France: Regions

France is a beautiful country with mountains, rivers, lakes, and many historic villages. The country and its capital are most visited places in the world. However, there are many other interesting places in France to explore.

If you like winter sports, you can vacation at a ski resort. If you like sunbathing, there are beaches along the Atlantic and Mediterranean coast lines. If you like to view historic ruins and admire the architecture of many small and quaint villages, you can pick a region and visit the countryside.

France is know for its cuisine, perfumes, and wines and is becoming one of the foremost technological centers of Europe.

France is a republic with twenty-six regions; twenty-one are in metropolitan France, one is the island of Corscia and four are on other continents.

The regions within France:

Alsace	Adjacent to Germany and Switzerland and is a forest area. It is one of the most industralized areas of the country.
Aquitaine	Located in the southwestern part of France along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range with Spain.
Auvergne	Region is comprised of some of the oldest cities in France including the historical capital of the umbrella.
Basse Normandie	Division of Normandie, once known as "Lower Normandie."
Bourgogne (Burgundy)	The heart of France because of its location and an important wine producing area.
Bretagne (Brittany)	Large peninsula between the English Channel and the Bay of Biscay
Centre	This is not the actual center of the country and encompasses the valleys of the Loire River.
Champagne-Ardenne	Borders on Belgium. It is famous for its history and its famous wine.
Franche-Comte	Borders Switzerland.
Haute-Normandie	Created in 1956 when Normandie was divided into Basse Normandie and Haute-Normandie.
Ile-de-France	Mainly comprised of Paris and its suburbs.
Languedoc Roussillon	Wine producing region with more vineyards than Bordeaux.
Limousin	Essentially a rural region known for its beef farming.
Lorraine	Known for its cuisine and wine producing vineyards.
Midi-Pyrenees	Region created in the late 20th century. It is the largest region in France.
Nord-Pas de Calais	Borders Belgium and is on the English Channel.
Pays-de-la Loire	Created in the 20th century and encompasses what was once known as the Loire Valley.
Picardie	Region of fields with large forests and picturesque villages.
Poitou-Charentes	Region that is believed to be the origin of most of the Acadian and Cajun population of North America.
Provence-Alpes Cote d'Azur	Former province of Provence and is made up of the cities that are known as the French Riviera.
Rhone-Alpes	Known as the "Gastronomic Center" of France. It is a wine producing area.

Each is made up of several cities or communes. Each area has its own distinctive history and culture. There are places you probably never heard of that may be worth exploration. It is impossible to see all of France in a limited time frame. You can concentrate on two or three areas to explore in great depth.

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