France Facts
Landmarks, Food, and Geography

Interesting Facts for Kids

France Facts: Alsace, Paris, Provence

What you will find in France Facts for Kids:

At a Glance
Basic Facts
Map & Geography
Uniquely France
Geo Superlatives
Attractions
Animals

Language
People & Culture
Famous French
Food
Economy
FAQs
Resources

First let's have a quick glance at the most important basic facts about France:

France Facts at a Glance

Name: République Française (French Republic)
Capital: Paris
Location: Europe bordering 8 countries and the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea
Area: 543,908 km²/ 210,004 sq mi
Population: 69 million
Official Language: French
Currency: Euro (€)
Highest peak: Mont Blanc
Longest river: Loire
Cultural Traditions: France is known for beaux arts (fine arts) and haute couture (fashion), French cheese varieties and champagne, chateaux (castles) and the Eiffel Tower

Last updated: 11 May 2026; Sources: INSEE and Wikipedia

And to show you that we have covered some truly magical facts about France for kids.

Plus, here are five surprising facts for you, which are explained in more detail on our page as well. Did you know these?

France is the most visited country in the world and holds this record for over 30 years!
France has a village called Y.
The Eiffel Tower grows taller in summer!
A law banning women from wearing trousers in Paris was officially removed only in 2013!
The French eat about 30,000 tonnes of snails every year!

Now let's dig deeper! Here are the most interesting France Facts which were chosen and researched by kids especially for kids.

France Facts
Interesting Facts for Kids

Flag of France

Population: 69 million people live in the country (2026)
Capital: Paris metropolitan area with 11 million inhabitants
Name: République Française (French Republic)
Motto: 'Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité' (Liberty, Equality, Fraternity)
Government: Democracy
Language: French
Religion: mainly Christians 65%, Muslims 8%
Currency: 1 Euro = 100 cents, until 2002 French Franc
History: In 700 - 500 BC the Celtic Gauls arrive in France. In 58 - 50 BC Roman Emperor Julius Caesar defeats the Gauls and France becomes part of the Roman Empire until 476 AD. French was ruled by kings for many centuries until the storming of the Bastille during the French Revolution in 1789. Then Napoleon becomes Emperor of the French Republic until he is sent to exile.

Anthem of France

Flag: blue, white and red. The French refer to the flag as 'Tricolore' (French for 'three colours')
Anthem: La Marseillaise
President: Emmanuel Macron

France Facts for Kids
Map & Geography

France is the largest country in Western Europe and the largest country of the European Union. The capital city of France is Paris.

On the map you can see France and the French island Corsica in the Mediterranean Sea.

Map of France

France shares land borders with eight countries. The bordering countries of France are Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Andorra and Spain.

The longest border is shared with Spain and the shortest with Monaco. The coastline measures more than 3,400 miles/ 5,500 miles.

Did you know?

France is sometimes called l'Hexagone (the Hexagon) because mainland France has six roughly equal sides when you look at it on a map.
Geographers and French people use this nickname all the time!

Continental France is slightly smaller than the state of Texas in the USA.

It takes a one-hour-flight from London/England to reach Paris via airplane and a flight from Paris to New York/USA takes about 5.5 hours.

What is France known for?

Sacre Coeur Cathedral in Paris

France is known for its stunning landmarks and attractions such as the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, Sacre Coeur Cathedral or the Loire castles.

The iconic 2CV from Citroën

France is a country also known for its 'haute couture' designers and fashion houses such as Dior, Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent, and the French car manufacturers Renault, Peugeot and Citroën.

Snails in Garlic Butter

France is known for its unique cuisine including snails, baguette bread, hundreds of cheese varieties, fine dining and its celebrated wines and champagne.

France Geography Superlatives of France

The Loire is the longest river of France with about 1,006 km/ 625 miles. The river passes through the cities Orleans and Nantes.
The Pyrenées are the longest mountain range in France. The mountain range is located in the South of France and forms a natural border between Spain and France. The Pyrenées are 430 km/ 270 miles long.

French Pyrenees

The highest mountain in France is the Mont Blanc, that is 4,810 m/ 15,780 ft high and stands at the border between France and Italy. This is the second highest mountain in Europe after Mount Elbrus.

Relief map of France

France is generally a flat country with coastal plains and rolling hills in the north and west and high mountains in the south and south eastern parts.

Corsica is the fourth largest island of the Mediterranean Sea.

More about the Mediterranean Sea.

Mainland France, also referred to as Metropolitan France, is divided into 27 regions and these into 101 departments.

However, France isn't just a large country in Europe! It has official territories, which are called overseas departments, scattered around the world.

These places are fully part of France, so they use the Euro and French law. France even has territory close to Antarctica! This means France as such touches every major ocean on Earth.

The overseas departments of France include:

French Guiana in South America
Guadeloupe, an island in the Caribbean
Martinique, an island in the Caribbean,
Saint Martin, St Barthélemy and St Pierre et Miquelon, which are also in the Atlantic Ocean
Mayotte, an island in the Indian Ocean in Africa and La Réunion, another Indian Ocean island in Africa - click here to read more about Reunion

Reunion is one of the five ROM of France. Click to read more about Reunion island

The largest island of France is New Caledonia, a French territory in the South Pacific!
French Polynesia as well as Wallis and Futuna in the Pacific Ocean

Did you know?

In northern France, a village has the tiniest name imaginable: just the single letter Y.
This village named Y has existed for hundreds of years. Some historians think the name came from an old word for "water" in an ancient local language.

France Facts
Tourist Attractions in France

France has held the top spot as the most visited country globally for more than 30 years. In 2025 alone, France welcomed 102 million international tourists. There are 54 UNESCO heritage sites and of course, Disneyland Paris! (source: UNESCO 2026)

Did you know?

Paris alone receives around 30 million visitors each year!
The most visited attraction in France is not the Eiffel Tower nor the Louvre, but Disneyland Paris!
Disneyland Paris with its theme parks and entertainment centre is visited by over 14.8 million visitors every year!

Paris, the "City of Lights": The capital city houses the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Montmartre, Arc de Triomphe, the river Seine, the Louvre Museum and many other great attractions. The Eiffel Tower in the centre of Paris is often referred to as the "Iron Lady" and is 324 m high/ 1,063 ft. Built in two years by Gustave Eiffel and his collaborators for the Universal Exhibition of Paris in 1889, the tower has become the symbol of the French capital.

Eiffel Tower

Did you know?

The Eiffel Tower is not always the same height as on hot summer days
The metal structure actually grows by about 15 cm/ 6 inches.
This happens because metal expands when it gets warm, a process called thermal expansion. In winter, the cold makes the iron contract and shrink back down.

Versailles Palace: Located in the outskirts of Paris, this palace was embellished by several generations of designers. French monarchs from Louis XIV to Louis XVI have lived there. For more than a century, this palace was the model of what a royal residence should be. There is still a lot of gold inside this awe-inspiring "château"

Queens Bedroom at Versailles - image by Gabriela Beres

Mont Saint Michel: The gothic-style, Benedictine abbey is located in the Normandy. The cathedral has been built on a rocky islet surrounded by powerful tides.

Mont Saint Michel

Pont du Gard: This ancient 50 m high three-level bridge is a technical masterpiece near Nimes in Occitanie. It was built shortly before the Christian era to allow the Nîmes aqueduct, nearly 50 km long, to cross the Gardon river. This tall and magnificent bridge is almost a thousand years old!

Pont du Gard

Château de Chambord: Built in 1519, Chambord is the largest of the Loire Valley castles and has 440 rooms! There are about 300 castles in the Loire Valley. The origin of most of the Loire Valley castles comes from the Hundred Year-War between France and England.

The most famous Castles in France

There are so many more exciting places and landmarks, gorgeous beaches, historic cities and villages, ancient ruins and majestic castles to visit. Among these are:

French Alps: great for hiking, skiing and snowboarding. The French Alps where France will host the 2030 Winter Olympics:

Côte d’Azur for turquoise blue sea and great beaches
Corsica: island in the Mediterranean sea, known for being the birth place of Napoleon
Lascaux Caves: for 17,000 years old rock paintings
Provence: region with lavender fields and old historic towns like Avignon - not to forget the fascinating Palais des Papes

And here are our top 10 Attractions in France everybody should know about:

10 Top attractions in France by Kids World Travel Guide

Click here for more attractions and landmarks in France

France Facts
Animals in France

France is one of the most biodiverse countries in Europe and home to over 140 species of mammals, 600 species of birds and thousands of insect species.

Among the many mammals you can find in the forests are wild boars, roe deer and foxes; Ibex, alpine marmots and chamois live in the mountainous regions. If you are very lucky, you might even spot the more elusive Eurasian lynx, wolves or the brown bears.

The Camargue in southern France is known for its protected semi-wild horses and flamingos.

Horses in the Camargue

Over 400 species of birds have been recorded alone in the Camargue wetlands which are a paradise for birdwatchers and nature lovers.

The national animal of France is a rooster! The Coq Gaulois (Gallic Rooster) is a symbol of France since the French Revolution.

Why a rooster? The Latin word "gallus" for the ancient Gauls, who were the original people of France, also meant "rooster." The rooster represents bravery, watchfulness, and pride. The French wear their national symbol proudly, on national team's shirts, official medals and you can find them on the gates of the Élysée Palace, which is the home of the French President.

France Facts for Kids
French Language

French is the official language in France and it is also the second major language in Europe.

French is one of the Romance languages. The Romance languages, which include Italian and Spanish, have their origins in the Latin language. Today, French is the second most studied language after English and spoken by more than 300 million people around the world as first or second language.

Did you know?

French is an official language in 29 countries including France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, and many countries in West and Central Africa.
French is also one of the six official languages of the United Nations.
For centuries, French was the most important language of international diplomacy, science and art.

Try these five useful expressions in French:

bonjour - good day
salut - hello
merci - thank you
je m'appelle... - my name is....
bon appétit! - enjoy your meal!
très bien - very good
au revoir - good bye

And here is the French Alphabet with animal names.

About 30% of all English words have French origins!

After the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, French became the language of the English royal court for nearly 300 years. This is why so many everyday English words have French roots. Words such as ballet, café, cuisine, menu, hotel, perfume, genre, restaurant, rouge, and champagne are all originally French!

France Facts
French People

Most of the French people in Metropolitan France (on the European continent) live in cities and urban areas. The three largest cities is France are:

Paris: 12 million inhabitants
Lyon: 1.7 million inhabitants
Marseilles: 1.6 million inhabitants

Lille, Toulouse and Bordeaux each have about 1 million inhabitants.

About 10% of the French people are unemployed and roughly 15% of the population live below the poverty line.

The French and Fashion

Paris is known for the most exclusive and handmade luxury fashion houses in the world. Famous French fashion design such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Hermès, and Dior is recognised around the world.

The annual Paris Fashion Week shows draw designers, models, and photographers from every continent.

In 1800, Paris passed a law requiring women to ask police permission before wearing trousers. Over time this law was completely ignored by everyone, but the law was never formally cancelled. It sat forgotten in the rulebooks for over 200 years, until French authorities finally and officially scrapped it in 2013!

Sports

The French love their sports! Soccer (football) and cycling are very popular. France won the FIFA World Cup in 1998 and again in 2018.

The Tour de France, which is the world’s most famous cycle race, is held every year in July and covers a route of around 3,500 km/ 2,175 miles over three weeks. The first event was held already over hundred years ago, in 1903!

This year, the 113th Tour de France will take place from 4 July until 26 July 2026. This year it will start with 184 riders in Barcelona/ Spain and end in Paris.

The winning bike rider gets to wear a yellow shirt to show that he is the leader of the race.

Route of the Tour (official race page)

The most traditionally French sport is pétanque, also referred to as boules. In this game, players throw heavy metal balls at a tiny wooden ball, which is called a cochonnet. The person who has managed to throw his boule closest to the cochonnet, wins the game. You will find this game played in village squares all across the country.

France Facts
Famous French People

French has made a lot of the world’s renowned inventions like the creation of the vaccinations and the pasteurization process by Louis Pasteur, the first hair dryer, the hot air balloon and many other useful things. Now, they are building the first prototype of nuclear fusion reactor in France, called ITER (International Thermo-nuclear Engine Reactor) with the collaboration of 35 other countries.

France is famous for the 'beaux-arts' (fine arts). The city was and is still home for many artists and great painters, artisans and sculptors.

Eiffel Tower by Gustave Eiffel

Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923), a French engineer who designed the famous Eiffel tower in Paris. The Eiffel tower is named after him. He also worked together with Auguste Bartholdi, designer of the Statue of Liberty in New York.

Famous French painters are:

Claude Monet
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Edgar Degas
Paul Cezanne

Sculpture by Auguste Rodin

and Auguste Rodin is certainly one of the most famous French sculptors.

Among the most famous French composers are Maurice Ravel (composer of 'Bolero') and Georges Bizet (composer of the opera 'Carmen'). Children all around the world love French literature, like the famous “The Three Musketeers” by Alexandre Dumas and “The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupery.

French political leader Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) was born on Corsica. He reformed the French laws. He declared himself Emperor of the French in 1804. Napoleon’s army was defeated by the British in the Battle of Waterloo (now in Belgium) in 1815. Napoleon was exiled to the island St. Helena in the South Atlantic where he died in 1821.

Have you heard about the "Bunny attack"?

Napoleon Bonaparte was once attacked by rabbits!

After signing a peace treaty in 1807, Napoleon decided to celebrate with a fun rabbit hunt. His assistants gathered hundreds of rabbits for the occasion.

However, instead of running away, the rabbits charged straight at Napoleon and his men! The soldiers couldn't stop them. It turned out the helpers had accidentally collected tame, farm-raised rabbits instead of wild ones.

The rabbits thought Napoleon's group was there to feed them, and they weren't taking no for an answer!

The current president of France is Emmanuel Macron who in 2017 became the youngest president in the history of France, with 39 years of age.

France Facts
French Food

The French main dishes contain fresh vegetables, meat and cheeses. French cuisine is well known for its freshness and high quality dishes.

The French people enjoy their main meal in the evening and this meal often consists of three courses starting with a 'hors d’oeuvre', a starter dish which often is soup or a salad and bread, then the main course and afterwards some cheese or fruit.

Baguette - French Bread

The bread you will buy in France in a typical French boulangerie (bakery) is mostly white wheat bread or bread sticks, called baguette.

Make sure to read our separate article on 'Food in France', but let's quickly tell you some typical French food:

Baguette: long thin white bread stick
Croque Monsieur: grilled sandwich with ham and cheese. Croque Madame is the more heavy version with ham, cheese and a fried egg on top
Escargots: snails cooked in garlic butter are considered a delicacy in France

Did you know?

Escargot is the French word for cooked snails. They are considered a delicacy in France.
The French consume roughly the weight of 200 blue whales worth of snails every year!
Escargots are usually cooked in garlic butter and herbs and eaten with a tiny special fork.

Foie Gras: goose liver paté
Ratatouille: vegetable stew

French Crepes

Crêpes: very thin pancakes with sweet or savoury fillingsPain au chocolat: similar to a croissant filled with chocolate
Cancoillotte: this is a liquid creamy French cheese typical for the East of France. It is eaten hot or cold and delicious when added to sausages and potatoes.

Macarons

Foie Gras: goose liver paté
Ratatouille: vegetable stew
Macaron: sweet delight with cream filling, usually available in many different flavours

10 Typical French Dishes

Try to visit a patisserie for the wonderful sweet like cakes like the petit fours or pain au chocolat. Not to forget to eat some pancakes in the many creperies. In Paris, you will find the oldest café or coffee shop in the world which was opened in 1694. It is called 'Le Procope'.

Here is a good picture of a typical boulangerie (bakery) in Montmartre/ Paris. Can you spot the tower of the church Sacre Coeur in the background.

A French Bakery

Did you know?

In France, every meal comes in a special order.
First comes the starter followed by a main course, then it is cheese with bread and only after all that comes the dessert.

France Facts
Economy

France is one of the world's great industrial powers and a world leader in luxury goods. Just think of Chanel perfume, Louis Vuitton bags and Hermès scarves as well the French car manufacturers Renault and Peugeot. Airbus, the manufacturer of large commercial aircraft, is headquartered in Toulouse.

Currently, France is the seventh largest economy in the world. The main export products include aerospace products, luxury goods and pharmaceuticals. The country is also producer of wheat, grapes, apples, wine, champagne and lavender and many more agricultural products.

About 70% of France's electricity comes from nuclear power.

France Facts for Kids
Frequently Asked Questions

Where is France located?

Does France have overseas territories?France is in Western Europe. It borders countries such as Spain, Belgium, Germany, Italy and Switzerland. France also has coastlines on the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

What is the capital city of France?

The capital city is Paris. It is the largest city in France and is famous for landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre.

Does France have overseas territories?

Yes! France has overseas regions and territories around the world, including places in the Caribbean, South America, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Among them are Réunion island, Guadeloupe and Martinique.

What mountains are found in France?

France has several mountain ranges, including the Alps and the Pyrenees. The highest mountain in Western Europe, Mont Blanc, is found in the Alps.

Popular Pages

Famous French People

Famous French Landmarks

Belgium

Germany

Resources for France Facts

France Official Tourism. "Interactive Map." France.fr . Last accessed 11 May 2026
Institute of Statistics. Homepage. Insee. Last accessed 11 May 2026
Estate of Chambord. "Chambord - Presentation Pack.” Chambord.org 3 September 2018. Last accessed 11 May 2026

Many Thanks go to Estelle Lin of EAC School of Languages, and for this article special thanks to the students Augustin Bailly, Julien Thoumy and Anais Erman for their fabulous insights and unique France facts.

We hope you enjoyed reading our France Facts. Please bookmark this page and spread the word. We will add more information about France in the near future.

Picture Credits on France Facts: All Pictures, own and if not otherwise mentioned from sxc.hu and shutterstock.com - The iconic 2CV from Citroën - image by Lois GoBe/shutterstock

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