France

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One of the great take-out snacks of Paris, the financier is a rich, moist tea-cake with a chewy outer crust., made with copious amounts of melted brown butter mixed with finely ...

France

Cities Info

France is known throughout the world for its luxury goods, its haute couture and perfumes and its gourmet food. The French wrote the book on la vie en rose and gave the world Champagne and camembert, de Beauvoir and Debussy, the Tour de France and the Tour Eiffel. So if they have a finely tuned sense of national pride, who are we to point fingers? Although the ubiquity of Levis and Le Big Mac flusters the country's cultural purists, anything from a year in Province to a weekend in Paris will explain why half the world grows dreamy over stalking the streets of Cyrano or picnicking Manet-style sur l'herbe. France has been synonymous with Romance for longer than your grandmother cares to remember, so whether you visit Paris or the Pyrenees, the Côte d'Azur or the auberge de jeunesse, be sure to keep your fantasies in check, your expectations in line and your joie in your vivre.
In French, France is known as the 'Hexagon" because of its shape. The country extends from the northern plains to the Pyrenees in the south, from the jagged coast of Brittany to the Alpine glaciers, and from the sandy beaches of Bordeaux to the left Bank of the Rhine. Its geographic position and history have turned it into a mosaic of distinct regions which have kept alive their customs and traditions.

Country Fact

FRANCE Map

Country Fact*:

Full country name: French Republic
Area: 547,030 sq km
Population: 60,424,213
Capital city: Paris (pop 10.95 million)
People: Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Indochinese, Basque minorities
Language: French 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects and languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish)
Religion: Roman Catholic 83%-88%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim 5%-10%, unaffiliated 4%
Government: Republic
Business Hours: Office hours are generally 9am-5.30/6pm, with a one-hour lunch break. Banking hours are Monday to Friday 9am-4.30pm. Shops are some are open Sunday 9am-1pm ; some close all or part of Monday
Major industries: Oil refining, steel, cement, aluminium, agricultural products & foodstuffs (wheat, barley, maize, cheese), luxury goods, chemicals, motor manufacturing, energy products
Major trading partners: EU (Germany, Italy, UK), USA
Internet Domain: .fr
International Dialing Code: +33

Event

Calendar of Events*:

January:
1st - New Year's Day
March/April:
Good Friday and Easter
May:
1st - Labour Day
8th - Liberation Day
July:
11th - La Fete de la Magdelene
14th - Bastille Day/National Day
19th - Edgar Degas' Birthday
August:
15 th - Assumption Day
November:
1st - All Saint's Day
11th - Armistice Day
25th - St. Catherine's Day
December:
25th - Christmas Day

* Information is subject to change. For further update, please check these websites:www.bbc.com, www.cia.gov, www.earthcalendar.net

Major Tourist Cities

NICE

The capital of the beautiful Côte d'Azur is very very nice indeed. Beaches lined with palm-treed walkways, belle époque buildings, bags of museums and a kicking nightlife attract tourists of every age, year-round.

Historically Nice was the haunt of the wealthy aristocracy, but head to the city during its famously colourful Mardi Gras carnival and you'll quickly see just how varied the city's population is today. As the gateway to the beautiful Côte d'Azur, and the regional capital, Nice is spitting distance from glamorous resorts like Cannes and Monaco, and within easy reach of the rural villages of Provence.


Local Travel Agent(s):

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Nice City Map

Population: 1.1million
Area: 4,294 sq km (1,1658 sq mi)
Country: France
Main language: French
Time: GMT/UTC +1
Telephone Area Code: 04

PARIS

Paris, the capital of France, is located in northern France on both banks of the Seine River, 145 km (90 mi) from the river's mouth on the English Channel. A total of 2,135,300 (2002) inhabitants live in Paris proper, and almost 11 million persons (1999) live in greater Paris (the Ile-de-France region), which is one of Europe's largest metropolitan areas. A city of world importance and the business, historic, intellectual, diplomatic, religious, educational, artistic, and tourist center of France, Paris owes its prosperity in large part to its favorable position on the Seine, which has been a major commercial artery since the Roman period.

>Paris has long inspired opinionated outbursts, from delusional to denouncing, but on one matter travelers remain in agreement: it's among the most stimulating cities in the world. Paris assaults all the senses, demanding to be seen, heard, touched, tasted and smelt. From luminescent landmarks to fresh poodle droppings on the pavement, the city is everything it should be - the very essence of all things French. If you come here expecting all you've heard to be true, you won't leave disappointed.


Local Travel Agent(s):

	Le Monde Du Voyage
	Address: 178 Boulevard Haussmann Paris 75008 France Phone: +336 1 4704591
	Epnworld
	Address: Ian Lubcke Epnworld, 94 Bis, Avenue De Suffren 75015. Paris France Phone: +33 1 53 58 45 93, Fax: +33 1 53 58 45 80
	CFA De Voyages
	Address: 16 Boulevard De La Villatte, 75019 Paris France Phone: +33 1 40039850, 33 1 40030340, Fax: +33 1 40038285
	China Travel Service France
	Address: 32, Rue Vignon Paris 75009 France Phone: +33 1 44515573, Fax: +33 1 44515560

Paris City Map

Population: 2.2 million
Area: 105 sq km (41 sq mi)
Country: France
Main language: French
Time: GMT/UTC +1
Telephone Area Code: 01