My first upload

2. I. Basic Facts
 Language (offical)
French (le français [lə fʁɑ̃sɛ] ( listen) or la langue française [la lɑ̃ɡ fʁɑ̃sɛz]) is a Romance
language, belonging to the Indo-European family. It descended from the spoken Latin
language of the Roman Empire, as did languages such
as Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Romanian, Catalan and others. French has evolved from Gallo-
Romance, the spoken Latin in Gaul, and more specifically in Northern Gaul. Its closest
relatives are the other langues d'oïl—languages historically spoken in northern France and in
southern Belgium, which French (Francien) has largely supplanted. French was
also influenced by native Celtic languages of Northern Roman Gaul like Gallia Belgica and by
the (Germanic) Frankish language of the post-Roman Frankish invaders. Today, owing to
France's past overseas expansion, there are numerous French-based creole languages, most
notably Haitian Creole. A French-speaking person or nation may be referred to
as Francophone in both English and French.
French is the official language in 29 countries, most of which are members of la francophonie,
the community of French-speaking countries. It is spoken as a first language in France,
southern Belgium, western Switzerland, Monaco, certain parts of Canada and by various
communities elsewhere. As of 2015, 40% of the francophone population (including L2 and
partial speakers) is in Europe, 35% in sub-Saharan Africa, 15% in North Africa and the
Mideast, 8% in America, and 1% in Asia and Oceania.

3. French is the second-most widely spoken mother tongue in the European Union. 1/5 of
non-Francophone Europeans speak French.As a result of French and Belgian
colonialism from the 17th and 18th century onward, French was introduced to new
territories in the Americas, Africa and Asia. Most second-language speakers reside
in Francophone Africa, in particular Gabon, Algeria, Mauritius, Senegal and Côte
d'Ivoire.In 2015, French was estimated to have 77 to 110 million native speakers,and
190 million secondary speakers. Approximately 270 million people are able to speak
the language. According to a demographic projection led by the Université
Laval and the Réseau Démographie de l'Agence universitaire de la francophonie,
total French speakers will number approximately 500 million people in 2025 and
650 million people by 2050. The Organisation internationale de la
Francophonie estimates 700 million by 2050, 80% of whom will be in Africa.
French has a long history as an international language of commerce, diplomacy,
literature, and scientific standards and is an official language of many international
organisations including the United Nations, the European Union, NATO, theWTO,
the International Olympic Committee, and the ICRC. In 2011, French was deemed
by Bloomberg Businessweek to be one of the top three most useful languages for
business, after English and Mandarin Chinese.

4.  Currency
1 Euro equals
52.01 Philippine Peso
1 Euro equals
119.41 CFP Franc

5.  Capital
Paris is the home of the most visited art museum in the world,
the Louvre, as well as the Musée d'Orsay, noted for its collection of
French Impressionist art, and the Musée National d'Art Moderne, a
museum of modern and contemporary art.

6. Paris (UK: /pærɪs/ parr-iss; US: i/pɛərɪs/ pair-
iss; French: [paʁi] ( listen)) is the capital and most-populous
cityof France. Situated on the Seine River, in the north of the
country, it is in the centre of the Île-de-France region, also
known as the région parisienne, "Paris Region". The City of Paris
has an area of 105.4 square kilometres (40.7 square miles) and
had a population of 2,241,346 within its city limits in 2014. The
Paris Region covers 12,012 square kilometres (4,638 square
miles), and has its own regional council and president. It had a
population of 12,005,077 as of January 2014, or 18.2 percent of the
population of France.
Paris was founded in the 3rd century BC by a Celtic people called
the Parisii, who gave the city its name. By the 12th century, Paris
was the largest city in the western world, a prosperous trading
centre, and the home of theUniversity of Paris, one of the first in
Europe. In the 18th century, it was the centre stage for the French
Revolution, and became an important centre of finance,
commerce, fashion, science, and the arts, a position it still
retains today.

7.  Flag
Tricolour flag
The national flag of France is a tricolour
flagfeaturing three vertical bands coloured royal
blue (hoist side), white, and red. It is known to
English speakers as the French Tricolour or simply
the Tricolour (French: Tricolore).

8.  Government
This article is about the collective executive of France. For entire
governing system of France, see Politics of France.
The Government of the French Republic (French: Gouvernement de la
République française) exercises executive power in the French
Republic. It is composed of the Prime Minister of the French Republic,
who is the head of government, and both junior and
senior ministers. Senior ministers are titled as Ministers
(French: Ministres), whereas junior ministers are titled as Secretaries of
State (French: Secrétaires d'État). A smaller and more powerful
executive body, called the Council of Ministers (French: Conseil des
ministres), is composed only of the senior ministers, though some
Secretaries of State may attend Council meetings. The Council of
Ministers is chaired by thePresident of the Republic, unlike the
government, but is still led by Prime Minister, who was officially titled
as thePresident of the Council of Ministers (French: Président du
Conseil des ministres) during the Third and Fourth Republics. By
comparison, the Government of France is equivalent to Her Majesty's
Government in the United Kingdom, whereas the Council of Ministers
is equivalent to the Cabinet of the United Kingdom.

9.  Trivia
The name 'France' comes from the Franks, a Germanic tribe that settled
in the Western Roman Empire from the 2nd century, then took over
most of Gaul after the collapse of the empire
France is the largest European country in terms of land area after Russia
and Ukraine.
French people cheek kiss to greet each others between family and friends,
even between men. The number of kisses varies according to the
region, from 1 (e.g. in the tip of Brittany) to 4 (e.g. Paris and most of
the North), and occasionally up to 5 in Corsica.
The 2003 Durex Global Sex Survey found that the French are the people
who have sex the most often in a year.
French people have the highest female and third highest male life
expectancy in the European Union.

10. France is the only country in the world where any kind of personal DNA
tests, even paternity tests and genetic genealogy tests, are prohibited by
law (except when court ordered) and punishable by heavy fines or
prison sentences. This law (Article 226-28 of the Penal Code) has been
criticised as a breach of Human Rights.
A child born in France from an single mother can be recognised by any
man who claims the child as his own at the town hall, even if he is not
the biological father and the mother disagrees. The first man who
reaches the town hall and claims the newborn baby is officially the
father. Paternity tests being illegal in France, they cannot be used to
prove who is the rightful biological father.
"Remember, if there are any complaints, in France, the customer is always
wrong." (from the 2006 Ridely Scott film A Good Year)
French inventor Denis Papin was the first to develop the paddlewheel
boat (in 1704) and to conceive a functional steam-powered boat,
although he never built it. The world's first steamship to sail
successfuly was the Palmipède created in 1774 by Marquis Claude de
Jouffroy and launched in June 1776.

11. II. Access Routes
By air or by sea... the best ways to get to France
If you're planning to travel to France this summer, book soon - space is likely to be tight.
Travel companies say because of September 11 we are now choosing holiday destinations closer to
home - such as France - that feel safer.
However, the good news is that this summer the low-cost airlines are making it cheaper and easier to fly
to all corners of France.
They will be offering flights to more French destinations - 23 at the last count - than ever before.
So has the time come to fly there instead of driving?
Flying, of course, saves time - at least two days if travelling to southern France - but does limit your
luggage.
To compare costs, consider a two-week holiday in the Dordogne for a family of four from August 1-15.
To drive, say from London: Eurotunnel tickets (for daytime crossings) £237; tolls £40 and petrol £120
(based on a 1,200-mile round trip); dinner, B&B in a modest hotel for two nights en route, say £200.
Total: £597.
To fly: return flights to Bergerac with Buzz £110 (x4); rental of a small car for a fortnight £222. Total:
£662.
In this example there's not much in it but, if just two, instead of four, people were travelling, the flying
option would be much the cheaper.
Of course, flight/ferry/car hire costs - and there are others, such as wear and tear to the car if driving, or
parking at the airport if flying - vary enormously, so you need to do your own calculations.
The details below should help.
The flight time from Manila, Philippines to Paris, France is:
13 hours, 52 minutes

12. III. Geographical Features
 Most Visted Tourist Attractions
Eiffel Tower
-is one of the most popular monuments in the world.
The Eiffel Tower is an iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It was named
after the engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. Wikipedia
Address: Champ de Mars, 5 Avenue Anatole France, 75007 Paris, France
Construction started: January 28, 1887
Opened: March 31, 1889
Floors: 3
Hours: Open today · 9:00 am – 12:00 am
Architects: Gustave Eiffel, Stephen Sauvestre
Architecture firms: Barbier, Benard and Turenne, Eiffel & Cie
The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris
-commonly known as Sacré-Cœur Basilica and often simply Sacré-Cœur, is a Roman Catholic church and
minor basilica, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in Paris, France. Wikipedia
Address: 35 Rue du Chevalier de la Barre, 75018 Paris, France
Height: 83 m CTBUH
Opened: 1914
Hours: Open today · 6:00 am – 10:30 pm
Architectural type: Church
Architectural styles: Ancient Roman architecture, Byzantine architecture
Architects: Paul Abadie, Lucien Magne, Honoré Daumet, more

13. The Louvre or the Louvre Museum
-is one of the world's largest museums and a historic monument in Paris, France. A central
landmark of the city, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st
arrondissement.Wikipedia
Address: 75001 Paris, France
Established: 1792
Hours: Open today · 9:00 am – 10:00 pm
Phone: +33 1 40 20 50 50
Director: Henri Loyrette
Public transit access: Palais Royal – Musée du Louvre, Louvre – Rivoli
The Seine
-is a 776-kilometre long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin
in the north of France. Wikipedia
Length: 776 km
Mouth: English Channel
Source: Source-Seine
Country: France
Cities: Paris, Le Havre
Bridges: Pont des Arts, Pont Neuf, Pont Alexandre III, more
Islands: Île de la Cité, Île Saint-Louis, Île de la Jatte, Île Seguin, more

14. The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile
-is one of the most famous monuments in Paris. It stands in the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle, at
the western end of the Champs-Élysées. Wikipedia
Address: Place Charles de Gaulle, 75008 Paris, France
Height: 50 m
Construction started: August 15, 1806
Opened: 1836
Hours: Open today · 10:00 am – 11:00 pm
Architectural style: Neoclassical architecture
Architects: Jean Chalgrin, Jean-Nicolas Huyot, Guillaume-Abel Blouet,Jean-Arnaud Raymond, Louis-
Robert Goust
Burials: Jean Chalgrin, Charles Godefroy, Louis Marie Turreau, more
The Palais Garnier
Is a 1,979-seat opera house, which was built from 1861 to 1875 for the Paris Opera. Wikipedia
Address: 8 Rue Scribe, 75009 Paris, France
Construction started: 1862
Opened: January 5, 1875
Capacity: 1,979
Phone: +33 1 71 25 24 23
Architectural styles: Baroque Revival architecture, Beaux-Arts architecture, Second Empire architecture
Architect: Charles Garnier

15. The Palace of Versailles
-is a royal château in Versailles in the Île-de-France region of France. It is also known as the
Château de Versailles. Wikipedia
Address: Place d'Armes, 78000 Versailles, France
Area: 7 ha
Opened: May 6, 1682
Hours: Open today · 9:00 am – 6:30 pm
Architects: Jules Hardouin-Mansart, Louis Le Vau, Philibert Le Roy,Robert de Cotte, Ange-
Jacques Gabriel, Jacques Gabriel
Architectural styles: French Baroque architecture, Contemporary architecture
Function: Château, Palace, Museum
The French Riviera (or Côte d'Azur)
-is the Mediterranean coast of southeastern France. It includes famously
glamorous beach resorts such as Saint-Tropez and Cannes, and the
independent microstate of Monaco. A health retreat in the 18th century, the
area subsequently attracted aristocrats, artists and the 1960s "jet set." Today it’s
an established holiday destination, with paths connecting many coastal villages
and towns.

16. Chartres Cathedral
also known as Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres, is a medieval Catholic cathedral of the
Latin Church located in Chartres, France, about 80 kilometres southwest of
Paris. Wikipedia
Address: 16 Cloître Notre Dame, 28000 Chartres, France
Construction started: 1193
Height: 113 m
Opened: 1220
Hours: Open today · 8:30 am – 7:30 pm
Phone: +33 2 37 21 59 08
Province: Roman Catholic Diocese of Chartres
Architectural styles: French Gothic architecture, Gothic architecture
Function: Cathedral, Place of worship
The Musée d'Orsay
is a museum in Paris, France, on the left bank of the Seine. It is housed in the former Gare
d'Orsay, a Beaux-Arts railway station built between 1898 and 1900. Wikipedia
Address: 1 Rue de la Légion d'Honneur, 75007 Paris, France
Hours: Open today · 9:30 am – 6:00 pm
Architectural style: Beaux-Arts architecture
Founded: 1986, Paris, France
Founders: Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, François Mitterrand
Architects: Gae Aulenti, Victor Laloux, Émile Bénard

17. IV. Distinct Cultural Attributes
Unique Cuture
The culture of France and of the French people has been
shaped by geography, by profound historical events, and by
foreign and internal forces and groups. France, and in
particular Paris, has played an important role as a center
ofhigh culture since the 17th century, first in Europe, and
from the 19th century on, worldwide. From the late 19th
century, France has also played an important role
in cinema, fashion and cuisine. The importance of French
culture has waxed and waned over the centuries,
depending on its economic, political and military
importance. French culture today is marked both by great
regional and socioeconomic differences and by strong
unifying tendencies.

18.  In the minds of many visitors (and non-visitors alike), France embraces
the notions of romance, culture, intellectualism and liberty. Not
surprisingly, it is easy to be seduced by France, by the soft, flowing
lyricism of their language, the subtle nuances of philosophy, the wealth
of French literature, art and music.
 France is an amalgam of thoughts and ideas that are simultaneously
familiar, yet foreign, a complex mélange of the 21st century and of
tradition that somehow manages to achieve a sense of balance.

19. Religions
France is a secular country where freedom of thought and
of religion is preserved, by virtue of the 1789Declaration of the
Rights of Man and of the Citizen. The Republic is based on the
principle of laïcité, that is of freedom of religion (including
of agnosticism and atheism) enforced by the Jules Ferry laws and
the 1905 law on the separation of the State and the Church,
enacted at the beginning of the Third Republic (1871–1940). A
January 2007 poll found that 61% of the French population
describe themselves as Roman Catholics, 21% asAtheists, 4%
as Muslims, 3% as Protestants, 1% as Buddhists, and 1% as Jews.
In May 2015, in a poll publidhed by Le Monde, 63% of the French
population describes itself without religions. France guarantees
freedom of religion as a constitutional right and the government
generally respects this right in practice. A long history of violent
conflict between groups led the state to break its ties to the
Catholic Church early in the last century and adopt a strong
commitment to maintaining a totally secular public sector.

20.  Catholicism
The Roman Catholic faith is no longer considered the state religion, as it
was before the 1789 Revolution and throughout the various, non-
republican regimes of the 19th century (the Restoration, the July
Monarchy and theSecond Empire). The Official split of Catholic
Church and State ("Séparation de l'Eglise et de l'Etat") took place in
1905, and this major reform emphazises the Laicist and anti-clericalist
mood of French Radical Republicans in this period.
At the beginning of the 20th century, France was a largely
rural country with conservative Catholic mores, but in the
hundred years since then, the countryside has become
depopulated, and the population has largely become more
secular. A December 2006 poll by Harris Interactive,
published in The Financial Times, found that 32% of the
French population described themselves as agnostic, a
further 32% as atheist and only 27% believed in any type of
God or supreme being.

21.  Protestantism
France was touched by the Reforme during the XVIth
century as 30% of the population. A consequent part
of the princes turned themselves to the Reforme. The
kingdom knows some troubles but it is especially from
the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre on August the
24th of 1572 that the French Wars of Religion begun. It
is one of the most important French civil war between
Catholics, leaded by Henry I, Duke of Guise, and
Protestants, leaded by Henri de Navarre. He becames
finally king after his conversion to Catholicism in 1589.
 Islam
After Catholicism and atheism, Islam is the third
largest faith in France today, and the country has the
largest Muslim population (in percentage) of any
Western European country.

22.  Judaism
The current Jewish community in France numbers
around 600,000, according to the World Jewish
Congress and 500,000 according to the Appel Unifié
Juif de France, and is found mainly in the metropolitan
areas of Paris, Marseilleand Strasbourg.
 Buddhism
is widely reported to be the fifth largest religion in
France, after Christianity, atheism, Islam, and Judaism.
France has over two hundred Buddhist meditation
centers, including about twenty sizable retreat centers
in rural areas.

23.  Household structure
Growing out of the values of the Catholic Church and
rural communities, the basic unit of French society
was traditionally held to be the family. Over the
twentieth century, the "traditional" family structure in
France has evolved from various regional models
(including extended families and nuclear families[18])
to, after World War II, nuclear families. Since the
1960s, marriages have decreased and divorces have
increased in France, and divorce law and legal family
status have evolved to reflect these social changes.[19]

24.  Top Festivals
 June 21: La Fête de la Musique, throughout France
La Fête de la Musique is a street musical festival held every year on 21
June, the day of the summer solstice throughout the whole country.
Thousands of musicians gather in the streets, bars, and cafes giving
free performances of all kinds of music, from jazz to rock and from hip-
hop to electronic music.
 Mid-February to early-March: Menton Lemon Festival
Held in the second half of February, this carnival-like festival,
the Fête du Citron, sees more than 200,000 visitors enjoying the work
of 300 professionals who use 145 tons of citrus.

25.  Late-October to early November: Le Salon du Chocolate,
Paris
Chocolate lovers who visit Paris at the end of October can
enjoy the delights of dozens of chocolatiers and see how
chocolate is produced from the picking of the cocoa beans
to the end product.

26. Festival
 April–October: International Garden Festival, Chaumont-sur-Loire
 September 2–13: Jazz at La Villette, Paris
 September: Festival d'Automne à Paris (fall arts festival)
 September: Wine harvest festivals across France
 October 7–11: Fête des Vendanges, Montmartre neighborhood of Paris (grape harvest festival)
 October 30–November 11: Dijon International and Gastronomic Fair
 November 1: All Saints' Day (La Toussaint; closures)
 November 11: Armistice Day (closures)
 November 19–23 (likely): Les Trois Glorieuses, Beaune (Wine Auction and Festival)
 Late November–December 24: Christmas markets (Strasbourg, Colmar, and Sarlat-la-Canéda)
 December: Christmas carousels, outdoor skating rinks, and avant-garde Christmas trees around
town, Paris
 December 5–8: Fête des Lumières, Lyon (celebration of Virgin Mary, colorfully lit facades, candlelit
windows)
 December 25: Christmas Day (Noël; closures)
 December 26: Second Christmas Day (closures in Alsace-Lorraine)
 December 31: New Year's Eve
 2016
 January 1: New Year's Day (closures)
 February 12–28: Nice Carnival (Mardi Gras, parades and fireworks)
 April–October: International Garden Festival, Chaumont-sur-Loire
 March 25: Good Friday (Vendredi Saint, closures)
 March 27–28: Easter Sunday and Monday (Pâques, closures)
 May 1: Labor Day (Fête due Travail or Fête du Premier Mai; closures)
 May 5: Ascension (closures)

27.  May–July: Versailles Festival (classical music, opera, dance, contemporary art)
 May 8: VE (Victory in Europe) Day (Fête de la Victoire 1945 or Jour de la Liberation; closures, parades)
 May 11–22: Cannes Film Festival
 Mid-May (4 days): Monaco Grand Prix
 May 15–16: Pentecost and Whit Monday (closures)
 Late May (2 days): Joan of Arc Festival, Rouen (pageants)
 Late May–early June: Festival of St. Denis, Paris (classical concerts by international artists)
 June 6: 72nd Anniversary of the Normandy D-Day Landing (Jour J)
 June–July: Nuits de Fourvière, Lyon (theater and music in a Roman theater)
 June 18–19: Le Mans auto race, near Loire Valley
 June 21: Fête de la Musique (concerts and dancing in the streets throughout France)
 July: Beaune International Festival of Baroque Opera
 July: Jousting matches and medieval festivities, Carcassonne
 May–July: Versailles Festival (classical music, opera, dance, contemporary art)
 June–July: Nuits de Fourvière, Lyon (theater and music in a Roman theater)
 July–August: Cannes Festival of Pyrotechnic Art (fireworks)
 July 2–14: Colmar International Festival
 July 2–24: Tour de France (starts at Mont St-Michel in 2016; culminates on the Champs-Elysées in Paris)
 July (three weeks): Aix Festival (classical music and opera)
 July (three weeks): Avignon Festival (theater, dance, music)
 July (three weeks): Carcassonne Festival (theatre, music, dance)
 Early July (six days): Nice Jazz Festival
 July 9–August 6: Chorégies d'Orange (performances in Roman theater)
 Mid-July (10 days): Jazz à Juan, Antibes/Juan-les-Pins (international jazz festival)
 July 14: Bastille Day (closures, fireworks, revelry)
 Mid-July–mid-August: Paris Neighborhoods Festival (theater, dance, concerts); also Paris Plage (ersatz
beach along the Seine)
 August 15: Assumption (closures)

28. V. Gastronomy
Paris' culinary reputation has its basis in the diverse regional
origins of its inhabitants. France's regions have produced
distinctive cuisines, much like regional varieties of wine.
These mingled with Paris' own regional traditions. In its
beginnings, Paris' culinary development owed much to the
19th-century organisation of a railway system that had Paris as
a centre, making the capital a focal point for migration from
France's many different regions and gastronomical cultures.
This reputation continues through today in a cultural
diversity that has since spread to a worldwide level thanks to
Paris' continued reputation for culinary finesse and further
immigration from increasingly distant climes. Immigrants
from former colonies have infused French cuisine with
their own traditions, originating in South East Asia, North
and West Africa.

29. Parisian restaurants reflect this diversity, with menus
carrying traditional regional cuisine, fusions of various
culinary influences, or innovating in the leading edge of
new techniques, such as molecular gastronomy.[6] Paris'
food shops also have a solid reputation for supplying
quality specialized culinary products and supplies,
reputations that are often built up over generations. These
include many shops, such as Androüet, which sells over 200
varieties of artisanal cheese; Fauchon, a pastry and
chocolatier shop; and Hédiard, a seller of spices, preserves
and delicatessen foods.
Hotels were another result of widespread travel
and tourism, especially Paris' late-19th-century Expositions
Universelles (World's Fairs). Of the most luxurious of
these, the Hôtel Ritz, appeared in the Place Vendôme from
1898, and the Hôtel de Crillon opened its doors on the
north side of the place de la Concorde from 1909.Le Cordon
Bleu, a prestigious culinary and hospitality training
institution, opened in Paris in 1895, and now has 35 schools
located around the world.

32. -John 15:5
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me
and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me
you can do nothing” - Jesus