220
franceNORMANDY
The region of Normandy lies between Paris
and the English Channel. Normandy is
a farming area, known throughout
France for its dairy products
and its apples. By grazing
their cattle in the orchards,
many local farmers get
double use from the
land. They sell the
apples as dessert fruits,
or turn them into cider
and an apple brandy
called calvados. Cream
from the Normandy
cattle makes some of
France’s most famous
cheeses, including Brie
and Camembert.TRANsPORTATiON
The French are not only pioneers of aviation—
they cobuilt the Concorde—they also lead
the world in high-speed train technology.
With speeds of up to 200 mph
(320 km/h) the French TGV
(Trains à Grande Vitesse)
is one of the world’s fastest
trains. The first TGV line,
from Paris to Lyon, was
opened in 1983. TGV
lines have since been
built to Belgium, italy,
and spain. The Channel
Tunnel links France
to the UK.When it was first built in the
19th century, the Eiffel Tower
was fiercely criticized. It has now
become the symbol of Paris and
a much-loved feature of the city.Normandy is a region of gentle
hills and farmland, and is
especially known for
its hedgerows.EiFFEL TOWER
Built to impress visitors to the
Paris Exhibition of 1889, the
Eiffel Tower was originally meant
to be a temporary structure.
it was designed by the French
engineer Alexandre-Gustave
Eiffel. Eiffel was internationally
famous for his bridge and
aqueduct designs. The tower
is built of steel girders weighing
7,700 tons (7,000 tonnes),
and 2.5 million rivets hold it
together. it reaches a height
of 1,050 ft (322 m) and up until
the construction of the Empire
state Building in New York City
in 1931, it was the tallest building
in the world. Visitors can reach
its various levels by elevator or
by climbing hundreds of steps.TGV design has evolved
over the years. This train
has a sharp aerodynamic
nose to increase its speed.LOiRE RiVER
The valley of the Loire River is famous for its
beautiful castles, called châteaux, such as this one
at Gien. Kings, nobles, or wealthy landowners built
the châteaux as their country homes. They often
chose a site on high ground and surrounded the
château with a moat, which made it easy to defend
the château from attackers. The Loire Valley is also
an important wine-producing area.MONACO
A tiny country on the Côte d’Azur, Monaco lies in
southeastern France. The heart of the country is
the sophisticated city of Monte Carlo, famous for
its casinos and auto-racing Grand Prix. Monaco is
an independent principality, ruled for much of its
history by the Grimaldi family (above). Only a
small part of the population is originally from
Monaco; about half the people are citizens of
France. They are drawn there by the lenient tax
laws and high standard of living, and earn more
per capita than any other country in the world.US_220_FRANCE_2.indd 220 12/02/16 11:18 am