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France. Pop - 64,473,140. Area - 674,843 km². Capital - Paris. Largest City – Paris. Currency – Euro. Language – French. Main Religion – Secular. Time Zone – GMT + 1 hour. Main Airports – Paris (Charles de Gaulle CDG, Orly ORY, Beauvais BVA), Lyon (Saint-Exupéry LYS), Marseille Provence MRS, Nice (Côte d'Azur NCE). Climate – Temperate in the north and Mediterranean in the south. Voltage guide 220-230 V. Dialing code 33. France is a western European country with a land mass extending from the English Channel down to the Mediterranean Sea. It is the most visited country in the world with over 75 million visitors per year and is a major world cultural, economic, and military power. The most important event in French history was the French Revolution in 1789 when the then monarch - Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette, were executed. A French republic was established which was then taken over by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1799, until eventual defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. France maintained it’s republic with some hitches and the present system of government, a semi-presidential republic evolved. The country consists of 22 regions which are grouped into 7 larger areas: Ile de France (the area surrounding Paris); Northern France (includes Nord-Pas de Calais, and Picardie); Northeast France (includes Alsace, Lorraine, and Champagne-Ardenne); Great West (includes Brittany, Basse-Normandie, and Pays de la Loire); Central France (includes Centre-Val de Loire, Poitou-Charentes, Burgundy, Limousin, and the Auvergne); Southwestern France (includes Aquitaine and Midi-Pyrenees); and Southeastern France (includes Rhône-Alpes, Languedoc-Roussillon, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and the island of Corsica). Many visitors come to France to taste the wonderful cuisine particularly the great range of regional dishes such as - Cassoulet (a south west dish with Beans, duck, pork & sausages), Fondue Savoyarde (a dish from the French Alps with Melted/hot cheese and alcohol); Boeuf Bourguignon (from Burgundy with slow cooked beef in gravy); and Bouillabaisse (Marseille and French Riviera expensive dish with fish + saffron). France is also THE country for cheese and a visitor could spend a lifetime tasting - Bleu des Causses, Brie de Meaux, Broccio, Camembert, Cantal, Livarot, Morbier, Pelardon, Picodon, Roquefort, Sainte Maure de Touraine, Tomme de Savoie, and many more. These cheeses are normally washed down with French wines such as - Champagne, Burgundy, and Bordeaux. Finally, our advice to visitors is pick up one or two French phrases, which will go a long way to please your hosts, many of whom speak English but are somewhat more reserved about speaking it than the Dutch or Scandinavians.

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