General Info

CLIMATE

Four climactic types prevail in France. A true temperate maritime climate is found in the west, near the coasts, and is exemplified at BREST, where winters are mild (7 deg C/45 deg F in January), summers are cool (16 deg C/61 deg F in July), and rainfall is frequent (800 mm/32 in) during 180 days of the year. A mid-latitude continental climate prevails in the interior of the country, with hotter summers (average July temperature of 18 deg C/64 deg F in PARIS) and more rigorous winters (average January temperature of 2 deg C/36 deg F in Paris), and rain falls on fewer days of the year.

A mountain climate prevails at high elevations, where temperatures are influenced mainly by altitude, and winters are generally bitterly cold and prolonged. Precipitation increases with elevation and occurs in the form of snow in winter, many villages in the high valleys receiving more than 50 days of snow each year. Briancon, in the Alps, has a mean temperature of -2 deg C (28 deg F) in January, and 17 deg C (63 deg F) in July; annual precipitation averages 587 mm (23 in). A Mediterranean type of climate is found in a zone about 20 to 60 km (12 to 35 mi) wide along the Mediterranean coast. It is characterized by hot, dry summers, mild and humid winters, and a small number of rainy days during the year. In MARSEILLE, 550 mm (22 in) of rain falls during 60 days of the year, and the sun shines for more than 3,000 hours each year. The average temperature is 7 deg C (45 deg F) in January and 23 deg C (73 deg F) in July.

CURRENCY

The euro (currency sign: €; currency code: EUR) is the official currency of the European Union (EU). Fifteen member states have adopted it, known collectively as the Eurozone (Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain).

GEOGRAPHY

While Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe, France also has a number of territories in North America, the Caribbean, South America, the southern Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and Antarctica. These territories have varying forms of government ranging from overseas department to overseas collectivity.

Metropolitan France covers 547,030 square kilometres (211,209 sq mi), having the largest area among European Union members and slightly larger than Spain. France possesses a wide variety of landscapes, from coastal plains in the north and west to mountain ranges of the Alps in the south-east, the Massif Central in the south-central and Pyrenees in the south-west. At 4,807 metres (15,770 ft) above sea-level, the highest point in Western Europe, Mont Blanc, is situated in the Alps on the border between France and Italy. Metropolitan France also has extensive river systems such as the Loire, the Garonne, the Seine and the Rhône, which divides the Massif Central from the Alps and flows into the Mediterranean sea at the Camargue, the lowest point in France (2 m / 6.5 ft below sea level). Corsica lies off the Mediterranean coast.
The Exclusive Economic Zone of France extends over 11 million km² (4 million sq. miles) of ocean across the world.

France's total land area, with its overseas departments and territories (excluding Adélie Land), is 674,843 square kilometres (260,558 sq mi), 0.45% of the total land area on Earth. However, France possesses the second-largest Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the world, covering 11,035,000 square kilometres (4,260,000 sq mi), approximately 8% of the total surface of all the EEZs of the world, just behind the United States (11,351,000 km² / 4,383,000 sq mi) and ahead of Australia (8,232,000 km² / 3,178,000 sq mi).

Metropolitan France is situated between 41° and 51° North, on the western edge of Europe, and thus lies within the northern temperate zone. The north and northwest have a temperate climate, while a combination of maritime influences, latitude and altitude produce a varied climate in the rest of Metropolitan France. In the south-east a Mediterranean climate prevails. In the west, the climate is predominantly oceanic with a high level of rainfall, mild winters and cool to warm summers. Inland the climate becomes more continental with hot, stormy summers, colder winters and less rain. The climate of the Alps and other mountainous regions is mainly alpine, with the number of days with temperatures below freezing over 150 per year and snow cover lasting for up to six months.

HISTORY

After the disintegration of the Roman Empire in the fifth century, Gaul was settled by Germanic peoples from the east. During the eighth and ninth centuries Gaul became the heart of Charlemagne's Frankish empire, which stretched from the Pyrenees to the Baltic.

The following centuries saw the area under the control of the French kings gradually increased, although it was not until the reign of Louis VI (1108-1137) that royal authority became more than an empty theory in some areas of France. In 1328, however, the direct line of the royal house became extinct: one of the claimants to the throne was Edward III of England.

The resulting intermittent conflict was known as the Hundred Years' War, and did not resolved until the final English defeat in 1453. The period of French recovery is associated with the reign of the astute Louis XI (1460-1483): by the time of his death the area of France was much as it is today.

During the late 15th and 16th centuries, France was again distracted by foreign adventures, including the Italian Wars and several other grand European schemes, and internal troubles.

This latter conflict was ended by Henry IV, a Protestant-turned-Catholic who was assassinated in 1610, but his work of building up the power of the French state was continued and by 1700 the country had replaced Spain as the major European power.

The 18th century was a period of great colonial expansion, and France again became involved in conflicts with England. The reign of Louis XV (1715-74) was in general a time of great prosperity in France, but also witnessed a widening gap between rich and poor being underlying cause of the French Revolution of 1789 which overthrew Louis XVI.

The government of the last years of the 18th century was deeply unstable and unpopular, and was overthrown in 1799 by a rising army commander named Napoleon Bonaparte.

After five years Napoleon was declared Emperor and embarked on a military campaign to establish a French empire in Europe. Defeat at Trafalgar at the hands of Nelson in 1805 left Britain in command of the sea, but on land, Napoleon scored a series of stunning victories over the next seven years.

After the ill-fated invasion of Russia in April 1812 Napoleon's fortunes went into decline and he was briefly forced into exile. His final demise was his defeat at Waterloo by the Duke of Wellington.

With the end of Napoleon, the monarchy was restored and remained until the uprising when the Second Republic was declared. The army intervened and instituted the Second Empire (1852-1870) with Louis Napoleon (a nephew of the first Emperor Napoleon) as Emperor, which further expanded France's colonial possessions.

France now faced a new enemy in the emerging power of Germany. The Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71 ended in defeat for the French.

The Third Republic established after 1871, maintained an uneasy peace with its new powerful neighbour. As events proved in the late 19th and early 20th century, Europe's early diplomatic attempts at peace were fragile.

The interlocking network of treaties and alliances finally collapsed in August 1914. This was the trigger for World War I.

Still under the Third Republic the inter-war years saw the election of a series of socialist governments. After the German invasion of Poland in 1939, France declared war on Germany.

The Third Republic collapsed with the German invasion of 1940, after which France endured four years of Nazi occupation.

Two years after liberation from Nazi rule in 1946, the Fourth Republic was established, but came to an end in 1958 as a result of the Algerian crisis.

The Fifth Republic which followed has lasted from 1958 up until the present day. The constitution which underpins it is characterised by the strong executive powers vested in the presidency.

NATIONAL HOILDAYS

The French enjoy 11 national jours feriés (holidays) annually. The civic calendar was first instituted in 1582; Bastille Day was incorporated in 1789, Armistice Day in 1918, Labor Day in 1935, and Victory Day in 1945. During the month of May, there is a holiday nearly every week, so be prepared for stores, banks and museums to shut their doors for days at a time. It is a good idea to call museums, restaurants and hotels in advance to make sure they will be open.

Trains and roads near major cities tend to get busy around the national holidays. Not coincidentally, this also happens to be the time when service unions (such as transporters, railroad workers, etc.) like to go on strike — something of a tradition, in fact. Travelers would do well to check ahead, particularly when planning a trip for the last week of June or first week of July!

There are also many regional festivals throughout France which are not included in our calendar. ViaFrance hosts an excellent site which lists fairs and festivals, traditional ceremonies, as well as sporting events, concerts, and trade shows for all regions throughout France. Use the interactive search form below to choose a region and range of dates for a listing of special events, to help plan your itinerary.

Under the law, every French citizen is entitled to 5 weeks of vacation. Most of the natives take their summer vacations in July or August, and many major businesses are then closed. All of France takes to the roads, railroads, boats, and airways. Consequently, traveling in France during August is generally not recommended for foreigners.

POPULATION

The population of France in 2003 was estimated by the United Nations at 60,144,000, which placed it as number 20 in population among the 193 nations of the world. In that year approximately 16% of the population was over 65 years of age, with another 19% of the population under 15 years of age. There were 95 males for every 100 females in the country in 2003. According to the UN, the annual population growth rate for 2000–2005 is 0.47%, with the projected population for the year 2015 at 62,841,000. The population density in 2002 was 108 per sq km (279 per sq mi). Much of the population is concentrated in the north and southeast areas of the country.

It was estimated by the Population Reference Bureau that 76% of the population lived in urban areas in 2001. The capital city, Paris, had a population of 9,608,000 in that year. The next largest cities include Marseilles, 1,243,000; Lyon, 1,381,000; and Lille, 1,003,000. Other major urban centers include Toulouse, Nice, Strasbourg, Nantes, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Rennes, Saint-Étienne, and Le Havre. According to the United Nations, the urban population growth rate for 2000–2005 was 0.6%.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS