France is the most visited country in the world: 83 million tourists in 2012.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
France once controlled more
than 8% of the world's land.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
Napoleon wasn't short. He was actually above the average Frenchman.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
Paris
was originally
a Roman city
called "Lutetia".
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
The French government gives medals to citizens who have "successfully raised several children with dignity."
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
There's only one STOP sign in the entire city of Paris.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
In France, you can marry a dead person.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
There is a small village in France called "Pussy".
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
1 in 5 people in France
has experienced depression
making it the most depressed
country in the world.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
French Toast Isn't French. Joseph French advertised the modern toast but forgot to add the apostrophe.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
Louis XIX was King of France for just 20 minutes.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
During WW2, when Hitler visited Paris, the French cut the lift cables on the Eiffel Tower so that Hitler would have to climb the steps if he wanted to reach the top.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
There's a Coffee Shop in France where not saying "hello" and "please" makes your coffee more expensive.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
The Mosque of Paris helped Jews escape the Nazis by giving them Muslim IDs during WW2.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
There is a town in France called Condom.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
France was the first country to introduce the license plate.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
Potatoes were illegal in France between 1748 and 1772.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
In France, it's illegal to name a pig "Napoleon".
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
In France, nearly 96% of high schools have condom vending machines.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
The oldest bridge in Paris, France, is the Pont Neuf, or "New Bridge."
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
King John I of France was proclaimed king five months before he was born. He only lived for five days.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
France uses 12 different time zones, the most of any country in the world.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
From 1814 to 1830, the flag of the Kingdom of France was plain white.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
For 214 years until 2012, it was illegal in Paris, France, for women to wear trousers.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
Beauty pageants for children are banned in France. They are punishable with up to 2 years in prison and a €30,000 fine.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
There are more people speaking French in Africa than in France.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
There's a small town in France called "La-mort-aux-Juifs," meaning "Death to Jews."
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
You can use Skype to call toll free numbers at no charge in the U.S., UK, Taiwan and France.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
Paris taxi drivers have to pay nearly 200,000 euros for their licenses. That's why there are so few.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
Anyone who wishes to open a new store in France of more than 300 m2 must first gain permission from a government commission that includes other existing retailers.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
All champagne is produced in the Champagne region in France. Otherwise it is called sparkling wine.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
The average person in France sleeps 8.83 hours per day, the most in the developed world.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
The official city motto of Paris is "Fluctuat nec mergitur", meaning "She is tossed by the waves but does not sink."
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
A member of the French Foreign Legion wounded while defending France can immediately apply for French citizenship as he is "French by spilled blood"
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
Of all the countries that celebrate an independence day, 58 are independent of the UK, 26 of France, 21 of Russia and 21 of Spain.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
The Gallic rooster is the national animal of France.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
The Louvre was built in 1190 as a defense against Viking raids.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
Louis XIV of France had a coat with 123 diamond buttons on it.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
France has no official racial statistics, due to being an "ideally colorblind republicanism."
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the most populated officially Francophone country, not France.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
King of the French Louis Phillippe survived 7 assassination attempts.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
Spanish and Brazilian women only spend about an hour and a half a week on housework, while French women spend almost no time on it.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
In France, Germany, Austria, Spain and the Netherlands they serve beer in McDonald's.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
The first Cannes Film Festival was called off after the screening of just one film due to the outbreak of WW2.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
The Battle of Waterloo didn't take place in the village of Waterloo but in the nearby villages of Braine l'Alleud and Plancenoit.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
In order to combat obesity, France banned free refills at fast food restaurants in 2015.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
In Spain, Belgium, Portugal and France everyone is automatically an organ donor, unless they refuse beforehand.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
The French military actually has the best military record in Europe. Out of 168 battles fought since 387BC, they have won 109, lost 49 and drawn 10.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
Paris, France, was the first western capital to have a mayor of African descent in 1879.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
Napoleon named the Louvre after himself during his reign of France and housed his plunder of Europe.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
In 1795, Napoleon offered a 12,000-franc prize to anyone who could invent a way to preserve food and make it portable. A Parisian confectioner spent 15 years experimenting and won the prize.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
Louis X of France died after a particularly exhausting game of tennis. He drank a large quantity of cooled wine and subsequently died of either pneumonia or pleurisy.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
France opened in 2016 what it claims to be the world's first solar panel road, in a Normandy village.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
France became the first country in the world to ban supermarkets from throwing away or destroying unsold food in 2016, forcing them instead to donate it.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
Saint Pierre and Miquelon is a French island just 25 km off the coast of Canada. 6000 French citizens live there.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
At age 39, Emmanuel Macron became the youngest President in French history and the youngest head of state since Napoleon III.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
Haiti was demanded compensation from France
shortly after gaining independence for its loss of men and slave colony.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
The first violence of the French Revolution took place at a luxury wallpaper factory.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
Way before the Web, France had Minitel since 1978, an online service that gave its users access to online shopping, search engines, porn and message boards. It reached 25 million users in the 90s, connecting to more than 23,000 services.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
There are six villages in France called Silly, 12 called Billy and two called Prat.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
Underneath the avenues and boulevards of southern Paris, France, there are ossuaries holding the remains of more than six million people.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
Notre Dame, one of Paris' oldest edifices, was almost demolished in the 19th century and was only saved by Victor Hugo, who planted it back in the public's hearts and consciousness through his novel.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
Anyone over 14 can drive a VSP car in France without a licence.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
France paid the highest taxes in Europe in 2016, with a real tax rate of 57.53%.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
The Japanese embassy in France has a 24-hour helpline for their citizens who didn't find Paris as expected.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
In France, it is illegal to to publish photographs of handcuffed suspects, as they are not to appear guilty until proven so.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
A 2018 law in France allows citizens to make mistakes in good faith on documents without being punished.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
France still does not recognise North Korea, along with Japan and South Korea.
♦ SOURCE
♺ SHARE
Updated on 2019-11-26
Asia
America
Africa
Europe
Oceania
Antarctica
U.S.A.
United Nations
Cities
Places
Historic Events
People & Civilizations
Social Issues
Life & Love
Tech & Invention
Humor & Offbeat
Religion
Books & Language
Movies & TV
Art & Music
Food & Drink
Business & Economy
Sports & Games
Science
Animals & other lifeforms
Body & Health
Space
Global Issues
Phenomena
Plants & Minerals
World
History
Society
Nature
X
share
 
  
FACTSLIDES BOOK
Introducing our first book:

1001 Facts to Make your Brain Explode!

Even if you visit Factslides.com every day to get your dosis of new facts —just like over 1 million visitors do every month—, in this book you'll find facts you've never seen before!
Check it out on Amazon »