Welcome to
France
The French Republic is located in Western Europe, bordering the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Due to its colonial history, the national territory includes several overseas territories in addition to the motherland. France is not only the largest country in the eurozone, but also the most visited country in the world, with around 80 million tourists a year. The area was settled by the Celtic Gauls in the Iron Age and conquered by the Romans in 51 BC. After the fall of Rome, the Germanic Franks took control of the region in the 5th century AD, and in the year 800, Charlemagne was crowned the first emperor of medieval Western Europe. His empire eventually gave rise to the Kingdom of France in the west and the Holy Roman Empire in the east. The French colonial empire that emerged in the 16th century was the second largest in the world. In the course of the French Revolution from 1789 to 1799, absolutism was abolished and the First French Republic was founded. From 1804 until the Napoleonic Wars (1813-1815), Napoleon Bonaparte conquered much of Europe as the self-proclaimed Emperor of the French, which contributed significantly to the wars of independence in Spanish America.
Facts
- Capital and largest city: Paris
- Official language: French
- Area (incl. overseas territories): 643,801 km2 (248,573 sq mi)
- Population: 68,374,591 (2024 estimate)
- Proclamation of the abolition of the monarchy: 22nd September 1792
Vercingetorix and the indomitable Gauls
One of the most famous stories about the early days of France is that of a small Gallic village that resisted the Roman conquest by Gaius Julius Caesar. In fact, there was a historically significant rebellion. In 52 BC, the Gallic leader Vercingetorix managed to unite most of the Gallic tribes and defeat the Romans at the Battle of Gergovia. Ultimately, however, Caesar emerged victorious from the Gallic Wars and had Vercingetorix executed after a triumphal procession in Rome. In France, he became a national hero and is immortalized in many monuments. The name ending “ix” of the main characters in the famous Asterix comics by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo is derived from Vercingetorix.
Absolutism and Francophonie
With the end of the Thirty Years' War in 1648, France rose to become the dominant power in Europe. The “Sun King”, Louis XIV (1643-1715), is considered the most important ruler of absolutism. His reign of 72 years was the longest in human history to date, although he officially ascended the throne at the age of four. During this period, French art and architecture became the ultimate model and French the common language of the European nobility. In both diplomacy and trade, French replaced Latin and developed into an international lingua franca through the huge colonial empire. It was only after the First World War that English took over this role. In many of the former colonies, French is still the official language today.
French Revolution
In 1789, King Louis XVI convened the Estates-General to deal with France's financial problems. However, the frustration of the bourgeoisie and the lack of success of the assembly led to the French Revolution. It broke out with the storming of the Bastille by the people of Paris on 14th July 1789 and had far-reaching consequences throughout the world. Absolutism was abolished and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen is still one of the foundations of modern democracies today. As part of the revolution, the French Franc was introduced by the National Convention in 1795. It was Europe's first decimal currency.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
With a total of 53 sites, France is one of the countries with the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the world. They bear witness to the importance of cultural history and the richness of nature in metropolitan France and its overseas territories. Overseas France includes Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, Réunion, Mayotte, French Polynesia, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna and New Caledonia. The territories are politically organized into various administrative divisions. In addition, there are the uninhabited French Southern and Antarctic Territories and Clipperton Island.
