Monday 17 February 2014

France

France
All the essential information and a summary of the fact sheet on France, its influence and its attractiveness.



Presentation
Capitale
Major cities
Language
Français
Political system
Républic
President
Flag
Three vertical stripes: blue, white, red
National anthem
National motto
Currency
Euro
GDP
2,121 billion Euros (5th in the world)
€33,152 / capita (oct. 2013)
Population
65,821,000 inhabitants in 2014
Area
244,340 sq mi (632 834 km2), 213,010 sq mi (551 695 km2) of which are covered by Metropolitan France

Geography
France is the most expansive country in the European Union and benefits from a wide variety of landscapes. Located on Europe's western side, the metropolitan territory has over 3,400 miles (5 500 km) of coastline stretching from the North Sea and along the Channel to the Atlantic Ocean in the west, and along the Mediterranean in the south. Several islands line the coasts, the largest of which is Corsica located in the Mediterranean.
The large mountain ranges are distributed in the east and the south while 4 great river basins cross the country. The Seine in the north, the Loire and the Garonne in the west, and the Rhône between Switzerland and the Mediterranean.
France shares its borders with Belgium and Luxembourg in the north, Germany, Switzerland and Italy in the east, and with Spain in the south.
It also includes overseas territories which include a great number of islands.
In addition to its metropolitan territory, France covers more than 46,000 mi² of land overseas: Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy off the coast of North America; French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna, and Clipperton in the Pacific Ocean; and Reunion Island, Mayotte, the Scattered Islands, the Crozet Islands and the Kerguelen Islands with St. Paul and Amsterdam in the Indian Ocean. As for French Guiana, it is located in South America while Adélie Land is in Antarctica.

History
In the 1st century BC, Julius Caesar occupied a large part of the current territory, which at the time was called Gaul and mostly inhabited by peoples of Celtic origin. It was the Franks who gave their name to this country which they conquered in the 5th century. By pushing out the Romans and constituting a kingdom, Clovis put an end to the Gallo-Roman era. However, it wasn't until the 9th century following a treaty that dividedCharlemagne's empire that France was born. Carolingian king Charles the Baldattempted to form a kingdom but it was Hugues Capet, starting from the 10th century, who implemented a model of great royal power.
Many kings led wars and battles to strengthen their central authority and the borders of the kingdom. This Capetian dynasty would illustrate itself with Philippe Auguste and thenLouis IX, known as Saint Louis. The 14th and a large part of the 15th centuries were marked by periods of conflict like the Hundred Years War, great epidemics and social unrest.
The ascension of François 1st in 1515 and with him the emergence of the Renaissance in France concluded this terrible period. Put back into question during the Wars of Religion between 1562 and 1598, royal authority was restored by Louis XIII and especially Louis XIV who established absolute power. This royal dynasty was brought down by the revolution of 1789 with the end of the reign of Louis XVI and the proclamation of the 1st Republic in 1792. In 1804, Napoleon established an imperial power which, at its end in 1815, marked a period alternating between revolutions and attempts to re-establish royalty. The end of the Second Empire in 1870 definitively sealed the return of the Republic.
The 20th century saw the two World Wars which were particularly murderous. The first one, between 1914 and 1918, finished with a France that was victorious but in ruins. The second one, between 1939 and 1945, opened a dark chapter in the history of France, with the collaboration of the power in place that was Nazi Germany. The Resistance rallied around General de Gaulle contributed to creating a new political class which led the reconstruction of the country under the 4th Republic.
Up until the 1960s, the period was marked by wars of independence and decolonisation. The Algerian war concluded the end of a Republic on its last breath. In 1958, a newconstitution proclaimed the 5th Republic.

Population and society
The constitution of the 5th Republic, proclaimed on 4 October 1958, stipulates that “France is an indivisible, secular, democratic and social republic.”
The President of the Republic is elected for a 5 year term by direct universal suffrage. He names the Prime Minister and based on his recommendation, the members of the government.
The President of the Republic presides over the Council of Ministers, promulgates laws and is the Commander-in-Chief of the armies. The Prime Minister directs the actions of the government which determine and lead national policy. He is responsible before both Houses of Parliament:

·         The National Assembly, 577 deputies elected by direct universal suffrage for a period of 5 years.
·         The Senate, 348 senators elected by indirect universal suffrage for a period of 6 years.

The National Assembly and the Senate control the government and draw up and vote on laws. In case of disagreement on a law, the National Assembly has the final say.
Territorial Organisation
Metropolitan France is composed of territorial collectivities whose members are elected by direct universal suffrage: the communes, the departments and the regions. Every collectivity is representative of itself according to defined capabilities.
The status of France's overseas territories varies. Some are departments and regions likeGuadeloupe, Martinique, Guyana and Mayotte, while others have the status of anoverseas collectivity with varying degrees of autonomy and capabilities.

Cultural heritage
France's cultural heritage is the fruit of a long history and French passion for the arts. Some 750 pieces of property are classified on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The architectural heritage is particularly important, whether it be religious, civilian, military or industrial.
France's museums count exceptional collections bearing testimony to the history of art from around the world, such as the Louvre and the great schools of French paintings of the 19th and 20th centuries. France is also the country of great writers and distinguished composers, not to mention the homeland of cinema, renowned filmmakers, as well as actors and actresses who have been recognized around the world.

Economy
The 5th largest economic power, France's economy currently revolves around services which employ more than 70% of the active population.
Its dynamic agricultural sector makes France the leading agricultural producer in the European Union, while its viticulture is particularly important since France is the global leader in the production of wines and spirits.
The industrial sector is particularly developed in the agribusiness, automobile, building and public works, chemical industry, rail, aeronautics and aerospace, energy, and pharmaceutical and cosmetics sectors. The transport sector benefits from an efficient road and rail network.
New technologies hold an important place in the developing sectors and are mostly supported by large enterprises but also a small ribbon of SMEs.
France is also renowned for its luxury and tourism sector. It is the leading tourist destination in the world.
To find out more:
France in Figures (INSEE)

Transport
A large network of road and rail transport covers the country.
The motorway network (more than 60,000 miles, as 10 000 kilomètres) crosses France from north to south and east to west.
A secondary road network services the smaller communities.
The rail network is composed of high speed trains (TGV) servicing the large French and European cities and a local network linking the main cities to the smallest communities.
Air transport services the large French cities and Paris boasts one of the largest international airports.
The public transport systems are very developed. In the large cities, metros, tramways and buses provide transportation for travellers over a large radius around the city centre.
In the smaller towns or in the country, the local services or bus networks linked to the train stations provide access to the majority of the French communities.

The French Flag
The "tricolour" (three-colour) flag is an emblem of the Fifth Republic. It had its origins in the union, at the time of the French Revolution, of the colours of the King (white) and the City of Paris (blue and red). Today, the "tricolour" flies over all public buildings. It is flown at most official ceremonies, both civil and military.

 

History
In the early days of the French Revolution, the three colours were initially brought together in the form of a cockade. In July 1789, just before the taking of the Bastille, Paris was in a state of high agitation. A militia was formed; its distinctive sign was a two-colour cockade made up of the ancient colours of Paris, blue and red. On July 17,Louis XVI came to Paris to recognize the new National Guard, sporting the blue and red cockade, to which the Commander of the Guard, Lafayette, it appears, had added the royal white.
The law of 27 pluviôse, Year II (February 15, 1794), established the "tricolour" as the national flag. At the recommendation of the painter David, the law stipulated that the blue should be flown nearest the flagstaff.
Throughout the 19th century, the blue of the legitimist royalists contended with the three colours inherited from the Revolution. The white flag was re-introduced under the Restoration, but Louis-Philippe reinstated the "tricolour," surmounting it with the Gallic rooster.
During the Revolution of 1848, the provisional Government adopted the "tricoloure," but the people on the barricades brandished a red flag to signal their revolt.
Under the Third Republic, a consensus gradually emerged around the three colours. From 1880 onwards, the presentation of the colours to the armed forces, each July 14, came to be a moment of high patriotic fervour.
While the Comte de Chambord, claimant to the French throne, never accepted the "tricolour," the royalists ended up rallying round the national flag at the time of the First World War.
The french flag today
The constitutions of 1946 and 1958 (article 2) instituted the "blue, white and red" flag as the national emblem of the Republic.
Today, the French flag can be seen on all public buildings. It is flown on the occasion of national commemorations, and it is honoured according to a very precisely-defined ceremonial. The French flag frequently serves as a backdrop when the French President addresses the public. Depending on the circumstances, it may be accompanied by the European flag or the flag of another country.

Bastille Day – 14th July


Commemorating the storming of the Bastille on 14th July 1789, Bastille Day takes place on the same date each year. The main event is a grand military parade along the Champs-Élysées, attended by the President of the Republic and other political leaders. It is accompanied by fireworks and publics dances in towns throughout the whole of France.

1789, Storming of the Bastille
With les États Généraux (the Estates General), summoned in spring 1789, becomingl'Assemblée nationale constituante (The National Constituent Assembly), and Paris experiencing unrest, the direct cause of this initial uprising of the people of Paris was the dismissal of Necker, a popular Minister, by Louis XVI. On the morning of 14th July, the people of Paris took weapons from les Invalides (L'Hôtel national des Invalides, the National Residence of the Invalids) and headed towards the old royal fortress of Bastille. It was seized following bloody gunfire, and the prisoners released. The King quickly surrendered: he reinstated Necker and acknowledged new Parisian leaders: Mayor Bailly and le commandant de la garde nationale (Commander of the National Guard), La Fayette.
1790, la Fête de la Fédération (Celebration of the Federation)
On 14th July 1790, the demolition of the fortress of Bastille was completed and 260,000 Parisians, along with the King, the Queen consort and delegates from all administrative departments, celebrated the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on the Champ de Mars. Known as the Fête de la Fédération, it celebrated the short-lived success of the constitutional monarchy.
1880, 14th July becomes Bastille Day

Thereafter, 14th July celebrations were abandoned until, under the Third Republic, the 14th July was declared as a national holiday by the law of 6th July 1880. In order to affirm the recovery of France following the 1870 defeat, emphasis is placed on the patriotic and military nature of the celebration, which begins on the night of the 13th with the retraite aux flambeaux (a re-enactment of the storming of the Bastille, which sees people carrying torch flames). The following day, church bells signal the military parade. Dances and fireworks conclude the day. 14th July has officially been the French Bastille Day since 1880. For the French, it symbolises the end of absolute monarchy and the beginning of the Republic. 

France Anthem


“La Marseillaise” was written and composed by Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle, captain in the Engineering corps garrisoned in Strasbourg during the night of 24 to 25 April 1792 at the behest of the city’s mayor, Baron de Dietrich. The song, originally entitled Hymne de Guerre Dédié au Maréchal de Luckner, became known asChant de Guerre pour l’Armée du Rhin when it was adopted as the marching song of the National Guard of Marseille. The Marseille troops were singing it as they entered Paris on 30 July 1792, and the Parisians dubbed it the Marseillaise. The anthem is probably the first example of the “European march” style of anthem.
During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, “La Marseillaise” was also known as the anthem of the international revolutionary movement. In 1871, it was the anthem of the Paris Commune, and many later anarchists took inspiration from the Commune. After the fall of the Czarist government in Russia, when Communism was just starting to be set up, the melody of “La Marseillaise” was used (with different words) by radical socialists during the era of the Provisional Government, until “The Internationale” gained more popularity, and started to replace “La Marseillaise” as the anthem of leftist revolutionaries.
Under the First Republic, “La Marseillaise” was one of the civic songs that contributed to the success of the Revolution, and thus was given official status (along with “Chœur de la Liberté”, with words by Voltaire). However, it has not been continuously used since the Revolution; both Empires, the Restoration and the Second Republic passed over it in favour of other songs, with links above. During these times, however, “La Marseillaise” still remained quite popular with the people, especially the republicans, these other anthems were created in an attempt to quell the popularity of “La Marseillaise” (especially during the times of the restored monarchy and empire, when a republican government was against the aims of the current governmental type.)
Not until the Third Republic was the Marseillaise restored to its rank of national anthem on all occasions at which military bands were called upon to play an official air. After the fall of the Third Republic and the occupation of northern France by Germany, the Marseillaise remained the official anthem of both the Vichy government (the Nazi puppet state set up in unoccupied southern France) and the Free France forces, who were against the Vichy government and sought its removal. Both factions also had unofficial anthems in popular use as well, the Vichy government used a song dating from 1847 entitled “Maréchal, nous voilà!” (written and composed by André Montagard and co-composer Charles Courtious), and the Free French “Le Chant des Partisans” composed by Anna Marly (music) and French words by Maurice Druon and Joseph Kessel, customarily sung as the anthem. The Marseillaise was made the official national anthem by the constitutions of the Fourth and Fifth Republics (Article 2 of the Constitution of 4 October 1958). In 1974, President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing had it modified in accordance with earlier scores and slowed the tempo. Since 1981 however, the anthem has once again been performed according to the scores and tempo in use until 1974. While there are seven verses of the song, only the first (and sometimes the sixth and seventh) are sung, along with the chorus.
The lyrics, speaking of bloody battles and a call for citizens to take up arms, have been debated endlessly whether to alter the words to suit the more peaceful times that France currently enjoys, but the original words, capturing the spirit of the French revolution, remain. This is probably due to the fact that “La Marseillaise” is now inexorably linked to France in the mind of the world.
The anthem has become one of the most recognized in the world. Tchaikovsky used a piece of it in his “1812 Overture”, which was a chronicle of the war between Russia and France of that year. (The Russian “God Save the Czar” was also used in his work, but, interestingly, neither anthem was used as the national anthem in 1812! They were, however, both used as the respective countries’ national anthems in 1882, which was when the piece was written.) Also, until the adoption of “The Internationale” in Russia around 1918 as the Russian (later Soviet) national anthem, “La Marseillaise” was used by many communist, socialist, and left-leaning groups as an anthem.





France Anthem with lyrics



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