| The Tour de France cycle race began in 1903 |
Sport |
| The French Open is one of the four “Grand Slam” events in tennis |
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| "Parkour" or "Freerunning" is an obstacle sport. It began in France in the 80s |
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| France won the FIFA World Cup in 1998 |
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| Rugby Union is popular in France. It's top division is called the "Top 14" |
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| The camera phone was invented in France |
Inventions |
| The French Army was the first to use camouflage |
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| The French invented the hot air balloon in 1783 |
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| They also invented the movies |
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| The world’s first face transplant took place in France |
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| The Louvre is the worlds most popular art museum |
Landmarks |
| Paris Gare du Nord is Europe’s busiest railway station |
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| The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889 by Gustave Eiffel |
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| The Lascaux Caves are home to 17,000 year old rock paintings |
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| The oldest bridge in Paris is “Pont Neuf” - “new bridge” |
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| The oldest person ever was 122-year-old Jeanne Louise Calment |
People |
| John I was named King 5 months before he was born. He died at 5 days old |
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| Napoleon Bonaparte seized control of the French government in 1799 |
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| Joan of Arc, who led French troops against English invaders, is a saint |
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| Jacques Cartier was an explorer. He mapped much of Canada |
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| France's nickname it "the hexagon" because of its shape |
Geography |
| France has 3,427 km of coast. The UK has over 12,000 km |
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| France is the largest country in the EU. It's area is half a million km squared |
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| Europe’s highest mountain is Mont Blanc in the French Alps |
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| France and its territories around the world occupy 12 time zones |
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| Alpine Marmots are odd looking animals. They live in France's mountains |
Wildlife |
| One of the smallest animals in France is the Eurasian pygmy shrew |
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| Believe it or not, France is home to wild flamingos |
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| France also has wild lynx, though they are hard to spot |
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| Sadly known for cloths made of their skin, Chamois live in France |
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| French was once the official language of England |
Language |
| A person who can speak French fluently is known as a Francophone |
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| French is a "romance" language which are offshoots of Latin |
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| The name “France” come from a Germanic tribe, the Franks |
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| The word “Salut” can mean “hello” or “goodbye" |
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| Paris' nickname is "The City of Lights" |
Cities |
| Lyon, France's 3rd largest city, was an important centre in the Roman Empire |
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| Marseille is France’s oldest city. It was founded by the ancient Greeks |
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| Bourdeaux is thought by many to be the wine capital of the world |
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| Toulouse is nicknamed the “pink city” |
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| Turning a baguette upside down is unlucky |
Foods |
| We think of croissants as French but they originate in Austria |
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| It is illegal to throw out food in France |
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| There are over 400 kinds of cheese made in France |
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| Champagne comes exclusively from the Champagne region of France |
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| France's motto is "Liberty, Equality and Fraternity" |
Culture |
| The Guillotine was the official execution method until 1977 |
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| Many of our modern fairy tales written by Frenchman Charles Perrault |
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| At least 35% of music played on French radio must be of French origin |
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| No country has won more Nobel Prizes for Literature than France |
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