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France is a country located in Western Europe, known for its rich history, culture, and art. From its famous landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum, to its delicious cuisine and wine, France has a lot to offer in terms of trivia facts and information. Some of the most interesting French trivia facts include:
First, France is home to many famous landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Notre-Dame Cathedral, and the Palace of Versailles. These landmarks are not only popular tourist destinations but also significant historical and cultural sites.
Second, France has a rich cultural heritage that can be seen in its art, literature, and fashion. The country is home to famous artists like Monet, Van Gogh, and Cézanne and writers like Victor Hugo, Gustave Flaubert, and Albert Camus. French fashion and haute couture is also renowned worldwide, with famous designers such as Coco Chanel, Christian Dior, and Yves Saint Laurent.
Third, French cuisine is considered one of the best in the world and is known for its delicious dishes such as coq au vin, ratatouille, and crème brûlée. French wine is also renowned worldwide, with famous regions such as Bordeaux, Champagne, and Burgundy.
These are just a few examples of the many interesting and unique trivia facts about France. With so much to discover, it's no wonder that France continues to be a popular tourist destination and a source of inspiration for many people around the world.
1. Which 21-stage, 23-day, 2,200-mile men’s bike race is held each summer and ends at the Champs-Élysées?
Answer: Tour de France
2. Found in Montastruc, France, one of the most ancient human artworks is a sculpture of a reindeer carved from what pointy part of a mammoth?
Answer: Canine
3. What famous cathedral of Paris, France, opened in 1345, was made even more famous in an 1831 Victor Hugo novel that was adapted many times?
Answer: Notre-Dame De Paris
4. Probably including lots of Roquefort, Comte, and Brie, what country eats more cheese per person than any other, according to a 2014 report from the International Dairy Federation?
Answer: France
5. Produced in France, Grey Goose is a luxury brand of what type of alcoholic spirit?
Answer: Vodka
6. In May 2022, the government of what European nation banned its employees from using American gaming terms such as "e-sports," instead using their domestic language counterparts like "jeu video de competition?"
Answer: France
7. Started in 1944, "Le Parisien" is one of the top-selling daily what in France?
Answer: Newspapers
8. France shares a land border with what country that also immediately follows it on an alphabetical list of the English names of E.U. nations?
Answer: Germany
9. Along with Libération and Le Figaro, Le Monde is considered one of the three "newspapers of record" in which European nation?
Answer: France
10. Some of the earliest known depictions of owls are drawings on the walls of the Chauvet Cave, in the southeastern portion of what European country?
Answer: France
11. If you’re at a location in France, Germany, or several other European countries, which fast food place lets you order a beer with your Quarter Pounder?
Answer: McDonald's
12. Known as CNIL for short, the Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés is the data protection authority agency of what EU nation?
Answer: France
13. Short for "Train à Grande Vitesse," TGV is an intercity high-speed rail system that primarily serves what European nation?
Answer: France
14. What color features in the national flags of all eight countries that border mainland France?
Answer: Red
15. What city was the center of the movement called Surrealism, whose artists include such notables as Jean Arp, Max Ernst, Man Ray, Rene Magritte, and Salvador Dali?
Answer: Paris
16. Which glass and metal structure designed by Chinese-American architect I. M. Pei stands in the main courtyard of the Louvre Museum?
Answer: Louvre Pyramid
17. Located about 12 miles west of Paris, what former royal residence built by Louis XIV of France now draws an estimated 15 million visitors per year, making it one of the most popular tourist sites in the world?
Answer: Versailles
18. The Principality of Monaco is bordered to the north, east, and west, by what other European country?
Answer: France
19. Vincent van Gogh painted his watery Seine series while living in and around what European capital city?
Answer: Paris
20. The 2000 film "Chocolat" stars Juliette Binoche as a woman who opens a sweet shop in a straitlaced fictional village in what country?
Answer: France
21. Augustin Mouchot successfully demonstrated a solar steam engine in 1878 at the Universal Exposition which was coincidentally hosted in his home country that year. What was the country?
Answer: France
22. In France, the July 14 national holiday is called Fête nationale française. What’s it called in English? The observance marks the fall of a French prison at the start of the Revolution.
Answer: Bastille Day
23. President Thomas Jefferson bought about 828,000 square miles worth of land from France in 1803. What name was given to the transaction for that territory?
Answer: Louisiana Purchase
24. Which airport in Paris is the biggest and busiest in France? (Hint: It’s named after a French president.)
Answer: Charles de Gaulle Airport
25. What EU nation that's home to the Pompidou Centre and Reims Cathedral passed a law in 2023 requiring parking lots of more than 80 spaces to have canopies of solar panels?
Answer: France
26. Although they also operate in Belgium and the Netherlands, Eurostar is a high-speed rail service best known for using a famous tunnel to provide international travel between which two countries?
Answer: France and the UK
27. The nursery rhyme titled "Brother John" is more often known by what French-language name?
Answer: Frère Jacques
28. What “M” French landmark is a large hill in Paris’s 18th arrondissement? It is home to the Basilica of the Sacre-Coeur.
Answer: Montmartre
29. The Palme d’Or is the top prize awarded at the International Film Festival held in which French City?
Answer: Cannes
30. The vodka brand Grey Goose has an English name despite coming from what non-English speaking country (where its name would become "oie grise" in the national language)?
Answer: France
31. Unlike the gold-plated Oscars, France's César award for cinema excellence is cast from what mostly copper alloy?
Answer: Bronze
32. Literally translating as "beautiful wands," Beauxbatons is the institution of wizardly education of what country in the Harry Potter universe?
Answer: France
33. Lyon, France is home to what border-spanning law enforcement agency?
Answer: Interpol
34. Lilian Thuram is the record-holder for most appearances ("caps") and Thierry Henry the record-holder for most goals for what nation's men's soccer team?
Answer: France
35. The modernist, concrete Saint-Pierre church in Firminy, France is one of the major works of what architect whose birth name was Charles-Edouard Jeanneret?
Answer: Le Corbusier
36. Pacífica Fernández designed the flag of Costa Rica in 1848 after being inspired by which European country’s revolution?
Answer: France
37. Thales is a multinational company that designs and builds electrical systems for the aerospace market, based out of what European country?
Answer: France
38. Alexis de Tocqueville is a famous European political scientist who famously wrote a 19th century treatise titled "Democracy in America." What nationality is de Tocqueville?
Answer: French
39. Used by the French as a symbol of solidarity with veterans and victims of war, the cornflower (also known as bachelor's button) is what primary color?
Answer: Blue
40. Known for fine art and antiques, the Hotel Drouot is a large auction house featuring multiple independent auction firms in what world capital city?
Answer: Paris
41. The largest news agencies in the world are the Associated Press, Reuters, and AFP, an agency headquartered in what European nation?
Answer: France
42. Stretching over 31 miles between Kent, England and Hauts-de-France, France, the Chunnel is a colloquial portmanteau of what famous tunnel?
Answer: Channel Tunnel
43. Located near Nimes, France, the Pont du Gard is a very well-preserved example of what Roman engineering feat? Another example of this particular engineering is located in Segovia, Spain.
Answer: Aqueduct
44. "Le Tour" is shorthand for that big cycling race in France, as "The Giro" is to the biggest cycling race in what other E.U. country?
Answer: Italy
45. Lettered subway tiles spell out the text of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen at the Concorde stop of what city's metro line?
Answer: Paris
46. On April Fool's Day in France, one might be presented with un poisson d'avril, a chocolate shaped like what animal?
Answer: Fish
47. Which style of art, also known as Late Baroque, that focused on decorative ornamentation began in France in the 1730s? Jean-Honoré Fragonard is a noted exponent of this style.
Answer: Rococo
48. Which large French city, located on the French south coast, is only 13km away from the principality of Monaco?
Answer: Nice
49. What shape, the highest order regular polygon that can "tile a plane", is used in French as a synonym for the mainland of France?
Answer: Hexagon (L'Hexagone)
50. The movie "Ford v. Ferrari" was about Ford Motor Company's efforts in the mid-1960s to win what iconic race? The race takes place over 24 hours in a town in France.
Answer: Le Mans
51. What French jeweler is famous for its "menagerie" animal pieces, including an onyx-and-diamond bracelet shaped like a panther that was owned by Wallis Simpson?
Answer: Cartier
52. Tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, tuna, and black olives are the principal ingredients in a salad named for what city in southern France?
Answer: Nice
53. Which monument situated in the center of the Place du Charles de Gaulle commemorates those who died in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars?
Answer: Arc de Triomphe
54. Pap Ndiaye, who enforces secularism in public schools as part of his mandate, sometimes to the anger of the Muslim community, is the minister of education and youth in what Eurozone country?
Answer: France
55. In what country did the deadliest auto racing accident ever occur? It happened during a 24-hour race in 1955.
Answer: France
56. Which Oscar-winning movie for Best Picture was set around the 1924 Summer Olympics that were held in Paris?
Answer: Chariots of Fire
57. In the 1795 Peace of Basel treaty, Spain lost control over two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola. To what other nation did they cede this land?
Answer: France
58. Although born in the United States, Civil Rights activist Josephine Baker became famous as an entertainer and supporter of Nazi resistance in what country?
Answer: France
59. In 1775, the United States sent Silas Deane to what European country to rally support for the American Revolution?
Answer: France
60. Cinco de Mayo celebrates the Mexican victory at the Battle of Puebla over what European country?
Answer: France
61. What “A” word is a day celebrated by France every November 11th since 1918 when Germany and the Allied countries signed an agreement in Compiègne, France to end World War I?
Answer: Armistice
62. How old was Laurent Fabius, the youngest prime minister of the current governmental structure of France, when he was appointed on July 17, 1984?
Answer: 37
63. Which French river rises in the southern Massif Central and flows northwest for 634 miles to the Atlantic Ocean? This river gives its name to six departments.
Answer: Loire
64. Irish-born playwright and novelist Samuel Beckett wrote in English, but also in what other language that reflects the country where he spent much of his adult life?
Answer: French
65. Who was the only person to be prime minister more than once under the Fifth Republic of France? He served from 1974 to 1976, and again from 1986 to 1988.
Answer: Jacques Chirac
66. What is the "L" name of the network of caves in Dordogne in southwest France, famous for their Paleolithic drawings of bulls and other local animal life?
Answer: Lascaux
67. Which city of the French Riviera, located close to Monaco, is the second largest French city on the Mediterranean coast after Marseille?
Answer: Nice
68. Which French monarch with the nickname “The Sun King” reigned for 72 years from the age of four? Name and regnal number required.
Answer: Louis XIV
69. Which former Winter Olympics host is known as the "Capital of the Alps", which seems reasonable given its population of ~160,000 makes it the largest city in the Alps?
Answer: Grenoble
70. What city in southern France's Languedoc area is the namesake of a tile-placement game in which players can turn their "meeple" into monks, knights, robbers, and farmers?
Answer: Carcassonne
71. Which author of the romance novel "Clisson et Eugénie" (whose literary career is much less remembered than his political and military ones) was born on Corsica in 1769, and died on Saint Helena in 1821?
Answer: Napoleon Bonaparte
72. Jeanne d'Arc (Joan of Arc) is remembered for her role in the Siege of Orleans, a conflict in what inaccurately named war that was fought between France and England between 1337 and 1453?
Answer: The Hundred Years' War
73. The combo of bagpipes and drums isn't just for the Scottish! Bagadoù (or bagads) are pipe bands associated with which historical province of France?
Answer: Brittany
74. Depending on your cultural references, its name might put you in the mind of Pinocchio's cat, an opera by Mozart, or the lyrics of Bohemian Rhapsody. Founded in January 1826, what is the oldest national newspaper in France?
Answer: Le Figaro
75. Which northwestern city in Brittany is a center of technology, art, and history, and has the unique claim to fame as being the smallest city in the world with a Metro line?
Answer: Rennes
76. There are more than 300 châteaux of the Loire Valley, some of which date back to the Middle Ages. Here, the word châteaux would be equal to which English word that also starts with C and brings up an image of a home fit for a king?
Answer: Casles
77. In May 2022, who did Emmanuel Macron appoint as Prime Minister to replace Jean Castex (who had resigned)?
Answer: Élisabeth Borne
78. Which northern France city on the river Deûle is nicknamed the “Capital of French Flanders?”
Answer: Lille
79. Being one of the iconic landmarks in Paris and also being a well known tourist driving experience, how many roads are connected to the roundabout circling the Arc de Triomphe?
Answer: 12
80. In what European country was the first veterinary school founded by Claude Bourgelat in 1762?
Answer: France
81. Crowned Miss France in 2016, Iris Mittenaere reigned supreme and won what global beauty pageant competition held in late January 2017 in Manila, Philippines?
Answer: Miss Universe
82. The first veterinary school in the world and a yummy sautéed namesake potato dish both come from what third-largest city in France?
Answer: Lyon
83. Sacramento is home to a film festival celebrating the cinema of what European country?
Answer: France
84. Serving from 1981 to 1995, who is the longest serving President of France?
Answer: Francois Mitterrand
85. What did France win in the years 1958, 1960, 1962, 1969, and 1977? Their five wins are only behind Ireland and Sweden, who have won it seven times each.
Answer: Eurovision Song Contest
86. What’s the name of the Ancient Roman three-tiered aqueduct that crosses the Gardon river in Southern France?
Answer: Pont du Gard
87. Between 1995 and 1996, which country conducted six nuclear tests in the Pacific, more specifically at Muratoa Atoll?
Answer: France
88. Perhaps you might go to a similar sounding place decades after leaving school. Of France's 11 overseas territories, French Guyana is by far the biggest in area, but which island in the Indian Ocean with over 800,000 people has the largest population ?
Answer: Réunion
89. What is the name of the smooth, creamy, seasoned soup of French origin that is typically based on a strained broth of crustaceans? The name is thought to come from the body of water between Spain and France below the Celtic Sea.
Answer: Bisque
90. What is the name of the far-right party of Marine Le Pen, who lost the French presidential runoff election to Emmanuel Macron in April 2022?
Answer: National Rally
91. Beginning and ending in Chamonix, France, the 106-mile Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc foot race loops around Mont Blanc, through what other two countries?
Answer: Italy and Switzerland
92. The Concorde, a joint venture between the UK and another European country, made its first flight in 1973. What airline other than British Airways flew the Concorde?
Answer: Air France
93. Produced and sold in France by Heineken France is an Irish Red beer with what man's name in the brand's title?
Answer: George Killian's Irish Red
94. In 2005, Isabelle Dinoire became the first patient to undergo a partial face transplant. In what country did she receive this groundbreaking surgery?
Answer: France
95. 159 years later, it would become a decisive victory for ABBA. Also known as La Belle Alliance, what is the English name for the 1815 battle that saw the defeat of Napoleon, thus marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars?
Answer: The Battle of Waterloo
96. The Louisiana Purchase occurred in 1803, when the United States bought the territory of the country of France for how many million dollars?
Answer: 15
97. In 2022, Kylian Mbappé became the second player to score goals for France in two FIFA World Cup finals, which alliteratively named French footballer managed this feat before him?
Answer: Zinedine Zidane
98. On the periodic table, Francium is named for the country of France. Less obviously, what metallic element gets its name from the old Latin name for what is now France?
Answer: Gallium
99. French Guiana, the overseas territory that France has on the South American mainland, has what city as its capital? You might find the answer to this question a little peppery for your liking.
Answer: Cayenne
100. There is a very small (180 square miles) landlocked sovereign country between France and Spain with a population of approximately 75,000. Believed to have been created by Charlemagne, what is the name of this country?
Answer: Andorra
101. Inspired by a liqueur produced in the Loire Valley in 17th-century France, Chambord is a liqueur flavored with what fruit?
Answer: Raspberries
102. French citizens have won it a record 16 times, but Annie Ernaux became the first female French recipient of the Nobel Prize in which category?
Answer: Literature
103. Creating a record for the furthest distance away from the opening ceremony, the surfing events in the Paris 2024 Olympics were held on which French Polynesian Island?
Answer: Tahiti
104. The largest national park in the European Union is located in which overseas department of France situated on the coast of South America? Two-word answer required.
Answer: French Guiana
105. Named after an early aviator and World War I fighter pilot, what is the name of the stadium that hosts the French Open every year?
Answer: Stade Roland Garros
106. What “T” public French garden is located between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde? It was created by Catherine de Medici as the garden of its namesake palace in 1564.
Answer: Tuileries Garden
107. Often called a Nazi puppet state, the French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II is usually known by what name taken from the spa town in Central France that served as its capital?
Answer: Vichy France (Régime de Vichy)
108. With roughly 12 million visitors a year visit, it is said to be the most visited site in all of Europe. The Parisian commune of Chessy is home to the European version of what major American attraction?
Answer: Disneyland (Disneyland Paris)
109. The French monarchs known as "The Bald," "The Fat," and "The Simple" all share what first name?
Answer: Charles
110. France’s national men’s soccer team walked away from what host country with the namesake championship trophy in the 2018 FIFA World Cup?
Answer: Russia
111. What French city on the coast of the Gulf of Lion is known as the home of the fish soup bouillabaisse?
Answer: Marseilles
112. What is the name of the spice blend in French cooking, which is composed of fennel, marjoram, parsley, rosemary, tarragon, and thyme? The name for this blend comes from a region in France.
Answer: Herbes de Provence
113. From its pronunciation, you might think it was made from footwear, but what bakery product (made using butter, water, flour, and eggs) gets its name from the French for cabbage, due to its shape?
Answer: Choux pastry (Pâte à choux)
114. When you take into account overseas territories, what country contains the most time zones?
Answer: France
115. What major eastern French city on the border of Germany is home to the European Parliament, Parc de l'Orangerie, Musée des Beaux-Arts, and Petite-France?
Answer: Strasbourg
116. What 1916 “V” battle of World War I was the longest battle of that conflict, taking place on the Western Front in France?
Answer: Battle Of Verdun
117. In the commune of Montmorillon in central France, you will find a museum (and attached store) dedicated to which iconic pastel colored, almond-based, French sweet treat?
Answer: Macarons
118. "The Fire Next Time," "If Beale Street Could Talk," and "Giovanni's Room" are all books by what acclaimed Black American author that spent most of his professional life in France rather than the U.S. due to the racial discrimination he faced in the states?
Answer: James Baldwin
119. Total S.A. is a multinational integrated oil and gas company founded in 1924 and headquartered in what European country?
Answer: France
120. What variety of billiards, popular in France where it originated, involves trying to bounce your cue ball off your opponent’s cue ball, and then strike a target ball? It’s “C” name comes fittingly from a verb meaning to strike and rebound.
Answer: Carom
121. Sharing its name with the département which has Saint-Étienne as its capital, what is the longest river to be entirely located within France?
Answer: Loire
122. Which small village in Pyrénées-Atlantiques is known for its hot peppers, which you’ll often see drying outside of people’s homes?
Answer: Espelette
123. What museum in Paris, the home of many impressionist and post-impressionist paintings, was once a railway station on the Left Bank of the Seine River?
Answer: Musée d'Orsay
124. What “P” building is a complex near the Les Halles in Paris France? It is named after a French president of the 1970s.
Answer: Pompidou Centre
125. In 2018, which French football player became the fourth goalkeeper in history to captain his country to victory at the FIFA World Cup?
Answer: Hugo Lloris
126. Which fruit, known as pomme d’amour in France, was wrongly thought in Renaissance times to be poisonous?
Answer: Tomato
127. Famous French Olympian Teddy Riner is a multiple Olympic champion in which combat sport?
Answer: Judo
128. What French writer was known for his adaptations of earlier folk tales, such as "Cinderella," "Puss in Boots," and "Sleeping Beauty," establishing the literary genre known as fairy tales, and serving as an influence on the work of the Brothers Grimm?
Answer: Charles Perrault
129. Which island in the Mediterranean Sea, southeast of the French mainland, has a regional capital called Ajaccio? This island is the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Answer: Corsica
130. In 2016, which country opened the world’s first stretch of solar-powered road—1km (0.6-mile) paved with over 2,800 panels?
Answer: France
131. What French mathematician and child prodigy exchanged a series of influential letters with Pierre de Fermat on probability theory which strongly influenced the development of modern economics and social science?
Answer: Blaise Pascal
132. Which archipelago in the Caribbean was once a Swedish colony? This archipelago now belongs to France and is known locally as Gwada.
Answer: Guadeloupe
133. What is the name of the Klaus-Jürgen Wrede designed card game that finds players creating cities, roads, cloisters, and fields for their meeple to live in? It shares a name with a Southern French city known for its walled citadel.
Answer: Carcassonne
134. The Bishop of Urgell and the president of which European country share the title of Prince of Andorra?
Answer: France
135. Which southern French city near the border of Spain is filled with terra cotta brickwork, leading to its nickname: “La Ville Rose?”
Answer: Toulouse
136. What is the name of the antisemitic political scandal that occurred during the late 19th and early 20th centuries during which Captain Alfred Dreyfus was convicted of treason?
Answer: Dreyfus affair
137. Which city in southeast France is nicknamed the “Pearl of the French Alps?”
Answer: Annecy
138. The football team known as "OL" dominated Ligue 1 (France's top domestic football league) at the start of the 21st century, winning a record seven consecutive titles. What city does OL represent?
Answer: Lyon
139. Known for its glass roof, what architectural masterpiece in central Paris hosted the fencing and taekwondo events at the 2024 Olympics?
Answer: Grand Palais
140. The European Commission bestows an annual prize for achievement in photovoltaic energy conversion, named for what French dude who started all that stuff?
Answer: Alexandre-Edmond Becquerel / Edmond Becquerel / Becquerel
141. In France, the dog is called Berger de Brie. Elsewhere, what name is given to the large, long-coated herding breed with the unusual feature of double dewclaws on its hind legs?
Answer: Briard
142. The French Parliament is made up of an upper house (Senate) and a lower house that is also known by which name?
Answer: National Assembly
143. Between 1888 and 1889 Vincent van Gogh lived in which city in the south of France where he produced over 300 works? Pablo Picasso and Paul Gauguin have also lived here.
Answer: Arles
144. In 2017, Emmanuel Macron was elected President of France as a candidate from what newly-created party, whose name means "Forward?"
Answer: En Marche
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