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| Destination country: France
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Car Hire France France
France officially the French Republic is a country located in Western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents. France is bordered by Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Andorra, and Spain. France is also linked to the United Kingdom via the Channel Tunnel, which passes underneath the English Channel.
The French Republic is a highly developed country with the fifth-largest economy in the world in 2004. France is one of the founding members of the European Union, and has the largest land area of all members. France is also a founding member of the United Nations. It is one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council wielding veto power, and it is also one of only eight acknowledged nuclear powers.
The name France originates from the Franks, a Germanic tribe that occupied the region after the fall of the Roman Empire. More precisely, the region around Paris, called ële-de-France, was the original French royal demesne.
France possesses a wide variety of landscapes, from coastal plains in the north and west to mountain ranges in the south-east (the Alps) and the south-west (the Pyrenees). The French Alps contain the highest point in Western Europe, Mont Blanc at 4810 m. There are several other elevated regions such as the Massif Central, the Jura, the Vosges, and the Ardennes which are quite rocky and forested. France also has extensive river systems such as the Loire, the Rh™ne, the Garonne and the Seine.
The borders of modern France are roughly the same as those of ancient Gaul, which was inhabited by Celtic Gauls. Gaul was conquered by the Romans in the first century BCE, and the Gauls eventually adopted Roman speech and culture. In the fourth century CE, Gaul's eastern frontier along the Rhine was overrun by Germanic tribes, principally the Franks, from whom the ancient name of "Francie" was derived. The modern name "France" derives from the name of the feudal domain of the Capetian Kings of France around Paris. Existence as a separate entity began in 843, with the division of Charlemagne's empire. Charlemagne's descendants ruled France until 987, when the Duke of France was crowned King of France. The monarchy reached its height during the 17th century and the reign of Louis XIV. At this time France had a tremendous influence over the European politics, economy and culture as well as possessing the largest population in Europe when the French Revolution was established in 1792 the monarch no longer reigned over France
French cuisine is characterized by its extreme diversity. French cuisine is considered to be one of the world's most refined and elegant styles of cooking, and is renowned for both its classical and provincial styles. Famous French foods include French breads ,Blanquette de veau,Boeuf a la mode,Coq au Vin (rooster simmered in wine),Cheeses,Lamb Navarin,Oysters are generally eaten raw; cooking oysters is uncommon. Pot-au-feu, a kind of beef stew. Steak au poivre SoufflŽ, Cuisses de grenouilles (Frog legs) Escargots (edible snails).
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