France Facts for Kids

Take a world wide survey on which country people would like to visit and one of the countries that would feature in the top results would be France. There is something about France that has a magnetic pull over people. Maybe it is the fact that it is home to the city of love, or the fact that it has an artistic culture that far surpasses any other country, or maybe it is just French cuisine that is widely heralded by gourmets. People all over the world are obsessed with eating French food, dressing the way the French do, quoting famous French sayings, peppering their conversation with French tit-bits. It is almost like a status symbol. No wonder then that there are so many children who want to learn France facts for kids.

Interesting Facts About France for Kids

There are many interesting facts about France which is a culturally diverse country that has a long history. Given below is a table that lists out some of the France facts and information. These are just some of the basic France facts for kids to be equipped with.

France Facts and Figures
Type of Government	Republic
Capital	Paris
Official Language	French
Official Currency	Euro
Independence Day	July 14th
Geographic Area	212,935 square miles
Population	60 million

Now that you know some of the important details about France, let us take a look at some of the France facts for kids that makes this country so intriguing. For many decades now France has been the place to visit for tourists and travelers all over the world. This can be probably attributed to the France facts that make the country so interesting.

• France is the largest nation in Western Europe.
• Europe's tallest peak, Mont Blanc, which is about 15,781 feet high, is located in the French Alps in France.
• Almost ten percent of the entire landmass of France has been reserved for national parks and forest reserves.
• The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen which was read out in 1789 has the prestige of being the first universal declaration of human rights in the world.
• Tourism is one of the biggest industries in France with the country being a tourist destination for almost 75 million people every year. This number is more than the number of tourists visiting any other country in the world.
• Since 1974, France Republic has had only four presidents, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, François Mitterrand, Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy.
• A person who can speak the language French fluently is known as a Francophone.
• One of the France facts for kids is that the French flag is known as the Le Drapeau Tricolore or the three colored flag because as the name suggests the flag has three colors on it. The blue color is the color of St. Martin, white the color of Virgin Mary, royalty, and Joan of Arc, and the red stands for Saint Dennis.
• The national anthem of France is called the La Marseillaise and was first sung by soldiers marching into the city of Paris. The national anthem was composed in 1792 by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle.
• The entire country of France is divided into twenty two different regions.
• One of the most famous French monuments is Le Musee du Louvre or the Louvre museum which is home to art works like the Mona Lisa. This museum is the most visited art gallery in the world.
• The tradition of wearing a white dress on your wedding day originated in France with Anne of Brittany being the first bride to wear white dress on her wedding day in 1499 when she was married to Louis XII.
• One of the facts about the Eiffel tower is that at more than a height of 300 meters, till the year 1930 it was the tallest building in the world.
• Interesting amongst the France facts for kids is that the Statue of Liberty, which is located on Liberty Island, New York City, was a gift from the people of France to the United States.
• The Millau Viaduct, a bridge across the river Tarn near Millau, at 343 meters, is the tallest bridge in not only France but in the world.
• One of the famous French food accompaniments is wine which is generally given free at restaurants with meals. In fact unlike most other countries, beer is more expensive in France and is actually considered a luxury.
• Denim clothing which is so commonplace today was originally developed in France in the city of Nimes.
• The fun day that is celebrated as April Fool's Day saw its origin in France after the nation started following the Gregorian Calendar but failed to communicate the change properly.
• One of the France facts for kids that many people are unaware of is that there exists between France and Great Britain, an underwater tunnel known as the Euro-tunnel which allows you to make the journey between the two countries in less than an hour.
• Of every 100 children in France, almost 94 opt for English as their first or second language.
• Another fun fact about France for kids is that they own the most number of pets in the entire world, with almost 25% French residents owning a cat and 38%, a dog.
• Did you know that the famous fairy tales, Puss in Boots, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Little Red Riding Hood, were all written by a Frenchman named Charles Perrault. He is credited with the literary genre of fairy tales.
• There are as many as 29 UNESCO World Heritage sites in France including the Versailles Palace and the Chartres Cathedral.
• French citizens have won more Nobel Prizes for literature than any other country in the world
• One of the facts about Paris, France is that the city was originally named Lutetia.

So now you know about some of the most interesting facts about France. There are many names that this country has been bestowed with, thanks to the rich cultural and natural heritage that the country has. This article on France facts for kids only lists out some of those interesting tit-bits that most children find extremely fascinating.