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1. France
Know Your Community: Know Your World

2. Speaker Profile
(Basic Introduction, information about hometown, family, career, etc…)

3. France on the Map

4. French Facts
Population: 66,259,012
Capital: Paris
Largest city: Paris
Major language: French
Major religion: Christianity (Catholicism)
Life expectancy: Male: 78.55 years, Female: 84.91 year
Monetary unit: Euro
Main exports: machinery and transportation equipment, aircraft, plastics,
chemicals, pharmaceutical products, iron and steel, beverages
GPD per capita: €35936.67 ($40,400)
(Data from the CIA’s The World Fact Book 2014)

5. Significant Historic Events
• 58-51 B.C.: Emperor Julius Caesar conquers Gaul, which would become France.
• 1429 A.D.: Joan of Arc leads French troops into battle at Orléans in the Hundred
Years War against England.
• 1643: Louis XIV, known as the Sun King ascends to the French throne.
• 1789: Peasants storm the Bastille Prison in Paris and overthrow the royal family,
starting the French Revolution.
• 1804: Napoleon Bonaparte crowns himself emperor.
• 1914: WWI begins, much of the fighting takes place in France.
• 1940: Germany invades France in WWII, occupying the country for much of the
war.
• 1946-1954: France fights in the French-Indochina war and loses control of colonies
in Southeastern Asia.
• 1994: The Channel Tunnel opens connecting Britain and France.
• 2002: The euro is introduced as the currency for nearly all nations in the European
Union.
• (Adapted from Time: for Kids)

6. Well-Know Landforms and Sites
• Tour Eiffel
• Notre Dame
• Musée du Lourve
• Mont St. Michel
• Château de Chambord
• Mont Blanc
• Lourdes
• Gorges du Verdon
• Plage Normandie

7. Language: French
Hello: Bonjour(Good day), Salut (Hi)
Bye: Au revoir
Yes: Oui
No: Non
Thank you: Merci
You’re Welcome (response to thank you): De rien
Please: S’il vous plaît
I love you: Je t’aime
How are you?: Comment-allez vous?

8. Government
Leader: François Hollande
Structure: Constitutional Republic
• Executive, legislative, and judicial branches
• Elected President appoints a Prime Minister
• Two chambered legislature
• The judicial branch is very independent of the other two branches
Voting Age: 18

9. Current Issues and Events
• Gay Marriage
• Immigration
• European Union financial issues
• Spring of 2015 Terrorist attacks in Paris
• The French generally do not like to discuss
politics in friendly conversation.

10. Economy
Currency: the euro
Imports:
• fuel
• electronics
• chemicals
• metal products
• machinery
• cars
Exports:
• aircraft
• food
• chemicals
• machinery
• metal
(Adapted from tradingeconomics.com

11. Daily Life
For a student:
For an adult:

12. Traditional Costumes
Brittany
Alsace Lorraine

13. Holidays and Festivals
• Victory in Europe Day: May 8th. celebrations mark the anniversary of the
defeat of Germany in WWII.
• Bastille Day: July 14th, a National Celebration of the storming of the
Bastille and the revolution that would eventually lead to the formation
of the French Republic.
• All Saints and All Souls Days: November 1st and 2nd, the French honor
the memories of their deceased relatives and the saints.
• Epiphany: Two weeks after Christmas, the French enjoy Galettes du Rois
to celebrate the arrival of the three kings at the Holy Nativity.
• Mardi Gras: The day before Ash Wednesday, carnivals and feasts erupt
in anticipation of the start of the Lenten season.
• Poisson d’arvil: April 1st, pranksters stick small fish shaped bits of paper
to the backs of unsuspecting friends or strangers.

14. Sports
Most popular:
Football (Soccer)
Traditional:
• Pelota: a variation of tennis played by two teams hitting a ball off a wall that was
created in the Basque region.
• Bullfighting: This differs from Spanish bullfighting in that the bull is not killed
during the match: fighters remove flags from the bull’s horns.
• Boule (Petanque): The goal of this game is the throw a small but heavy ball as
close to a target ball as possible, while making sure your opponent’s ball stays as
far from the target as possible.

15. Food
• Foie Gras
• Crèpes
• Boeuf Bourguignon
• Soupe à l’oignon
• Cheese
• Quiche
• Ratatoille
• Bread and croissants
• Crème Brûlée
• Tarte Tartin
• Soufflé
• Pâtisseries
• Bûche de Noël
• Wine (Bien sûr!)

16. Sources and Links
• http://www.france.fr/en.html
• https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/fr.html
• http://www.traditionalfrenchfood.com/
• http://www.gouvernement.fr/en/how-government-works