Table of Contents
France is a popular tourist destination, with good food, amazing wine, beautiful cities, and charming culture. It’s no surprise that everyone wants to visit this beautiful country! So, if you are living in France or even just visiting, learning some France facts will help you get to know the country better; you can even impress your friends at your next trivia night with these interesting facts about France. With an estimated 83 million tourists visiting the country each year, it comes up among the list of most visited countries in the world. France is also the most popular tourist destination in Europe and the third most visited country globally. The Eiffel Tower is a popular monument in France and one of the iconic landmarks in the world as we all know. So prepare to put your French knowledge to the test as we share 9 fun facts about France that might just surprise you.
Fun Facts About France You Will Enjoy Knowing!
The Largest Country In Western Europe
A well-known France fact is that it’s the largest country in Western Europe. It is also the largest country in the European Union. It has a land area of 547,030 sq km (211,209 sq mi) and a coastline of 4,849 km (2,872 mi). This country is bordered by Belgium and Luxembourg to the north, Germany and Switzerland to the east, Italy to the southeast and Spain to the southwest.
The Official Language Is French
French is the official language of France, but it’s also spoken in Canada, Belgium and Switzerland. It is a Romance language like Spanish and Italian—the word romance comes from the Latin word for “Roman.” It’s estimated that 80 million people speak French worldwide—that’s more than any other language!
The First Country To Adopt A Metric System Of Measurement
One of the interesting French Revolution facts is about the metric system of measurement which is a system of measurement based on the meter, kilogram and second. It was adopted in 1795 by France, which was the first country to use it. The French Revolution led to the adoption of a new standard for weights and measures. Prior to this time, standards varied from region to region across Europe.
One Third Of All French People Live In The Paris
Of the 65 million people living in France, just over a third of them (32%) live in Paris, making it the country’s largest city. As you might expect from such a large population, it is also one of the most populated metropolitan areas in all of Europe. The greater Paris metropolitan area has about 12 million inhabitants. Paris is located on an island in the Seine River, which runs through several other major cities and towns throughout France. Many visitors come to see its historic sites like Notre Dame Cathedral or tour galleries such as the Louvre Museum—the world’s largest art museum!
The Eiffel Tower Was The Tallest Manmade Structure For 40 Years
The Eiffel Tower was built in 1887 and was the tallest manmade structure for 40 years. It is the most visited paid-for monument in the world. It took two years to build, and cost nearly seven million francs. That’s about $1 billion today! This monument was specifically built for the World Fair in 1889 and remains one of Paris’s most iconic attractions. The tower was designed by Gustave Eiffel, who also built another famous structure known as the Statue of Liberty.
A Famous Photograph Was Taken In France
During World War 1, a famous photograph was taken of a group of soldiers playing football on Christmas Day. The men in the photo were from the British and German armies. They were located in no man’s land between their trenches. It was Christmas Eve 1914, and both sides had agreed to an unofficial truce for the day as part of an effort to end hostilities. During this time, many people gathered together to spend time with their families and friends back home via telephone calls or postcards, but some decided to get out into no man’s land where they could meet face-to-face with one another. This particular picture shows members from both sides playing football together.
French People Drink Plenty Of Wine
One of the popular cultural facts about France is that the average French person drinks 26.9 gallons of wine per year. French people are well-known for their wine consumption, and they’re not the only ones who live up to that reputation. The average American drinks 32 gallons of wine per year—seven times more than the global average. Of course, no one expects you to be able to tell a Côtes du Rhône from a Châteauneuf-du-Pape without taking a sip first. But if you find yourself at an upscale restaurant in France or you’re curious about what your waiter might suggest when ordering your next glass of vino on vacation, it can’t hurt to know some key France facts about French wines!
Over 60% Of The World’s Perfume Is Produced In France
Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and aroma compounds, fixatives and solvents. The word perfume comes from the Latin “perfumare” meaning to smoke through incense. The earliest known use of pure aromatic oils was in ancient Egypt where they were used in religious ceremonies.
The Mona Lisa By Leonardo Da Vinci
The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci is one of the world’s most famous paintings and can be found at The Louvre in Paris. A popular France fact is about its theft in 1911 but it was recovered two years later. In 1956, a German woman named Helene Hidalgo attacked the painting with acid while on her honeymoon with her husband Jacques Alain-Laurent after they had been refused entry to the museum because it was closed for renovations (the Louvre didn’t reopen until 1959). She claimed that she did it because she was angry that her husband wanted to visit a museum instead of visiting Notre Dame cathedral instead. While there are many stories about how this happened exactly—and no one knows whether or not she was actually responsible—she did write an apology letter claiming responsibility for damaging the masterpiece, and then accepted damages paid by her insurance company for what had happened.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are many surprising France facts that you may not know. Whether it’s their impressive military history or their love of wine and cheese, every country has its own unique characteristics! We hope this blog helped you learn about some new things about France that you didn’t know before reading today’s article!
FAQs
1. What is France famous for?
France is one of the most romantic nations in the world. Fantastic settings, unrivalled French cuisine, art events, remarkably well-preserved architecture, and intriguing tourist attractions are a few of the several reasons why it is the most travelled country for the past 20 years.
2. What are 3 historical facts about France?
France has a bunch of historical facts. The 3 most popular France facts in its history are – 1.) The 20-minute-long king’s reign in France, 2.) French wasn’t always France’s official language and 3.) In accordance with a 1910 law, couples were not allowed to kiss at train stations.
3. What is France’s old name?
“Gaul” was the first name given to France by the Romans; it was given to the entire region where the Celtic people lived. This occurred between 51 and 58 BC, during Julius Caesar’s invasion of the region.
4. Which French king only lasted 20 minutes?
A very popular France fact is about Louis-Antoine, who became King of France and Navarre after his father abdicated the crown (at the insistence of protesters) on August 2nd, 1830. His rule lasted about 20 minutes before he too acceded to demands to renounce the crown.
PS: If there’s anything more you’d like us to know about. Add it to the comments section!
Thank you for reading this blog on ‘Top France Facts That Will Interest You!’. If you’d like to read more, here are some blogs that may be of interest to you –
- 11 Unknown Facts About Ukraine You Need To Know!
- UK Facts – 80 Interesting Facts About The UK
- Here Are Some Lesser-Known Interesting Facts About Australia!
Looking for student accommodation abroad?
