The country name evolved from the name of the Frankish tribe, meaning "courage" and "freedom"
References:
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National Day: 14 July (1880 Parliament legislated to confirm Bastille Day as the National Day to commemorate the French bourgeois revolution).
National Flag: The French national flag is one of the most important national flags in the world, which has an important influence on the development of national flags in post-world countries.
Shapes and patterns:
The French flag is rectangular with a length-width ratio of 3: 2. The flag surface consists of three parallel and equal vertical rectangles, blue, white and red from left to right. The earliest tricolor flag arrangement was different from today, with red on the left. Blue represents the color of Saint Martin's robe. White stands for (equality) in memory of the national hero Joan of Arc. Red represents the color of the Saint-Denis flag.
Blue is the color of Saint Martin's robe, which symbolizes freedom. White commemorates Joan of Arc, a national hero, symbolizing equality. Red is the color of the flag of Saint-Denis, symbolizing fraternity.
Source and history:
France's national flag is famous for its tricolor flag, which first appeared in 1789 during the French bourgeois revolution (French Revolution). Paris National Self-Defense Force takes tricolor flag as its team flag. White is in the middle, representing the king and symbolizing the sacred position of the king; Red and blue are on both sides, representing the citizens of Paris; At the same time, these three colors symbolize the French royal family and the Paris bourgeois alliance, and the tricolor flag was once a symbol of the French Revolution. February 1794, 15, the flag was finally determined to be the French flag.
When the Bourbon Dynasty was restored, the tricolor flag was abolished and replaced by the Royal Iris. However, after the July Revolution of 1830, the tricolor flag became the national flag of France again and continues to this day.
Salutation:
The French flag is called by the French:
Tricolor flag
Blue-white-red
French Drape.
Sometimes it's called le tricolore, and verbally it's called les couleurs.
The French flag is also called French tricolor (American English) or French tricolor (British English) by people who use English.
National emblem: France does not have an official national emblem, but traditionally it uses the coat of arms of the Great Revolution as a national symbol. The coat of arms is oval, and it is painted with one of the symbols popular during the Great Revolution-the bundle of sticks, which is an authoritative symbol used by senior law enforcement officers in ancient Rome. Both sides of the bundle are decorated with olive branches and oak branches, and the ribbon wrapped between them reads "freedom, equality and fraternity" in French. The whole design is decorated with ribbons with Roman legion medals.
National anthem: La Marseillaise.
National flower: iris.
National bird: rooster
National Stone: Pearl
Head of State: President Chirac, 1995 was elected and re-elected in May 2002; Prime Minister Dominica.
Physical geography: the area is 55 1.6 million square kilometers (including Corsica). Located in the western part of Europe, it borders Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Andorra and Monaco, faces Britain across the Lamanche Strait in the northwest, and is close to the North Sea, the English Channel, the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Corsica in the Mediterranean Sea is the largest island in France. The terrain is high in the southeast and low in the northwest. The plain accounts for two thirds of the total area. The main mountain ranges are Alps, Pyrenees and Jura. Mont Blanc on the French-Italian border is 48 10 meters above sea level, which is the highest peak in Europe. Rivers mainly include the Loire River (10 10 km), the Rhone River (8 12 km) and the Seine River (776 km). Corsica in the Mediterranean Sea is the largest island in France. The total length of the border line is 5695 kilometers, including 2700 kilometers of coastline, 2800 kilometers of land line and 0/95 kilometers of inland river line. The climate in the west is marine temperate broad-leaved forest, the climate in the south is subtropical Mediterranean, and the climate in the middle and east is continental. From northwest to southeast, the average precipitation increased from 600 mm to more than 1000 mm.
Population: 60.628 million (2000), including 3.5 million foreign nationals, of whom 654.38+400,000 are from EU countries. General French. Among the residents, 8 1.4% believe in Catholicism, 6.89% believe in Muslims, and others believe in Protestantism, Judaism, Buddhism and other religions.
Capital: Paris, population106,000 (1999).
Administrative division: it is divided into regions, provinces and towns. The province consists of prefectures and counties, but it is not an administrative region. The county is the judicial and electoral unit. The French mainland is divided into 22 regions, 96 provinces, 4 overseas provinces, 4 overseas territories and 2 local administrative regions with special status. There are 36,565 towns in China, including 34,000 with less than 3,500 people, 23/kloc-0 with more than 30,000 people and 37 with more than 654.38+10,000 people. These 22 regions are: Alsace, aquitaine, Auvigne, Burgundy, Brittany, Central China, Champagne-Ardennes, Corsica, Franche-Gonde, Paris Region, languedoc-Ruqiong, Limzan, Lorraine, Southern Pyrenees, Northern Calais Strait, basse-normandie, Upper Normandy, Loire River, picardie and Paris. The four overseas provinces are: Guadelo, Martinique, French Guiana and Reunion. These four overseas territories are: French Polynesia, New Caledonia, wallis islands and Futuna Islands, French Southern Hemisphere and Antarctic Territory. The two local administrative regions are Mayotte Island, Saint Pierre Island and Miquelon Island.
Brief history: Gauls settled here in 200 BC. In 1 century BC, Caesar, the governor of Rome, occupied the whole Gaul and was ruled by Rome for 500 years. In the 5th century, the Franks conquered Gaul and established the Frankish Kingdom. /kloc-after the 0/0 century, feudal society developed rapidly. 1337, the British king coveted the French throne, and the "Hundred Years War" broke out. In early France, a large area was occupied by Britain, and the French king was captured. After that, the French people waged an anti-aggression war, ending the Hundred Years' War in 1453.
A centralized country was formed from the end of 15 to the beginning of 16. /kloc-in the middle of the 0/7th century, absolute monarchy reached its peak. With the development of bourgeois forces,1July 4, 789, Paris citizens were attacking the Bastille with weapons in their hands. At that time, only seven people were held in the prison, but the citizens fought fiercely for it for a day and sacrificed 98 people. 1789 On August 26th, the program of the French Revolution, the Declaration of Human Rights and Civil Rights, was formally adopted. 1789, 1 1 After Voltaire and Rousseau died, the French Revolution broke out. 1789 The French Revolution broke out and the monarchy was abolished. 1792 established the first republic on September 22nd. 1799165438+1October 9 (foggy month 18), Napoléon Bonaparte seized power, 1804 proclaimed himself emperor and established the first empire. 1804 12, Notre Dame held a grand coronation ceremony, and Napoléon Bonaparte became the first emperor of France. 1871March18, the people of Paris held an armed uprising and established the Paris commune. At the end of May of the same year, it was brutally suppressed by the French army. 1848 February Revolution broke out and the Second Republic was established. 185 1 year, President louis bonaparte launched a coup, and the second empire was established in 12 year the following year.
1After the defeat in the Franco-Prussian War in 870, 187 1 established the third republic in September, until 1940, when the French Petain government surrendered to Germany and the third republic was destroyed. France was invaded by Germany during World War I and World War II. 1944, the French Arc de Triomphe symbolizing victory finally ushered in a real triumph.
Under the leadership of Charles de Gaulle, the French people who fought for freedom not only made due contributions to the victory over fascism, but also paved the way for the revival of France after the war.
1June, 944, an interim government was announced, headed by Charles de Gaulle. 1946 In June, the Constitution was adopted and the Fourth Republic was established. 1958 In September, the new Constitution was adopted and the Fifth Republic was established. 1958 February, Charles de Gaulle was elected president. 1959, France announced that it accepted the national self-determination of colonial Algeria, thus starting to bid farewell to colonialism;
1963, France and the Federal Republic of Germany signed the Franco-German Friendship Treaty, and since then, they have reconciled with their old enemy Germany.
1964, France established diplomatic relations with New China, becoming the first western power to recognize New China.
1966, France announced its withdrawal from NATO and ordered the United States to withdraw its troops and bases on French territory within one year.
France adheres to an independent foreign policy and has become a balanced force in the world structure. It is in this pursuit of ideals that France embarked on its own path with its outstanding temperament.
196465438+1October 27th, diplomatic relations were established with China.
Politics: The President is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, with a term of five years (changed to five years in June 2000, and a referendum is scheduled for September 24), and is directly elected by voters. The President has the power to appoint and remove the Prime Minister and ministers who approve the nomination of the Prime Minister; Preside over cabinet meetings, the Supreme National Defense Conference and the National Defense Commission; Have the right to dissolve parliament; Some important bills can be directly submitted to a referendum without going through parliament; In case of emergency, the President has full authority to "take necessary measures according to the situation". When the President is unable to perform his duties or becomes vacant, the Speaker of the Senate will act as the President during his resignation. Parliament consists of the National Assembly and the Senate. It has the right to make laws, supervise the government, pass budgets and approve the declaration of war. The National Assembly * * * has a total of 577 seats, with a term of five years. It is directly elected by voters by two rounds of direct majority voting. Senate has * * * 32 1 seat. Senators serve a nine-year term and are re-elected every three years. Taking the province as a unit, they are indirectly elected by an electoral college composed of members of national assemblies and local councils at all levels. 1995 On July 3 1, the French Parliament passed the constitutional amendment. The bill authorizes the president to make greater use of referendums to solve economic and social problems. At the suggestion of the government, the Senate and the National Assembly, the French President can put all reform plans involving public power organizations and French economic or social policies to a referendum. Presidential Palace-Elysee Palace, Prime Minister's Office-Matignon Palace, National Assembly-Bourbon Palace.
Economy: France's economy is developed, its gross domestic product ranks in the forefront of the world, and it is the second largest exporter of agricultural products in the world after the United States. The main industrial sectors are mining, metallurgy, automobile manufacturing, shipbuilding, machinery manufacturing, textile, chemistry, electrical appliances, electricity, consumer goods, food processing and construction. Nuclear energy, petrochemical industry, marine development, aerospace and other emerging industrial sectors have developed rapidly in recent years, and their proportion in industrial output value has been increasing. The capacity of nuclear power equipment, petroleum and petroleum processing technology ranks second in the world, second only to the United States; The aerospace industry ranks third in the world after the United States and CIS. Iron and steel industry and textile industry rank sixth in the world. However, traditional industrial sectors still dominate the industry, among which steel, automobiles and construction are the three pillars. The proportion of industry in the national economy is gradually declining. The proportion of tertiary industry in French economy is increasing year by year. Among them, the business volume of telecommunications, information, tourism services and transportation departments has increased substantially, and the service industry employees account for about 70% of the total labor force. French business is relatively developed, and food sales are the most profitable. Among all kinds of stores, supermarkets and chain stores are the most dynamic, accounting for almost half of all commercial activities. French iron ore reserves are about 7 billion tons, but the grade is low and the mining cost is high. Most of the iron ore needed depends on imports. The coal reserves are about 2 10/000 million tons (including lignite1000 million tons), and the mining value is about10.47 billion tons. Bauxite reserves are about 90 million tons. Non-ferrous metal reserves are very small, and almost all of them depend on imports. Oil reserves are only over 30 million tons. Natural gas reserves are 250 billion cubic meters, and 99% of the required oil and 75% of natural gas are imported. Hydraulic resources are about 6.5438+million kilowatts, and nuclear energy, hydraulic resources and geothermal energy are fully developed and utilized. The forest area is about150,000 hectares, accounting for 25% of the total forest area in the EU. The per capita green area is 0.28 hectares, and the forest coverage rate is 26.7%. France is the largest agricultural producer in the European Union and a major exporter of agricultural and sideline products in the world. With the urbanization of French population, the rural population is decreasing. The land area of France is 55 million hectares, of which 6 1% is agricultural land, 27% is forestry land, and 12% is non-agricultural land. 96% of agricultural land is owned by families. The traditional regional structure of agriculture is that the central and northern regions are the main producing areas of cereals, oilseeds, vegetables and beets, the western and mountainous regions are the main producing areas of feed crops, and the Mediterranean coast and southwest regions are the main producing areas of perennial crops (grapes and fruits). Mechanization is the main means to improve agricultural productivity, and the law has basically realized agricultural mechanization. Agricultural products processing industry is one of the pillar industries of French foreign trade export surplus. Twenty-four of Europe's largest 100 agro-food industrial groups are in France, and seven of the world's largest 100 agro-food industrial groups are in France. France's agricultural and sideline products export ranks first in the world, accounting for 1 1% of the world market. France is a world-famous tourist country. Paris, the capital, scenic spots along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts, and the Alps are all tourist attractions. In addition, there are some famous historical cities, castles along the Loire River, fishing villages in Brittany and Normandy, Corsica and so on. Some famous museums in France collect the precious heritage of world culture. France is also a big trading country in the world, and its foreign trade has two characteristics: First, imports exceed exports, resulting in a trade deficit. Imports mainly include energy and industrial raw materials, while exports mainly include machinery, automobiles, chemical products, steel, agricultural products, food, clothing, cosmetics and arms. On the other hand, non-product technology exports are growing rapidly, and pure technology exports are playing an increasingly important role in the whole export trade. The main source of French government revenue is tax, which is higher than that of the United States, Japan and other countries, mainly from value-added tax, as well as income tax, corporate tax, social welfare tax and so on.
Culture: From the17th century, French classical literature ushered in its own glorious period, with the emergence of literary giants such as Moliere, Stendhal, Balzac, Dumas, victor hugo, Flaubert, Dumas, Zola, guy de maupassant and romain rolland. Many of their works have become treasures of world literature. Notre Dame de Paris, Red and Black, Old Man, The Count of Monte Cristo, Les Miserables and John Christophe have all been translated into world literature and widely circulated in the world. Detective novels include Maurice Lebron's Grand Theft Auto and George Simono's Detective Megray. In modern times, French art is quite innovative on the basis of inheriting tradition. There have not only been sculptors like Rodin, but also impressionist and fauvism representatives like Monet and Matisse. Since17th century, France's leading position in the field of industrial design and art design has long been obvious to all. Schools focusing on practical arts, architecture, fashion design and industrial design have long been famous overseas for their commercial achievements of "Made in France". The French love sports. Popular sports include football, tennis, rugby, bocce, sailing, swimming, skiing and cycling. Famous universities include the University of Paris and the University of Lyon. Cannes International Film Festival is one of the five largest film festivals in the world. It is held every May in Cannes, a seaside town in southeastern France. It is one of the earliest and largest international film festivals in the world, lasting about two weeks. 1956 The highest award was the Golden Duck Award, which was changed from 1957 to the Palme d 'Or Award.
Press and publication: The main newspapers are: le figaro, Le Monde, French Evening News, Liberation and Paris Journal. The local newspapers mainly include: The French West, which has the largest circulation in France; Voice of the North. The main weekly magazines are Express, Viewpoint, New Observer, paris match Pictorial and le figaro. There are about 6000 publishing houses in France. News agencies include: AFP, one of the top five news agencies in the world. Established in 1835. The French National Broadcasting Corporation was founded in 1975 and has six radio stations. In addition, there are 17 independent local stations jointly invested by national broadcasting companies and local governments. In order to strengthen external publicity, the National Broadcasting Corporation has set up an independent France International Station, which broadcasts almost all over the world. 1982, the government passed a decree to cancel the state monopoly on radio stations and allow private individuals and groups to establish radio stations. At present, there are nearly 65,438+0,300 private radio stations in China, mainly Luxemburg Radio, Monte Carlo Radio and one in Europe. There are four national television stations. There are more than 20 central or local cable TV stations, and many TV channels can be received by satellite.
Attractions: The Arc de Triomphe in Paris is located in the center of the Star Square (now known as General de Gaulle Square) in the center of Paris. It was built by France to commemorate Napoleon's defeat of the Russian-Austrian allied forces at the Battle of Ritz, Austell, in February 1806. 12 The street is centered on the Arc de Triomphe and radiates around. It is magnificent and looks like a star. The project was designed by architect Shagelan, and the foundation stone was laid in August 1806, which lasted for 30 years and was completed in July 1836. The Arc de Triomphe is 49.54m high, 44.82m wide and 22.2 1 m thick. It has doors on all sides, the central arch is 14.6 meters wide, and the gatehouse is supported by two high piers with an elevator in the middle. There are three corridors above the arch dome, and the highest one is the showroom, which displays various historical relics about the Arc de Triomphe and pictures of Napoleon's life. There are various French medals and medals on the second floor; The lowest floor is the security room and financial room of the Arc de Triomphe.
The Eiffel Tower is located on the south bank of the Seine River in the center of Paris. It is the first steel tower in the world and is regarded as the symbol of Paris. Named after the design and construction of the famous French architect Staffer Eiffel. Built in1887 ——1889. This tower is more than 300 meters high and weighs 9000 tons. It is divided into three layers. The first floor platform is 57 meters from the ground, with shops and restaurants; The platform on the second floor 1 15 meters high, with a coffee shop. The platform on the third floor is 276 meters high for tourists to overlook, and the bottom area is 654.38+0.0000 square meters. On the third floor, the building structure suddenly contracted and pointed to the sky. From one side, it looks like the letter "Y" is written backwards. The tower consists of more than 6.5438+0.8 million components and more than 2.5 million rivets. There is an elevator or walking to the top of the tower. At night, the top of the tower emits rotating color searchlights to prevent planes from colliding. A rectangular white marble pillar stands beside the tower, with a gold-plated Eiffel Tower staff at the top.
The Louvre is one of the largest palace buildings in France, located on the right bank of the Seine River in the center of Paris and on the south side of the Paris Opera Square. Originally a medieval castle, it was rebuilt and expanded many times in16th century, and18th century was the existing scale. It covers an area of about 45 hectares. As early as 1546, French King Francois I decided to build a new palace on the basis of the original castle. After the continuous expansion of nine monarchs, it lasted for more than 300 years, forming a magnificent U-shaped palace complex. On August 1793 and 10, on the anniversary of the overthrow of the monarchy, the French "National Association" decided to turn the former imperial palace into the National Museum of Fine Arts; In the same year 10, the Louvre Museum was officially opened to the public. The whole project was completed on 1857. On the west side of the main hall of the Louvre, there are two side halls, and the open space in the middle forms caruso Yi Square. There is a long colonnade on the east side of the palace, and the building is magnificent. Its 900-foot-long gallery houses a large number of works by artists from the17th century and the European Renaissance. The collection reached 400,000 pieces. The Louvre art museum is divided into six parts: the Greek and Roman art museums; Oriental Art Museum; Egyptian Museum of Art; European medieval, Renaissance and modern statue halls; Gallery of past dynasties. The exhibition is divided into different schools, different schools and different times. The sculpture is on display on the first floor. The second floor is oil painting, and the third floor is sketch and pastel. In the early 1980s, the French government implemented the "Grand Louvre Plan" to expand and repair the Louvre.
Notre Dame de Paris is the most famous medieval Gothic cathedral, which is famous for its scale, age and value in archaeology and architecture. Maurice Dexuli, Bishop of Paris, once envisaged merging two early rectangular cathedrals into one cathedral. 1 163 was laid by Pope Alexander III, and 1 189 held the dedication ceremony of the high altar. Choir, west facade, nave 1240 completed, porch and porch completed. The internal plane is 130× 48m, the roof is 35m high and the tower is 68m high. The spire was never built. After the destruction of dynasties, the church had to be rebuilt in the19th century, and only three huge round windows still retained the stained glass of13rd century. The flying buttresses in the back hall are particularly vigorous and beautiful.
The Bastille Square is located in the east of Paris, on the right bank of the Seine. It was once a military fortress built by 1369- 1382. The French original meaning of the word "Bastille" is "castle". This ancient castle has eight towering and strong fortresses, which were originally built to resist the British invasion. 1380- 1422, the castle was changed into a royal prison. The whole castle covers an area of 2670 square meters, surrounded by tall and thick stone walls and eight towers more than 30 meters high, surrounded by a deep ditch with a width of 24 meters, and a suspension bridge is set up to enter and exit. As early as16th century, political prisoners were imprisoned here, and Voltaire, a French enlightenment thinker, was imprisoned here twice. In the eyes of the French people, the Bastille has become a symbol of French feudal autocracy. 1On July 3rd, 789, the people of Paris rose up.1On June 4th, the Bastille was captured, which started the French Revolution. 179 1 year, the people of Paris demolished the Bastille, built the Bastille Square on the old site, and laid the removed stones on the Concorde Bridge on the Seine River for passers-by to trample on. 1830, the French people set up a martyr monument in the center of the square to commemorate the July Revolution. This monument to the martyrs is 52 meters high. Its body is a cylinder made of bronze, and it is called "July Column". At the top of the column is a statue of freedom with golden wings and a torch in the right hand. The broken chain in its left hand symbolizes freedom. There is a sign in front of the prison ruins, which says, "Let's dance here!" " "1June, 880, France designated July 14, when the people of Paris captured the Bastille, as the French National Day.
Located in the Latin quarter on the left bank of the Seine River in the center of Paris, le Pantheon was built in 179 1, which is a temple to permanently commemorate French historical celebrities. It was originally the church of St. Genevieva built in Louis XV. 179 1 After being nationalized, it was converted into a cemetery for burying "great men". 18 14 to 1830, returned to the church. The artistic decoration of Panthé on is very beautiful, and the large murals on its dome were created by the famous painter Antoine Grothe. 1830 After the "July Revolution", the theme of painting has changed, and the Pantheon has the characteristics of "pure patriotism and nationality". Voltaire, Rousseau, victor hugo, Emile Zola, Marcelin Berthelot, Jean Loures, Berlioz, malraux and Dumas are all buried in the Pantheon. As of June 5438+065438+ 10, 2002, * * * 70 people who have made extraordinary contributions to France have enjoyed this honor.
Georges Pompidou's national d 'art et de culture is located in Beaufort Street on the north side of the Latin quarter and the right bank of the Seine River. Locals usually call it "Beaufort". The exterior of the Cultural Center is lined with steel frames and pipes, and painted with red, yellow, blue, green and white colors according to different functions. Because this modern building looks like a factory, it is also called "oil refinery" and "cultural factory". This modern building with novel design and unique shape was decided by the late President Pompidou in 1969. 1972 started, 1977 was completed, and it opened in February of the same year. The whole building covers an area of 7,500 square meters, with a building area of 654.38+10,000 square meters and 6 floors above ground. The whole building is divided into four parts: industrial creation center, popular knowledge library, modern art museum and music and sound coordination research center.
Place de la Concorde is located in the center of Paris, on the north bank of the Seine. It is the most famous square in France and one of the most beautiful squares in the world. The square was built in 1757 according to the design of the famous architect Cabriel. Because there is a statue of Louis XV in the center of the square, it was named "Louis XV Square" in 1763. During the Great Revolution, it was renamed "Revolutionary Square". 1795 was renamed "Place de la Concorde", which was renovated by the famous architect Christopher, and finally formed its present scale in 1840. In the center of the square stands an Egyptian obelisk, which is 23 meters high and has a history of more than 3,400 years. This is a famous cultural relic that Louis Philippe moved from Luxor, Egypt in 183 1. The ancient writing on the monument records the deeds of Pharaoh Ramses II. There is a fountain on each side of the stone tablet. The exquisite carving in the pool is also the work of Hittopher. There are eight statues around the square, symbolizing eight cities that have played an important role in French history: Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, Nantes, Rouen, Brewster, Lille and Strasbourg. During the 1793 Revolution, the people of Paris rose up and destroyed the bronze statue of Louis XV and sent Louis XVI to the guillotine.
The Champs Elysé es Avenue starts from the Place de la Concorde in the east and ends at the Plaza of Stars in the west, with a total length of about1.800m and its widest point of about1.20m.. This is one of the most distinctive and prosperous streets in Paris. In French, "Champs Elysé es" means "rural land". In the past, it used to be a low-lying and humid clearing. /kloc-during the reign of Louis XIV in the 0 th and 7 th centuries, trees were planted here, which became a forbidden place for court nobles to play. Later, the east-west axis of Tully Park extended westward, and a boulevard of nearly 1 km was built here. Later, it expanded. It was named Champs Elysé es only at 1709. The street is bounded by Longbuwanjie, running north and south, and divided into two parts with different styles. The quiet eastern section reflects the pastoral scenery, about 700 meters long, with rows of phoenix trees green and the street garden hidden among thousands of trees. There is a magnificent and famous Arc de Triomphe in the center of the starry sky square at the eastern end. There are Bourbon Palace and Madeleine Cathedral near the street. There are also some places of interest, such as Tully Park, Louvre, City Hall and Elysee Palace. The west section is 1 100 meters long, and the Place de la Concorde at the west end is another transportation hub in Paris. Some important festivals in France-the National Day Parade and the New Year Gala on July 14 are held in this famous street.