1. Voilà la France et les Français! An introduction to the language, people, culture, and history of France.

2. Where is France located?

3. France is located in Western Europe.

4. How big is France? How does it compare in size to the USA?

5. France and Texas are approximately the same size.

6. What is the capital of France? Where is the capital city located?

7. Paris, the capital, is located on the Seine River in north central France. (Why are the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty both in this photo?!)

8. What type of government does France have?

9. France is a Republic, divided into 95 departments and overseas territories; the head of the country is the president.

10. Who is the current president of France? Can you name any other past presidents (of the Fifth Republic – over the past 50 years)?

11. Presidents of France: [4 th Republic 1954 - 59 René Coty] 5 th Republic: Charles de Gaulle (1959 – 1969) Georges Pompidou (1969 – 1974) Valéry Giscard d’Estaing (1974 – 1981) François Mitterand (1981 – 1995) Jacques Chirac (1995 – 2007) Nicolas Sarkozy (2007 – present)

12. Who is the First Lady of France? What else is she known for?

13. Carla Bruni is married to the President of France – she is a former model and currently a singer/songwriter.

14. What is the national anthem of France?

15. La Marseillaise, written by Rouget de Lille in 1792, is the national anthem. Allons enfants de la Patrie Le jour de gloire est arrivé! Contre nous de la tyrannie L’étendard sanglant est levé. Entendez-vous dans nos campagnes Mugir ces féroces soldats? Ils viennent jusque dans vos bras Egorger vos fils, vos compagnes! Aux armes citoyens! Formez vos bataillons! Marchons, marchons! Qu’un sang impur Abreuve nos sillons.

16. Other patriotic information for the French…  What does the French flag look like?  What is the French motto?  What is the date of the national holiday?

17. France has a tricolor flag: bleu, blanc, rouge. The motto of the Republic is: Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité. The national holiday (Bastille Day) is July 14 (1789).

18. What is meant by French being a “romance” language? Hint: it has nothing to do with love and romance!

19. Size of this preview: 800 × 424 pixels Full resolution‎ (1,085 × 575 pixels, file size: 50 KB, MIME type: image/png) Full resolution [edit] Summaryedit The main “romance” languages, derived principally from the popular spoken Latin of the Romans over 2000 years ago are: Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Romanian, Catalan, and a few others.

20. What is a “cognate”?

21. Cognates are words in different languages, but derived from the same original source. Some examples: enfant / infant maison / mansion état / state pied / pedal

22. What are the units of weight and measure used in France? Also, what is the monetary unit of France?

23. The metric system, based on the number 10, originated in France and is used throughout much of the world (meter, gram, liter; Celsius or centigrade temperature.) As with most countries of the European Union, France now uses the euro. The previous currency was the French franc.

24. Historical Figures of France Who were these people?

26. Art, Literature, and Science What are these people known for?

28. What is meant by the term “francophonie”? Can you name some francophone countries?

29. The French geographer Onésime Reclus first coined the word francophonie in 1880 to designate geographical entities where French was spoken. Today, the term refers to the people around the world who speak French, exclusively or in part, in their daily lives. The French language is spoken in Europe (France, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxemburg, Monaco); Africa (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal, Ivory Coast), North and South America (Quebec, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Haiti) – to name but a few of the francophone countries around the world.

30. What are the most popular sports played in France? What is “le Tour de France”?

31. The French play many of the same sports that we do, but the most popular ones are soccer (le football) and rugby. Le Tour de France is a world-class cycling event that follows a course throughout much of France for 2 weeks in July. The American Lance Armstrong holds the record for 7 consecutive wins!

32. You already know MANY French words, just by knowing English! What do the following French words mean when used in our own English language?

34. LA FIN! Just the end of this show – now, let’s begin learning more about France and its language and people! COMMENÇONS!!