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France is both a northern and a Mediterranean country. Paris and the northern plains have a temperate climate similar to southern England's, perhaps a little drier. Temperatures rarely fall far below freezing, or rise much above 80? F. (37? C.) in summer. In the west and south west the weather is milder but more variable. On the south east coast winters may be warm, but in the central and eastern mountains they are cold.

Winter brings severe westerly gales too, in the Atlantic regions, and a sharp northerly wind (the Mistral) in the south east. No part of the country has less than 20 in. of rain.

The best season for touring would be any time from April to October. If you want hot sun, then restrict yourself to high Summer, except in Provence, where even May or October can be pleasantly warm.

The northern half of the country is mainly flat or rolling; the south is largely hilly or mountainous, especially in the Massif Central and towards the Alps and Pyrenees. There are few lakes of any size, but several mighty rivers such as the Loire (the longest, 625 m.), Rhone (505 m.), Seine (482 m.), and Saone (298 m.).

The Brittany coast is rocky and rugged, that of Provence steep and luxuriantly lovely. There are several huge forests, notably south of Bordeaux. Wild flowers abound, especially in Provence. France is among the most richly cultivated countries in Europe.

About the 6th cent. BC. the lands now known as France were colonized by the Gauls. The Romans finally conquered them In 51 B.C, During the 8th cent A.D. the Franks who had been converted to Christianity, became paramount, their great king, Charlemagne, brought most of western Europe into his Empire. After his death in 814, it was broken up. Repeated invasions by the Northmen compelled France to give them Normandy in 911.

Through the growth of feudalism, a noble, Hugh Capet, was able to seize the throne in 987 from the Frankish kings. The Capet line struggled for territory with the kings of England, and Philip Augustus (1180-1223) took from King John most of England's possessions in France.

The death of Charles IV without an heir in 1328, and Edward III's claim to the French throne, began the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453)' Weakened by poverty and dissent, France lost repeatedly to England, but, encouraged by the victories of Joan of Arc, later won back all the English conquests except Calais. France emerged from the war united by a new patriotism and a strong monarchy.

The French kings then tried, unsuccessfully, to conquer parts of Italy. There they clashed with Spanish ambitions, and this rivalry was intensified when Charles, the Hapsburg King of Spain, became Holy Roman Emperor in 1519 it continued for 200 years. France was further troubled, in the 16th cent., by religious wars that resulted from the Reformation, but during the 17th cent, she gained many colonial possessions, especially in North America.

The reign of Louis XIV (1643-1715) brought France to the height of her power. The expense, however, of conducting wars and maintaining the King's prestige caused much suffering among the lower classes. After his death, France's power waned, and she was defeated in the Seven Years' War (1756-63), losing to England her possessions in Canada and India.

In 1789 the people of France rebelled against the aristocracy. The Revolution destroyed feudalism, and France had no settled government until Napoleon Bonaparte appeared as her leader, becoming Emperor in 1804. He conquered nearly all Europe and began the reorganization of France. After his retreat from Moscow, Napoleon abdicated in 1814, and the Monarchy was restored.

Napoleon returned, but his downfall was made final in 1815 by the Battle of Waterloo. The rule of the Monarchy, however, was not absolute. The Revolution of 1848 ended it, and in 1851 Louis Napoleon, a nephew of the first Bonaparte ruler, seized power, becoming Emperor Napoleon III in 1852. France's defeat by the Prussians in 1870 brought his downfall, and France again became a republic, which she has ever since remained.

The late 19th cent, was a time of comparative peace and of colonial expansion, ending with the First World War and Germany's invasion of France. Between 1918 and 1939 France's progress was hampered by political and financial instability. During the Second World War, the Germans in 1940 again invaded France, and they occupied the country until the end of 1944, in spite of the Free French movement, organized by Charles de Gaulle, who later became President.