France

1. France The first thing a 10 year old boy might think of about France is the Ireland vs France football match and Henry’s handball. The second thing they might think of is Disneyland. But France is a lot more than that!

2. Overview • France is a beautiful country. I went there a few months ago, and I was impressed. It’s fascinating history, great culture, impressive architecture, and more, has to be viewed. Paris • Everybody knows about the Eiffel Tower, yeah, but there’s more. The Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, the river Seine, well, these places may seem boring to children and Disneyland fascinates them even more, but that’s because they never saw them in real life. They cannot appreciate their greatness yet, but I can. The architecture in Paris is beautiful. The Louvre, the River Seine, the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower • Kids love Disneyland, it’s great, no theme park can rival it, it’s fun, and who wants to see a bunch of paintings and ancient things, and models? They’d rather have fun than exploring the biggest museum in the world, with the nicest paintings, a great collection of ancient stuff and impressive models that will be fascinating even in 10000 years. But the Seine? A river, that’s all. It’s actually a long beautiful river with some of the most famous buildings in Paris nearby it. The Arc de Triomphe? An arch? Are you out of your mind? It is a famous arch built a long time ago, and a great piece of French history is built around it. The Eiffel Tower? A tower shaped like a pyramid. It is about 340 metres high, and it has a shopping area, a cinema, a restaurant, and great history. Well that’s not all. Go and see for yourself and be fascinated. • Bored at history lessons? That’s because you never saw a country with a history that’s so interesting. You will be amazed after you see Paris. I am telling you!

3. The Eiffel Tower This masterpiece was built in 1889. A man called Gustave Eiffel designed it. He was very creative and contributed to the design of the Statue of Liberty. Gustave Eiffel was asked to design a building for an exposition. The building was to last 50 years. However it still stands today. At the time it was built the Eiffel Tower was the tallest building in the world. Gustave Eiffel was born on 15th December 1832 and died aged 91 in 1923.

4. The Louvre • The Louvre is one of the biggest museums in the world. It is also the most visited museum ever, with the most famous paintings ever seen, including the great Mona Lisa. The Visitor’s Centre at the Louvre is shaped like a pyramid and it’s located right in the middle of the complex. • It has paintings, models, ancient objects and more. It is impossible to finish viewing it in a day, even if you run through it. You will need weeks or months to finish viewing the whole museum. Lots of people visit everyday, so you may find yourself in a big crowd. • You can explore Napoleon’s apartments, the main buildings, the model exposition and more. It is a must see! • There are lots of paintings, small to big, and it is worth taking photos of each of them. You can see relics of the ancient Roman, Greek, Egyptian and other big cultures. One of the most famous symbols of Greek civilization is the Venus de Milo.

5. Notre Dame de Paris Notre Dame de Paris is the most famous cathedral in France. It is a Roman Catholic cathedral, easily seen from the Seine. In 1804, the Coronation of Napoleon I took place at the Notre Dame. Today, it is visited by thousands of people from France and other countries alike. Construction of the Notre Dame Cathedral began in 1163. It was finished in 1345.

6. Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe • The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is one of the most famous streets in the world. The Arc de Triomphe is on the Western end of the Champs-Élyséesand in the middle of the Place Charles de Gaulle. The monument stands 80.5 m (264 ft) in height. It was designed by Napoleon I and is the second largest triumphal arch in existence.

7. More about France • France is the largest country in Europe, after Russia and Ukraine. It has natural frontiers the entire length of its borders, except the northeastern portion, where the lowlands of Flanders and the Ardennes heights go to Belgium. Thus, the Mediterranean Sea in the south and the Atlantic Ocean in the West, and the English Channel in the north, a mountain range in south-west and the Rhine in the east, form the boundaries of France. Almost all types of terrain specific of Western Europe can be found here: eternally snowy mountain peaks, vast plains, dense forests, wetlands and coastal portions irregularly damaged. • France is divided into distinct regions, each with its own name and characteristics. • Unlike the heights of Brittany, most of north-western region of France consists of flat lowlands. • This fertile area, suitable for agriculture, is crossed by several rivers: the Seine, Loire and Garonne, together with their tributaries. Central, eastern and southern parts of France are hilly and mountainous. Highlands make up the third of the country. • Volcanic mountains of the Massif Central are separated by the river Rhone, the fourth largest of the rivers of France. • France meets four different climate zones. • West is characterized by humid climate, favourable fat pastures and orchards of Brittany and Normandy. In the Middle-East, wheat, maize and sugar beet are grown. It is characterised by large differences between cold and warm seasons (cold winters and very hot summers). Around the Mediterranean Sea, south and in the island of Corsica, heat allows year-round cultivation of citrus and olive orchards. • France is famous for its wines by variety, especially those produced from grapes that grow in the vineyards of Burgundy, Bordeaux and Champagne.

8. Cave Paintings of Lascaux • The most famous cave paintings in the world are 17,000 years old. They were discovered by four young people in Lascaux in 1940.

9. Truffle Hunting In the region of Perigueux, pigs are used to find truffles (the very expensive mushrooms).

10. Pont du Gard • Pont du Gard, near Nimes, is an aqueduct built by the Romans about 2,000 years ago.

11. Monastery of Mont-Saint-Michel • The Monastery of Mont-Saint-Michel is located on an ancient hill, right on the coast of Normandy. At high tide, paths leading to the monastery are completely covered by sea water.

12. Tour de France The Tour de France is the most important cycling tournament in the world. For three weeks in July, hundreds of cyclists compete on a route of over 3000 kilometres.

13. Did you know that? The most useful river in France is the River Rhone. Its waters are used for navigation, irrigation, water supply etc. industry. France is famous for cheese (400 different kinds) and wine (number 1 in the world). France is known for luxury goods: perfumes, cosmetics and expensive designer clothing. (Chanel, Givenchy) Loire Valley is a special attraction because of the many castles built on its shores. Chambord Castle is the largest of them. The French word for castle is chateau. The Aerian Rocket was produced by the French aeronautical industry. It produces aircrafts (Concorde, Airbus), helicopters and planes. France is number one in Europe for nuclear energy. In France there are solar, wind and wave power plants.

14. Mont Blanc The highest peak in France is Mont Blanc (4807 m) in the Alps. It is a great attraction for tourists and mountaineers. Because of the altitude, the peaks of the Alps and the Pyrenees Mountains are covered with permanent snow and mountain glaciers.

15. Channel Tunnel The Channel Tunnel is a 50.5-kilometre (31.4 mi) undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent near Dover in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. Its famous shuttle, the Eurotunnel Shuttle can carry passengers as well as vehicles. At its lowest point it is 75 metres (250 ft) deep. At 37.9 kilometres (23.5 mi), the Channel Tunnel has the longest undersea portion of any tunnel in the world although the Seikan Tunnel in Japan is both longer overall, at 53.85 kilometres (33.46 mi) and deeper, at 240 metres (790 ft) below sea level. The Channel Tunnel was opened in Calais on 6 May 1994 by British Queen Elizabeth II and French President François Mitterrand.

16. Some Leaders of France Charles Martel Charles De Gaulle Clovis I Louis XIV Napoleon I

17. France is the most popular international tourist destination in the world, receiving over 75 million foreign tourists annually. France's National Day is called Bastille Day. It is celebrated on 14 July, the day the French Revolution began in 1789. French Revolution

18. The End!