75 Fascinating Facts about France

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Bonjour! France is known for great food, fashion, culture, and romance, and this post of Facts About France will introduce you to this fascinating country.

It is full of so much rich history and so many interesting facts. For instance, did you know that they have 1200 different varieties of cheese or that the Eiffel Tower attracts millions of visitors each year, but yet it was meant to only be a temporary structure for the 1889 World’s Fair? Check out these Facts about France and many more with our giant list of France facts below. 

Green background with images of the Eiffel Tower, a heart and the outline of France, with bold white text stating "Facts About France"

If you love facts about different countries, check out our Facts About Rome, Facts About Mexico and Facts About Cats. 

75 Facts about France

Eiffel Tower with red border and France fact for kids.
  1. France is sometimes called “the hexagon”
  2. France is home to Europe’s highest mountain, Monte Blanc. It is 4,810 meters tall.
  3. France is the largest country in the European Union
  4. The capital city of France is Paris
  5. Half of France is countryside or farmland
Silhouette of France with red border and France fact for kids.
  1. The most famous products from France are wine and cheese
  2. More people visit France each year than any other country – over 80 million! 
  3. France was the first country to use camouflage for their military. This took place during World War I. 
  4. Louis XIX was the king of France for only 20 minutes in 1830.
  5. Snails are a common food in France. 
Bonjour in red and blue lettering with red border and France fact for kids.
  1. The average French person will eat 500 snails per year. 
  2. The national animal of France is the rooster. 
  3. France is about the same size as the state of Texas (Texas is just a little bigger).
  4. The original portrait of the Mona Lisa hangs in an art museum in France
  5. The Louvre, France’s famous art museum, is the largest art museum in the world. 
Tricolor (blue, white and red) French flag with red border and France fact for kids.
  1. Grocery stores and restaurants in France are not allowed to throw away unused food. They must donate it!
  2. The Tour de France is a 21-day bike race that has been taking place in France since 1903.
  3. Hot air balloons were invented in France in 1783
  4. There are no stop signs in France. Instead, they use roundabouts. 
  5. When the Eiffel Tower was completed in 1887, most French people thought it was ugly. 
Brown baguettes with red border and France fact for kids.
  1. The national currency of France used to be the franc, but in 2002 they switched to the euro. 
  2. The artist Pablo Picasso was French
  3. A Frenchman named Jean-Baptiste Lamarck invented the metric system.
  4. There is a 31 mile tunnel beneath the English Channel that connects France and England. 
  5. Wearing a white dress to a wedding is a tradition that started in France in 1499.
Red motor scooter with red border and France fact for kids.
  1. In France you can get married to someone who has died as long as you can prove that the person intended to marry you. 
  2. Since 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded to 17 different French writers, more than any other country. 
  3. In France, it is against the law to kiss on a train platform once the train has arrived. The conductor doesn’t want the train to be delayed by long goodbyes!
  4. The world’s first face transplant happened in France in 2005
  5. France produces more varieties of cheese than anywhere else in the world. 
Smiling woman wearing a red beret and scarf with red border and France fact for kids.
  1. The oldest recording of a human voice was taken in France in 1860. The recording is 10 seconds long. 
  2. If you take snails on a train in France, you have to buy them their own ticket. 
  3. A French book by Marcel Proust titled Remembrance of Things in the Past is the longest book in the world at over 3,000 pages. 
  4. Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite is the national motto.
  5. France is a democratic republic.
Silhouette of France with Eiffel Tower and Arche de Triomphe inset with red border and France fact for kids.
  1. A French inventor named Philippe Kahn invented the camera phone in 1997
  2. Until 2013, there was a law that women could not wear pants in Paris. 
  3. French woman Jeanne Calment holds the record for the world’s longest living person. She was 122 years and 164 days old when she died. 
  4. The French flag is blue, white, and red in three vertical stripes. 
  5. The current French flag was first used during the French Revolution in 1794
Eiffel tower with French flag on top with red border and France fact for kids.
  1. The German army was ordered to destroy the Eiffel Tower during World War II. They were unsuccessful. 
  2. During World War II, a French mosque protected French Jews by giving them ID cards that said they were Muslim. 
  3. License plates on cars were first introduced in France in 1893. Other countries soon followed suit. 
  4. From 1748 to 1772, potatoes were against the law in France because the people believed they caused leprosy. 
  5. You can get a gold medal in France for doing a good job raising your children. 
Blue graphic of France with red border and France fact for kids.
  1. Paris was the first city in Europe to use gas to light street lamps. 
  2. It is acceptable to drink alcohol at your place of employment in France. 
  3. The Eiffel Tower was originally going to be taken down after 20 years, but it became so popular that the government decided to leave it up. 
  4. The Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor was a gift from France. 
  5. Workers in France are guaranteed 5 weeks of vacation time each year. 
Bonjour in red and blue letters with red border and France fact for kids.
  1. The first university in Europe is located in France. The University of Paris, or “La Sorbonne” is 763 years old. 
  2. France controls 12 overseas territories, including French Guiana and French Polynesia
  3. Before World War II, France was in the same time zone as the UK, but when the Germans invaded, they changed to be the same as Germany. They never changed back. 
  4. Sometimes the French flag is called the Tricolor.
  5. The main country of France is divided into 18 regions, similar to US states. 
Tricolor (blue, white and red) French flag with red border and France fact for kids.
  1. French fries are not actually French, they are probably from Belgium instead. 
  2. The Treaty of Versailles, that officially ended World War I, was signed in Versailles, France. 
  3. D-Day, or the Battle of Normandy took place in France and was the battle that liberated Western Europe from the Nazis during World War II. 
  4. In 2016, Paris was given the distinction of having the best transportation system in the world. 
  5. The main religion in France is Catholic.
Graphic of French bread with red border and France fact for kids.
  1. One of the largest holidays in France is July 14th, or Bastille Day, which celebrates the storming of the Bastille, which started the French Revolution. 
  2. The Eiffel Tower was the world’s tallest building until the Chrysler Tower in New York City was built in 1930. 
  3. The last king of France was Louis XVI. He was executed after the French Revolution. 
  4. You must be 18 in order to drive a car in France. 
  5. The legal drinking age in France is 18. 
Red motor scooter with red border and France fact for kids.
  1. After the French Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte became the Emperor of France.
  2. The Rosetta stone was found by French soldiers in Egypt. 
  3. French preschool begins at age 3 and is free. 
  4. There are no vending machines in French schools
  5. School lunches are 2 hours long in France. 
Happy woman wearing red beret and scarf with red border and France fact for kids.
  1. The Arc de Triomphe in Paris was commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte, but he died before it was finished. 
  2. In France, it is considered very rude if you do not say hello to the shopkeeper when you walk into a store. 
  3. Tipping waiters in France is not expected. Your tip is automatically factored into the price of your meal!
  4. In France, lunch is the biggest meal of the day. 
  5. There are no “kids menus” at restaurants in France. Kids are expected to eat like grown-ups!
Eiffel tower with French flag with red border and France fact for kids.

Do you have more facts about France that you know? Share them in the comments so that we can add them to the list! 

Are you looking for more fun and engaging facts to share with your family? Check out these other posts for more facts!

 
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