For this reason, French cinema is sometimes intertwined with the cinema of foreign nations. France remains a leader in filmmaking, as of 2015update producing more films than any other European country. It is noted for having a strong film industry, due in part to protections afforded by the government. Although English-speaking creations achieved popularity in the country, French pop music, known as chanson française, has also remained very popular. Other influential contributors include the moral and political works of Simone Weil, contributions to structuralism including from Claude Lévi-Strauss and the post-structuralist works by Michel Foucault.

• At its peak in 1982, the public sector accounted for one-fifth of industrial employment and over four-fifths of the credit market.
• The last Merovingian kings lost power to their mayors of the palace (head of household).
• Commune is bloodily suppressed by French government troops.
• The rise of Protestantism led France to a civil war known as the French Wars of Religion.
• 11th Century – The Plantagenets, the rulers of Anjou, progressively build an empire from England to the Pyrenees that covers half of modern France.

Foreign relations

Under the doctrine of dirigisme, the government historically played a major role in the economy; policies such as indicative planning and nationalisation are credited for contributing to three decades of unprecedented postwar economic growth known as Trente Glorieuses. Électricité de France (EDF), which is majority-owned by the French government, is the country’s main producer and distributor of electricity and one of the world’s largest electric utility companies, ranking third in revenue globally. In 2010, it banned the wearing of face-covering Islamic veils in public; human rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch described the law as discriminatory towards Muslims.

Health expenditure

De Gaulle returns to power on back of the crisis and founds the Fifth Republic, with a stronger presidency. French army factions see wartime leader Charles De Gaulle as a guarantor that Algeria will remain French. General de Gaulle, undersecretary of war, establishes government-in-exile in London and later in Algiers. His descendants gradually unify the country through wars and dynastic inheritance. Throughout that time she struggled with a lack of a majority in parliament. From 1966 to 1995 France did not participate in the integrated military structure of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), retaining full control over its own air, ground, and naval forces; beginning in 1995, however, France was represented on the NATO Military Committee, and in 2009 French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced that the country would rejoin the organization’s military command.

Planning a trip to France?

President Macron is returned to power for a second term. Emmanuel Macron breaks the Gaullist/Republican-Socialist hold on the presidency through his La République En Marche! Seventeen people are killed in Islamist terrorist attacks, including at offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and at a Jewish supermarket in Paris. France has the largest defence budget in the European Union French army in Algeria carries out coup attempt due to fears party pin up online casino politics in the unstable Fourth Republic will undermine the security of French’s hold on Algeria. The conflict nearly leads to a coup and civil war in France itself.

Government type

France has numerous megalithic sites from the Neolithic, including the Carnac stones site (approximately 3,300 BC). This period witnessed the emergence of cave painting in the Dordogne and Pyrenees, including at Lascaux, dated to c. It is a great power, being one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and an official nuclear-weapon state.

As a significant hub for international relations, France has the third-largest assembly of diplomatic missions, behind China and the United States. In 2015 it was described as “the best networked state in the world” due to its membership in more international institutions than any other country; these include the G7, World Trade Organization, the Pacific Community and the Indian Ocean Commission. The parliament is responsible for determining the rules and principles concerning most areas of law, political amnesty, and fiscal policy; however, the government may draft specific details concerning most laws.

Major rivers (by length in km)

Grand Soir 3 is the late-night news programme of French public television network France 3. President Macron appointed Gabriel Attal as France’s prime minister in January 2024, in a move aimed at reviving his presidency with a new government. Movement galvanised enough support from the centre-right and left to knock the traditional Socialist and Republican party candidates out in the first round of voting. Join our community to get discounts, travel inspiration and trip ideas – just in time for summer! For travelers on a short trip that want to make the most of their time exploring.

Consequently, 70% of its electricity is generated by nuclear power, the highest proportion in the world by a wide margin; only Slovakia and Ukraine also derive a majority of electricity from nuclear power, at roughly 53% and 51%, respectively. France has historically been one of the world’s major agricultural centres and remains a “global agricultural powerhouse”; France is the world’s sixth-biggest exporter of agricultural products, generating a trade surplus of over €7.4 billion. Considered a great power with considerable economic strength, it is a member of the Group of Seven leading industrialised countries, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the G20. For two centuries, it has consistently ranked among the ten largest globally; as of 2025update it is the world’s ninth largest by purchasing power parity and second largest in the EU, after Germany.

According to the 2020 Environmental Performance Index conducted by Yale and Columbia, France was the fifth most environmentally conscious country in the world. Climate change means that this kind of heatwave in France can be expected to occur 10 times more frequently than it would have done a century ago. Other water courses drain towards the Meuse and Rhine along the northeastern borders. The Garonne meets the Dordogne just after Bordeaux, forming the Gironde estuary, the largest estuary in Western Europe which after approximately 100 kilometres (62 mi) empties into the Atlantic Ocean.

The prime minister, who is Sébastien Lecornu since 2025, is the head of government, appointed by the president to lead the government. It sought to address the instability of the Third and Fourth Republics by combining elements of both the parliamentary and presidential systems, while greatly strengthening the authority of the executive relative to the legislature. The Constitution of the Fifth Republic was approved by referendum in 1958, establishing a framework consisting of executive, legislative and judicial branches. The country was set to impose a carbon tax in 2009; however, the plan was abandoned due to fears of it burdening French businesses.

It includes public transit fees, ticket prices, and costs. Moovit public transit app can help you navigate your way with public transit easily, and at minimum cost. Wondering how to use public transit in Brussel or how to pay for public transit in Brussel? Moovit will alert you when it’s time to get off — no need to constantly re-check whether yours is the next stop. View bus and train schedules, arrival times, service alerts and detailed routes on a map, so you know exactly how to get to anywhere in Brussel.

In addition to its wine tradition, France is also a major producer of beer and rum. A meal typically consists of three courses, entrée (‘starter’), plat principal (‘main course’), and fromage (‘cheese’) or dessert, sometimes with a salad served before the cheese or dessert. It was only in 1981 that the government allowed free broadcasting in the territory.

The French Open, also called Roland-Garros, is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks between late May and early June at the Stade Roland-Garros in Paris. The Stade de France in Saint-Denis is France’s largest stadium and was the venue for the 1998 FIFA World Cup and 2007 Rugby World Cup finals. The country also hosted the 1960 European Nations’ Cup, UEFA Euro 1984, UEFA Euro 2016 and 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Other popular sports played in France include football, judo, tennis, rugby union and pétanque. The three main French brewing regions are Alsace (60% of national production), Nord-Pas-de-Calais, and Lorraine.

Descartes was the first Western philosopher since ancient times to attempt to build a philosophical system from the ground up rather than building on the work of predecessors. Victor Hugo is sometimes seen as “the greatest French writer of all time” for excelling in all literary genres. Charles Perrault was a prolific writer of children’s fairy tales including Puss in Boots, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Bluebeard. In the late 19th century, Gustave Eiffel designed many bridges, such as the Garabit viaduct, and remains one of the most influential bridge designers of his time, although he is best remembered for the Eiffel Tower.

• Napoleon III was unseated following defeat in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, and his regime was replaced by the Third Republic.
• The origins of French art were very much influenced by Flemish art and by Italian art at the time of the Renaissance.
• Click on the subway route to see step by step directions with maps, line arrival times and updated time schedules.
• Its 18 integral regions—five of which are overseas—span a combined area of 632,702 km2 (244,288 sq mi) and have an estimated total population of over 68.6 million as of January 2025update.

It resulted in hundreds of thousands of Muslims living in subsidised public housing and suffering from high unemployment rates. During the 1970s France faced an economic crisis and allowed new immigrants (mostly from the Maghreb, in northwest Africa) to permanently settle in France with their families and acquire citizenship. France has fully reintegrated into NATO and since participated in most NATO-sponsored wars.