France in 3 minutes: City of Lights, Paris

“Bonjour!”
This may be the most famous French word ever

But did you know that French is spoken
in more than 29 countries around the world?

So here it is - Learn about FRANCE in 3 minutes

FRANCOPHONIE

The French-speaking world is called “Francophonie”
Many are in Africa: Niger, Rwanda, Burundi, Ivory Coast...

There are parts of Canada like Quebec, also Belgium and Switzerland
Siri features all these different versions of French

The international distress code “Mayday” originally comes from
French, which is “M'aidez” meaning “Help Me”

Paris

Many of you must dream walking down the streets in Paris
It is a romantic city so visit when you have the chance

Paris is called “The city of Lights”
It was one of the first cities in Europe to adopt gas street lighting

Beneath the shining lights are shadows underground
Like the catacombs with remains of more than six million people

Either light or dark
It attracts more than 15.6 million people every year

The Louvre

The Louvre - the world’s largest paradise for art-lovers
It houses 380,000 objects and displays 35,000 works of art!

You can see all in 100 days if only you put 30 seconds per piece,
No sleeping and doing nothing else - only viewing

Many people come to check out Mona Lisa
But it is small and the crowd is heavy so don’t expect peacefulness

There are more like Venus or Nike, but honestly, everything is famous
As long as you know what it is - so do your studies ahead!

History & Religion

One of the most famous historical figures in France is Napoleon
He championed himself over many parts of Europe

He was also exiled, escaped, came back to power
After the battle of Waterloo, he was exiled for good...what a life!

You should’ve also heard about Louis XIV - the “Sun King”
He wore 10cm (4in) heels to cover his height - 1.63m or 5’4’’

He reigned for more than 72 years since 5 years old
The longest of any monarch in a sovereign country in Europe

He originally built Versailles to keep the nobles within his reach
Check out the TV series “Versailles” for more, also on Netflix

In a survey in 2016, 50% are Christians in France
For more than a millennium, Catholicism has been predominant

Naturally, there are many churches like Notre-dame
Mont Saint Michel, an island monastery in Normandy is cool too

It has been a monastery since 8th century
The triangular figure shows the feudal society: God on top, to fishermen below

French Food

There is just too much to talk about French food...
Baguettes, Foie gras, escargots, quiche, crêpes, macarons…

French are also serious about cheese, tracking its origin
Try Fromage de Meaux, Le Châtelain Camembert, Comte, or Langres

So this is it for our second delivery
Tell us which country you’d like to learn next in the comments!