Funny Facts Abiut France for Kids

The Eiffel Tower is one of the world's most recognizable landmarks. (Photo: NA/AbleStock.com/Getty Images )

France is a lot more than just the land of the Eiffel Tower, croissants and wine. A beautiful land that has both mountains and beaches, France has a rich history that dates all the way back to cave dwellers and the artwork they left behind on cave walls. If your kids want to learn about the country, you can share a wealth of fun French facts with them.

Largest Country in Western Europe

France is the largest country in the European Union and the 43rd largest country on Earth. With a total area of about 246,000 miles, France is just a little smaller than the state of Texas, which is approximately 268,600 square miles. Half of that land is farm or countryside, with another 25 percent covered by forests. France also has beautiful beaches that are popular vacation destinations in summer, as well as alps or mountains that are perfect for skiing and snowboarding.

French Fries Aren't Exactly French

France may be well-known for adult drinks such as champagne and wine, but a few famous foods are also attributed to France. French fries, a favorite of kids in many countries, may not have been invented in France, though. Potatoes grow really well in parts of Europe such as France and neighboring Belgium. Hundreds of years ago, long before fast-food restaurants and even refrigerators, people living in France and Belgium needed an inexpensive food that would taste good and could be served in winter, when fresh food was hard to find. In Belgium, locals fried up some potato pieces, as they often did with fish. People in France also learned to make fried potatoes. In World War I, American soldiers in Belgium had some of these fried potatoes from a street vendor. Since Belgian locals speak French, the Americans called the potatoes "French fries."

If you're looking for these tasty treats in France or Belgium, don't ask for French fries; call them frites, the French name.

Cavemen Lived in France

Prehistoric people sometimes lived in caves. One of the oldest prehistoric sites is a cave in southwestern France, showing evidence that cavemen visited and built fires inside to stay warm or to cook their food. Numerous sites in France, such as a complex of caves called Lascaux, even have pictures drawn and painted on the cave walls by the people who lived there more than 10,000 years ago. The cave art shows pictures of animals that roamed the area at the time, such as bison, cave bears, horses and even the rhinoceros. While the sites are not open to visitors anymore, museums in the area display replicas of the caves and their paintings.

The Iconic Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower, one of the most famous man-made structures in France – and even the entire world – was originally built to mark the entrance to the 1889 World's Fair. The tower is named after Gustave Eiffel, a civil engineer who specialized in large metal structures. He also worked on building the metal frame inside the Statue of Liberty. Eiffel didn't come up with the design for the tower, but one of his employees did. It was 984 feet tall when first built and, at the time, the tallest building in the world. The original plan was to tear it down after 20 years or so, but by the time World War I was about to begin, city officials realized it would come in handy for transmitting telegraph signals.

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Writer Bio

Kathy Adams is an award-winning journalist and freelance writer who traveled the world handling numerous duties for music artists. She writes travel and budgeting tips and destination guides for USA Today, Travelocity and ForRent, among others. She enjoys exploring foreign locales and hiking off the beaten path stateside, snapping pics of wildlife and nature instead of selfies.

cayerwalouteemper2001.blogspot.com

Source: https://traveltips.usatoday.com/fun-french-kids-62442.html

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