The Celtic Gauls were the first inhabitants of France in 1500 and 500 BC. By 52 BC, they lost the territory to Julius Caesar and in the 5th century, the Franks (thus 'France') and other Germanic groups took over the country. During the Middle Ages, there were many wars for succession and both the Capetian Dynasty as well as the Crusades left their impact on France.

In the 17th century, Cardinal Richelieu established an absolute monarchy and France started becoming more important on the European stage. Monarchy lasted until the reign of Louis XV, when the Parisian masses who were increasingly dissatisfied with the disparity in wealth, revolted. This is known as the French Revolution. Although it gave rise to the radical Jacobins, led by Robespierre, Danton and Marat, it ultimately turned on them for imposing dictatorial control.
The legendary Napoleon Bonaparte assumed domestic power in 1799 and embarked on a mission to conquer most of Europe. He was finally vanquished by the English at Waterloo and exiled to the remote South Atlantic island of Saint Helena, where he died in 1821. Napoleon is still remembered as a hero because of his constitutional and legal policies and reforms.

French Republic

National name
République Française

President:
Nicolas Sarkozy (2007)

Prime Minister:
François Fillon (2007)

Current government officials

Land area:
210,668 sq mi (545,630 sq km);

Total area:
211,209 sq mi (547,030 sq km)

Population (2008 est.)
64,094,658 (growth rate: 0.5%); birth rate: 12.7/1000; infant mortality rate: 3.3/1000; life expectancy: 80.8; density per sq mi: 100

Capital and largest city (2003 est.)
Paris, 9,854,000 (metro. area), 2,110,400 (city proper)

Other large cities
Marseille, 820,700; Lyon, 443,900; Toulouse, 411,800; Nice, 332,000; Nantes, 282,300; Strasbourg, 272,600; Bordeaux, 217,000

Monetary unit
Euro (formerly French franc)

Languages
French 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects (Provençal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish)

Ethnicity/race
Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Southeast Asian, and Basque minorities

Religions
Roman Catholic 83%–88%, Protestant 2%, Islam 5%–10%, Jewish 1%, unaffiliated 4%

National Holiday
Fete de la Federation, July 14