Magnificent France — a country of gourmet cuisine, beautiful women, high taxes and polite policemen. More tourists come here every year than anywhere else, and, of course, most of them flock to the ancient city of Paris, the capital of this state, which many call the cradle of European civilization.
Interesting facts about France
- There is only one STOP sign in all of Paris.
- Residents of France can ask the president to marry a dead person. Most often, pregnant women who want to legitimize a child whose father has died decide to tie the knot with the dead.
- Louis XIX was the king of France for 20 minutes. When his father abdicated, Louis formally became the French monarch, but then he himself resigned royal duties in favor of a relative.
- It is illegal in this country to give the name Napoleon to pigs.
- Taking into account all foreign territories, France is located in 12 time zones – no other country in the world can boast of such an achievement.
- Formally, Parisians until 2012 did not have the right to wear trousers – the ban was introduced 200 years ago, and it was only in the 21st century that the authorities gathered to abolish it
- In Africa, more people speak French than in Europe.
- According to statistics, the French sleep an average of 9 hours a day. No one else in developed countries can afford such a long sleep.
- France is the most popular tourist country in the world. Most foreigners come to Paris, and the Eiffel Tower remains the most popular tourist attraction. At the same time, the United States, the second most popular tourist state, earns from travelers twice as much as France – almost $ 82 billion a year against $ 42 billion.
- John I was declared king at the time of his birth, as his father died a few months before the boy was born. Unfortunately, the new French monarch lived only 5 days and died immediately after his christening.
- It is forbidden to hold beauty contests for children in France.
- It is believed that the tradition of celebrating April Fool’s Day originated in France.
- The French authorities set the highest luxury tax among all European countries.
- France became the first country in the world where mass production of ballpoint pens was established.
- The national animal of this country is the Gallic rooster, and the main state flower is the iris.
- In France, at least two new cookery books are published daily.
- The French produce more than four hundred varieties of cheese.
- The people of France were the first to decorate the Christmas tree.
- There are policemen in Paris who patrol the streets on roller skates.
- Most of the Nobel laureates in literature are natives of France.
- The French Millau viaduct is one of the highest transport bridges on the planet. One of the pillars of the bridge rises 341 meters, that is, it is higher than the Eiffel Tower and is only 40 meters behind the Empire State Building.
- King Charles VIII died by hitting his head on a jamb while passing through a low doorway – he suffered a concussion, fell into a coma and died 9 hours later. The monarch at that time was 27 years old.
- The French eat more bread every year than other Europeans – 67 kilograms of bakery products per person.