2/MtStMichel-air.jpg"><br>
687<a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 102);" href="monuments/mont-saint-michel">Mont Saint Michel</a>
688- Normandy<br>
689<br>
690<span style="font-weight: bold;">About-France.com</span>
691is an independent user-supported website that does not track visitors
692and carries very little advertising, Affiliate links
693to relevant
694partner websites&nbsp;may generate commission on sales at no cost
695to the
696user.<br>
697<br>
698<br>
699<div style="border: 1px solid white; padding: 6px; text-align: center; font-size: 18px;" class="but roco"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 204);">For
700students</span><br>
701The About-France.com<br>
702<a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);" href="/french/">Online
703French Grammar</a><br>
704Free, full , clear explanations and lots of examples</div>
705<br>
706<br>
707<br>
708<table class="men2 spaced" style="text-align: left; width: 100%; font-size: 13px; background-color: transparent;" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2">
709<tbody>
710<tr style="font-weight: bold;">
711<td style="color: black;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51);">► ►</span>
712Accommodation in France</span><br>
713</td>
714</tr>
715<tr>
716<td><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="https://about-france.com/france-hotel-guide">Guide
717to hotels in France</a></td>
718</tr>
719<tr>
720<td><a href="https://gitelink.com">Gites
721in
722France</a></td>
723</tr>
724<tr>
725<td><a href="https://gitelink.com/bandb-in-france/">Bed
726and
727breakfast in France</a></td>
728</tr>
729<tr>
730<td><a href="http://rural-camping.com">Rural
731campsites in France</a></td>
732</tr>
733<tr>
734<td><a href="https://independent-hotels.info/france/">Independent
735hotels in France</a></td>
736</tr>
737</tbody>
738</table>
739<br>
740<br>
741<a href="https://gitelink.com/"><img style="border: 0px solid ; max-width: 250px; margin-left: 1px; margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; width: 98%; max-height: 260px; height: 100%;" alt="gitelink" src="photos/ads/gitelink250.jpg"></a><br>
742<br>
743<div style="border: 3px dotted rgb(255, 204, 51); padding: 5px; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px; color: white; margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; background-color: rgb(89, 86, 98);"><span style="color: yellow;">Click here for</span><a style="color: yellow; background-color: transparent;" href="france-car-hire"><br>
744low-cost car hire&nbsp;in France</a></div>
745</div>
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747<span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">&nbsp;Website
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