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A comprehensive overview of france's geography, including its diverse topography, climate, hydrography, and animal and plant life. It also delves into the country's socio-geographical features, covering population demographics, major cities, cultural events, and economic aspects. Well-organized, informative, and includes relevant images and tables to enhance understanding.
Typology: Transcriptions
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. ГИМНАЗИЈА ,,ТАКОВСКИ УСТАНАК”
Душица Лазовић, проф. Марија Симоновић, IV Горњи Милановац, мај 2020.
France lies near the western end of the great Eurasian landmass, between latitudes 42° and 51° N and is the third largest country in Europe after Russia and Ukraine. It stretches north to south from the North Sea and the English Channel (commonly known as La Manche ) to the Mediterranean Sea and east to west from the Rhine River to the Atlantic Ocean. This European part of France is often compared to a hexagon due to its shape. Overseas territories are: French Guiana in South America, the islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique in the Caribbean Sea, Mayotte in the Southern Indian Ocean, and Reunion in Southern Africa. A few islands are found along the pebbled beaches of the Mediterranean coast. Corsica , a mountainous island and the country's largest island, is located 160 km southeast of Nice. Photo 2.0 Location of Republic of France
France has a diverse topography and its landscape consists of flat plains mainly in the north and west and mountains in the south and east. The highest point in France and second highest point in Europe is Mont Blanc (4,807m) situated in the Alps (on the border with Italy). Other mountains are: Massif Central (a chain of extinct volcanoes in the very center of the country), Pyrenees (on the border with Spain), Jura (along the Swiss border), Morvan, Vosges (near the border with Germany) and the island of Corsica. There are a couple major lowland areas, the biggest one being the Paris Basin. Situated between the Vosges and Massif Central it that takes up roughly one fourth of the entire country. In the central part of the Basin is where the limestone plateaus such as Brie, Valois, Beauce and Ile-de-France lay. Others are: the Flanders plain (in the North), the Alsace Plain (in Eastern France), the Loire plains (a group of plains in the Southwest of the country) and many more. The 1960s was when the transport really began to develop. In 1965 the Mont Blanc tunnel was done with construction and ready for use. With the length of 11, meters the tunnel connects Chamonix, France and Courmayeur, Italy. Mont Blanc is considered to be one of the most popular vacation spots in the world. However, in the past couple of years the glaciers have begun to melt and create avalanches due to global warming. Photo 2.1.1 Topographic map of France Photo 2.1.2 Topographic map of Corsica
Photo 2.2.1 Climate of France
Rivers and lakes take roughly 0.52% of the country’s surface and a big amount of them are natural waterways and of great importance when it comes to water transport. Thanks to the rivers and the building of canals that connect them, a big part of the country is navigable by water. The biggest river by length is The Loire River (1,012km). It begins in the Massif Central and flows into the Bay of Biscay. Boat tours on the Loire are known for taking the visitors to glorious ancient castles such as the iconic Chateaux of Chambord. In regard of volume and depth, the biggest French river is the Rhone River (813km). It is located south from the Alps and flows through Lyon and Avignon. Although Rhone isn’t easily navigable because of its swift current, lavender and sunflower fields alongside the river are a major tourist attraction. One of the most valuable treasures Paris has got to offer is the Seine (777km). In spite of it being known for its regular flow, floods may occur in the spring time. Numerous islands can be found along its meandering. One of them is the Île de la Cité , considered to be the heart of Paris. Eventually the river enters the English Channel. The Franco-German border is where the Rhine (190km/ 1,233km) is located. It has a late spring-summer peek due to the melting of ice from the Alps. The Rhine flows through six countries, starting with Switzerland, Principality of Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France and the Netherlands before flowing into the North Sea at Rotterdam.
The shortest of main French rivers is the Garonne (575km). High waters are common during winters (a consequence of oceanic rainfall) and springs (when the snow melts), whereas in the summer and autumn water levels are lower. In unites with the Dordogne 26km north of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary. Photo 2.3.1 Rivers in France French lakes can be split into three different groups: The mountain lakes The lakes in plains The coastal lakes The mountain lakes are found on the mountain massifs, most of which are located in the Alps but can be found on the Pyrenees, Jura, Massif Central and Vosges. They can be natural (of glacial or volcanic origin) or artificial. We can distinguish two different groups of natural lakes: Glacial lakes are formed when glacial action creates a depression in a mountain valley. Most known French glacial lakes the Lake of Annecy (in the region of Haute-Savoie) and Bourget Lake – the biggest natural lake in France. Volcanic lakes are lakes in the Massif Central formed from old volcano craters Artificial lakes are built for flow regulation or hydraulic energy purposes. One of the biggest ones is Serre-Ponçon reservoir on the Durance River. The lakes in plains can be natural or designed to be used as a reservoir. The biggest lake of this sort that serves as a reservoir is the Pareloup Lake (on the river Garonne) and the biggest natural lake is the Grand-Lieu Lake (on the river Loire).
Photo 2.4.1 Oak tree Photo 2.4.2 Sweet Chestnut tree Photo 2.4.3 Wild Boar Photo 2.4.4 Alpine Ibex
Before being named France, the country was called Gaul or Gallia , which is used in historical context nowadays. Its current name comes from the Latin Francia , which means the country of the Franks. In the 5th^ century the Franks won over the land from the Romans and had later divided it into three parts (the west part being Francia). In 987 Hugo Capet became the king of Francia and for the next 350 years there was an unbroken line of kings from the Capetian dynasty. The first of the Valois kings was Philip VI. During his reign France had a population of 15 million people which was changed when the black plague (also known as bubonic plague) whipped out about a third of country’s inhabitants. The Middle Ages is when the Hundred Years’ War (1337-1451) happened. It was fought between England and France. Thanks to the help of the young Joan of Arc France eventually won. After that, the country blossomed in all of its aspects due to Renaissance. The Middle of the 16th^ century is when the Protestantism of John Calvin started spreading throughout the entire country, which led to civil wars and caused a massive
destruction. The dynasty that ruled during this period of time was the Bourbon dynasty. Wanting to put an end to the wars, Henry IV issued the Edict of Nantes in 1598, making Catholicism the main religion and guarantying religious tolerance to the Protestants (Huguenots). The French culture was dominant throughout Europe during the reign of Louis XIV (1642-1715), also known as the Sun King. This monarchist built the Palace of Versailles, which is famous for its stunning architecture and yards. Leading the country into poverty, Louis XVI was executed soon after the French Revolution in 1789. The monarchy came to an end and the First French Republic was formed. After Louis’ death in 1793 is when the Reign of Terror started. It is a period after French Revolution in which more than 30.000 death sentences were signed to people. Executed using the guillotine^2 , the first victim was Marie Antoinette. Her son, Louis Charles (Louis XVII) disappeared a few days prior to her death. Public executions became a form of entertainment. The last person killed during this era was Maximilian Robespierre. Under Napoléon Bonaparte France started to spread its culture into Europe in the 1800s. This emperor is known for saying: I purified the revolution. After his defeat in the Napoleonic Wars, France went through quite a few regime changes – from a period of being ruled as a monarchy, then as a Second Republic, a Second Empire to being a Republic for the third time in its history. The Third Republic remained until the Nazi invasion in 1940. The law that France has today is based on Napoleon’s Code Civil. During the 20th^ century the country was invaded two times in two harmful and destructive events – World War I and World War II. In regards of the First World War France was in an alliance with Great Britain and Russia against Austria and Germany. From 1914 to 1918 Germany kept attacking France, aiming for its capital. Many soldiers died in combats or from a disease in rat-infected trenches. On November 11th^ 1918 Germany signed a peace agreement prepared by France and Britain. In 1940 Germany started invading France again and the Third Republic was disrupted. During that period France was mostly controlled by Germany. After four years France was liberated and the government was headed by Charles de Gaulle. The Fourth Republic was set up. In May 1945 the Allies accepted Germany’s surrender. France joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1947. After Charles’ retirement the country had gone through a few low points until he eventually came back and was elected a president in 1958, when the Fifth Republic was formed. Since then, there were no changes in political landscape. Throughout all of these events, France remained one of Europe’s most dominant countries and leaders in industrialization and science and technology development. Right after Britain, it had the most colonies. The largest colonies were Indochina, Algeria, Morocco and West Africa in 9 colonies. (^2) A guillotine is an apparatus designed for efficiently carrying out executions by beheading.
In 2014 the number of immigrants was about 6 million while in 2016 there were 7.9 foreign-born people living in Metropolitan France, which represented 11.8% of the French population. Most of them were of European and Maghreb origin. In 2002 around 80% of people stated that they were religiously defined while in 2016 the number was 75%. The main religion is Christianity (about 60% including Catholicism, Orthodoxy, Protestantism and other branches of Christianity), followed by Islam (9%), Judaism (1%) and other (5%). The rest 25% of the French identify as Atheists. Photo 4.1.2 French population growth
City Population Paris 2.138. Marseille 794. Lyon 472. Toulouse 433. Nice 338. Nantes 277. Strasbourg 274. Table 4.3.1 List of cities in France Paris – The capital, the most densely populated city in all of Europe and the third most visited city in the entire world. There are about 30 magnificent museums, 7 libraries of huge historical importance and more than 15 splendid parks and famous art salons located all around the city and waiting to be explored. Paris’ most known attractions such as the Eiffel Tower (with the height of 300 meters), the Louvre museum (built in the 12 th
century and considered to be one of the oldest museums in all of Europe), Sacre-Coeur Basilica on Montmartre, Arc de Triomphe , Notre-Dame Cathedral are just the tip of the iceberg that begin to unfold the story of this glorious town. It is estimated that the city has around 2.3 million inhabitants while the urban zone has over 12 million. One of the most valued and attended Universities in the world is the University of Sorbonne (founded back in 1253) which is located close to the Latin Quarter, a major tourist attraction. Photo 4.3.1 Eiffel Tower Photo 4.3.2 Arc de Triomphe Photo 4.3.3 the Louvre museum Marseille – The oldest city in France founded by Greek sailors and the third biggest port in Europe by size. Located on the Mediterranean Sea, it allows its visitors to enjoy numerous boat tours along the city coast or out to the islands. It is also known as the most criminal city in France. Photo 4.3.4 Marseille Landscape Photo 4.3.5 Marseille Port Lyon – Said to be a popular tourist destination that has the most Renaissance buildings in all of Europe. Known for its gastronomy and cuisine, Lyon is located in the East-central part of the country. Its most famous building is basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière ( fourvière = the hill that prays ) .Furthermore, it played a major role when it comes to history of cinema: it is where the Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph^4. (^4) The Cinematograph is a motion picture film camera, a film projector and a printer all-in-one, invented by Auguste and Louis Lumière in the 1890s.
Monaco Grand Prix – a Formula 1 event held in Monaco every year since 1929. It is one of the most demanding races and takes place in the city streets in Monaco. Cannes Film Festival – one of the most prestige and enormous movie awards ceremony in the world, founded in 1946 and held annually (usually in the month of May). The festival’s biggest prize is Palme d’Or Bastille day – a national holiday in France celebrated on July 14th^ which marks the anniversary of the 1789 storming of the Bastille prison. Along the other events, this is the day that the military parade (the oldest among all military parades in the world) takes place in Paris. Fete de la Musique –held on June 21st, the longest day of the year. The streets are transformed into stages and everyone is allowed to participate and show off their music skills. There are numerous other events and festivals such as Pete the Monkey Festival, Rock en Seine, Garorock and many more.
Photo 4.2.1 Mardi Gras in Dunkirk, France Photo 4.2.2 Bastille day Parade 2019
Along with the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada and Italy, France is a member of G7^5 and is claimed to represent about one fifth of Europe’s total GDP^6. Being in the European Union (EU), France and other representatives of EU have a fair amount of bilateral and regional trade agreements and are members of World Trade Organization (WTO). In the last couple of years services have been the most beneficial to the country’s economy, with more than 70% of GDP coming from this sector. France is the second-largest exporter in all of Europe right after Germany, its closest trading partner. Agricultural goods, cheese and wine following machinery, aerospace and transportation equipment are this country’s primary exports. In addition, two thirds of all exports are to European nations and one third goes to countries outside of (^5) Group of 7 (G7) is an international intergovernmental economic organization consisting of the seven largest IMF- advanced economies in the world. (^6) Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the total monetary value of all final goods and services produced (and sold on the market) within a country during a period of time (typically 1 year).
Europe. Automobiles, other vehicles and crude oil are its primary imports. About 68% of all imports are from other European countries. The biggest non-European nation France imports its goods from is China. After World War II France entered Les Trente Glorieuses (“The Glorious Thirty”), a period of constant economic growth. The middle of the 20th^ century is when agriculture and industry were considered to be the dominant sectors, whereas today tertiary activities and industries (such as banking, pharmacy, education, mass media and transportation) have become more popular and common. Ever since the early 80s, the government has been in favor of capitalism and many national companies and industries have been privatized. Unlike then, in recent years the economic progress hasn’t been significant. The GDP has slightly changed since 2011 and the unemployment rate is high. The currency of France (and other EU countries) is euro, the second-largest currency in the world right after the US dollar. World-known companies that originate in France are France Telecom, Renault, Peugeot, Air France, L’Oreal, Chanel, Cartier, Louis Vuitton and many more.
The roots of tourism in France date back to the 17th^ and 18th^ century when the main ‘tourists’ were young European men that came to France for education purposes. The following century tourism began to evolve and people started visiting France for the purpose of going to spas (which were very popular at the time) and medical resorts. The visitors were mainly spouses with children, which led to tourism growth, especially in areas such as the French Riviera and northern France. Late 19th^ and early 20th^ century is when the ski resorts became well liked. All of these activities contributed to the development of tourism in France. Being the most visited country in the world; tourism plays an important role among other French sectors. Featuring some of the greatest structures that have ever been built, countless natural monuments and rich history on one side and famous festivals, carnivals and theme-parks (such as Disneyland) on the other side, the country has been
In the agriculture area the biggest export items are different kinds of beverages, most of which are alcoholic drinks. The majority of consumers of French agriculture products are from the EU and the United States. The food industry contributes to 1.6% to the French gross domestic product. As climate change keeps affecting different areas one by one, it is important that every country does what is best to reduce the harmful effects that climate change and global warming have on animals’ habitats, plant life and among everything else, our health. That is why it is amazing that every year French forests enlarge by 30,000 hectares. In total, the forests in France have grown 35% since the 1940s. In regards of rural tourism, the most popular activities are camping and caravans. Rural tourism is set in motion and accommodating to both French and foreign tourists. Rural areas are mostly visited in the summer time and a huge percentage of people that decide to explore the charm of the country side are from the United Kingdom.
French cuisine is one of the most adored cuisines around the world. The French are very passionate when it comes to preparing meals and view them as a way of making a connection with people. There are various dishes that originate from France such as the French onion soup, ratatouille, tarte tatin (apple tart), chocolate soufflé and many more. With more than 300 different types, cheese is one of the most consumed and sold products. Northern French cheese-makers specify in softer cheeses like brie and camembert , whereas East France is where the harder cheeses such as emmental are made. But the greatness of French gastronomy isn’t just in the food. France is one of the largest wine producers in the world with 7-8 billion bottles of wine being produced every year. There are dozens of different types of wines but the most known wines are from Beaujolais, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Corsica, Ile de France, Jura and numerous other regions.
Photo 4.2.1.1 Brie Photo 4.2.1.2 Emmental Photo 4.2.1.3 Ratatouille Photo 4.2.1.4 Tarte tatin
Države Sveta | Omladinska knjiga Beograd France | Britannica.com (https://www.britannica.com/place/France) France - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France) Introduction to the Country of France - Study in France (https://www.studying-in-france.org/introduction-to-the-country-of- france/) Geography of France - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_France#Land_use) Geography of France, Landforms - World Atlas (https://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/europe/france/ frland.htm)
