- With an estimated population of 65.1 million people, France is the 19th most populous country in the world.
- Although only the size of Texas, France has seven mountain ranges and five major river systems.
- France's largest cities are Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Toulouse, Nice, and Nantes.
- It is the largest nation in Western Europe, with countries like Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Andorra and Monaco sharing its boundary.
- It is also referred to as L’Hexagone, which means the hexagon, due to the geometrical shape of the country.
- While all the stripes of the official French flag are of equal width, the one used by the navy has bands that increase in width from blue to red.
- French people love cheese. Though traditionally there are around 350 to 400 varieties of French cheese, there are in fact over 1000 different types available in the French market.
- An amusing fact about France is that while beer is considered a luxury drink saved for special occasions, wine is free with most meals.
- France is also home to the only Disneyland in Europe, located near Paris.
- The Tour de France, the most famous bicycle race in the world is an annual bicycle race of France, in which cyclists cover over 2100 miles in 23 days.
- The Statue of Liberty, one of the most widely recognized structures of US, was made in France. It was then gifted to the US in 1886 to celebrate its centennial. In fact, the face of the Statue is believed to have been modeled on Eugene Boyer, the wife of Isaac Singer, the famous sewing machine manufacturer.
- France is the home of the TGV - Train à Grande Vitesse, French for high speed train. A TGV test train set the record of being the the fastest train when it reached a speed of 357 mph on April 3, 2007.
- France is also home to the Louvre, one of the largest art museums in the world.
- France is where the Gothic Art and the Baroque style of architecture were born. This is the reason why there are numerous cathedrals and buildings that are fine examples of Gothic Art.
- From the French Alps to the marvelous beaches lining the azure waters in the French Riviera, France is one of the most visited countries in the world. In 2007, it attracted as many as 81.9 million tourists. This number was greater than its population!
Facts about tourism
Facts about airports
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