BACKGROUND PAPER

France:
Flag: Country Locator:

Three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), white, and red;
known as the "Le drapeau tricolore" (French Tricolor), the origin of the
flag dates to 1790 and the French Revolution when the "ancient French
color" of white was combined with the blue and red colors of the Parisian
militia; the official flag for all French dependent areas.

Geography information:
● Location: Western Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay and English
Channel, between Belgium and Spain, southeast of the UK;
bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Italy and Spain;
● Capital City: Paris
● Climate: Generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters
and hot summers along the Mediterranean; occasional strong, cold,
dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as the mistral;
● Natural Resource: Coal, iron ore, bauxite, zinc, uranium, antimony,
arsenic, potash, feldspar, fluorspar, gypsum, timber, arable land,
fish; French Guiana: gold deposits, petroleum, kaolin, niobium,
tantalum, clay;
● Neighboring Countries:Belgium and Luxembourg, on the east by
Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, on the south by the Mediterranean
Sea, Spain, and Andorra.