Place details
Place nameFrance
Other namesRépublique français, République Française, French Republic, Francia, Frankreich, Frankrijk, França, FRA, FR, ISO250, FR00, Gaule, Gaul, Gallia, French
Latitude46
Longitude2
SourceThesaurus of Geographic Names
Overview
Area inhabited by Lower Paleolithic; Celt-speaking Gauls dominated by 5th century BCE; part of Roman Empire 125 BCE-5th century, then under Frankish influence; lost land to England 12-16th centuries; monarchy fell in Revolution 1792; recurring expansion 16-19th centuries; official language is French, though Provençal, Breton, Flemish, Catalan, Corsican, Basque, and Germanic regional patois are also spoken.