France
is the biggest country in Western Europe. It borders six
other countries - from the north-east to the south-east,
it borders Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, and
Italy. The south of France borders with Spain. France has
over 3200km of coastline, with rocky cliffs and sandy
beaches. In the north, the Channel Tunnel runs under the
English Channel, connecting France with the UK. To the
west is the Bay of Biscay, and the south coast of France
is on the Mediterranean Sea. Major rivers include the
Seine, the Loire, the Garonne, and the
RhÙne.
At
the end of the third century BC, Paris was founded by a
tribe of Celtic Gauls known as the Parisii. In 52 BC
centuries of conflict between the Gauls and the Romans
ended when the land was conquered by the Roman General,
Julius Caesar. Gaul or France was to remain part of the
Roman Empire for over 500 years.
The
2nd century AD saw the introduction of Christianity. In
the fifth century AD the Romans were conquered by the
Franks. Gaul was united as a kingdom by the Frankish king
Clovis I, and Paris was named as its capital. Throughout
the Middle Ages the Frankish dynasties fought with one
another. Charlemagne won many wars to extend the
boundaries of his kingdom, and became the Holy Roman
Emperor in 800 AD.
France
was heavily involved in the Crusades, which were holy
wars started by the Christian church against
non-Christians. All through the late Middle Ages France
fought with England. This led to the Hundred Years War
which lasted from 1337 to 1453. In 1429 a 17-year-old
woman known as Joan of Arc rallied the French soldiers to
defeat the English at the Battle of Orleans. She was
later captured and burnt at the stake by the English, who
were finally expelled from all parts of France in 1453.
I
In
1789 the French Revolution took place. King Louis XVI was
executed, and France became a republic. In the early
1800s the Emperor Napoleon took over, and led France to
invade several other countries, These lands were lost
again when the French army suffered defeat at the Battle
of Waterloo in 1815.
The
highest mountain ranges in France are the Alps which run
along two-thirds of the eastern border down to the
Mediterranean, and the PyrÈnÈes in the
south, on the border with Spain. The highest peak in
France is Mont Blanc in the Alps, on the Italian border.
It is 4807 metres high.
The
weather varies enormously from one part of the country to
another. In Brittany, on the north-west coast, it is
often quite mild, with moist winds from the Atlantic
Ocean bringing plenty of rain. The north-east has hot
summers and cold winters. In the mountainous regions
there is lots of snow in the winter, and this can stay on
the tops of the mountains all year long. The south has a
Mediterranean climate, with mild winters and hot
summers.
France
has many industries, including the production of iron and
steel, machinery, aircraft, and chemicals. France is the
world's fourth-biggest car manufacturer, behind Japan,
the USA, and Germany.Tourism is extremely important to
the French economy: every year thousands of visitors
flock to Paris and other cities, to the coastal resorts,
and in the winter to the many ski
resorts.
