Bonjour!

France

Table of Contents1. Location2. History3. Economy4. Culture5. Language

Famous Landmarks:6. Eiffel Tower7. Notre Dame Cathedral8. Louvre Museum9. Champs Elysees10. Interesting Facts 11. Some French Landspaces12. Living in France:The student buget

France

Capital City: Paris

Government: Republic

Population: 59 million

Language: French, Alsatian, Breton, Catalan, Provenal & Corsian.

Religion: 90% roman catholic, 25 Protestant, 1% Muslim, 1% Jewish, 6% unaffiliated

Ethnic groups: Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African ,Indochinese, Basque minorities

Agriculture: wheat, Cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, wine grapes, beef, dairy products, fish

Climate: Cool winter and mild summers

Food: bread, cheese and specially wine

Education system: The French education system is reputed to be one of the most thorough in the world. Public education is free at the primary and secondary levels and is compulsory from age six to sixteen. Universities are public and tuition is nominal.

History• National Day: July 14, 1789.• French Revolution marks the end of monarchy and

establishment of popular democracy.• Inventions – parachute, submarine, airship and hot air

balloon.

Economy

• France – member of the European Union; currency – euro. One of the richest countries.

• Important industries: Tourism, Airlines and Fashion.• Tourism: France – most visited destination with 75 million

tourists annually, greater than its population. It offers mountain ranges, Mediterranean Sea, coastlines, castles and vineyards. Popular attractions – Disneyland, Eiffel Tower, Louvre and Notre Dame cathedral.

• Airlines: Air France is one of the biggest airlines of the world.

• Recently launched Airbus A380 - largest airline in the world.

• Fashion: France – fashion capital of the world. • Top designers: Christian Dior, Hermes, Jean – Paul

Gaultier and Louis Vuitton. • Fashion week- held in January to demonstrate latest

trends for Spring and Summer.

Culture• Beer – luxury; Wine – free at meals. French

love eating wine with cheese. • Popular drink – hot chocolate with bread. • Cinemas – 4,400• Historic monuments – 38, 879• Theatrical productions – 50, 000.

• Family-oriented nation: practical about work-life balance.

• Strikes are expressions of people power - basic right.

• Favourite pastime for Parisians: sitting at cafes on the banks of River Seine!

Language• “Salut” means “hello” and “goodbye”.• Crayola - “oily chalk”. • “Ananas” – pineapple – is also a French word – L’ ananas. • Celebrities that speak French: Johnny Depp, Elton John, Halle

Berry, Madonna and John Travolta.

Famous Landmarks

• Eiffel Tower• Notre Dame Cathedral• Louvre Museum• Champs Elysees

Eiffel Tower

• Built by Gustave Eiffel in 1889 to celebrate the French Revolution of 1789.

• Height: 950 feet.• Eiffel Tower – a tower that could be used to climb up and

watch Paris. However, fences and bars were built when people started committing suicide by jumping over, after the death of French singer, Claude Francoise.

• Hatred against the Eiffel Tower, sale as scrap.

Notre Dame Cathedral

• Gothic, Roman Catholic Cathedral. • Also known as “Our Lady of Paris”. • One of the greatest examples of French Gothic

architecture.

Louvre Museum

• Historic monument, one of the world’s largest museums.

• Largest and oldest museum of France. • One of the most visited art museums in the

world. • Exhibits 35,000 objects from history.• Famous art works: Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona

Lisa and Nike of Samothrake.

Champs Elysees

• Widest avenue in Paris• Bordered by cinemas, luxury shops, theatres and

cafes on its west. • Used for all major celebrations: Parisians celebrate

New Year’s Eve; military parades are held on 14th July; the Liberation at the end of World War II and victory in World Cup Football were celebrated here.

Interesting Facts

• Popular sports – football, basketball, handball, rugby league and rugby union.

• French writer, Andre Gide: “French people are Italian people in bad mood”.

• France – world leader in luxury goods: perfumes and cosmetics.

• National pride – wine and cheese.• France produces over 400 varieties of cheese. Selling of ET

dolls illegal: law against selling dolls without human faces. • Popular character – Mickey Mouse• Milk – national drink.

Some French Landscapes

Le Périgord

Les Alpes

Langue d’Oc Roussillon

Bretagne

Côte d‘Azur

Côte Atlantique

La Camargue

Le Pays Basque Each region is different !

Tuition Fees :• in universities : €130 to €350 per year• for the grandes écoles, fees vary greatly : from €300 for public engineering schools up to €14,000 for certain others

Additional Insurance (Compulsory) :• health insurance (student social security): €180 per year• private insurance : from €150 to €550 per year• third-party liability insurance• comprehensive housing insurance

Day-to-Day Expenses :• accommodation : from €150 to €600 per month (but all students are eligible for student housing benefits)• food : €130 to €250 per month• transport : €50 to €130 per month

France is one of the least expensive countries in Europe, and students can enjoy a relatively high standard of living :

Living in France : the student budget