Curriculum PowerPoint matches 5th and 6th-grade standards. First-person resources copyright of Global Ties Akron Know Your Community Know Your World know-your-world.org

1. FRANCE
KNOW YOUR COMMUNITY
KNOW YOUR WORLD
A PROGRAM OF GLOBAL TIES AKRON

2. FRANCE ON THE MAP

3. FRANCE
COMPARED TO
OHIO/US
France is slightly more than four
times the size of Georgia; slightly
less than the size of Texas

4. French Facts
Population: 64,756,584
Capital: Paris
Largest city: Paris
Major language: French
Major religion: Christianity (Catholicism)
Life expectancy: Male: 79.75 years, Female: 85.97 years
Monetary unit: Euro
Main exports: aircraft, packaged medicines, cars and vehicle
parts, gas turbines, wine
GPD per capita: $46480.00
(Data from the CIA’s The World Factbook 2023)

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-Known 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: Emmanuel Macron
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
• Immigration
• European Union financial issues
• Spring of 2015 Terrorist attacks in Paris
• protests over pension
• The French generally do not like to discuss politics in friendly
conversation.

10. Economy
currency: the euro
Imports:
• cars
• crude petroleum
• refined petroleum
• packaged medicines
• aircraft machinery
Exports:
• aircraft
• packaged medicines
• cars and vehicle parts
• gas turbines
• wine

11. Traditional Costumes
Brittany
Alsace Lorraine

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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!)

15. Culture
● France is the home of many high-end fashion brands,
such as Chanel, Christian Dior, Hermes and Louis Vuitton.
● People in France have a very sophisticated style,
including fitted suits, long coats, berets, flowy
dresses, and scarves in their everyday outfits

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