Famous landmarks in France

France is a country in Western Europe, the largest in the European Union by area. It stretches from the English Channel and the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and the Alps, and it also includes overseas regions in the Caribbean, South America, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. Its capital is Paris, and about 68 million people live in France. It is famous for art, fashion, food, castles and some of the most visited landmarks on Earth.

On My Earth Toy France has many landmarks, including the Eiffel Tower, the Palace of Versailles, Notre-Dame de Paris, the Arc de Triomphe and the glass Louvre Pyramid. Look for Lascaux too, a cave painted by Ice Age artists.

Geography and nature

France has almost every kind of European landscape. The north and west are mostly plains and rolling farmland, crossed by rivers such as the Seine and the Loire. The Alps rise in the southeast, where Mont Blanc, at about 4,800 metres, is the highest mountain in Western Europe. The Pyrenees form the border with Spain. The south has sunny Mediterranean beaches, lavender fields and the island of Corsica.

People, languages and culture

French is the official language, and regional languages such as Breton, Basque and Occitan are also spoken. France is famous for its cooking, and the French gastronomic meal is listed by UNESCO, as is the baguette. Each region has its own cheeses, breads and pastries. Many great painters, writers and scientists were French. The Tour de France, first held in 1903, is the world's most famous bicycle race.

History in a nutshell

About 17,000 years ago people painted animals on the walls of the Lascaux cave. Later the Gauls lived here before the Roman conquest. Charlemagne built a great empire around 800. Kings ruled France for many centuries and built palaces like Versailles. The French Revolution began in 1789 and spread ideas of liberty and equality. Napoleon later built an empire. Today's Fifth Republic began in 1958, and France was a founding member of what became the European Union.