Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923), the famous French engineer who build the Eiffel Tower in Paris, also designed the Statue of Liberty which stands in New York's harbour.
France is famous for the beaux-arts, the many great painters, sculptors. Famous French painters are Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Paul Cezanne and Auguste Rodin is certainly one of the most famous French sculptors.
French composers which are very famous are: Maurice Ravel (Bolero) and Georges Bizet (Carmen). Children all around the world love French literature, like the famous “The Three Musketeers” by Alexandre Dumas and “The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupery.
French political leader Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) was born on Corsica. He reformed the French laws. He declared himself Emperor of the French in 1904. Napoleon’s army was defeated by the British in the Battle of Waterloo (now in Belgium) in 1815. He was exiled to the island St. Helena in the Mediterranean Sea where he died in 1821.
French was the official language of England for over 300 years (from 1066 to the beginning of the XV century).
French is the official language in 30 countries (Click to see them)
French language is spoken by 270 million people worldwide. (eupedia)
Over fifty percent of the French population speaks a second language. Approximtely 34% of the population speaks English fluently.
French spoken in Quebec is not very easy to understand from natives of France
The word “Mayday" a distress code, originated from the French. The word means help me, M’Aide!
adding machine (calculator), first aid, hot air balloon, movies, photos, kilts, stilts, jeans (hence Levi Strauss) and animation, the parachute, the submarine. NOT French Inventions: French fries, french toast, croissant (orig. Austria)
Crêpes in Brittany, France;
1000s of Wines
Famous liqueurs, such as Grand Marnier, Cointreau, Triple Sec, Mandarine Napoleon, Cognac, Armagnac, Crème de Cassis, Pastis, Chartreuse, etc
Typical French Food
Baguette: long bread stick
• Croque Monsieur/Croque Madame: ham and cheese grilled sandwich while Croque Madame is the more heavy version with ham, cheese and a fried egg on top
• Escargots: snails
• Foie Gras: Goose liver pate
• Pain au chocolat: similar to a croissant filled with chocolate
• Crepes: French very thin pancakes with filling
• Ratatouille: vegetable stew
There's a Coffee Shop in France where not saying "hello" and "please" makes your coffee more expensive. (See our Photos section ]
» Extensive List of Popular Places to Visit in France
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