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• > Ambassador

• > Assembly (national)

• > Coastline

  The French coastline amounts to 5533 kilometers and to 6713 if we include the Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique and Réunion departments. It has a density of 272 inhabitants per square kilometer and agregates 6 (...)

• > Death penalty

• > Constitution (The principles of the French)

  Guy Carcassonne is Doctor and Professor of Constitutional law. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. - -The French Republic has one explicit principle and one only, set forth in the (...)

• > Chirac

  Born on November 29, 1932, in the 5th arrondissement of Paris. Son of François Chirac, company director, and Marie-Louise Valette. Married on March 16, 1956, to Bernadette Chodron de Courcel. Two children: Laurence (...)

• > Antisemitism

• > Area

  551,000 sq. km. Largest country in Western Europe (almost one fifth of the total area of the European Union), with a vast maritime zone (exclusive economic zone extending over 11 million sq. (...)

• > Childcare

  The multiplicity of childcare options on offer to parents means that they can choose the arrangement which suits them best. Indeed, over the last twenty years, the range of childcare options has diversified. (...)

• > Christmas

  French Christmas Customs - -Christmas customs, originating in the Middle East, were introduced to France by the Romans. Reims was the site of the first French Christmas celebration when, in 496, Clovis and his 3,000 (...)

• > Clusters (competitive)

• > Economy

  France is the world’s sixth largest economic power in terms of GDP. The country’s assets are varied and include its transport and telecommunication sectors, its agrifood and pharmaceutical industries, along with (...)

• > Secularism

  THE SECULAR PRINCIPLE - -By Jean Baubérot - -Jean Baubérot is Professor at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS-Paris) and heads the sociology of religion and secularity department at the National (...)

• > History of the French and Francophone comics

  Swiss R.Topffer is the father of comic books. In 1827, he published his first book, M. Vieux Bois and gave an excellent definition to it (foreword by Mr. Jabot 1833): the comic « comprises of a series of drawings, (...)

• > Death Penalty

• > Decentralisation

• > Fête de la Musique: Annual Street Music Festival

  Christian Dupavillon is an architect and high-ranking civil servant in the Ministry of Culture. In 1982 he was adviser in the private office of the Culture Minister. The views expressed in this article are those of (...)

• > French in the world

  Nearly 2 million French citizens live abroad: 59% in Europe 19.5% in America 14.2% in North Africa and the Middle East (8.2%) 9.3% in Sub-Saharan Africa 6.3% in Asia and Oceania The (...)

• > Overseas

  Thanks to her overseas departments and territories, France extends far beyond the boundaries of Europe and into the four corners of the earth. Outside the borders of metropolitan France, she has coasts washed by the (...)

• > Composition of the French Government On June 23, 2009

  M. Nicolas Sarkozy - -President of the Republic - -Biography - - -M. François Fillon - -Prime Minister - -Biography - - - -M. Jean-Louis Borloo - -Ministre d’Etat, Minister for Ecology, Energy, Sustainable (...)

• > Nicolas Sarkozy

  Nicolas Sarkozy was born on 28 January 1955 in Paris (17th arrondissement). He is married with three children. Formerly a lawyer at the Paris bar, he became Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine in 1983, a position he held (...)

• > François Fillon, Prime Minister

  Born on 4 March 1954 in Le Mans (Sarthe) - -Education - -Master’s degree in public law, DEA [postgraduate pre-PhD diploma] in public law and political science - -Career - — Head of the Service des Travaux législatifs (...)

• > Bernard Kouchner, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs

  Born on November 1, 1939 in Avignon (Vaucluse) - -Qualifications - — Doctor of medicine — Certificat d’études spéciales [specialist qualification] in gastroenterology — Diploma in digestive endoscopy - -Career - — (...)

• > Charles de Gaulle

  Charles André Marie Joseph de Gaulle was born in Lille on November 22, 1890. His father, a professor of literature and history, "a hardworking man imbued with a feeling for the dignity of France," communicated his (...)

• > Galette des Rois

  January 6, The Feast of Epiphany or Little Christmas, is a holy festival honoring the wise men coming to the infant Jesus. - -This is one of the most popular eating traditions in France that takes place in January (...)

• > Health Care System

  The French healthcare system has been in place and has continued to evolve for more than one hundred years, and was classified the “best health system in the world” by the World Health Organization (WHO) in June 2000. (...)

• > Immigration

  Nicolas Sarkozy, as Ministre d’Etat, Minister of the Interior and Town and Country Planning between 2002 and 2007, and as President of the French Republic since May 2007, presented several bills on immigration and (...)

• > Institutions

  The Constitution of 4 October 1958 provides the institutional basis for the Fifth Republic. It has been amended several times to institute election of the President of the Republic by direct universal suffrage (...)

• > Justice

• > Liberty, Egality, Fraternity

  A legacy of the Age of Enlightenment, the motto "Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité" first appeared during the French Revolution. Although it was often called into question, it finally established itself under the Third (...)

• > Marianne

  Marianne is present everywhere in France and holds a place of honor in town halls and law courts. She symbolizes the "Triumph of the Republic", a bronze sculpture overlooking Place de la Nation in Paris. Her profile (...)

• > Nuclear Energy

  The Rise of Nuclear Power Generation in France. - -The history of nuclear science in France goes back over one hundred years. It began in 1896 when Antoine Henri Becquerel first discovered natural radioactivity. (...)

• > The Préfet

  Olivier Philip, was formerly préfet of the Île-de-France region. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. - -Known until recently for her "centralizing tradition", France was a country where (...)

• > Freedom of Religions and Sects

  France, who has the same values as all democratic States, is probably one of the countries most committed to defending public and individual freedoms at home and everywhere else in the world. Her recent re-election (...)

• > Combatting Racism and Anti-Semitism

• > The Gallic Rooster

  One of the national emblems of France, the Coq Gaulois (the Gallic Rooster) decorated French flags during the Revolution. It is the symbol of the French people because of the play on words of the Latin gallus (...)

• > Sea Fisheries

  by Alain Parrès - -Alain Parrès, a member of the French Maritime Academy, is chairman of the National Committee for Sea Fishery and Fish Farming. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. - -Like (...)

• > STUDYING IN FRANCE (a few facts on …)

  1 – What is the trend in the number of foreign students in France? - -The number of foreign students in France has increased over the past two years. In the 2004-2005 academic year, our country admitted about 250,000 (...)

• > The wines of France

  by Pascal Ribéreau-Gayon -Professor Pascal Ribéreau-Gayon is honorary dean of the School of Oenology at Bordeaux-II (Victor Segalen) University, and a corresponding member of the Institut de France. The opinions (...)

• > TGV (Train Grande Vitesse)

  574.8… rail speed record for TGV - -On 3 April 2007, the TGV smashed the world speed record, reaching 574.8 kph (356 mph) on the new TGV-Est high-speed line. The previous record was set in 1990 with 515 kph (322 (...)

• > French Flag

  The "tricolor" (three-color) flag is an emblem of the Fifth Republic. It had its origins in the union, at the time of the French Revolution, of the colours of the King (white) and the City of Paris (blue and red). - (...)

• > Seal of State

  The official seal of the French Republic was created in 1848. It depicts a seated figure of Liberty brandishing a fasces of lictor. Near her, there is an urn struck with the letters "SU" (for universal suffrage). At (...)

• > La Marseillaise

  Aux Armes, Citoyens! - -On July 14, Bastille Day, La Marseillaise, maybe the best-known national anthem in the world, is sung all over France. In fact, the anthem was not created in Marseille but in Strasbourg (...)

• > Symbols of France

  The Gallic Rooster The Seal of State Liberty, Egality, Fraternity Marianne The French Flag La Marseillaise

• > "Black - Blanc - beur"

  Expression in French that became popular in the 90s especially after France won the football world cup in 1998. The expression refers to multi-ethnic France ( in comparison to its tricolor flag called "bleu, (...)

• > Strasbourg

  Strasbourg is Europe’s parliamentary capital. As such, it offers not only an incomparably high profile for the European Parliament, but also a strong symbol to European citizens. - -Since 1949, the city has been home (...)

• > Napoléon

  To Napoleon, Malta appeared as an important piece of his Mediterranean strategy. On 9 June 1797, his gigantic fleet, comprising of about 50,000 men and commanded by Admiral Brueys, set siege on Malta. As a result (...)

• > Bastille Day in Paris

  

  France’s national holiday commemorates the storming of the Bastille at the start of the French Revolution. Crowds line the Champs-Elysées for a military parade led by the President, and Parisians party until dawn as (...)