France

France, officially the French Republic (French: République française), is a country in Western Europe and the third largest European country. The channel, France is situated between the Atlantic Ocean and the Bay of Biscay (in the West), Belgium and Luxembourg (in the North), Germany, Switzerland and Italy (in the East) and Spain,Andorra, Monaco and the Mediterranean Sea (in the South). Also the island of Corsica in the Mediterranean belongs to France, as well as many overseas territories. France lays claim to part of Antarctica: Adelieland.

Including overseas territories, the country has an area of 674.843 km² and a population of approximately 65.4 million inhabitants (January 2010).France, [5]  because of thehexagonal form is also known as l'Hexagone by area the largest country within the European Union. The capital is the city of Paris, which is also by far the largest city of the country.

Since the Treaty of Verdun in 843 knows France, that takes its name from the Franks, in its history only continuity as administrative and cultural unity. France is the oldest still existing geopolitical factor in the European balance of power. The French cultural identity can be regarded as more than 2,000 years old, because the Roman influence has been so decisive. The borders are since the peace of Nijmegen in 1678 fairly fixed and fall to a large extent along with natural borders.

Today, France is a decentralized unitary State[citation needed ] and a semi-presidential democratic Republic. The country is a member of large and important international organisations such as the European Union, the United Nations, the Security Council (permanent, with veto power), the G8, NATO, the OECD and the WTO. France was one of the initiators of the economic and Monetary Union, which in 2002 led to the introduction of the euro as legal tender in many Member States of the European Union, including France. In 1960, France after the United States, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom the fourth power with nuclear weapons. France is one of the 20 most developed countries in the world.



Content
[hide] *1 History 
 * 2 Geography
 * 2.1 spatial layout
 * 2.2 Climate
 * 2.3 Nature
 * 2.4 Rivers
 * 2.5 Cities
 * 3 Population
 * 3.1 Languages
 * 3.2 Religion
 * 4 Politics
 * 4.1 Administration
 * 4.2 administrative divisions
 * 4.3 Defence
 * 5 Culture
 * 5.1 public holidays in France
 * 5.2 Gastronomy
 * 5.3 science and education
 * 5.4 Sports
 * 6 Economy
 * 6.1 foundations
 * 6.2 Transport
 * 6.3 tourism
 * 6.4 Media
 * 7 see also
 * 8 external links

History
The storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789 is the starting point of theFrench RevolutionFrance's cultural identity was around [http://www.microsofttranslator.com/bv.aspx?from=nl&to=en&a=http%3A%2F%2Fnl.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2F50_v.Chr. 50 BC] determined by the conquest of Gaul by the Celtic Roman armies commanded by Julius Caesar. The Latin culture survived the fall of the Roman Empire, although there was a Franconian Empiredominated by Germans .France knows since the communication in 843 of this realm and the emergence of West Francia only administrative continuity with Paris as a centre of power and is the oldest geopolitical entity in Europe. Since the early Middle Ages it is by the size of the territory and of the population always has been an important factor in the European balance of power. The borders were given at the peace of Nijmegen in 1678 about the shape that they have since 1945 and fall largely along with natural borders. In the 17th, 18th and early 19th century France was the biggest power on the European continent. Under the reign of Napoleon, however, this went hand in hand with spectacular conquests, which between 1812 and 1815 all were lost. France has since about 1300 more explicitly than other West European countries developed into a centralised nation State, which came to full fruition in the 19th century. Today the 92 departments in which the mother country is divided, very little autonomy vis-à-vis the Government in Paris. From the early modern period, the country also has large international cultural influence has already been installed in the past decades when reduced.

In the course of the 19th century the British Empire was overtaken by France as the largest colonial and maritime power and remained quite behind in industrial development and population growth in old and new rivals: the British, the Germans and the Americans, but did especially from the Berlin Conference in 1885 have vied in the European competition in colonial expansion. Both economic, cultural as well as racial motives played a role. At the same time, France, like other developed countries in Western Europe, to a parliamentary democracy, with universal suffrage. In the course of the 19th century was called repeatedly by Government exchanged between Empire, Kingdom and Republic. Since 1871 is a Republic remained. France was In the 20th century as a result of two world wars, which for France either Pyrrhic victories, forced from 1945 between the two super powers to seek a new role as a medium-sized modern European power without colonial ambitions.This was accompanied by considerable industrial development, its own nuclear deterrent, a leading role in the post-war European integration project while maintaining an independent military role, both in the NATOsphere of influence and within the own post-colonial. NATO's only political member France was from 1966, that is to say that the French forces were part of the integrated command structure. France decided In March 2009 to return in it. The loss of global cultural influence, particularly in the light of the 'Anglo-saxon predominance', is a source of national care[source? ].

Spatial layout
Satellite image of FranceThe historical 39 provinces of France were abolished after the French Revolution, for which in the European part of France replaced by 95 departments . The departments were later grouped into 22 regions (see below). These provinces reflect the natural physico-geographical structure of France and retain despite modern[source? ] administrative centralization their traditional cultural diversity. [source?]

The heart of Northern France is the province of Île-de-France. The area is surrounded by the provinces of Champagne and Lorraine (Lorraine) in the East; Artois (Artois), French Flanders , Picardyand Normandy in the Northeast and the North; Brittany, Maine and Anjou in the West; and Touraine, Orléanais, Nivernais and Burgundy (Bourgogne) in the South. The further South consists of Bourbonnaisand Berry . Between the Vosges and the Rhine is the Alsace.

The southern part of Central France is characterized by its rugged mountains and extinct volcanoes of the Massif Central, one of the most important natural areas of the country. It consists of the provinces of Marche, Limousin, Auvergne and Lyonnais. The Rhône separates the Central massif of the Alps. The Alps, the mountain range with the highest mountains in the country. East of the Rhone are the Dauphiné Savoie, and Provence. A part of the coast of Provence is the very tourist French Riviera.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The southwestern part of France is divided into 3 regions: Languedoc-Roussillon, Midi-Pyrénées and Aquitaine. In the South of regions are the Pyrenees. Aquitaine and Midi-Pyrénées are dominated by the basins of the rivers Dordogne and Garonne, Adour.

Climate
<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The climate varies considerably. There are three different climate zones.


 * Moist maritime climate with often fresh summers, for example West of the line Bayonne-Lille
 * Semicontinental climate or intermediate climate with severe winters and hot summers, for example in Alsace, Lorraine, along the Rhone Valley and in the mountains (Alps, Pyrenees, Massif Central)
 * Mediterranean climate with mild winters and hot summers in the South

Nature
The Mont Blanc is the highest point of the Alps and of France<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">France and Ukraine after Russia is the largest country in Europe and, to Western European standards, fairly sparsely populated; the population density is about 1/4 of that ofNetherlands. There is a lot of natural beauty in a hugely varied landscape, with many different climates and sub climates. France is a popular holiday destination for the French themselves and for many foreign tourists. In the Alps, the Pyrenees and the Massif Central is widely skied.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">In almost all departments there are various nature areas with national parks, such as Armorique, Camargue, Les Écrins national park, Grands Causses (regional natural park),Monts d ' Ardèche, Cevennes National Park, Mercantour national park, Parc National de la Vanoise and Verdon (regional natural park).

Rivers
<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">In France there are several major rivers such as the Seine which flows right through Paris. The longest river is the Loire, which with its 1012 km flows entirely by French territory.A piece of the Rhine forms a natural border with Germany. The Meuse and the Scheldt originate in North France and Belgium and Netherlands mouths through out in the North Sea. The Moselle rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through the French northern border to Germany, where it flows into the Rhine. It rises in Switzerland and flows into theRhône to the Côte d'Azur in the Mediterranean Sea. There are also numerous smaller rivers that lie entirely on French territory: the Garonne, the Dordogne, the Ardèche, theSaône, the Somme, the Drance, the Arve, the Fate the Giffre and many others.

Cities
<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The largest cities of France after Paris (2.220.140 inhabitants in 2008) or Marseille (851.420), Lyon (474.946), Toulouse (439.553) and Nice (344.875). Paris (12 points), Lyon (3) and Marseille (1) are on thewereldsteden list.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Among the ten largest French cities is Nice the only capital of a region that is not. Reims, with 180.842 inhabitants the 12th city in the country, is the largest municipality which also no departementshoofd city (préfecture) is.

<p lang="en" len="39" style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The thirteen largest French cities are:

Population
Population density in France by Department<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">By the end of the 1990s there were 40 French cities which had more than 100,000 inhabitants, but only Paris had more than one million. About 75% of the population lives in urban areas. That is why in France difference made between urban area, and in particular Paris, and the countryside. Up to the end of the Second World War the population growth of France was one of the lowest in Europe, but in post-war decades came to change.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">France, like other European countries by immigration from poorer countries received a large ethnic diversity. A large influx of mainly North African immigrants has a large impact on various French cities, particularly Paris and Marseille.

Languages
Distribution of languages and regional languages in France, Wallonia and French-speaking Switzerland<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The French is the national language of France, which is used at the exclusion of all others for Government, and law. There is also a number of regional languages and dialects, but its use is falling. Since 1994, however, there is a relaxation has occurred in the policy towards minority languages, which is legally defined in the Toubon law.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Alsatian, a German dialect, is spoken in Alsace and in parts in Lorraine. A small number of French in French Flanders speaksFrench-Flemish, actually a variant of West Flemish and therefore a Dutch dialect. In the extreme west of Brittany, the Bretonspoken in public life, but it plays a negligible role.<sup class="noprint nopopups" len="529" style="line-height:1;"> [source? ] In the South of France are different variants of the Occitan spoken. In the Southeast ,several variants of the speaks. Catalan is spoken in the eastern part of the Pyrenees, the Basque in the western part of the Pyrenees, and Corsican is spoken on the island of Corsica.

Religion
<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The Catholicism is by far the largest religion in France, that by 64% of the population-according to the website of the French Catholic Church-is adhered to (see Roman Catholicism in France). Furthermore, this website to that 5% actually goes to church regularly and 50% of the population is not yet Catholic goes smoothly. The second largest group are the non-believers with 27%.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 by Louis XIV was Catholicism the State religion. Since the separation of Church and State in 1905 the State has no interference with the hierarchy of the Church in France. The Catholic Church in France has eighteen total of 93 Church provinces and dioceses.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">About 2% of the population is Protestant. After the Bartholomew's night (1572) was the power of Protestantism in France broken (see Huguenots). By a law of 1802 the Protestant churches were recognized.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">As a result of immigration from Asia, Turkey and North Africa in the 20th century has gotten France in addition a large Muslim population : 3 to 5 million, about 10%. There is also a small number of Jews.

Politics
The Palais Bourbon is the seat of the National Assembly===Board=== <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">France is a democratic Republic. The president of the French Republic is elected for five years since 2002 (previously it was that seven years). The president has since the introduction of the Fifth Republic in 1958 lot of power compared to other Western democracies, because who can appoint and dismiss governments, and the Executive power is strong in front of the legislature. The president does not need Parliament's vote of confidence, because he or she is directly elected through national elections and is subject to change without itself to resign and dissolve Parliament prematurely early parliamentary elections once unsubscribe.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The president still has, along with the Bishop of Urgellthe Catalan, the Supreme Board on Andorra. For that reason he carries the title ' from the medieval Prince (prince) of Andorra '.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The French Parliament consists of the National Assembly or Assemblée Nationale (577 seats) and the Senate.

<p lang="en" len="250" style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Since May 15, 2012 is president of France François Hollande .

Administrative divisions
The regions and departments of France (excluding overseas territories) <p lang="en" len="1129" style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Since France 2011 is divided into 27 regions (of which 22 are in the European part), which in turn are divided into departments, arrondissements, cantons and at the lowest level municipalities, of which France there 36.796 counts.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">There are 5 overseas departments (départements d'outre-mer, DOM), each of which also have the status of a region: French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte andRéunion (these are — on Mayotte after — all pictured on the back of the euro banknotes, at the bottom left of the Canary Islands). France also owns other overseas territories, which, however, are not part of the European Union: Clipperton Island, Saint-Barthélemy, and Saint Pierre and Miquelon- St Maarten in North America, the French Southern and Antarctic Lands in the Indian Ocean and French Polynesia, New Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna Islands in Oceania. These dependent territories have different official statutes and a different amount of own powers.

Defence
<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The French armed forces have a very long history with large influence on world history. They include an army, a Navy, an air force and a military police force. The French president is the Supreme Commander of the armed forces. The main objectives are the defence of French territory, the protection of French interests and the preservation of global stability.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">With 779.450 troops in 2006 (419,000 reservists and 101.400 259.050 permanently, at the gendarmerie), France has the second largest armed forces in Europe (after Germany) and 20th in the world. She also has the third largest budget and has the third largest nuclear force, after the United States and Russia.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">France also has about the French Foreign Legion, in which only foreigners are included. The Foreign Legion was in 1831 under Louis-Philippe of France founded and has approximately 5600 413 officers non-commissioned officers and soldiers, 1741.

<p lang="en" len="175" style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">President Sarkozy announced in 2008 that the French army should be smaller and more mobile and with better equipment should be equipped for the fight against terrorism.

Culture
The Eiffel Tower is a symbol of bothParis and France<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The French culture itself in the architecture, literature, music, film, Theatre and Visual art. There are many theatres, museums and cinemas. There are various national and local events.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Promoting the French language and culture within the country and in the world is a serious state matter. The Institut de France has a coordination role for all cultural and scientific activities. One of the components of this Institute is the Académie française, officially since 1635 watches over the purity of the French language. The 40 members of this company are ' Immortals ', and their appointment by co-option has approval of the President of the Republic. Once every two or three years is somewhere in the French-speaking world held a Sommet de la Francophonie, which often involves the president himself gives acte de présence. The concept of French-speaking world ' is hereby over explained;the Conference was held in 2002 in Romania and Viet Nam in 1997.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">In addition, there are Radio France Internationale, the television channel TV5 Monde, partly in Netherlands with Dutch subtitles is nieuwszender, and the satellite to receiveFrance 24. In Amsterdam is also the Maison Descartes established, which promotes French culture in all sorts of ways to the Dutch public. In France itself, the own culture among other things exposed in some of the many museums that the country.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The interaction between culture and politics in France is more important than in, for example, Netherlands. Intellectuals are the last hundred years emerged as a social group taken seriously; for them is more than in Netherlands that they personally enjoy moral authority in the public debate. In 1949 the playwright Jean Genet and revolving door criminalthreatened to get lifelong, he was pardoned thanks to a petition to the president of a large number of prominent artists and writers, on the initiative of Jean Cocteau. President De Gaulle also pointed out the suggestion that Jean-Paul Sartre had to be arrested because of his protest against the war in Algeria with the argument: ' you don't arrest Voltaire '.Intellectuals can sometimes interlocutors of chosen rulers, until the president far. As a prominent writer or artist dies, it is usual that the head of State there publicly comment on supplies; politicians would undermine their prestige as they are ignorant or indifferent might show regarding art and culture. It is also very good to have written a book, about politics, about history or even with literary pretensions. When Jacques Attali, a favourite of president Mitterrand in 1990 was appointed president of the European Bank for reconstruction and development, believed he was to be able to position themselves as writer/philosopher, more than as a financial expert.

Gastronomy
<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The French cuisine is world renowned and loved and also contributes to the self image of the French. There are several regional dishes. French dishes include bouillabaisse and cassoulet. The French wine (fromdifferent wine regions) and French cheese (400 species) are very well-known. The SorbonneUniversity in Paris===Science and education=== <p lang="en" len="454" style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD) is a French Research Institute that will manage research and scientific programmes with regard to the relationship between man and his environment.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Education is compulsory for children from 6 to 16 years. This consists of primary education (école élémentaire) and secondary education (collège). To the 15th year after at least one year to school yet in the general education technical or vocational education. This is followed by higher education. Especially the ' Grandes Ecoles ', a kind of super-universities, are very competitive in nature; These are set in the Napoleonic era with the express purpose to create an administrative elite.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The education level in France is high. There are universities in Paris, Nantes, Lyon, Toulouse, Marseille, Bordeaux, Lille, Montpellier, Strasbourg, Rennes, Grenoble and Nancy.Education in France (écoles maternelles) starts at the nursery school.

Sports
<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">France is in the field of cycling, rugby and football, pétanque (in Netherlands known as ' boules ') a renowned country. Famous French sports competitions are Roland Garrostennis tournament, the cycling race Tour de France and Paris-Roubaix cycling classic.

<p lang="en" len="432" style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">France is also the home of parkour and horseball, two new sports with a rising popularity.

Foundations
The wine industry has traditionally been a major industry in France<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">France is one of the most important economic powers of the world and is the initiator of the founders of the G8, a rich industrialized countries increasing intergovernmental forum.The agriculture plays a larger role than in the economies of most other industrialized countries, which partly be explained from the relatively low population density and from the importance that the countryside is awarded for the national identity. A large part of the value of total agricultural export comes from cattle on (especially cattle, pigs, poultry andsheep). The mountain areas and North-West France are the main veegebieden. The major crops of the country are sugar beet, wheat, corn, barley and potatoes. In the Northwest is the ideal for growing vegetables, early in the year because of the mild climate. The ground in the Massif Central is less fertile. Fruit-growing is important in the South. France is one of the main producers of wine in the world. The most famous vineyards in Burgundy, Champagne, the Rhone and Loire valleys and the area of Bordeaux. The centers of theBordeauxwine trade, Reims, Dijon and Cognac.

The La Défense business district in Paris<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Important industries of France are machinery, chemical products, metals, cars, aircraft, electronic equipment and food (especially French cheese). The advanced technological industries grow as well. Paris is famous for its luxury goods. In addition to Paris are the main industrial cities Metz and Strasbourg in the Northeast; Roubaix in the North (Roubaix) and Lille; in the Southeast Lyon and Grenoble; in southern Marseille, Nice and Toulouse, Nîmes; in the West Bordeaux and Nantes.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Tourism is an important sector of the economy. Famous tourist regions are Normandy and Brittany in the North and the Provence and the Côte d'Azur in the South. Also theFrench Alps and Dordogne and the Loire castles are popular with tourists.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">More than half of the trade takes place with other members of the European Union. Japan, the United States and China are also important trading partners. The main export products are machinery and transport equipment, chemical products, food, agricultural products, steel products, textiles and clothing. Major import products are crude oil, machinery and equipment, agricultural products, chemical products and steel products. Nuclear power supplies 75% of all electricity from France. Unlike in many other Western countries this is hardly controversial; reduction of the dependence on imports of oil, of which France found itself has nothing, is very important. The most important ports areMarseille, Le Havre, Dunkirk, Rouen, Cherbourg, Brest, Saint-Nazaire, Nantes, Bordeaux and Toulon.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The Government had previously majority shares in many commercial banks, some industries and the telephone system. There is recent movement towards privatisation, although energy production, public transportation and defence industries still controlled by the Government.

Transport
<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">In the French road network is on major roads toll (péage) levied. France has an extensive rail network, including a network of high-speed lines for the TGV from Paris since 1981 in all directions and also abroad branched. Via the channel tunnel, there is also a rail connection with Great Britain. The Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français (abbreviation: SNCF) is the French national railway company. Airports there are among other things in or near Paris, Lyon, Nice and Marseille.

Tourism
<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">There were 81.9 million tourists in France in 2007. That means France most tourists of the world followed by Spain with 58.5 million (2006) and the United States with 51.1 million (2006). The most popular destinations in 2003 were the Eiffel Tower (6.2 million visitors), the Louvre Museum (5.7 million visitors), the Palace of Versailles (2.8 million visitors), the Musée d'Orsay (2.1 million visitors), the Arc de Triomphe (1.2 million visitors),Centre Pompidou (1.2 million visitors) and Mont Saint-Michel (1 million visitors).

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Tourism in 2007 was 6.2% of the gross national Product and was good for 117.6 billion. Of these were 55.4% domestic tourists, 34.9% 9.7% spending by foreign tourists and French prior to a visit abroad.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6" len="161" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"> [6]

Media
<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Compared with other developed countries, the French spend little time reading newspapers. This is mainly due to the popularity of the broadcasters. The best selling daily newspapers are Le Monde and Le Figaro with approximately 300,000 copies per day and L ' Équipe, with mainly sportverslaggevig. In recent years there has been a breakthrough of the free newspapers Metro, 20 Minutes Direct Plus and with a distribution of 650,000 copies. The largest audience, the regional daily Ouest France with more than 750,000 copies. About 50 other regional newspapers also have high sales figures. The sector weekly newspapers is strong and diverse, with more than 400 weekly newspapers across the country.'''

<p lang="en" len="15" style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">French newspapers:

<p lang="en" len="15" style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Press Agency:
 * Journal des débats (1789-1944)
 * Le Dauphiné Libéré
 * La Dépêche du Midi, Toulouse
 * Le Figaro, Paris
 * Libération, Paris
 * L ' Humanité
 * Midi Libre
 * Le Monde, Paris
 * Le Monde diplomatique
 * Le Progrès de Lyon, Lyon
 * Le Républicain Lorrain, Metz
 * La Voix du Nord, Lille (Lille)
 * L'Yonne Républicaine, Auxerre

<p lang="en" len="17" style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">French television:
 * Agence France Presse

<p lang="en" len="39" style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">French magazines include:
 * List of television stations in France


 * Le Nouvel Observateur
 * L'Express