French cuisine is renowned for being one of the finest in the world. [376] [377] Different regions have different styles. In the North, butter and cream are common ingredients, whereas olive oil is more commonly used in the South. [378] Each region of France has traditional specialties: cassoulet in the Southwest, choucroute in Alsace, quiche in the Lorraine region, beef bourguignon in Burgundy, provençal tapenade, etc. France is most famous for its wines, [379] and cheeses, which are often named for the territory where they are produced ( AOC). [380] [381] A meal typically consists of three courses, entrée (starter), plat principal (main course), and fromage (cheese) or dessert, sometimes with a salad served before the cheese or dessert. The origins of French art were very much influenced by Flemish art and by Italian art at the time of the Renaissance. Jean Fouquet, the most famous medieval French painter, is said to have been the first to travel to Italy and experience the Early Renaissance firsthand. The Renaissance painting School of Fontainebleau was directly inspired by Italian painters such as Primaticcio and Rosso Fiorentino, who both worked in France. Two of the most famous French artists of the time of the Baroque era, Nicolas Poussin and Claude Lorrain, lived in Italy. Tarassuk, Leonid; Blair, Claude (1982). The Complete Encyclopedia of Arms and Weapons: the most comprehensive reference work ever published on arms and armor from prehistoric times to the present with over 1,250 illustrations. Simon & Schuster. p.186. ISBN 978-0-671-42257-8 . Retrieved 5 July 2011. See also: List of national parks of France, Regional natural parks of France, and Climate change in France

Rouche, Michel (1987). "The Early Middle Ages in the West". In Veyne, Paul (ed.). A History of Private Life: From Pagan Rome to Byzantium. Belknap Press. p.425. ISBN 978-0-674-39974-7. OCLC 59830199. Also in March 1793, a counter-revolution in Vendée began, evoked by both the Civil Constitution of the Clergy of 1790 and the nationwide army conscription in early 1793; elsewhere in France rebellion was brewing too. A factionalist feud in the National Convention, smouldering ever since October 1791, came to a climax on 2 June 1793 with the group of the Girondins being forced to resign and leave the convention. By July the counter-revolution had spread to Brittany, Normandy, Bordeaux, Marseilles, Toulon, and Lyon. Between October and December 1793, Paris' Convention government took brutal measures to subdue most internal uprisings at the cost of tens of thousands of lives. Some historians consider the civil war to have lasted until 1796 with a toll of possibly 450,000 lives. [63] By the end of 1793, the allies had been driven from France.Contemporary period (1946–present) Charles de Gaulle, a hero of World War I, leader of the Free French during World War II, and President of France a b c "Bilan démographique 2022 – Composantes de la croissance démographique, France". Insee. 17 January 2023 . Retrieved 27 January 2022. As of January 2021 [update], the fertility rate declined slightly to 1.84 children per woman, below the replacement rate of 2.1, and considerably below the high of 4.41 in 1800. [240] [241] [242] [243] France's fertility rate and crude birth rate nonetheless remain among the highest in the EU. However, like many developed nations, the French population is aging; the average age is 41.7 years, while about a fifth of French people are 65 or over. [244] The life expectancy at birth is 82.7 years, the 12th highest in the world. France is the world's tenth-largest producer of electricity. [206] Électricité de France (EDF), which is majority-owned by the French government, is the country's main producer and distributor of electricity, and one of the world's largest electric utility companies, ranking third in revenue globally. [207] In 2018, EDF produced around one-fifth of the European Union's electricity, primarily from nuclear power. [208] As of 2021, France was the biggest energy exporter in Europe, mostly to the U.K. and Italy, [209] and the largest net exporter of electricity in the world. [209] History of France". Discoverfrance.net. Archived from the original on 24 August 2011 . Retrieved 17 July 2011.

BBC History: Louis XV (1710–1774)". BBC . Retrieved 21 July 2011. ; "Scholarly bibliography by Colin Jones (2002)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 July 2011 . Retrieved 21 July 2011.Source gives area of metropolitan France as 551,500 km 2 (212,900 sq mi) and lists overseas regions separately, whose areas sum to 89,179 km 2 (34,432 sq mi). Adding these give the total shown here for the entire French Republic. The World Factbook reports the total as 643,801 km 2 (248,573 sq mi). The legislature consists of the French Parliament, a bicameral body made up of a lower house, the National Assembly ( Assemblée nationale) and an upper house, the Senate. [127] Legislators in the National Assembly, known as députés, represent local constituencies and are directly elected for five-year terms. [128] The Assembly has the power to dismiss the government by majority vote. Senators are chosen by an electoral college for six-year terms, with half the seats submitted to election every three years. [129] The Senate's legislative powers are limited; in the event of disagreement between the two chambers, the National Assembly has the final say. [130] The parliament is responsible for determining the rules and principles concerning most areas of law, political amnesty, and fiscal policy; however, the government may draft specific details concerning most laws. After the Revolution, the Republicans favoured Neoclassicism although it was introduced in France before the revolution with such buildings as the Parisian Pantheon or the Capitole de Toulouse. Built during the first French Empire, the Arc de Triomphe and Sainte Marie-Madeleine represent the best example of Empire-style architecture. [321] Under Napoleon III, a new wave of urbanism and architecture was given birth; extravagant buildings such as the neo-baroque Palais Garnier were built. The urban planning of the time was very organised and rigorous; most notably, Haussmann's renovation of Paris. The architecture associated with this era is named Second Empire in English, the term being taken from the Second French Empire. At this time there was a strong Gothic resurgence across Europe and in France; the associated architect was Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. In the late 19th century, Gustave Eiffel designed many bridges, such as the Garabit viaduct, and remains one of the most influential bridge designers of his time, although he is best remembered for the Eiffel Tower. Doyle, William (1989). The Oxford History of The French Revolution. Oxford University Press. pp.191–192.