Maps of France
|
Although there are archaeological remains that date back
to the beginning of human presence in the Paleolithic
era (100,000 years), France's origin as a country can be
traced back to 1200 BC. C., year in which the occupation
of the territory between the English channel and the
Alps and the Atlantic ocean and the Rhine river by the
Gauls began (people of Celtic origin), that was baptized
of Gaul. In 121 a. The Romans initiated the conquest of
Gaul, being concluded between 58 and 50 a. By the
emperor Julius Caesar.
With the decline of the Roman Empire, Gaul began to be
occupied in the 5th century by the Germanic peoples, of
which the Salaries, who around the 6th century,
dominated most of Gaul, stand out. Charlemagne assumed
the regency of Gaul in the 8th century, initiating a
series of conquests that extended his dominance towards
the east and south, and when Charlemagne attributed his
name to the empire he had built (Rome, 25 December of
the year 800), this was the greatest European power of
the time, a status that contributed to the excellent
relationship with the Roman Catholic Church, which is
due to the support and effort that Charlemagne gave to
create a papal state (774).
With the death of Charlemagne (814), the empire was
divided into kingdoms, the westernmost being named
Francia Occidentalis, a territory that in 1328 included
most of France today, except Flanders, Brittany,
Burgundy and Aquitaine . This year, with King Philip VI,
the Valois dynasty began, which consolidated itself as a
royal family during and after the Hundred Years War
(1337-1453) between France and England, a country that
lost its French possessions except the port city of
Calais, in northeastern France; at the end of the 15th
century, with the conquest of Brittany and Burgundy,
French territory approached its current configuration.
The 16th century was marked by countless civil wars of a
religious nature, provoked by the expansion of
Protestantism, and only with the accession to the throne
of Henry IV of Burgundy (a Protestant who would
eventually convert to Christianity) in 1589 was it
possible to put an end to the conflict. With internal
instability resolved, France quickly became a strong
European and overseas power during the 17th century,
thanks to royal advisers such as Cardinals Richelieu and
Mazarino.
This situation allowed the monarchy to harden,
especially with the reign of Louis XIV, self-styled Rei-Sol,
who was responsible for the institution of the
absolutist monarchy. However, popular discontent in the
face of the serious economic crisis (caused by
successive overseas military defeats) and the excessive
privileges of the clergy and nobility led, in 1789, the
representatives of the people in the Courts called by
Louis XVI to proclaim the constitution of the Assembly
National, the first step towards constitutional
monarchy. However, Louis XVI was not willing to
collaborate with this political reform, provoking a
violent reaction on the part of the population, whose
climax was registered with the seizure of the Bastille
on July 14, 1789. However, the weakness of successive
governments paved the way for Napoleon, first as consul
(1799-1804), then as emperor (1804-14). The failure of
his expansionist ambitions provoked his overthrow and
restored the monarchy, which remained in force until the
French defeat in the Franco-German War in 1871 (from
1848 to 1852 the Second Republic was reestablished under
the presidency of Luís Napoleão Bonaparte, who was
became emperor of France in 1852).
After the strengthening of the Third Republic through
the 1879 elections, France did not find stability until
1899, with the rise to power of a coalition between the
Radical Party and the Moderate Party, allowing for a
period of economic and social development that would be
interrupted with World War I, which won. This victory,
achieved with enormous human and material sacrifices,
nevertheless brought many dividends through compensation
paid by Germany. And it would be these damages to be the
basis for Germany's resurgence as a threatening power,
thanks to the growing nationalism in German society. In
1939 World War II began and in 1940 Germany invaded
France, removing President Albert Lebrun and instituting
the Vichy collaborationist regime under the leadership
of Philippe Pétain.
In the 1950s, two scenarios stand out: the country's
rapid economic development, whose growth rate
simultaneously equaled that recorded by Germany and
exceeded the European average; and the proliferation of
independence movements in the different French colonies,
many of which led to situations of open war between
France and those movements. This last situation would be
the basis of the internal political instability verified
at the end of the 50's, due to the action, namely, of
the Algerian extremist groups. This instability allowed
the political reappearance of Charles de Gaulle, who,
under his halo as a great hero of the Second World War,
assumed himself before the French as the only one
capable of putting an end to the current situation,
which favored the acceptance of his concepts about the
executive functioning of the country.
When in 1962, after the end of the colonial wars, party
leaders began planning to restore the National Assembly
to the powers granted in 1959, Charles de Gaulle decided
to carry out his own constitutional review, which
included the election by universal suffrage of the
president of the República, which was approved in a
referendum held on November 28, 1962, followed by the
reelection of Charles de Gaulle in 1965, in which he had
as opponent François Mitterrand. However, despite
political and financial consolidation, both internally
and externally, in May 1968 Charles de Gaulle was
confronted with serious social disturbances, in a first
phase, of student origin, developing for trade union
movements, which disturbed the whole of France and,
finally, led to the dissolution of the National Assembly
by Gaulle's decision. The consequent early elections
gave the Gaullists a huge victory. For France democracy and rights, please check intershippingrates.
However, de Gaulle decided to put in a referendum a
series of constitutional amendments and, implicitly, his
prestige, ending up defeated and, consequently, leaving
office. In spite of everything, the presidential system
imposed by Charles de Gaulle has remained since then.
The Gaullists remained in power with the election of
Georges Pompidou, but in 1974 they lost in favor of the
conservative candidate, Giscard d'Estaing, elections
from which the socialist candidate, François Mitterrand,
was also defeated. This party leader would eventually
win the 1981 elections, thanks to the reforms proposed
to the electorate: the nationalization of a large sector
of the economy (including private banks and large
industries), administrative decentralization in favor of
local and regional executives and the increase in social
benefits (pensions, reforms, etc.), among others. These
reforms were implemented after the socialist victory for
the National Assembly (which had been dissolved by
Mitterrand).
Although these measures were beneficial in the early
years, the international crisis prevented the complete
success of this reform program, undermining the
popularity of the socialists, which would lead to
Jacques Chirac's victory in the 1986 legislative
elections.
France then faced the possibility of a political crisis
stemming from the cohabitation between a socialist
president and a right-wing prime minister, but this did
not happen thanks to the executive freedom that
Mitterrand granted Chirac, opting for absolute respect
for the constitutional role granted to the president.
This strategy would give Miterrand victory in the 1988
elections, in which he defeated Jacques Chirac, whose
popularity had declined in the previous two years
because of his policy of reversing the socialist reforms
of the beginning of the decade.
Mitterrand's second term of office had as major concern
France's political and economic role within the European
Community, especially in view of the strengthening of
the EC planned for 1992. This explains the policy of
approximation carried out by France to Germany, in what
became known as "Paris-Bonn Hub". The course of this
mandate proved to be painful for the French president,
not only because of the doubts raised about his possible
collaboration with the Vichy Government (1940-44), but
also because of his prolonged illness, which would lead
to his death early 1996.
A series of corruption scandals involving members of the
Socialist Government underpinned France's political
upheaval, culminating in Jacques Chirac's victory in the
1995 presidential election.
In the French presidential elections of June 2002,
Jacques Chirac was elected with more than 80% of votes,
although Le Pen, a candidate from the extreme right, had
reached the second round. In the 2004 French regional
elections, the left defeated Jacques Chirac's
center-right, although these elections did not affect
the composition of the French parliament elected in
2002. |
 |
-
Countryaah.com: Offers a full list of airports
in the country of France, sorted by city location and
acronyms.
-
Abbreviationfinder.org: Provides most commonly
used abbreviations and initials containing the
country name of France. Listed by popularity.
|
| 1UpTravel.com - Maps of France |
| Discover the city, country, and historical maps of
France in Europe. View the maps of Paris, Marseille, as
well as departments and overseas territories of France. |
| http://www.1uptravel.com/worldmaps/france.html |
|
| Expedia.com - France Map |
| View an interactive map that allows users to zoom in and
out of a chosen region. |
| http://maps.expedia.com/pub/agent.dll?qscr=mmvw&msds=620E07C |
|
| France - ABC Maps |
| Browse a collection of maps for this European country,
and click to larger image for viewing and printing. |
| http://www.theodora.com/maps/france_map.html |
|
| France - Altapedia Atlas |
| Provides both political and topographical maps for the
country. Includes links to details on the geography. |
| http://www.atlapedia.com/online/maps/political/France_etc.ht |
|
| France - InfoPlease.com Map |
| Peruse a well-rendered political map of France and
easily pinpoint the locations of towns and cities
throughout the country. Links to fact files. |
| http://www.infoplease.com/atlas/country/france.html |
|
| France - Large Map |
| Well-rendered, political map of France shows roadways,
water ways, neighboring countries and land features. |
| http://geography.about.com/science/geography/gi/dynamic/offs |
|
| France - Map Collection |
| Check out a number of types of maps offered by the
University of Texas, including political, physical and
relief maps. |
| http://www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collection/france.htm |
|
| France - Merriam-Webster Atlas |
| View a detailed map of this European country, plus
diagrams, country facts, a historical summary and a flag
icon. |
| http://www.m-w.com/maps/france.html |
|
| Hotel Map - France.com |
| Check out a selection of maps covering various regions
of France and peruse a clickable map for instant details
for accommodations. |
| http://www.france.com/travel/hotels/hotelmaps.html |
|
| Strasbourg - Strasbourg Online |
| Street map allows users to zoom on a specific area or to
search by district. Includes links to accommodations and
local points of interest. |
| http://www.strasbourg.com/map/index.html |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
