Essay, Research Paper: France

In France, there are 9 regions plus Corsica. France has wide differences in geography. The northern and western regions consist of plains. Hills and mountain are located in the eastern, central and southern areas. France has 10 main land regions. They are The Brittany-Normandy Hills, The Northern Plains, The northeastern Plateaus, The Rhine Valley, The Aquitanian Lowlands, The Central Highlands, The French Alps and Jura Mountains, The Pyrennens, The Mediterranean Lowlands and Rhone Valley, and The Island of Corsica.

The Brittany-Normandy Hills has low hills and plains. This region consists of rock covered by poor soils, with some fertile areas along the coast. Apple orchard and dairy farms criss-cross the land. There are many bays along the coast that have many important fishing harbors.

The Northern Plains have highly fertile soils, and productive industry. The plains are flat and are broken up by forest-covered hills and plateaus. This heavily populated region includes Paris. The population of is 58,609,285, giving the country an overall population density of 108 persons per sq. km. Some 73 percent of the population is classified as urban. The Paris Basin is a large area drained by the Saine and other major rivers. East of Paris there is a series of rocky ridges. Coal is mined in the other Belgian border.

The Northern Plateaus share the Ardennes Mountains with Belgium. The wooded region becomes a little more rugged to the southeast. It has great deposits of iron ore, and produces much steel. Farmers raise live stock and a variety of crops on the lower slopes and the valleys.

The Rhine Valley has steep slopes and flat bottomland. Trees and vines cover the slopes and rich farmlands lie along the Rhine River. This river which forms part of France's boundary with Germany, is the mainland waterways in Europe. Important roads and railways line its route.

The Aquitanian Lowlands are drained by the Garonne River, and it's smaller streams. Sandy Beaches lie along the coast. Inland, the region has pine forests, plains, and sand dunes. Its many vineyards supply for France's wine industry.

The Central Highlands are sparsely populated. The soils are poor, except in some areas where rye and other crops are grown. Cattle and sheep graze in the lower grasslands, and forest cover the higher slopes. The Loire River is located here, and is the longest river within France.

The French Alps and Jura Mountains border Italy and Switzerland. Montblanc, the highest point in Frances, raises to 15,771 ft. Many tourists visit ski resorts in the mountains.

The Pyrennens Mountains extend along France's border with Spain. Many peaks in thins range rise more than 10,000 ft. These rugged mountains have poor soils, and are sparsely populated.

The Mediterranean Lowlands and Rhone Valley Region has productive farming area. Fruits, vegetable, and wine grapes are important products. Marseille, on the Mediterranean Sea, is the leading seaport of France. This coast also includes, The Riviera, France's most famous resort area.

Corsica is a Mediterranean island about 100 miles southeast of France. It has hills and mountains similar to the central highlands. It usually has poor soil and a steep rocky coastline. Crops are grown in the valleys and sheep graze on the mountains.

The climate of France is generally moderate. In the Mediterranean coastal area, in the plateau, and eastern-highlands regions, "the climate is generally continental." Temperatures along the Atlantic are equalized by ocean currents and the southwestern winds. In the northeastern region, severe winters and hot summers are normal. The average daily temperature range in Paris is 1° to 6° C in January and 15° to 25° C in July. Average precipitation is 24 in. per year in Paris. Weather throughout much of France can be variable at all times of the year. Regional variations in precipitation range between about 55 in. in the mountainous areas and about 10 in. annually in certain northern lowland areas.

Paris is situated in a basin even though the city is mostly flat. The elevation gradually increases from the river to the low hills on the city's edge. The highest natural feature within the city is the Butte de Montmartre. With an estimated population approaching 10 million, the Paris metropolitan area contains nearly 20 percent of the nation's inhabitants and dominates the economic, cultural, and political life of France. The population of Paris was 2,148,991 in 1990. "Only since the 1960s have attempts been made to reduce the inordinate influence of Paris in French affairs and to strengthen the role of various regions and secondary cities."


The governmental system of France is a republic known as the Fifth Republic and is based on the constitution. This document reduces the power of parliament and enlarges the authority of the president. "It vests the sovereignty of the republic in the French people, who can exercise their political power through a representative parliament as well as through referenda." The French Parliament consists of the National Assembly and the Senate. Senators are elected to nine-year terms by indirect popular choice. The constitution of 1958 established a new body which has general power to supervise elections. France has a voting age of 18.

The history of France goes back over 100,000 years. The earliest point in French history is prehistoric cultures. This is the oldest identifiable culture. This culture left to artistic heritage of paintings on cave walls. The most famous of these cave paintings are at Lascaux in the Dordogne region of southwestern France.

In 121 BC the Romans established a protectorate over the old Greek colony at Massalia and then founded another settlement farther inland at Narbonne, which in turn became the center of the flourishing province of Gallia Narbonensis.

Julius Caesar conquered the rest of Gaul several decades later, between 58 and 51 BC. The newly conquered lands were called Gallia Belgica, Gallia Lugdunensis, and Aquitania. The main center of administration was Lugdunum.

In the last quarter of the 5th century, as Roman imperial authority collapsed in the West, Gaul was conquered by another Germanic tribe. Their leader Clovis was a tough warrior, violent and, when he saw fit, treacherous. Married to a Christian princess, he became a Christian himself in 496. "By adopting the Catholic form of Christianity favored by the Gallo-Romans instead of the Arian Christianity espoused by the Visigoths, he was able to strengthen his hold over the country."

The French nobles may have had no intention of installing the Capetians as a dynasty, but Hugh moved quickly to have his son Robert crowned. When Robert became king in 996, he named his son Hugh as his successor, but due to Hugh's death, another son, Henry, became king in 1031. The Capetians eventually passed the crown through a direct male line for more than three centuries, from 987 through 1328.

On May 5, 1789, the 1200 deputies elected to the Estates-General met in Versailles. The government had no plan of action to meet the expectations of the deputies and the nation. The members of the third estate, who represented the majority of the people, took the initiative and on June 17 declared themselves the National Assembly of France. They invited the other estates to join them and took a solemn oath not to separate until they had given France a constitution.

During the first four months of the Second Republic, from February to June 1848, the moderate Republicans, who sought only political change, and radical Republicans, who wanted social reform as well, struggled for control of the Republic. Elections in April returned a majority of moderates and conservatives to the Constituent Assembly, and their measures against the radicals led to a new insurrection "the June Days, three days of bloody street fighting in Paris. The crushing of the insurrection ensured the conservative nature of the Republic and created among the bourgeoisie a fear of working-class radicalism that influenced French politics for the next quarter-century."

"The Royalist majority in the assembly intended to restore the monarchy but could not resolve differences between the Bourbon and Orleanist pretenders to the throne, and in 1875 Republicans mustered enough votes to win approval of a republican constitution." The Monarchists hoped eventually to replace the republican president with a king, but a move in that direction in 1877 was blocked.

Among the people of France there are some small regional difference between traditions and language. The major regional difference is between the people of Paris and those of the rest of France. No other French city, equal Paris as a center of cultural, economic, and political activity. Every year, thousands of persons move to Paris to enjoy its varied advantages.

The manufacturing industries of France compare to those of other nations of Western Europe. 29 percent of the workforce is employed in industry, including manufacturing, mining, and construction. In the early 1990s the leading branches of the manufacturing region, measured by value of production, were food products, transportation equipment, non-electrical machinery, electrical machinery, metals, and metal products. Among industries producing durable goods, the manufacturing of motor vehicles ranks high. The largest manufacturer of automobiles in France is the nationalized Renault firm. Other durable goods produced in significant quantities in France are aircraft, household appliances, non-electrical machinery, electronic equipment, and chemicals.

Sugar beet refining is another important industry, as are food processing, liquor distilling, and the manufacture of various specialized products. French industry are internationally renowned for the quality of the articles produced, such as perfumes, gloves, lace, women's hats, women's clothing, tapestry, shawls, clocks, china, glass articles, pottery, furniture, and numerous other luxury items.

Cultivated fields, orchards, and vineyards occupy 35 percent of France's land. Under normal conditions, French farms, which are mainly "small-scale enterprises" averaging about 82 acres each. A valuable percentage of the soil is the wine grape. France leads the world in the production of wine. Yearly, French output in the early 1990s was about 1.6 billion gallons.

Principal field crops in 1997, with production in metric tons, included wheat, maize fruits such as grapes and apples and root crops, particularly sugar beets and potatoes. Other important field crops include barley, rye, oats, turnips, artichokes, flax, hemp, and tobacco. In some parts of the country silk culture is important. "Fruit-growing figures prominently in the economy of the French countryside" large crops of cider, apples are pears, plums, peaches, apricots, berries, cherries, olives, citrus fruits, and nuts. In 1997 livestock on the farms of France included 20.3 million cattle, 15.0 million pigs, 10.1 million sheep, 1.1 million goats, and 341,000 horses, as well as 276 million poultry.

France, once primarily agricultural, has become increasingly industrialized since World War II. During the postwar period, the government established a series of plans designed to foster recovery and increase governmental direction of the economy. Included in these plans was the principle of nationalization of certain industries, notably railroad and air transportation systems, major banks, and coal mines. The government became a major shareholder in the automotive, electronics, and aircraft industries, as well as the primary investor in the development of both oil and natural-gas reserves. Partly as a result of such plans and programs, the national product of France increased by nearly 50 percent between 1949 and 1954, by 46 percent between 1956 and 1964, and at an average annual rate of 3.8 percent during the 1970s. In 1981 the new Socialist government began a major program of nationalizing industries.

Canadian eating habits are being transformed. Concern for better health has led to a "small decline in total meat consumption." Canadians are also spending more on fruits, vegetables, pasta, and other complex carbohydrates. Canadians, especially those in the larger cities, have also acquired more cosmopolitan tastes. The range of foods and beverages available is far greater than ever before, and includes dishes from Ethiopia, Thailand, Latin American, and a variety of Chinese regions. Still, many traditional regional eating habits have been retained, such as the "distinctive diets of the Inuit and other indigenous groups," and the French-influenced cuisine of Quebec.

The Eiffel Tower was built by engineer Alexandre Eiffel for the exhibition of 1889. It was only expected to stand for 20 years and has now become a symbol of France.
Arc de Triomphe is a well-known Parisian monument. It was designed by Napoleon in honor of his victories in war. The Louvre is the most recognizable by its large glass pyramid. This museum contains 17th and 18th century art, antiques, sculptures, and the famous "Mona Lisa". Le Futuroscope is a museum located in Western France. The exhibits here focus mainly on the future and science fiction. It gives examples of how we might be living in the next century. These are just some of the many points of interest in France.