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Learn about the history, art, culture, sport, science, and regions of France.
About France :
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France, officially the French Republic (French:
République française), is a member state of the European Union located in its
western region, with several overseas territories and islands located on other
continents. France is a unitary semi-presidential republic with its main ideals
expressed in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.
Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel
and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. It is often
referred to as L’Hexagone ("The Hexagon") because of the geometric shape of its
territory. It is bordered (clockwise from the north) by Belgium, Luxembourg,
Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Spain and Andorra. France's overseas
departments and collectivities also share land borders with Brazil and Suriname
(bordering French Guiana), and the Netherlands Antilles (bordering
Saint-Martin). France is linked to the United Kingdom by the Channel Tunnel,
which passes underneath the English Channel.
France is the largest state in the European Union by area and the third largest
in Europe behind Russia and Ukraine. It would be second if its extra-European
territories like French Guiana were included. France has been a major power for
many centuries with strong economic, cultural, military and political influence.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, France colonised great parts of North
America; during the 19th and early 20th centuries, France built the second
largest empire of the time, including large portions of North, West and Central
Africa, Southeast Asia, and many Pacific islands.
France is a developed country and possesses the fifth largest economy by nominal
GDP and eighth largest economy by purchasing power parity. It is the most
visited country in the world, receiving 82 million foreign tourists annually.
France is one of the founding members of the European Union, and has the largest
land area of all members. It is also a founding member of the United Nations,
and a member of the Francophonie, the G8, G20, NATO, OECD, WTO and the Latin
Union. It is one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security
Council, possesses the third largest number of nuclear weapons in the world and
the largest number of nuclear power plants in the European Union.
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France on the Web :
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Air France
Air France (formally Société Air France) is the
French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, France (near Paris),
and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air
France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance.
Air France serves 20 destinations in France and operates worldwide scheduled
passenger and cargo services to 150 destinations in 83 countries (including
Overseas departments and territories of France).
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Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Film Festival (French: le Festival
de Cannes), founded in 1946, is one of the world's oldest and most prestigious
film festivals. The private festival is held annually (usually in May) at the
Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, in the resort town of Cannes, in the south
of France.
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Centre Georges Pompidou
Centre Georges Pompidou (constructed 1971–1977
and known as the Pompidou Centre in English) is a complex in the Beaubourg area
of the 4th arrondissement of Paris, near Les Halles, rue Montorgueil and the
Marais. It was designed in the style of high-tech architecture.
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Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie
The Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie is the
biggest science museum in Europe. It is a public establishment of an industrial
and commercial character specializing in the fostering of scientific and
technical culture. Created on the initiative of President Giscard d'Estaing, its
goal is to spread scientific and technical knowledge among the public,
particularly for youth, and for creating public interest in science, research,
and industry.
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Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower (French: Tour Eiffel) is a
19th century iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris that has
become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures
in the world. The Eiffel Tower, which is the tallest building in Paris, is the
single most visited paid monument in the world; millions of people ascend it
every year. Named after its designer, engineer Gustave Eiffel, the tower was
built as the entrance arch for the 1889 World's Fair.
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Eurostar
Eurostar is a high-speed railway passenger
service connecting London with Paris and Brussels. All its trains cross under
the English Channel via the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France, owned and
operated separately by Eurotunnel.
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France.com
Directory of recommended sites covering travel
and tourism, business and shopping.
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Maison de la France
Maison de la France (The French National
Tourist Office) is the organisation responsible for promoting France as a
tourism destination. Set up in 1987 and operating under the supervision of the
Minister of State responsible for Trade, Artisan Trades, Small and Medium-sized
Enterprises, Tourism and Services, the mission of Maison de la France is to
promote France as a tourist destination, principally in other countries.
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Musée du Louvre
The Musée du Louvre, or officially the Grand
Louvre — in English, the Louvre Museum or Great Louvre, or simply the the Louvre
— is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited museum in the world,
and a historic monument. It is a central landmark of Paris, France and is
located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement (district).
Nearly 35,000 objects from prehistory to the 19th century are exhibited over an
area of 60,600 square metres (652,300 square feet).
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Paris.fr
Here you will find all the information you
might need about the history of the Paris municipality, its population and the
citys foreign policy.
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Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau
Paris convention and visitors office diffuses
all information to organise your stay or your trip in Paris: hotels and
loadings, museums, monuments, going out, events, restaurants. A guide may help
you to discover them.
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Service-Public.fr
www.service-public.fr is the official website
for the French civil service, set up in October 2000 and redesigned in November
2009. With over 4 million visitors a month, it is an important interface between
the civil service and private citizens, businesses and professionals. Its
mission is to simplify administrative procedures for citizens, professionals and
associations, to give them easy access to legal texts and inform them of their
obligations.
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SNCF
SNCF (Société Nationale des Chemins de fer
français, French National Railways) is a French public enterprise. Its functions
include operation of rail services for passengers and freight, and maintenance
and signalling of rail infrastructure owned by Réseau Ferré de France (RFF). It
employs about 180,000 people. The rail network consists of about 32,000 km of
route, of which 1,800 km is high-speed line and 14,500 km electrified. About
14,000 trains are operated daily. The chairman of SNCF is Guillaume Pépy. Its
headquarters is in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, in the Rue du Commandant
Mouchotte.
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