France

France is the largest country in Western Europe with over 210000 square miles of widely varied terrain incorporating the cool and humid conditions in the North to the hot and dry climate in the South. It is divided into 26 regions which are further subdivided into 100 named and numbered departments (including overseas territories). The climate is temperate and can be divided into four distict types. There is the humid seaboard zone west of the line Bayonne-Lille with cool summers; a semi-continental zone with cold winters and hot summers in Alsace-Lorraine, along the rhodanian corridor and in the mountainous massifs (Alps, Pyranes, Massif Central); an intermediate zone with cold winters and hot summers in the North, the Paris region and the central region; and finally the Mediterranean zone with mild winters and very hot summers in the south of France.

The mainland extends from the Mediterranean sea in the south to the English channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean, giving it a roughly hexagonal shape and leading to many inhabitants referring to the country as L'Hexagonne. Terrain is very widely varied from the coastal plains of the North to the mountain ranges of the South East and South West offering a diverse range of interests and activities, both cultural and physical. Study historical works of Art in the great museums of Paris or hurtle headlong down the challenging pistes of the Pyrenees. Whatever your interests, France will not disappoint.

France is a world leader in the export of luxury goods such as haute-couture, cosmetics and perfumes. It is also responsible for the production of fine wines and liqueurs and is regarded by many as the gastronomic capital of the world. In cheese alone it is possible to sample a different variety every day of the year! Less well known is the fact that this country is also at the forefront of telecommunications, biotechnology and aerospace.Travel within France is facilitated by excellent road and rail networks. High speed TGV trains run at over 270 kilometers an hour, linking all major cities and they run like clockwork.

Please Select...