Detailed interactive map France
France is a Western European country, which has also overseas dependencies on other continents and island possessions, remain from the French colonial empire. Here are the rich diversity of landscapes: these rocky shores of the Atlantic, and the broad river valleys, and high snow-capped mountains and low hills, and sunny, sandy shores of the Mediterranean. These lands were inhabited in prehistoric times. The oldest population of France is the Celts. Then, after the defeat of the Celts in the wars with the Romans, the land went to Rome, who owned them I to V century AD After this area the future of France was occupied by Germanic tribes. In the XV century, after the victory over England in the Hundred Years War, France in comparison with other European states is a very big country with a population of about 15 million people, and townspeople were only a small part of it. The French monarchy reached the greatest power in the reign of Louis XIV (1638-1715). Perfected the French Revolution, which resulted in the emperor of France was Napoleon Bonaparte in 1789. Under his command the French army had the idea of the Great Revolution on their bayonets in Europe. In 1812-1815 gg. French army suffered a series of defeats by Russia and its allies - Britain and Prussia. During the XIX century France seized large colonies in Africa and Asia and has become one of the great colonial powers of the world. But at the end of the XIX and beginning of the twentieth century, suffered a crushing defeat by Germany, France has lost its power. In the first 50 years of the twentieth century under the leadership of General Charles de Gaulle country to rebuild their shattered economy. France and Germany have contributed to the establishment of peace in Europe, founding the European Economic Community, in Nowadays, the European Union. France stuns visitors the diversity of their wealth from the uneven coastline to the endless beaches, from bustling cities with there lives up to the unusual and charming villages of sun-soaked islands to luxury mountain ski resorts. The French are famous as great gourmets, piously revered culinary tradition UQ tnosyatsya to cook like an art. No wonder the local cuisine considered the most diverse and sophisticated in the world, each region of the country has its own gastronomy. Paris - the capital of France and the capital of fashion, luxury, entertainment, art - this status is strongly appreciated in the country in the days of the Sun King - Louis XIV and its environs Versailles, Fontainebleau, Chartres, Giverny are one of the most popular area among tourists. The largest city on the west coast are Nantes and Bordeaux, the latter is especially famous for its wines and the architecture of the XVIII century. French Basque Country is the most southern part of the Atlantic coast, a local resort town of Biarritz is one of the most fashionable, bright and attractive ocean resorts. East of the country includes the area of Alsace, Lorraine, Franche-Comte and Burgundy. Alpine landscapes are ideal for mountain skiing in winter and mountain hiking in summer. Albertville, Grenoble and Chamonix, all these places at one time hosted the Winter Olympic Games. In addition to resorts, deserve attention and cities in this region Chambéry, Annecy and Grenoble. Cote d'Azur or the French Riviera is everyone's hearing is the world-famous resorts of Cannes, Saint Tropez, the Cape of Antibes, and St Jean Cap Ferrat. Nice is a largest city in the area and an excellent starting point for research into this area. Well worth to visit and the small city of Orange and Arles, and the major ports of Marseille and Toulon. District Languedoc different in its language and culture. To the south of this region are the Pyrenees offer excellent opportunities for mountain recreation, both winter and summer. It is also worth to visit Toulouse and Montpellier and the medieval fortress town of Carcassonne.Translated by Google translator
