France Attractions

Country Name:

French Republic

Capital City:

Paris

Population:

60,876,136 (2006)

Population Growth:

0.35% (2006)

Currency:

euro (EUR)

Languages:

French

Area:

547,030 sq km

Inflation Rate:

1.5% (2006 est.)

Unemployment Rate:

8.7% (December 2006)

Domain extension:

.fr

FRANCE ATTRACTIONS BY PROVINCE

Pays de la Loire -Pays de la Loire Region is one of the 26 r?gions of France. It is one of these r?gions of France created artificially in the late 20th century to serve as an hinterland and zone of influence for its capital, Nantes, one of a handful so-called "balancing metropolises" (m?tropoles d'?quilibre)?. Other examples of artificially created r?gions include Rh?ne-Alpes, which was created as the r?gion for Lyon, and Midi-Pyr?n?es, which was created as the r?gion for Toulousen.

Pays de la Loire Main Attraction province

Nantes is a city in western France, near the Atlantic coast. Nantes is the capital of the Pays de la Loire r?gion, as well as the pr?fecture of the Loire-Atlantique d?partement. Sites of Interest: Castle of the Dukes of Brittany; Cathedral Saint-Peter Saint-Paul; Passage Pommeraye; the new Palais de Justice, on the ?le de Nantes, built in 2000, designed by Jean Nouvel.

Angers is a city in France in the d?partement of Maine-et-Loire, 191 miles south-west of Paris. The site of a massive and ancient Chateau, the city is also noted for the impressive twin spires of the twelfth-century Cathedral of Saint-Maurice. Other noteworthy churches around Angers include St. Serge, an abbey-church of the 12th and 15th centuries, and the twelfth-century La Trinit?. The famous abbey of St. Aubin has a courtyard with elaborately sculptured arcades of the 11th and 12th centuries. The tower there is also splendid.

Saumur is a small city and commune in the Maine-et-Loire d?partement of France on the Loire River, with an approximate population of 30,000 (in 2001). The region is noted for its beautiful centuries-old homes and churches, fine wines, and mushroom caves. At the Mus?e du Champignon visitors can find out how mushrooms are grown underground. The city is also famous for its factory where the Edict of Nantes. During the French Wars of Religion, Huguenots used the troglodyte caves to hide. In recent years many of the troglodyte houses have been rebuilt and are open to visitors while others have been restored and occupied.(Photo: Author: Joseph Morris License:CCbySA)