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Facts for the Traveler
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| Area |
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547,030 square kilometer |
| National Capital |
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Paris |
| Coastline |
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3,427 kilometers |
| Geography |
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Western Europe, bordering the Bay of
Biscay and English Channel, between Belgium and Spain, southeast of
the UK; bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Italy and Spain |
| Terrain |
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Mostly flat plains or gently rolling
hills in north and west; remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees
in south, Alps in east |
| Time Zone |
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GMT + 1 Hour |
| Elevation Extremes
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lowest point: Rhone River delta -2
m; highest point: Mont Blanc 4,807 m |
| Population |
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60.5 Mio (2004) |
| Language |
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French 100%, rapidly declining regional
dialects and languages (Provençal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican,
Catalan, Basque, Flemish) |
| Currency |
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EURO |
| Climate |
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Generally cool winters and mild summers,
but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean |
| Natural Resources
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Coal, iron ore, bauxite, fish, timber,
zinc, potash. |
| Religion |
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Roman Catholic 90%, Protestant 2%, Jewish
1%, Muslim (North African workers) 1%, unaffiliated 6% |
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Visas: Nationals of the EU, the USA, Canada, Australia, New
Zealand and Israel do not need visas to visit France as tourists for up to
three months. Except for the citizens of a handful of other European
countries, everyone else must have a visa. To apply, you'll need a passport
(valid for a period of three months beyond your departure date from France),
a ticket in and out of France, proof of money and possibly of
accommodations, two passport-sized photos and the visa fee in cash. Tourist
visas cannot be extended except in emergencies (eg medical problems). You
might try calling the Préfecture de Police (tel 01 53 71 51 68) for
guidance. If you don't need a visa to visit France, you'll almost certainly
qualify for another automatic three-month stay if you take the train to
Geneva or Brussels and then re-enter France.
Time Zone: GMT/UTC +1 (Central European Time)
Dialling Code: 33
Electricity: 230V ,50Hz
Weights & measures: Metric
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When to Go
Spring offers the best weather to visitors, with beach tourism picking
up in May. Temperatures aren't too bad in autumn, although the short days
mean limited sunlight and the cold starts to make itself felt towards the
end of the season, even along the Côte d'Azur. Winter means playing in the
snow in France's Alps and Pyrenees, though the Christmas school holidays
send hordes of tadpoles in uniform scurrying for the slopes. Mid-July
through to the end of August is when most city dwellers take their annual
five weeks' vacation to the coasts and mountains, and the half-desolate
cities tend to shut down a bit accordingly. The same happens during February
and March.
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Events
Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2012: 27 May 2012
Circuit Name: Circuit de Monaco
Number of Laps: 78
Circuit Length: 3.340 km
Race Distance: 260.520 km
For Formula 1 Race (Weekend) Tickets click here
Recommended Hotels forCircuit de Monaco
Port Palace, Monte Carlo
Port Palace is a 5-star boutique hotel in Monaco overlooking Port Hercule. It offers a spa with a hot tub and hammam, just 1 km ...
Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters 15.4. - 22.4.2012
Category: ATP World Tour Masters 1000
Place: Monte-Carlo, Monaco
Surface: Clay
Prize Money: ? 2,427,975
Recommended Hotels near Monte-Carlo Country Club
Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort
Situated on the Larvotto peninsula, this hotel with 4 restaurants is surrounded by 4 hectares of gardens on the sea front. It offers a casino, a 900 m² spa and a ...
On Sale! Paris Paradis Latin Dinner & Show - Save 25%!
It's show time in Paris at the Paradis Latin, the most Parisian cabaret in town. For the ultimate evening in Paris' atmospheric Latin Quarter, enjoy a glittering cabaret show with dinner or champagne at the Paradis Latin - the oldest traditional French cabaret in the world. It's the perfect Paris experience!
Special Offer! - Book and travel ...
Monaco Grand Prix
You've all seen Monaco during the Grand Prix on the Circuit de Monaco every May, but what you may not know is that the Grand Prix weekend is filled with a host of amazing events filled with supermodels, A-List celebrities, and of course, world-class drivers. A yacht allows you to see this event from a completely different perspective.
Guide to ...
This week in Asian & European Golf - September 26 to October 2, 2011
European Tour
Alfred Dunhill Links Championship
Old Course St. Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns
Fife, Scotland 29 Sep 2011 - 02 Oct 2011
Hotels near Old Course St. Andrews
Northern Irishman Michael Hoey held off compatriot and world number three Rory McIlroy to claim the Dunhill Links Championship title on the Old Course at St ...
Moselle Open, ATP World Tour 250, Metz, France - 19.09.2011-25.09.2011
France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga clinched his sixth ATP title when he beat big-serving Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia 6-3 6-7 6-3 in the final of ATP Metz.
Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and it is also home to the Moselle Open. Frenchman Arnaud Clement won the inaugural tournament in 2003, with countrymen Jerome Haehnel (2004), Gael Monfils ...
This week in Asian & European Golf - July 18 to July 24, 2011
European Tour
Nordea Masters
Bro Hof Slott GC
Stockholm, Sweden 21 Jul 2011 - 24 Jul 2011
European Senior Tour
The Senior Open Championship 2011
Walton Heath G.C., Surrey
Surrey, England 21 Jul 2011 - 24 Jul 2011
European Challenge Tour
English Challenge
The Stoke By Nayland Hotel, Golf & Spa
Colchester, Essex, England 21 Jul 2011 - 24 Jul ...
A Marathon For Gourmands - Marathon du Medoc
The Marathon du Médoc (or 'The Medoc Marathon' in English) will flag off on 11 September 2010 in Pauillac (50 kilometres away from Bordeaux) in the Gironde department of the Aquitaine region in the Southwest of France.
Into its 26th year, the Marathon du Médoc is the second most celebrated marathon race in France after the Paris Marathon. Médoc ...
Tennis French Open 24 May - 7 Jun 2009 at Stade Roland Garros
The French Open, one of the four tennis Grand Slams, is one of France's biggest sporting events. For two weeks the world's best battle it out on Roland Garros' clay courts - watching matches live is the ultimate fashion statement!
Demand is sky high and it's advisable to book well in advance. Prices start at ?27.50 for a decent seat, but leftover ...
Eiffel Tower Dinner, Paris Moulin Rouge Show and Seine River Cruise
Enjoy a night out in Paris and combine dinner at the Eiffel Tower and a Seine River cruise with an exotic show at the Moulin Rouge. You'll enjoy dinner at the Eiffel Tower's Altitude 95 restaurant followed by a one-hour river cruise on the Seine. Complete your night at the home of the Cancan, the famous Moulin Rouge in bohemian Montmartre.
The ...
The French are a festive bunch, with many cities hosting music, dance,
theatre, cinema or art events each year. Rural villages hold fairs and
fetes, which celebrate everything from local saints to agricultural
progress. Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer in Provence is the venue for a colourful
gypsy festival in late May honouring Sarah, patron saint of the gypsies.
Enthusiastic singing and dancing characterise this extravaganza. Prominent
national days off are May Day (1 May), when people trade gifts of muguet
(lily of the valley) for good luck; and Bastille Day (14 July), which is
celebrated by throwing firecrackers at friends. Regional events include the
primping and preening prêt à porter fashion show in Paris (early February);
the glittering and often-canned Cannes Film Festival (mid-May); the
International Music Festival in Strasbourg (first three weeks of June); the
mainstream and fringe theatre of the Festival d'Avignon (mid-July to
mid-August) and the Jazz Festival in Nancy (9-24 October).
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