The most visited international tourist destination and the largest country in the European Union (EU), these are the most interesting facts about France.
Fast facts
Official name: French Republic
Population: 68,374,591
Area: 643,801 sq km
Capital city: Paris
Major languages: French (official)
Major religions: 48% Roman Catholic, 42% no religion or unspecified
Time zone: UTC+01:00 (Romance Standard Time)
Fun facts about France
1. France is located in Western Europe, bordering Belgium and Luxembourg, Germany and Switzerland, Italy and Monaco, and Andorra and Spain.
2. France is the largest country in the EU by surface area and the fourth-largest in Europe.
3. It is the second-most populous country in the EU after Germany.
4. The Capetian dynasty was the ruling house of France during the Middle Ages. Philip II Augustus helped reclaim much of the French territories that England took. French and English rivalry continued over the years, resulting in many conflict battles, including the Hundred Years’ War, the Siege of Orleans, and the Battle of Castillon. France was also in major conflict with other European states, such as Spain and the Dutch Republic.
5. France is one of the oldest US allies, having supported America during their War of Independence (1775-1781).
6. Many French colonies, such as the French Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia) and Algeria, began to gain independence in the 20th century.
7. The flag of France, known as the “tricolore” (three colors), features three vertical stripes of equal width in blue, white, and red from left to right. It represents the principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity, with blue and red symbolizing Paris and white representing the monarchy. This flag, adopted during the French Revolution, stands as a powerful emblem of the French Republic.
See how France’s flag compares to other European flags.
8. The national motto of France is “Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité”, which means Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity, and emerged during the French Revolution.
9. France was the first country to develop camouflage in 1914 during the First World War.
10. Gare du Nord, in Paris, is the busiest train station in Europe. As many as 700,000 passengers pass through each day, and it has direct trains to four different countries.
11. Ranked as the 4th most influential city in the 2025 Global Power City Index (GPCI), Paris scores favorably in livability, accessibility, cultural interaction, and research and development functions.
12. France is one of the few countries to allow ‘necrogamy’ in its legislation— marriage of a deceased person. The idea is symbolic and was originally intended for widows from war times. There have been rare but recent instances of women taking the names of their deceased partners.
13. Mont Blanc is a mountain range in the Alps, mostly between France and Italy. It contains the highest peak in Western Europe at 4,807 m (15,770 ft).
14. France has the most overseas territories and countries than any other EU member state. These are French Polynesia, New Caledonia, French Southern and Antarctic Territories, St. Pierre et Miquelon, Saint Barthélemy and Wallis et Futuna Islands.
15. Landes de Gascogne forest, which belongs to France, is the largest in the country at 5,400 square miles (14,000 square km). In 1937 and 1950, devastating fires destroyed three-quarters of the forest. However, a significant portion of the burned area was later replanted.
16. France welcomes the most international tourists in the world, with 90 million in 2019.
17. France is home to around 3.8 million small and medium enterprises (SMEs), making up 99.9% of all businesses in the country.
18. People may assume that Paris is known as the “City of Light” due to its stunning luminous beauty, but the tale behind the street lanterns is pretty bleak. In the 1660s, Paris was the murder capital of Europe, and the king ordered the lights to stop the violent attacks from crooks in the shadows.
19. The Mona Lisa by Leonardo Di Vinci, a 16th-century masterpiece and one of the most famous paintings in the world, can be found in the Louvre Museum in France.
20. In October 2025, thieves carried out a daring four-minute heist in broad daylight at the Louvre Museum in Paris. They scaled the facade with a lift, smashed display cases, and escaped with priceless Napoleonic jewels valued at 88 million euros ($102m)— just 250 meters from the Mona Lisa.
21. France’s minimum wage is roughly $16 per hour, or about $29,000 per year, when adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP). PPP compares wages based on what they can buy locally, creating a fair picture across economies.
22. France has won more than 70 Nobel Prizes, with the fourth-highest number of Nobel prize winners in the world.
23. King Louis XIX (Louis-Antoine of France) was a reigning monarch for all but 20 minutes in 1830 due to his resignation, making him the world’s shortest reigning monarch.
24. France became the first country in the world to ban supermarkets from throwing away or destroying food in 2016. The EU appears to be following in France’s footsteps, with new proposed laws voted to progress the banning of good-food waste.
25. France spends about $6,853 per person each year on healthcare (PPP), placing it among the top health spenders worldwide.
26. Tour de France is the most prestigious and challenging cycling race. Running since 1903, it takes place over three weeks, mainly in France. The route also includes other countries, such as Belgium, Italy, Germany, and Spain.
27. France’s smoking rate is among the highest in Western Europe, with about one-third of people aged 15 and over smoking daily.
28. The oldest person to have ever lived came from Arles, France. Jeanne Louise Calment lived to see 122 years, born 14 years before the construction of the Eiffel Tower. A lover of cigarettes and chocolate, she was said to be clear-thinking right up to the day of her passing in 1997.
29. Gastronomy has achieved UNESCO World Heritage Status in France. More than food, the experience is a customary social practice that brings people together. It represents a fixed structure: the apéritif (drinks before the meal), starter, main course of fish or meat with vegetables, cheese, and dessert.
30. There are close to 1,000 varieties of cheese in France. with camembert, brie de Meaux and Roquefort among the most popular.
31. The famous Hunchback of Notre Dame novel and Disney animation is centered around the Notre Dame Cathedral, built in the 12th and 13th centuries. It’s recognized as a symbol of Paris and is considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture.
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Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. With seven years of teaching experience and a background in educational content, she specialises in creating clear reference resources about countries, geography and global topics.