France

- The word France has derived from the Latin word 'Francia', which means 'The land of Franks'. Frank is the name of the German tribe which has once lived in France. France lies in the Europe continent and is the third largest country in Europe.

-The language spoken by the French is of course 'French'! French language is considered to be one among the `Romance language` group. The languages that were highly influenced by the Roman language were called the Romance languages. Spanish, Portuguese, Italian were some of the other Romance languages.

- The capital of France is PARIS which is nicknamed as the 'City of Light'. Paris is indeed a busy and bright city. Apart from huge economic activities, it's also known to be the Fashion capital of the world. In third century BC, Paris was invaded by a tribe called Parisii. That was the reason for the name of the city!

- The French Revolution that occurred between the years 1789-1799 has changed the country forever. Certain classes of the society who were dissatisfied with the rule of their monarch - Louis XVI... has revolted against the government. Louis XVI was executed and a new government was formed.

- From 1792, the official name of France was changed into the 'FRENCH REPUBLIC'. A Republic is a state that is ruled by people who are chosen directly or indirectly by the citizens of that state. It is not allowed to be ruled by a monarch or a king. So countries like India and America can also be called as Republics!

- When we think of France, we certainly remember a person called Napoleon! Napoleon is a military general who led some of the wars during the French revolution. Later he was declared as the emperor of France in the year 1804. During his reign Napoleon won many wars increasing the territory and power of France over the world. However his army suffered huge losses during the war against Russia in 1812. In 1815, he was defeated in the 'Battle of Waterloo' against the British and was sent to an island called St.Helena as a prisoner.

- With almost 80 million tourists visiting every year, France is the most visited tourist place in the world. People all over the world visit France to look at the monuments like the Eifel Tower and the museums like Louvre which exhibits the famous paintings like Mona Lisa. Besides, ancient churches and frequent waterways mark the country as a perfect holiday spot.