14 Intriguing Facts About France You May Not Know

1. France is Smaller than Texas, USA

France has the largest land area of any Western European country, bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the southeast and the Bay of Biscay and the English Channel to the north and west. France has a total land area of 547,030 square kilometers (211,208 square miles) and a coastline of 3,427 kilometers (2,130 miles). France is twice the size of the United Kingdom and eight times the size of Ireland.

Did you know that France is the largest country in Europe but smaller than Texas by about 1.2 times? Texas is approximately 678,052 square kilometers, while France is about 551,500 square kilometers, making France 81.34% the size of Texas. However, Texas has a population of ~25.1 million people (plus 42.7 million people living in France).

2. France Boasts the Largest Art Museum

France is home to numerous museums and art galleries, attracting visitors from all over the world. The largest art museum in terms of total area is the Louvre in the capital city of Paris, France, covering 360,000 square meters on the Right Bank of the Seine River. Of this, 86,000 square meters are open to the public and include shopping areas, restaurants, and cafes, with the exhibition space occupying 70,000 square meters. Including the Tuileries Gardens, the palace and grounds of the Louvre have a total area of 37 hectares (370,000 square meters).

The museum is a significant landmark of the city of Paris, France. The Louvre's 2019 report recorded the collection's scale at 615,797 pieces, nearly 35,000 of which are permanently displayed to the public. Located in central Paris - a former palace in the 1st arrondissement - it is the most visited art museum in the world, welcoming 9.6 million visitors in 2019. The Louvre also holds the record for the largest palace used as a museum.

Among all countries worldwide, France stands as the most visited country! Around 89 million people visit France each year to explore its culture and savor its cuisine. The most visited country in the world, France, offers more than just the Eiffel Tower, museums, and wine. Over the past decade, this nation has attracted the highest number of tourists, surpassing any European country or any other nation globally. It boasts numerous captivating tourist attractions that would take more than a year to see and experience everything it has to offer.

France is renowned for its countless magnificent palaces, castles, and grand cathedrals across the country. The Palace of Versailles, Chateau de Chambord, and Notre-Dame Cathedral are among the most famous landmarks. Besides being the most visited country globally, Paris is also one of the most visited cities. In 2019, over 19 million tourists visited the city of Paris, France. It consistently ranks in the top 10 most visited cities year after year.

Cheese is universally recognized as one of France's highest culinary contributions, and tasting France's unique cheeses often ranks high on the list for travelers. France produces approximately 1400 to 1600 cheeses (according to French dairy farmers), so shopping at a restaurant or market in France often means facing shelves and bins with a variety of shapes and sizes of cheese. You may recognize some familiar names like Swiss Gruyere, Brie de Meaux, and Roquefort when thinking of French cheese.

In fact, France ranks among the top ten countries in cheese consumption. Over 95% of the French population eats cheese. French cheeses have certain defining characteristics such as how long they age, the process of cheese-making, and their mold moisture content. Here is a list of some of the most common cheeses you'll find in France: Camembert de Normandie, Brie de Meaux, Reblochon, Fromage Blanc, Roquefort, Munster. If you decide to visit France and try these various cheeses, remember to pair them with wine for a complete French experience.

In Greece and Italy, snails are commonly consumed in various dishes, sometimes used as sauce poured over different types of pasta. People from other countries like Spain, Portugal, and Germany also consume them. The French consume 25,000 tons of snails every year - equivalent to 700 million snails. For every three snails consumed worldwide, two are consumed in France. Snails are a delicacy closely associated with France and are often featured on menus due to their novelty factor.

Escargots, known as 'snails' in French, are a dish made from edible land snails cooked to perfection. They are typically served as an appetizer and enjoyed by the French, as well as people in Germany, England, Italy, Portugal, Sardinia, and Spain. The Roman snail, garden snail, and European snail are the only species consumed in France. Snails are often described as tasting like fish or chicken, with a tang reminiscent of mushrooms. However, for most parts, snails have the flavor of the butter or sauce they're cooked in.

Another intriguing fact about France is that one of their kings held the throne for only about 20 minutes. This marks one of the shortest reigns of any king in history. When his father abdicated the throne on August 2, 1830, under pressure from protesters, Louis-Antoine became Louis XIX. Louis XIX was the king of France for only 20 minutes after his father's abdication. Ironically, Louis XIX also abdicated about 20 minutes after his father designated him as king.

Louis XIX also holds the record for the shortest reign in the world along with King Luís Filipe from Portugal. Luís Filipe's father was assassinated in an attack, and Luís Filipe was also injured in a similar assault. Ultimately, the king outlived his father by about 20 minutes, during which time, he was the king of Portugal.

In February 2016, France passed a law against food waste, meaning supermarkets are prohibited from disposing of unsold food products and instead are required to donate them. This law marks the beginning of the fight against food waste by banning disposal and facilitating donations. Since its enactment, its scope has been further expanded, as determined through new decrees and laws.

France has become the first country in the world to forbid supermarkets from discarding or destroying unsold food, instead mandating they donate to charities and food banks. Charities will be able to provide millions more free meals each year to those facing food insecurity. Supermarkets are also banned from deliberately spoiling food to prevent many families, students, unemployed individuals, and homeless people in France from salvaging edible items discarded as they approach their expiration dates in store bins.

Tour de France stands as the most prestigious and grueling cycling race globally. Among the three Grand Tours (the other races being the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), the Tour de France attracts the world's top cyclists. Held over three weeks every July, typically consisting of around 20 stages - the race involves 20 professional teams, each with 9 riders, covering approximately 3,600 km (2,235 miles), primarily in France.

Tour de France is France's premier annual sporting event with deep cultural roots. It garners massive crowds along the roadside and is televised globally as one of the ultimate tests of athletic endurance. Established in 1903 by Henri Desgrange, a French journalist and cyclist, the race has been held annually except during the World Wars. To date, the Tour de France cycling race has surpassed the century mark in age.

French people believe that placing a baguette (or any bread) upside down on the table can bring bad luck. This superstition dates back to the Middle Ages and has never faded away. In medieval times, the town's executioner often didn't have time to pick up their bread in the morning. Bakers would hang a loaf upside down for the executioner to collect later in the day.

Due to this medieval custom, over time, an upside-down loaf of bread has become a symbol of fear and doom. People avoid any upside-down bread to steer clear of misfortune. If you ever have the chance to visit France, make sure you don't place any bread upside down on the table. Also, if you spot any upside-down bread, try to stay away from it as it might be a sign of bad luck!

The first camera phone was created by a Parisian, France, and the first photo he took and sent to family and friends was of his newborn daughter named Sophie, on June 11, 1997. Philippe Kahn worked on the technology components for an “instant image communication device”. The final experiment led to LightSurf, which he sold for $270 million to VeriSign in 2005.

He connected a digital camera, a Motorola phone (the most popular phone model at the time), and a laptop together and launched software he developed that allowed him to share photos instantly worldwide. Philippe Kahn wasn’t the first to combine digital camera and mobile phone. In 1994, Olympus released a camera called the Deltis VC-1100, with integrated functions allowing users to upload digital photos via mobile phone lines and vice versa.

In France, wine consumption ranks second highest among all countries in the world. Overall, the French consume about 25 million hl (100 hl = 1 liter) annually. They come second after the United States, a country that consumes approximately 30 million hl of wine. Besides consuming tons of wine, France is also known for producing the most expensive wines in the world. While you might not have the chance to try the most expensive wine in France, you can still have the opportunity to taste some French wines such as Burgundy, Bordeaux, Rhone Valley, Provence, Champagne.

The French have a complex history with wine, considered an integral part of their national cultural heritage. Data from the World Health Organization shows that the French are unlikely to be the heaviest drinkers in Europe. They have an average annual consumption per person of 12.6 liters of pure alcohol among those aged 15 and over, ranking behind Lithuania 15 liters, Germany 13.4 liters, Ireland and Luxembourg 13 liters each, and 12.9 liters in Latvia. In the UK, each person consumes 11.5 liters per year. Wine accounts for 58% of the total alcohol consumed in France.

12. The Eiffel Tower – Pride of the French People

Situated in the 7th arrondissement, the giant iron monument, a true architectural and engineering marvel. The Eiffel Tower now stands as the symbol of Paris and France for tourists from all over the world. The pride and joy of Parisians quickly became the most paid-visited monument in the world! Many tourists queue up to explore one of the most breathtaking panoramic viewpoints of the city of Paris. At the foot of the tower is the expansive Champ-de-Mars garden, providing a delightful experience for a relaxing outdoor picnic with stunning views of the impressive Eiffel Tower.

Built from 1887 to 1889 for the 1889 Paris World's Fair, to showcase France's technical expertise and commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of the French Revolution, the Eiffel Tower boasts some staggering dimensions: a height of 324 meters, 18,038 metal parts, and 2,500,000 rivets all combined to create a very imposing Iron Lady! The Eiffel Tower held the title of the world's tallest structure until the construction of the Chrysler Building in New York in 1930.

13. French was the official language of England for about 300 years

In the conquest of England by the Normans and later the Norman occupation of England led by a Norman-French army under Duke William II of Normandy, William, who defeated King Harold II of England on October 14, 1066, at the Battle of Hastings, was crowned king in London on Christmas Day, 1066. He then consolidated his control and settled many of his followers in England, bringing about some changes in government and society. One of these changes was the emergence of Norman French as the language of the aristocracy, the courts, and the government.

French words entered the English language, and another sign of change was the use of French names instead of English names. Men's names were the first to change, with names like William, Robert, Richard quickly becoming popular. Women's names changed more slowly. One area where the Norman invasion did not change naming practices was in place names, unlike previous invasions by the Vikings and the Anglo-Saxons, which did not change significantly after the Norman Conquest. It is not known how much English the Norman invaders learned, as well as the extent to which knowledge of French spread among the lower classes, but the need for trade and simple communication likely made both the Normans and the native population bilingual.

14. The French have invented the tin can, the hair dryer, the hot air balloon, and have had many Nobel Prize in Literature winners

French inventor Nicolas Appert came up with the idea of using sealed glass jars placed in boiling water to preserve food in 1809. Pierre Durand later invented the tin can. The Braille alphabet was also developed by Louis Braille, who was blind from a young age. Meanwhile, physician Rene Laennec invented the stethoscope at a hospital in Paris in 1816 and Alexandre-Ferdinand Godefroy was granted a patent for the world's first hair dryer in 1888. The hot air balloon was pioneered by the Montgolfier brothers, Joseph and Etienne, who introduced the public to the spectacle of a wireless flying ball in 1783.

With 15 individuals from France having received prestigious awards since 1901, it's fair to say that France has produced some of the most influential writers and intellectuals in world history. French poet and essayist Sully Prudhomme became the first Nobel laureate that year. Among the most famous poets, novelists, and writers from France are: René Descartes, Voltaire, Charles Baudelaire, Blaise Pascal, Gustave Flaubert, and Victor Hugo.