France

FranceKnow Your Community: Know Your World

Speaker Profile(Basic Introduction, information about hometown, family, career, etc…)

France on the Map

French FactsPopulation: 66,259,012Capital:  ParisLargest city:  ParisMajor language: FrenchMajor religion: Christianity (Catholicism) Life expectancy: Male: 78.55 years, Female: 84.91 yearMonetary unit: Euro Main exports:  machinery and transportation equipment, aircraft, plastics, chemicals, pharmaceutical products, iron and steel, beveragesGPD per capita: €35936.67 ($40,400)(Data from the CIA’s The World Fact Book 2014)

Significant Historic Events• 58-51 B.C.: Emperor Julius Caesar conquers Gaul, which would become

France.• 1429 A.D.: Joan of Arc leads French troops into battle at Orléans in the

Hundred Years War against England.• 1643: Louis XIV, known as the Sun King ascends to the French throne.• 1789: Peasants storm the Bastille Prison in Paris and overthrow the

royal family, starting the French Revolution.• 1804: Napoleon Bonaparte crowns himself emperor.• 1914: WWI begins, much of the fighting takes place in France.• 1940: Germany invades France in WWII, occupying the country for

much of the war.• 1946-1954: France fights in the French-Indochina war and loses control

of colonies in Southeastern Asia.• 1994: The Channel Tunnel opens connecting Britain and France.• 2002: The euro is introduced as the currency for nearly all nations in

the European Union.• (Adapted from Time: for Kids)

Well-Know Landforms and Sites

• Tour Eiffel• Notre Dame• Musée du Lourve• Mont St. Michel• Château de Chambord• Mont Blanc• Lourdes• Gorges du Verdon• Plage Normandie

Language: French

Hello: Bonjour(Good day), Salut (Hi)

Bye: Au revoir

Yes: Oui    

No: Non

Thank you: Merci

You’re Welcome (response to thank you): De rien

Please: S’il vous plaît

I love you: Je t’aime

How are you?: Comment-allez vous?

GovernmentLeader: François HollandeStructure: Constitutional Republic• Executive, legislative, and judicial branches• Elected President appoints a Prime Minister• Two chambered legislature• The judicial branch is very independent of the other two branchesVoting Age: 18

Current Issues and Events

• Gay Marriage• Immigration• European Union financial issues• Spring of 2015 Terrorist attacks in Paris• The French generally do not like to

discuss politics in friendly conversation.

EconomyCurrency: the euroImports: • fuel• electronics• chemicals• metal products• machinery• carsExports: • aircraft• food• chemicals• machinery• metal(Adapted from tradingeconomics.com

Daily LifeFor a student:

For an adult:

Traditional Costumes

Brittany

Alsace Lorraine

Holidays and Festivals• Victory in Europe Day: May 8th. celebrations mark the

anniversary of the defeat of Germany in WWII.• Bastille Day: July 14th, a National Celebration of the storming of

the Bastille and the revolution that would eventually lead to the formation of the French Republic.

• All Saints and All Souls Days: November 1st and 2nd, the French honor the memories of their deceased relatives and the saints.

• Epiphany: Two weeks after Christmas, the French enjoy Galettes du Rois to celebrate the arrival of the three kings at the Holy Nativity.

• Mardi Gras: The day before Ash Wednesday, carnivals and feasts erupt in anticipation of the start of the Lenten season.

• Poisson d’arvil: April 1st, pranksters stick small fish shaped bits of paper to the backs of unsuspecting friends or strangers.

SportsMost popular:Football (Soccer)Traditional:• Pelota: a variation of tennis played by two teams hitting a ball off a wall

that was created in the Basque region.• Bullfighting: This differs from Spanish bullfighting in that the bull is not

killed during the match: fighters remove flags from the bull’s horns.• Boule (Petanque): The goal of this game is the throw a small but heavy

ball as close to a target ball as possible, while making sure your opponent’s ball stays as far from the target as possible.

Food• Foie Gras• Crèpes• Boeuf Bourguignon• Soupe à l’oignon• Cheese• Quiche• Ratatoille• Bread and

croissants• Crème Brûlée• Tarte Tartin• Soufflé• Pâtisseries• Bûche de Noël• Wine (Bien sûr!)

Sources and Links

• http://www.france.fr/en.html• https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/fr.html• http://www.traditionalfrenchfood.com/• http://www.gouvernement.fr/en/how-government-works