Essay --

France is a very large and well-known country. It is one of the largest European countries in land, after Russia and Ukraine. Twenty percent of France’s territory lies outside of Europe, known as â€Å"DOM-TOM.† The European territory of France covers 211,209 square miles. France is also one of the oldest states in Europe, founded in 843. French is the official language of England as well as 300 other countries. It is spoken by 270 million people worldwide. France has a population of 2.5 million citizens and twenty percent of the citizens live in the Parisian region. Paris, the capital of France, was founded by Celtic tribe, Parisians, and settled around 4,200 BCE. France shares borders with several other countries. Those countries include Belgium, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Monaco, Spain, and Andorra. France is 15,782 feet above sea level. The highest point is in Western Europe, Mont Blanc, between France and Italy. The lowest point is Rhà ´ne river delta, measuring only two meters above sea level. The Rhà ´ne is one of the major rivers of Europe, measuring 505 miles, starting in Switzerland and running through southeastern France. Near its mouth on the Mediterranean Sea, the river divides into two branches, the Great Rhà ´ne and the Petit or Little Rhà ´ne. Some other river systems including Seine, Loire, and Garonne, divide the Massif Central from the Alps and flows into the Mediterranean Sea. Western France’s climate consists of a high amount of rainfall, mild winters, and cool to warm summers. The climate of inland France tends to be more continental with hot, stormy summers, colder winters and less rain. Some natural hazards in France include flooding, avalanches, windstorms, droughts, forest fires, and e... ...e’s most popular theme park is Disneyland Paris, with fifteen million visitors. Disneyland Paris was the second Disney park to open outside of United States, after Tokyo Disney Resort. Another tourist attraction is Europe’s oldest functional canal, Canal du Midi. The canal was built from 1666 through 1681 and is 150 miles long. It has sixty-three locks, 126 bridges, seven canal bridges, and one tunnel. France’s major transportation is rivers. Overall France has twenty-four rivers that add up to 300km in length. In addition to rivers, railway is also major way of transportation in France. There is a total of 40,300 miles of railway, mostly operated by SNCF, the French national railway company. The trains can travel up to 199 miles per hour. France also has 475 airports. The most popular airport is Charles de Gaulle Airport, located in the vicinity of Paris.