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France: An Overview

Introduction

France is, for many people, simply the most civilised place on earth. Its appreciation of and respect for the good things in life – food, wine and a love of family, friends and love itself – make it a package that draws hundreds of thousands of Francophiles to its shores every year.

Tempted by fashionable pieds a terre, rural hideaways and beachfront villas, approximately 200,000 Britons (and, unofficially, more) are said to own a property in its stunningly beautiful regions – the Côte d’Azur, the Dordogne, Languedoc Rousillon – and vibrant cities – Paris, Nice, Montpelier and Lyon.

France’s property market is less volatile than those of some other countries, owing to its enduring appeal. Prices have traditionally been cheap compared to the UK, but over the past decade they have risen by 80 per cent on average. Capital appreciation is expected to reach 10 per cent in 2006, and to exceed that in highly desirable areas.

Geography

Approximately twice the size of Britain, France is our nearest continental neighbour, lying just 34km across the English Channel at its narrowest point. Bordering Belgium, Spain, Italy, Germany, Luxembourg and Switzerland, it lies in a strategically important position in Western Europe.

In the north and west, the country is mostly flat plains and rolling hills. The remainder, except for coastal regions, is semi-mountainous or mountainous, particularly the Massif Central, the Pyrenees in the south and the Alps in the east, where Mont Blanc, at 4,807m the country’s highest point, is located.

Climate and weather

Generally, France experiences cool winters and mild summers, but in this large and geographically diverse country four climatic types prevail: maritime, mid-latitude continental, mountain and Mediterranean.

A true temperate maritime climate is found in the west, near the coasts, where winters are mild (seven degrees Celsius in January), summers are cool (16 degrees Celsius), and rainfall is frequent for 180 days of the year. Annual precipitation averages 800mm.

A mid-latitude continental climate prevails in the interior of the country, with hot summers (average July temperature of 18 degrees Celsius in Paris) and more severe winters (average January temperature of two degrees Celsius), and rain falls on fewer days of the year.

A mountain climate exists at high elevations, where precipitation increases with height and snow occurs. Many villages in the high valleys receive more than 50 days of snow each year. In the Alps, a mean temperature of minus two degrees Celsius is recorded in January, and 17 degrees Celsius in July. Annual precipitation averages 587mm.

A Mediterranean-type climate is found in a zone about 19 to 56km wide along the Mediterranean coast, where hot, dry summers, mild and humid winters and a small number of rainy days occur during the year. The average temperature is seven degrees Celsius in January and 23 degrees Celsius in July.

History

During the reign of Louis XIV (1643–1715), France was the dominant power in Europe. However, popular resentment against privileges granted to the nobility and clerics brought about the French Revolution (1789–94). Although the revolutionaries advocated republican and egalitarian principles of government, France has reverted to forms of absolute rule or constitutional monarchy four times, including the Empire of Napoleon. Following the Franco-Prussian War (1870), the Third Republic was established and lasted until the military defeat of 1940 in the Second World War.

Liberated by allied forces in 1944, France set up the Fourth Republic, led by Charles de Gaulle, with a new constitution. The Fourth Republic was established as a parliamentary form of government controlled by a series of coalitions, but a subsequent lack of agreement on measures for dealing with Indochina and Algeria caused the government structure to collapse. A threatened military coup led parliament to call on General de Gaulle to head the government and prevent civil war.

De Gaulle became prime minister in June 1958 (at the beginning of the Fifth Republic), and was later elected president. Seven years later, he won re-election with a 55 per cent share of the vote, defeating François Mitterrand. Succeeding him as president of France have been Gaullist Georges Pompidou (1969–74), Independent Republican Valéry Giscard d\'Estaing (1974–81), Socialist François Mitterrand (1981–95), and neo-Gaullist Jacques Chirac (first elected in spring 1995 and re-elected in 2002).

More pages

Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: Culture
Page 3: Natural beauty
Page 4: National holidays

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