Notes

French territories and departments: a country or a region that belongs to France
francophone : French-speaking person or country
La France
France, what a beautiful country! Did you know that France is one of the most visited countries in the world? This incredible country has something for everybody: food, fashion, sports, art, music, etc
f you like food, this is definitely the place to visit. France is known for its "fine cooking," or haute cuisine, as the French would say. If you've ever eaten a croissant, you've already tasted a popular French pastry.
Apart from all the great food, there are also a lot of different museums and monuments to see. If you go to Paris, the capital of France, you can visit the Eiffel Tower, or the Louvre, which is one of the largest museums in the world. There, you can see the Mona Lisa or as the French say, La Joconde. France is definitely the place to visit if you like art or history.

Now that you know a little bit about French culture, let's find out more about the country where David and Isabelle will be living and studying for a year.
Did you know that France is one of the largest countries in Western Europe? With approximately 211,000 square miles,

it's roughly the size of Texas. However, the population of France is three times larger than the population of Texas.

In France, there are approximately 60 million people. Now, that's a lot of people you'll be able to talk to once you learn to speak French!

Just like the United States (U.S.) has territories such as Puerto Rico and Guam, France also has several overseas territories and departments

Martinique, Tahiti, French Guyana, and Guadeloupe are just a few of them

If these overseas departments and territories are included in France's total land area, the country is huge

In fact, it would be a little bit bigger than Alaska. Now, that's big!

One of the best things about visiting France is its diverse geography.

For people who like to go to the beach or do any sort of water sports, like surfing or snorkeling, France is a great place to visit because it has coastal borders with the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, and the English Channel.

France is a religiously diverse country. Check it out!

Roman Catholic 83-88%
Protestant 2%
Jewish 1%
Muslim 5-10%
unaffiliated 4%1

But, if you like to snow ski or snowboard, then you can visit one of France's mountain ranges like the Pyrenees to the south or the Alps to the southeast.

Both of these mountain ranges become winter wonderlands and are visited by numerous tourists each year.

Apart from the mountain ranges and coastlines, France has land borders with countries such as Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, etc.

Since France is so close to some of these countries, a three to four-hour train ride will take you from one country to another.

Can you imagine what that would be like? One weekend, your family decides to go on a trip, so you all hop on a train, and in three hours you're in a completely different country.

The U.S. is so large that a three-hour train ride might take you to another city, but probably not to another country, unless you live near the Canadian or Mexican border.

Apart from the different sports that can be played, France's diverse geography also affects the language

. In fact, it's similar to the U.S.Take a moment and think about the accents in the U. S. Although English is spoken throughout America, accents vary, such as the different accents in the Northern and Southern states.

Well, France is the same way. Although French is spoken throughout France, the dialects and the accents vary region by region.

. For example, if you visit Alsace, a region of France that borders Germany, you'd find the Alsatian dialect, which is a blend of German and French.

Similarly, if you were to visit southeastern France, which borders Italy, you'd hear a very different accent.

The accent in that area has been strongly influenced by Italian immigrants and sounds like a southern twang with a sing-song rhythm.

La France et le monde francophone