What Do You Know About France?

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Perhaps you live or have lived in France. Bon Jour! I took one year of French in high school. That’s all they offered at the time. I LOVED that class and I had a wonderful teacher. After the first six weeks, we were not allowed to speak English in her classroom. It was a really good way to learn French and amazingly after 50+ years, I still remember quite a bit of it, even though I don’t have the occasion to use the language much anymore. Just about everyone knows about the Eiffel Tower in Paris. But, what else is there to know about France? (French Republic) France is about the size of the U.S. state of Texas. Very tall mountains form the eastern and southern borders. The Alps separate France from Italy and the Jura Mountains border Switzerland and the Pyrenees divide France from Spain. The first ruler of France, I learned, was Clovis, who united the people called Franks. After that, many powerful kings ruled France for hundreds of years and then their rule ended with the French Revolution in 1789. This revolution began when the French people attacked the state prison called the Bastille, finally overthrowing the king. Then, in 1792, the government changed. France became a republic, where the people could VOTE for their leaders. France now has a president and he chooses a prime minister who works with the parliament. There is so much more to know about France. What can you add with your knowledge of France? Picture by Pixabay