Talk:France

A pair of Rafale fighter aircraft: not so relevant

The CdG is the biggest piece of weaponry in the French republic while the picture of soldiers in Afghanistan emphasis on the French presence worldwide.

Agriculture:

Wheat fields near the village of Usson: lovely but does not bring much information on French agriculture.

Tourism:

- Two pictures is too much for this small question, either keep the Mont St Michel or Versailles but not both.

Religion:

- While I'm not sure a picture is needed here, I think Lourdes deserves the place above Basilique du Sacré-Cœur is there is to be a picture here.

Healthcare:

- Louis-Pasteur Hospital in Cherbourg: not representative of current healthcare in France

Culture:

- Christophe Lemaitre is the first Caucasian to break the 10-second barrier.: useless, it's a personnal achievement and does not represent French culture

It's not even true. Lemaitre's own article correctly states that Marian Woronin was actually the first. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.93.161.135 (talk) 01:53, 18 November 2010 (UTC)

- Overall there are way too many pictures of artists!

Matthieu (talk) 15:48, 1 September 2010 (UTC)

History should be 2 max, actual section is much too long.

The Point De Van picture is in environment, not geography. It's fine there, the geography section isn't. But it is irrelavent, maybe replace it with the satellite picture from geography?

As for Military (which I assume is your defense) as it stands the pictures are fine, but the total section is too long as well. For the moment they could be better arranged.

As for the wheat field picture, it is agriculturally relevant, but too big for the section it is in anyway. If deleted, the nuclear picture above it should be shifted down slightly.

I'd keep Versaille. Or a photo of the Eiffel Tower, just because that's what foreigners think of when they think of French buildings (In my experience)

A picture goes well in the religion section, but should be moved left.

Additionally, in the Demographic section above, I bet the Francophone map could be deleted.

The Louis-Pasteur Hospital adds a nice touch, I don't think it needs to be removed. A better picture could always be added of course.

Culture does have too many pictures. Not sure which should be deleted.

Good job noticing this Chipmunkdavis (talk) 16:09, 1 September 2010 (UTC)

Tourism: keep Mont Saint Michel.

remove Monet from side of Architecture section - he was a painter.

Remove the "foie gras" from top of "La Liberté (alias Marianne) guidant le peuple". I tried moving it to the left, but then it looks like smiling Voltaire is getting ready to enjoy his hors d'œuvre.

In my opinion, the Cuisine section should be renamed Gastronomy, because, as an art, that is what French cuisine is, also because "wines" & "cheeses" are not part of "cuisine".

I would get rid of the Tour Eiffel as it is not bringing anything special to the article.

--Frania W. (talk) 21:22, 1 September 2010 (UTC)

Here is my turn ;) As the main contributor of the recent changes, I have to answer to your remarks :

In the section "Environment" (and not geography), I've taken a picture from the French wikipedia, because I didn't find picture like this one (Germany) linked to France. Of course I think we can have better but I didn't find it. If you have a better one, please change the pic !

Coronation of Napoléon : I thought it was one of the great event of French history ... And Jeanne d'Arc is the female incarnation of France, with Marianne, but maybe mentionning the Hundred Years' War should not be so useless.

Euro picture : why in this section and not in Economy ? It is totally anecdotal in "History" to my opinion ...

Agriculture: I've created this section, and it is not so easy to find a picture to illustrate it. Again, if you have better, feel free to change.

Christophe Lemaitre is in the section "Sport"

Louis Pasteur Hospital : true, it's not a fantastic pic, so again (x2) if you have a more usefull/prettier picture, make the change yourself

I agree with Frania's suggestion : Gastronomy is better, but GorillaWarfare preffered Cuisine

I thought the Foie gras was a good example of the French cuisine, beacause it's a renowned product that I didn't mention in the section itself

Monet has to be deplaced in a section about "Painting" - not yet created

As a conclusion, I could say that the GA article Russia has also a lot of pictures, and I don't think it's too bad if the pictures are usefull. Ter, change if you have better pictures. :D

Celyndel (talk) 20:36, 2 September 2010 (UTC)

Did Russia have those pictures when it was accepted as a good article? Because right now it breaks WP:MOSIMAGES. Chipmunkdavis (talk) 08:10, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Why not on this page give a plan of the work including, in their order, the sections that will be added & what has to be added within them: right now, the sport section does not touch upon some of the sports in which France excels, round-the-world single-handed yacht races, for instance. Also the various sports should be developed within their section in alphabetical order.

The long article on Russia mentioned by Celyndel shows a good repartition of illustrations, pleasing to the eye, and there is no reason not to arrive at a similar result with France. Pictures are not lacking, it is only a matter of choosing the right one for the right place.

Celyndel, I love the "foie gras" photo, but could not resist pointing out the fact that it seemed perched on top of Marianne while being eyed by Voltaire; but once the Gastronomy section is developed, it will be perfect à côté d'un sauternes.

Cordialement, --Frania W. (talk) 13:12, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

I've already written something about the work that has to be done here :) And I've also modified the do-to list of this article here. Feel free to change it if you want to. Otherwise, I agree with you about the "Gastronomy" section and the sport. :) Celyndel (talk) 11:02, 5 September 2010 (UTC)

Bouvines, Saint Louis and the Declaration of Human Rights...

Hi ! I've read the wikipage about France. I think you should add some very important datas in the HISTORY OF FRANCE.

Here are my propositions :

-Philippe Augustus and Saint Louis are not mentionned. However, they are the most important and popular french kings of this age. The victory of Bouvines in 1214 is recognized as the first french NATIONAL jubilation by great Historians like Georges Duby.

So, I think you should add :

"In 1214, king [Philippe Augustus] won the [Battle of Bouvines] against a coalition between the English Crown and the Holy Roman Empire. This victory assures French predominance on Western Europe. During the reign of [Saint Louis] (1226-1270), France is at its height in Europe, culturally, politically and economically."

- During the hundred years war, the War of the Rose is absolutly less important than the modernisation of French army (Artillery) and the Treaty of Arras in 1435, when the Burgundies recognizes Charles VII as the King of France.

So, you should add :

"Strong counterattacks are led by charismatic captains as Bertrand du Guesclin and Joan of Arc." "Charles VII finally managed to unify France and won back mainland territory after his victories at Formigny (1450) and Castillon (1453) that is the 4 first battle in History where artillery played a decisive role".

-The French Revolution cannot be resumed to the Terror and massacres. You should add :

"The [Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen]is adopted on 27 August 1789 by the [National Constituent Assembly]."

- So, Napoleon have not just killed one million of Frenchmen during his reign. He also consolidated some social benefits coming from the Revolution. You should add :

"Under Napoleon the First, "The "Code Civil" was established. This legal code influenced most of European countries juridictions."

- From 1914 to 1916, France supported almost alone the burden of the WW1 on the west front. You should add :

"France stopped the German invasion at the battle of Marnes in 1914. The French also won one of the terrible Battle of Verdun in 1917)." —Preceding unsigned comment added by TheCajun80 (talk • contribs) 10:29, 9 October 2010 (UTC)

Electronic music

there is also Laurent wolf that is a very popular electronic music producer

Electronic music

there is also Laurent wolf that is a very popular electronic music producer206.248.137.118 (talk) 01:03, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

Article hard to load

Just to let the main writers know that it's hard to load this article, almost certainly because of the citation templates. I didn't look to see whether all the cites are templates, but if they are, that's over 300, which would explain the loading problems. SlimVirgin ^{talk|contribs} 04:39, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

National anthem sample

I suggest adding a sample of La Marseillaise in the infobox, this sample can be found here: .

The same thing has been done on other articles; E.g., the United Kingdom article, the Japan article, the People's Republic of China article and the Poland article. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.132.230.192 (talk) 17:44, 16 November 2010 (UTC)

Laïcité

"...laïcité, in which it is prohibited from recognising any religion..." Wrong. A law separating State and Churches is not a law negating Churches. Religions are recognized by the gouvernement. There is a official list and the jurisprudence recognize them. The Interior's Minister is Minister of the Cultes. Better is "...laïcité, in which it is prohibited from recognising any specific right to a religious community..." or "...laïcité, in which it is prohibited from legal recognising to a congregation..." (law 1901). Religious communities are simply associations as sport's clubs, no more but nor less. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.171.84.232 (talk) 01:08, 17 November 2010 (UTC)

Edit request from 216.124.224.51, 22 November 2010

{{edit semi-protected}} Picture of Joan of Arc but no mention of her in article or her role in French history. 216.124.224.51 (talk) 17:05, 22 November 2010 (UTC)

 Not done for now: what language (including verifiable reliable sources) would you suggest for a mention of her? Thanks!   — Jeff G.  ツ 01:59, 23 November 2010 (UTC)

currency

Please a registered user should you be so kind, please add ₣ as previous currency for the TAB, as it was in use up to the time Euro was the only currency in use since 2002 on. The process of changing all banknotes was set to last three years and had begun in 1999. Unfortunally, France and Germany did not walk the same way UK, Sweden and Norway chose, when talking of their currencies.RomaniaPaul188.25.28.114 (talk) 03:59, 1 December 2010 (UTC)

Etymology

I have a problem with the etymology section[1]. It goes on and on... and is not that clear.

• "The name "France" itself comes from Latin Francia, which literally means "land of the Franks," or "country of the Franks".[24] There are various theories as to the origin of the name of the Franks. One is that it is derived from the Proto-Germanic word frankon which translates as javelin or lance as the throwing axe of the Franks was known as a francisca.[25] Another proposed etymology is that in an ancient Germanic language, Frank means free as opposed to slave. This usage still survives in the name of the national currency prior to the adoption of the euro, the franc.

However, it is also possible that the word is derived from the ethnic name of the Franks, because as the conquering class only the Franks had the status of freemen.[citation needed] "

Then, the last huge paragraph beginning with "From a technical point of view," makes the reader travel a lot, but does not seem to have much to do with etymology.

What do others think?

--Frania W. (talk) 07:26, 16 December 2010 (UTC)

Since one or two weeks I want to reduce this section... Once again, I totally agree with Frania : the last big paragraph can be deleted. UltimaRatio (talk) 08:00, 16 December 2010 (UTC)

OK. Doing the "reducing" immediately; then l'équipe (UR? FW?) can edit the remaining two paragraphs.

--Frania W. (talk) 13:47, 16 December 2010 (UTC)

"There are various theories as to the origin of the name of the Franks. One is that it is derived from the Proto-Germanic word frankon which translates as javelin or lance as the throwing axe of the Franks was known as a francisca.[25]"

Would not it be the other way around, that the name "frankon", "francisque" in French, is derived from the word "Frank" ?

--Frania W. (talk) 14:18, 16 December 2010 (UTC)

Please, someone change the superficie: what is written is preposterous!!! Thanks

"covering 11,035,000 km2 (4,260,000 mi2), just behind the one of the United States (11,351,000 km2 / 4,383,000 mi2)".

No, absolutely false: more like 670 922 km². —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.165.93.75 (talk) 18:29, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

It is not, this figure is correct but does not correspond to the total land area but to the [Exclusive Economic Zone], that includes the the total land area + the territorial waters. All the small islands in the Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean that are part of the French Republic, have a negligible land mass but with a 200 nautical miles territorial waters around them contribute to a very large amount of EEZ. Blastwizard (talk) 10:52, 21 February 2011 (UTC)

Edit request from 75.40.37.9, 20 February 2011

{{edit semi-protected}}

humatarian-->humanitarian

75.40.37.9 (talk) 15:09, 20 February 2011 (UTC)

 Done Chipmunkdavis (talk) 15:26, 20 February 2011 (UTC)

Edit request from RobinMiranda, 22 February 2011

{{edit semi-protected}} IDH France isn't 0.872 (14e), but if you look the article about the IDH (based on 2007), you can see 0.961 (8e). Thanks.

RobinMiranda (talk) 23:28, 22 February 2011 (UTC)

 Not done: First, you mean HDI. Second, why would we use the 2007 statistics, when 2010 shows 0.872? Qwyrxian (talk) 03:29, 23 February 2011 (UTC)

Edit request, 6 April 2011

{{edit semi-protected}}

Administrative divisions

Replace:

France is divided into 26 administrative regions. 22 are in metropolitan France (21 are on the continental part of metropolitan France; one is the territorial collectivity of Corsica), and four are overseas regions. The regions are further subdivided into 100 departments which are numbered (mainly alphabetically). This number is used in postal codes and vehicle number plates amongst others. The 100 departments are subdivided into 341 arrondissements which are, in turn, subdivided into 4,032 cantons. These cantons are then divided into 36,680 communes, which are municipalities with an elected municipal council. There also exist 2,588 intercommunal entities grouping 33,414 of the 36,680 communes (i.e. 91.1% of all the communes). Three communes, Paris, Lyon and Marseille are also subdivided into 45 municipal arrondissements.

by:

France is divided into 27 administrative regions. 22 are in metropolitan France (21 are on the continental part of metropolitan France; one is the territorial collectivity of Corsica), and five are overseas regions. The regions are further subdivided into 101 departments which are numbered (mainly alphabetically). This number is used in postal codes and vehicle number plates amongst others. The 101 departments are subdivided into 341 arrondissements which are, in turn, subdivided into 4,051 cantons. These cantons are then divided into 36,697 communes, which are municipalities with an elected municipal council. There also exist 2,588 intercommunal entities grouping 33,414 of the 36,697 communes (i.e. 91.1% of all the communes). Three communes, Paris, Lyon and Marseille are also subdivided into 45 municipal arrondissements.

Overseas regions and territories

Replace:

In addition to the 26 regions and 101 departments, the French Republic also has five overseas collectivities (French Polynesia, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, and Wallis and Futuna), one sui generis collectivity (New Caledonia), one overseas territory (French Southern and Antarctic Lands), and one island possession in the Pacific Ocean (Clipperton Island).

by:

In addition to the 27 regions and 101 departments, the French Republic also has five overseas collectivities (French Polynesia, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, and Wallis and Futuna), one sui generis collectivity (New Caledonia), one overseas territory (French Southern and Antarctic Lands), and one island possession in the Pacific Ocean (Clipperton Island).

 Done --Bob (talk) 23:35, 6 April 2011 (UTC)

French philosophy

René Descartes (1596 - 1650) was a polymath of the 17th century, not the 16th. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.128.118.102 (talk) 14:43, 20 July 2011 (UTC)

July 14

Hi all, just as a note... Contrary to what is written in the article, the 14th of July 1789 ("storming" of the Bastille) is not what is commemorated as the French National Day. This day commemorates in fact the Fête de la Fédération, which happened a year later on July 14, 1790 celebrate the establishment of constitutional Monarchy in France, as also stated in the article Bastille Day.

I will therefore remove this sentence: "It is now commemorated as the French National Day".

Amhantar (talk) 06:52, 10 August 2011 (UTC)

Empire size

Hello About the size of the French Empire. I don't really think that France was the second largest empire in history. Before it there should be both the Mongol and the Spanish Empire. I believe it was even smaller than the Chinese Empire during the realm of Yuan. 195.246.100.57 13:56, 16 August 2011 (UTC)

The article clearly states that is was the second largest empire "of the time" (19th - 20th c.).DITWIN GRIM (talk) 14:44, 16 August 2011 (UTC)

Edit request from Bmoq, 1 September 2011

{{FIFA Worldcup Host nations}} Bmoq (talk) 16:03, 1 September 2011 (UTC)

 Not done: This template is too specific for this article. — Bility (talk) 17:28, 1 September 2011 (UTC)

Gini index

The INSEE [2] reports a much lower level of income inequality compared to the CIA factbook (28.9 vs 32.7). Surely the INSEE figures are to be considered more authoritative compared to the second- or third-hand data of the factbook. The infobox should be changed to reflect this.--Ultimate Destiny (talk) 13:39, 6 October 2011 (UTC)