.x. FRANCE .x.

1. .x. FRANCE .x. .x. Lucy O'Neill .x. .x.Alison Kasobia.x.

2. France introduction France is a country that is located in western Europe. It borders Germany, Luxemburg, Switzerland, Belgium and Italy. It’s Population:total: 63,713,926 60,876,136 in metropolitan France (July 2007 est.) The currency is Euro and the language spoken is French.

3. Paris is the capital city of France. It is situated on the River Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region ("Region parisienne"). Paris has an estimated population of 2,153,600 within city limit (2005 est.).[2] The Paris urban area has a population of 9.93 million [3] and a commuter belt around the same completes the Paris "aire urbaine" (roughly: "metropolitan area") that, with its population of 12 million,[4] is one of the most populated areas of its kind in Europe.[5] Paris' location at a crossroads between land and river trade routes in lands of abundant agriculture had made it one of France's principal cities by the 10th century, rich with royal palaces, wealthy abbeys and a cathedral; by the 12th century Paris had become one of Europe's foremost centres of learning and the arts. Today, Paris is a major influence in politics, fashion, business, arts and science. The city serves as an important hub of intercontinental transportation and is home to universities, sport events, opera companies and museums of international renown,[6][7] making it an attraction for over 30 million foreign visitors per year.[8] The Paris region (Île-de-France) is France's foremost centre of economic activity. With €478.7 billion (US$595.3 billion), it produced more than a quarter of the gross domestic product (GDP) of France in 2005. With La Défense, the largest purpose-built business district in Europe, it hosts the head offices of almost half of the major French companies, as well as the headquarters of ten of the world's 100 largest companies.[9] Paris is also considered to be the capital of the (EMEA) region (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) with more EMEA headquarters than any other European city.

4. Famous Person from France!! Thierry Daniel Henry, (born 17 August 1977, IPAis a French football player. Renowned for his pace he plays as a striker for the France national team and English club Arsenal FC. Henry grew up in the tough neighborhood of Les Ulis, Essonne, where as a youngster he played for an array of local sides and showed great promise as a goal scorer. AS Monaco spotted him in 1990, and signed him up instantly.[2] Given his professional club début in 1994, he stayed at Monaco until 1998, where good form earned him an international call up. Henry then moved to Italian giants Juventus, but after a disappointing season playing on the wing,[3] he joined Arsenal for a fee of £10.5 million in 1999.[2] After a slow start in the Premiership, Henry has since emerged as Arsenal's top goal scorer in almost every season since he joined the club. Long-time mentor and coach Arsene Wenger's conversion of him into a prolific striker has made Henry Arsenal's all-time leading scorer with over 200 goals; with Arsenal Henry has won two league titles and three FA Cups. With France, he has won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. In recognition of his abilities, Henry has been twice nominated for the FIFA World Player of the Year,[4] and has twice received the Barclays Premiership player of the season award.[5][6] He is today regarded by many as one of the best footballers in the world.

5. French Cuisine...x French cuisine is considered to be one of the world's most refined and elegant styles of cooking. The national cuisine known today has evolved from centuries of social and political change. The Middle Ages brought lavish banquets to the upper class with ornate, heavily seasoned food prepared by chefs such as Guillaume Tirel. The era of the French revolution, however, saw a move toward fewer spices and more liberal usage of herbs and refined techniques, beginning with François Pierre La Varenne and further developing with the famous chef of Napoleon Bonaparte and other dignitaries, Marie-Antoine Carême. France is famous for their bread and wine such as…baguette, croissants, champagne and rose’. Exotic foods such as…frogs legs and snails.

6. French Sport... Hiking A huge network of hiking paths -- totaling some 25,000 miles (40.000km) -- are found throughout France. The most popular of these are in hilly regions such as the Alps, the Ardennes, Beaujolais, Champagne, the Jura, the Massif Central, the Pyrénées, and the Vosges. Also quite picturesque are windswept Brittany, the Dordogne Valley, and forested areas in Ile-de-France (Fontainebleau, Rambouillet, St-Germain). It is advisable to wear sturdy shoes and bring adequate water on some of the more demanding trails -- such as the Gorges du Verdon in Provence, France's equivalent of the Grand Canyon. For information on trails and hiking courses, contact the Comité Départemental de la Randonnée Pedestre in each region. The game of boules, otherwise known as pétanque , is perhaps the sport that is closest to French hearts. Similar to British lawn bowling or Italian bocce , the French version is traditionally played with metallic balls on a dirt surface beneath plane trees, with a glass of pastis at hand. The local boulodrome is a social focal point in southern France. The object of the game is to throw your balls — usually with somewhat of an arched back-spin — so that they land closer to the small object ball (cochonnet ) than those of your opponent, or strike and drive the object ball toward your other balls and away from your opponent's.