France

FRENCH REPUBLIC



a) Name and location (Flag – Map): France, officially the French Republic. Is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseasterritories and islands. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean.b) Official language(s) spoken: French

c) Official religion: Catholicism is the primary religion in France

d) Typical clothes:



e) Typical dance/music: French traditionaldancing encompases a huge range of geographically and culturally separate groups. At first glance there is little common ground between the hypnotic circle dances of Brittany, the graceful coupledances of central France and the wild Fandangos of the Basque Country. However, they all form part of the larger group of European dances, all of which have developed from simple circle dances withfrequent contacts between the different regions.

f) Typical food: French cuisine is renowned for being one of the finest in the world. French cuisine is extremely diverse and has exerted a majorinfluence on other western cuisines. According to the regions, traditional recipes are different, the North of the country prefers to use butter as the preferred fat for cooking, whereas olive oil is morecommonly used in the South.

g) Important festivities:

1 January | New Year's Day (Jour de l'an) |
1 May | Labor Day (Fête du premier mai) |
8 May | WWII Victory Day (Fête de la Victoire1945; Fête du huitième mai) |
14 July | Bastille Day (Fête nationale) |
15 August | Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Assomption) |
1 November | All Saints Day (La Toussaint) |
11November | Armistice Day (Jour d'armistice) |
25 December | Christmas Day (Noël) |

h) Historical Monuments:

The Eiffel Tower, built in 1889 for the World Exhibition, is perhaps the most famous...