Unusual facts about France that are hard to believe (23 photos)

No matter how long and how often you visit France, this country always has something to surprise its guests with. To prove what I have said, I offer some unusual facts about Napoleon's homeland, some of which you probably didn't know.





France has... a king. And more than one!

The winners of school history Olympiads shuddered. France, Marseillaise, republic, Gavroche, guillotine... In this synonymous series, the king is superfluous. That's right, unless we are talking about the Wallis and Futuna Islands.



This is an overseas collectivity of France, located in the Pacific Ocean. A unique feature of this territory is the preservation of the traditional system of governance, which includes the presence of three local kings.

There are three kingdoms on the islands: Ouvea (Wallis Island), Sigave (part of the Futuna Islands), Alo (another part of the Futuna Islands). As you may have guessed, each of them has a king.





King More Petelo, who ruled Alo from January 17, 2014 to May 16, 2016.

These kings play an important role in local culture and traditions, although their power is largely symbolic and ceremonial. Officially, the islands are governed by France and are under French administration. However, the kings are involved in local matters, especially those concerning customs and traditions.

France is the largest country in the European Union

In some publications, you can find a rather dismissive mention of France in the context of comparison with Russian regions, reserves, natural sites: such and such a region or national park is several times larger than France, etc.

However, by European standards, this is an impressive country. France is the largest state not only in Western Europe, but also in the entire European Union.



If you take into account only the metropolis (the main part of the country located in Europe), the area of ​​France is 551,695 km². With overseas territories, the area is even larger - 643,801 km².



France has one of the longest borders in the world

France has one of the longest borders in the world thanks to its overseas territories. If you take into account all of its borders (including overseas regions), the total length of France's borders is about 4,176 km. This makes it a country with one of the longest borders in the world.



However, if you consider only metropolitan France (the main part of the country in Europe), its borders are significantly shorter - about 2,889 km. In this case, it is inferior in length to many other European countries, such as Germany or Poland.

France borders with... Brazil!

French Guiana is an overseas department of France located in the north-east of South America.



It borders Brazil to the south and east, and Suriname to the west. The border between French Guiana and Brazil is about 730 km long.

On the border between French Guiana and Brazil, there is a bridge over the Oyapock River, which symbolically connects Europe and South America.

Most cities in France were not founded by the French

The French as a people were formed at best in the early Middle Ages. However, Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse and other cities were founded many centuries before the emergence of even the Frankish kingdom.

Paris traces its origins to the settlement of Lutetia, founded by the Celtic tribe of the Parisii in the 3rd century BC.



During the time of Rome, the settlement grew into a city, which was first called the City of the Parisii, and then Parisium.

Marseille generally traces its history back to about 600 BC. It was at this time that it was founded by the Greeks. It was originally called Massalia. Only in the Middle Ages did the city acquire its modern name.

And almost every large French city has such a story

France has the most neighbors among the EU members

In Europe, France borders with 8 countries. These are Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Spain and Andorra. In this parameter, France is inferior to Germany, which has 9 neighbors.



However, thanks to French Guiana, which has land borders with Brazil and Suriname, France borders 10 countries. It is the third country in the world with the largest number of neighbors.

France has more time zones than any other country

The largest country in the world has the most time zones, and it is not France. Logical? Yes, but the reality is somewhat different ????

France has the most time zones. The Fifth Republic covers 12 time zones (from UTC-10 to UTC+12). At the same time, the metropolis itself lives in only two time zones: UTC+1 (winter time) and UTC+2 (summer time).



It is interesting that if France seriously owned its Antarctic possessions (Terre Adel), then there would be 13 time zones!

By the way, another interesting fact is connected with this ⬇

France has possessions in... Antarctica!

The powers that be have agreed that Antarctica is a neutral territory and that it does not belong to any state. But not all countries agree with this situation. Chile, Argentina, Australia, Great Britain and France have their own views on the continent of eternal cold.

The French Southern and Antarctic Territories are an overseas territory of France. It often includes the part of Antarctica known as Terre Adélie.



This is a sector bounded by longitudes 136°11' E and 142°02' E. The area of ​​this territory is about 432,000 km².

However, the French claim is not supported by the international community. In addition, France is not in a position to exercise sovereignty over Antarctic territories. Therefore, Terre Adélie belongs to the French only on paper.

Once France almost became part of Great Britain

Hey, author, you're not going to remember the old days in a geography post, are you?! ???? 1940 can't be called old days, it was the year that a united Anglo-French state could have been formed.

In June 1940, German troops were rapidly advancing across France, and the French government found itself in an extremely difficult situation. French Prime Minister Paul Reynaud and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill discussed the possibility of uniting the two countries to save France.



On June 16, 1940, a plan was proposed that would have seen France and Great Britain unite into a single state with a common government, citizenship, and armed forces. The country would be called the Franco-British Union. The goal was to pool the resources of the two countries to continue the fight against Germany.

The idea was met with skepticism by both the French and British governments. On the same day, June 16, 1940, Paul Reynaud resigned, and the new government, led by Pétain, chose to conclude an armistice with Germany.

France has the highest sand dune in Europe

The Dune du Pyla, also known as the Dune of Pilat, is the highest sand dune on the continent. This unique natural site is located in the southwest of France, near the town of Arcachon.



The dune is about 110 meters high, 2.7 km long, and 500 meters wide.

All parameters are conditional, because the dune "moves" inland under the influence of winds, at a speed of about 1-5 meters per year.



Due to constant movement, the height and width of the dune change. During its movement, Dune Pilat "absorbs" trees and even buildings in its path ????

French is an official language not only in France

France has a great colonial past. Therefore, it is not surprising that French is widely spoken not only in the Old World, but also in the New World. Currently, French is official in countries such as Benin, Canada, Haiti, Burkina Faso, Cameroon. And this is not a complete list.



In the Old World, French is the official language in Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Monaco.

France has one of the largest maritime areas in the world

France has a huge maritime territory, which makes it one of the largest maritime powers in the world. Its total area is about 11 million km², including exclusive economic zones.



In this indicator, France is second only to the United States of America, whose maritime territory is approximately 11.4 million km².

The Fifth Republic owes its vast area to its overseas possessions, which are scattered across all oceans except the Arctic Ocean.

There are municipalities in France with obscene names

France is no exception in this regard. On the map of the Fifth Republic, you can find settlements with such unusual names as Vulvose or Anus.

However, this story has many nuances. The toponyms were not invented by hooligans. And they are often pronounced differently than they are written on road signs. For example, the aforementioned Anus is written the same way as, hmm..., a hole in the body.



But in reality it is pronounced differently, without the last letter "s". Previously, this settlement in Burgundy was called Asnoux, or Aznoux.

France has more roundabouts

France is the world leader in the number of roundabouts. There are more than 50,000 of them on its territory, which is about half of all roundabouts in the world. This makes France a real capital of roundabouts!



According to the French, roundabouts help reduce accidents and improve traffic flow, especially at intersections with heavy traffic.

France began actively introducing roundabouts back in the 1970s, and since then they have become an integral part of the road infrastructure.

France is a nuclear power

For the past decades, Western Europe has been positioned as either an open-air museum or a huge resort where our nouveau riche spend their hard-earned money. However, there are some countries in Europe that have teeth, one of them is France.

France is one of the world's leading nuclear powers. It has a significant arsenal of nuclear weapons and an advanced infrastructure for their production and maintenance. As of 2023, France has approximately 290 nuclear warheads.



The ceremonial launch of the Suffren submarine.

France began developing nuclear weapons in the 1950s under President Charles de Gaulle. This was due to the desire to maintain independence during the Cold War and not rely on the United States or NATO for security.

The French are the most "nuclear" nation

France is famous not only for its croissants, wines and gastronomic delicacies, but also for its developed nuclear energy. The country has 57 nuclear reactors, which are located at 18 nuclear power plants. This makes France the leader in the number of reactors per capita.



Chaux Nuclear Power Plant.

France receives about 70% of its electricity from nuclear power plants. This is the highest rate in the world among large economies.

France began to actively develop nuclear energy after the oil crisis of the 1970s in order to reduce dependence on imported oil and gas. This became part of the national strategy for energy independence.

In France, there is an island that becomes a peninsula twice a day

In France, there is a unique island that becomes a peninsula twice a day. This is the island of Mont Saint-Michel, located in Normandy in the northwest of the country.



The island of Mont Saint-Michel is surrounded by the waters of the Gulf of Saint-Michel, where some of the strongest tides in Europe are observed. At low tide, the water recedes several kilometers, exposing the sandy bottom, and the island becomes connected to the mainland by a natural sandy causeway. At this point, it effectively becomes a peninsula.



However, at high tide, the water returns, sometimes at a very high speed, and the island is again surrounded by the sea.

There is a commune in France whose name consists of one letter

We are talking about a commune called Y (pronounced "y"). It is located in the Hauts-de-France region, in the Somme department. The name consists of only one letter, which makes it unique not only in France, but also in the world.



The origin of the name is unknown, but there are several theories. One of them links it to the shape of the river flowing nearby, which resembles the letter Y.

Only a few dozen people live in the Y commune, which makes it one of the smallest communes in France.

There are also administrative units with a name of one letter in Norway (Å) and Micronesia (U).