France, in Western Europe, encompasses medieval cities, alpine villages and Mediterranean beaches. Paris, its capital, is famed for its fashion houses, classical art museums including the Louvre and monuments like the Eiffel Tower. The country is also renowned for its wines and sophisticated cuisine. Check out our favorite facts about France!

20 Interesting Facts About France & its Sport Culture

Sport Facts:

Sports are an intricate part of the French lifestyle. France is very proud of their teams and very nationalistic when it comes to sports. A match will unite or divide the country in a way that few other things are capable of doing. As such, it is impossible to truly understand French culture without understanding their relationships to sports.

1. In the game of football (soccer), France is the first country to win all international soccer competitions: Olympic games (1984), Euro (1984), and World Cup (1998).

2. The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Hippodrome de Longchamp in Paris, is one of the most respected horse races in the world. It anchors the biggest weekend of racing in France with more than 200 horses competing in 16 races worth upwards of a hundred thousand euros in prize money.

3. The first French Open was played in 1891. It has been played at its current location (Stade Roland-Garros in Paris) since 1928. Tennis is believed to have originated in the monastic cloisters in northern France in the 12th century. Interestingly, the ball was then struck with the palm of the hand. At that time it was named “jeu de paume” (game of the palm). Rackets came into use during the 16th century.

4. The first Tour de France was organized in 1903 to help increase sales for the L'Auto newspaper. The cycling competition takes place over 23 days and covers over 2,000 miles. Each year the race takes a different route, but ever since 1975 the finish has always been on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. The average cyclist will burn around 4,000-5,000 calories during each stage of the tour. That’s 123,900 calories for the entire race which is equivalent to eating 252 McDonald's double cheeseburgers.

*Tour de France finishing on Champs-Élysées in Paris*

5. France is the world's most populous country in which rugby union has a large and dedicated following, with over 65 million people. France has participated in every Rugby World Cup since its inception in 1987, and has been a runner-up on three occasions. France is the only team to appear in a final without ever winning one.

6. Because of the French Alps and the French Pyrenees, skiing is the national winter sport of France. With incredible slopes and resorts, a skiing trip is considered the perfect vacation, and one that is often done more than once a year. The highest point in the Alps is also the highest point in France and Europe; Mont Blanc is 4,807m at its peak.

7. The first Winter Olympics was held in France in 1924. It was located at Chamonix, the oldest and one of the largest winter-sports resorts in France.

8. There are only around 10 French players in the NBA. Most notable French NBA players have included Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs) and Joakim Noah (Chicago Bulls). What helped propel basketball's popularity in France were the pop culture aspects. Players like Michael Jordan and brands like Converse made their way into mainstream fashion and culture, prompting French citizens to adopt trends and products.

9. While it's true that France did not establish an official handball team until the early 1990s, since that time, they have gone on to make several successful showings in several tournaments including winning the bronze medal during the 1993 Summer Olympics, reaching the finals of the 1993 World Championship, and finishing third in the 2005 Summer Olympics. More recently, they won the Olympic gold medal in 2008 and 2012, and a silver medal in 2016. They were World Championship winners in 1995, 2001, 2009, 2011, 2015 and 2017, and European Championship winners in 2006, 2010, and 2014.

10. The sport and art form of Parkour was developed in France. Parkour, or the art of mastering moving skills that consists in finding a way to overcome the obstacles, using a combination of running, jumping, climbing, which differentiates from a regular exercise in a gym. Overall, combining speed, fluidity, aesthetics and originality. Today, Parkour grows around the world with the media also taking over using “Traceurs” (name for whom practices Parkour) for video clips, commercials and movies. Sponsored by different brands like Red Bull or Adidas, athletes like Daniel Ilabaca, Yoann “Zephyr” Leroux make a living today from their Parkour practice, and appear in videos seen by millions.

General Facts:

France, and in particular Paris, the city of lights, have been one of the world’s cultural center points for hundreds of years. During the 19th and 20th centuries, the French culture and charm rapidly spread all over the world, bringing with it the latest trends of French culture and lifestyle.

1. France receives more visitors than any other country in the world, with an average of 82 million visitors per year. Next on the list is the United States and Spain, each with over 75 million visitors.

2. France is the largest country in the European Union. With an area of 551,000 square kilometers, it occupies almost 20% of the entire EU space. France is also extremely green and popular with 25% of its landscapes covered by forests.

3. France is known for art. The most famous art gallery in the world, The Louvre, is located in Paris. It is home to the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo.

4. The language of French is known as one of the “romance languages” and is the most studied language in the world after English.

5. Food and wine are central to life at all socioeconomic levels, and much socializing is done around lengthy dinners enjoying time with family and friends. It is not uncommon for a lunch break to be up to 2-hours!

6. Paris is known as the world’s fashion capital and is home to many high-end fashion houses, such as Dior, Hermes, Louis Vuitton and Chanel. Many French people dress in a sophisticated, professional and fashionable style. Typical outfits include nice dresses, suits, long coats, scarves and berets.

7. In addition to traditional marriage, French couples also have the choice of getting a pacte civil de solidarité (PACS). This is a union that has many of the same benefits of marriage, like tax breaks, but can be dissolved with a notice or by marrying someone else instead of a divorce. Two-thirds as many French couples are in a PACS as are married.

8. The French government has mandated that at least 40% of all music played on private radio stations in the country be of French origin. Half of that quota of French music is also required to be less than six months old.

9. Among the many French inventions, some notable are the hot air balloon, pasteurizer, stethoscope, and the parachute. In 1997, Philippe Kahn, developed the cell phone camera, and made a technological first by sharing a photo of his newborn daughter to over 2,000 connections around the world through his phone.

*The first camera phone was created out of a laptop, digital camera, stereo wires, and a phone*

10. In 2016, a historical decision was made where France became the first country in the world to ban supermarkets and food stores from throwing away or burning unsold food. From then on, all food approaching its expiry date must be donated to charities that will feed the poor.