 | Portal maintenance status:(May 2019)
|
| Main Page | Gazetteer |
 |  |
 | |
France, officially theFrench Republic, is a country primarily located inWestern Europe.Its overseas regions and territories includeFrench Guiana in South America,Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the North Atlantic, theFrench West Indies, andmany islands inOceania and theIndian Ocean, giving itthe largest discontiguous exclusive economic zone in the world.Metropolitan France shares borders withBelgium andLuxembourg to the north;Germany to the northeast;Switzerland to the east;Italy andMonaco to the southeast;Andorra andSpain to the south; and a maritime border with theUnited Kingdom to the northwest. Its metropolitan area extends from theRhine to the Atlantic Ocean and from theMediterranean Sea to theEnglish Channel and theNorth Sea. Its 18integral regions—five of which are overseas—span a combined area of 632,702 km2 (244,288 sq mi) and havean estimated total population of over 68.6 million as of January 2025[update]. France is asemi-presidential republic. Its capital,largest city and main cultural and economic centre isParis.
Metropolitan France was settled during theIron Age byCeltic tribes known asGauls beforeRome annexed the area in 51 BC, leading to a distinctGallo-Roman culture. In theEarly Middle Ages, theFranks formed the kingdom ofFrancia, which became the heartland of theCarolingian Empire. TheTreaty of Verdun of 843 partitioned the empire, withWest Francia evolving into theKingdom of France. In theHigh Middle Ages, France was a powerful but decentralisedfeudal kingdom, but from the mid-14th to the mid-15th centuries, France was plunged into a dynastic conflict withEngland known as theHundred Years' War. In the 16th centuryFrench culture flourished during theFrench Renaissance, and aFrench colonial empire emerged. Internally, France was dominated by the conflict with theHouse of Habsburg and theFrench Wars of Religion betweenCatholics andHuguenots. France was successful in theThirty Years' War and further increased its influence during the reign ofLouis XIV.
TheFrench Revolution of 1789 overthrew theAncien Régime and produced theDeclaration of the Rights of Man, which expresses the nation's ideals to this day. France reached its political and military zenith in the early 19th century underNapoleon Bonaparte, subjugating part of continental Europe and establishing theFirst French Empire. Its collapse initiated a period of relative decline in which France endured theBourbon Restoration until the founding of theFrench Second Republic which was succeeded by theSecond French Empire uponNapoleon III's takeover. His empire collapsed during theFranco-Prussian War in 1870. This led to the establishment of theFrench Third Republic, with a period of economic prosperity and cultural and scientific flourishing known as theBelle Époque. France was one of themajor participants ofWorld War I, from whichit emerged victorious at great human and economic cost. It was among theAllies of World War II, but it surrendered andwas occupied in 1940. Followingits liberation in 1944, the short-livedFourth Republic was established and later dissolved in the course of the defeat in theAlgerian War. The currentFifth Republic was formed in 1958 byCharles de Gaulle.Algeria and most French colonies became independent in the 1960s, with the majority retainingclose economic and military ties with France.
France retains its centuries-long status as a global centreof art,science, andphilosophy.It hosts thefourth-largest number ofUNESCO World Heritage Sites and is theworld's leading tourist destination, having received 100 million foreignvisitors in 2023. Adeveloped country, France has ahigh nominal per capita income globally, andits economy ranks among the largest in the world by bothnominal GDP andPPP-adjusted GDP. It is agreat power, being one of the fivepermanent members of the United Nations Security Council and an officialnuclear-weapon state. The country is part ofmultiple international organisations and forums. (Full article...)
Featured article –show another.jpg)
Les pêcheurs de perles (French pronunciation:[lepɛʃœʁdəpɛʁl],The Pearl Fishers) is an opera in three acts by the French composerGeorges Bizet, to alibretto byEugène Cormon andMichel Carré. It was premiered on 30 September 1863 at theThéâtre Lyrique in Paris, and was given 18 performances in its initial run. Set in ancient times on the island ofCeylon (Sri Lanka), the opera tells the story of how two men's vow of eternal friendship is threatened by their love for the same woman, whose own dilemma is the conflict between secular love and her sacred oath as a priestess. The friendship duet "Au fond du temple saint", generally known as "The Pearl Fishers Duet", is one of the best-known in Western opera.
At the time of the premiere, Bizet (born on 25 October 1838) was not yet 25 years old: he had yet to establish himself in the Parisian musical world. The commission to writeLes pêcheurs arose from his standing as a former winner of the prestigiousPrix de Rome. Despite a good reception by the public, press reactions to the work were generally hostile and dismissive, although other composers, notablyHector Berlioz, found considerable merit in the music. The opera was not revived in Bizet's lifetime, but from 1886 onwards it was performed with some regularity in Europe and North America, and from the mid-20th century has entered the repertory of opera houses worldwide. Because the autograph score waslost, post-1886 productions were based on amended versions of the score that contained significant departures from the original. Since the 1970s, efforts have been made to reconstruct the score in accordance with Bizet's intentions. (Full article...)
Featured biography –show another
Henry emerged as Arsenal's top goal-scorer for almost every season of his tenure there. Under long-time mentor and coachArsène Wenger, Henry became a prolific striker and Arsenal's all-time leading scorer with 228 goals in all competitions. The Frenchman won two league titles and threeFA Cups with the Gunners; he was nominated for theFIFA World Player of the Year twice, was named thePFA Players' Player of the Year twice, and theFWA Footballer of the Year three times. Henry spent his final two seasons with Arsenal as clubcaptain, leading them to the2006 UEFA Champions League Final.
In June 2007, after eight years with Arsenal, he transferred toBarcelona for a fee of €24 million. His first honours with theCatalan club came in 2009 when they won theLa Liga,Copa del Rey and Champions League treble. In 2010, he joined the New York Red Bulls of theMajor League Soccer, and won the Eastern Conference title with them in 2010.
Henry enjoyed similar success with theFrench national team, having won the1998 FIFA World Cup,UEFA Euro 2000 and2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. Henry retired from international football after the2010 FIFA World Cup. Off the pitch, Henry is an active spokesperson againstracism in football, partially due to his own experiences.
Aligot (Occitan:Aligòt) is a dish made fromcheese blended intomashed potatoes (often with some garlic) that is made inL'Aubrac (Aveyron,Cantal,Lozère) region in the southernMassif Central of France. This fondue-like dish from the Aveyron department is a common sight inAuvergne restaurants. (Full article...)
Good article –show another
Le souper de Beaucaire was a political pamphlet written byNapoleon Bonaparte in 1793. With theFrench Revolution into its fourth year, civil war had spread across France between various rival political factions. Napoleon was involved in military action, on the government's side, against some rebellious cities of southern France. It was during these events, in 1793, that he spoke with four merchants from theMidi and heard their views. As a loyal soldier of the Republic he responded in turn, set on dispelling the fears of the merchants and discouraging their beliefs. He later wrote about his conversation in the form of a pamphlet, calling for an end to the civil war. (Full article...)
_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg)
.jpg)
%2c_rev%25C3%25AAtu_du_grand_costume_royal_en_1779_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg)
 | There is aFrench version ofWikipedia, the free encyclopedia. |
The followingWikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:
Parent portals:Europe |European Union
