Tarn and Aveyron are the finest rivers in France. In order to better understand the place, let’s start of with Tarn River.

Tarn River

Tarn River or Tarnis in Latin is a river that measures 375 kilometers or 235 miles. It is located on the southern portion of France and on the right of the Garonne tributary. The hypothetical meaning of this river is “walled in or rapid”. This river is also the boundary of France’s two regions namely Midi-Pyrenees and Languedoc-Roussillon. The origin of the Tarn River is located at Cevennes, the mouth is located at Garonne and the Basin countries are situated in France.

Occupied by Franks during the 5th century, Picardy was divided in the middle of six feudal counts. This region became a French province during the late 1400s and was the target of many invasions from the Netherlands. During the 1st World War, this land was the sight of extended trench warfare.

The name “Picardie” first appeared during the 12th century. The origin of this name would appear to be of interest. The people within this region are called “Picards” and they are famous for being extremely aggressive.

Poitou-Charentes is a peaceful and largely unspotted region located at the middle of the west coast. It has pretty marinas, bustling resorts as well as excellent sandy beaches.  There are a number of good-looking islands like nineteen-mile extensive Ile d’Oleron that is popular with the naturists. Oyster catching is the main industry in Ile d’Oleron. The Ile de Re is known for their salt marshes as well as lots of hours of sunlight. The mainland Royan in the southern tilt of the region is busy renovating their tourist resorts. With their pretty enjoyable interior as well as mild climate, it’s a good place for a permanent or second home.

The inland portion of Poitou-Charentes also has plenty to offer. The marshes of the Marais Poitevin are frequently called France’s Venice. The lush and serene expanse fields are explored by means of a kayak or rowing boat that goes down the canals which were assembled by eleventh century monks. Next to the Poiters is the Futuroscope Theme Park where special effects and cinema are pushed into their limit in order to attempt to take a glimpse of the future in image technology whilst providing a learning experience.

Poiou-Chanentes is an administrative region in the Middle Western France including four departments such as Deux-Sevres, Vianne, Charente and Charente-Maritime. The local capital of Poitou-Charentes is Poitiers.

Nord-Pas-de-Calais is a part of the twenty six regions in France. The city capital of this land is Lille and its regional president is Mr. Daniel Percheron.  It also covers the departments of Pas-de-Calais and Nord. It has 13 Arrondisements, 156 Cantons and 1,546 Communes. The total land area of this French region is 12, 414 sq. kilometers. In terms of population, it is ranked as the 4th largest population in the whole country of France. As of the 1999 census, the population is 3,446,588 which signify why the estimated population as of last year (2007) has reached 4,048,000. The density of Nord-Pas-de-Calais as of the year 2007 is 326 per sq. kilometers.

In English, we call and spell this French region as “Nord-Pas de Calais”. The original name and spelling of this land is “Nord-Pas-de-Calais”. This is while the Dutch name is “Noord-Nauw van Kales”. It also has a border close to Belgium. Hence, both the department and the region itself were called nord during the end of the 20th Century.  It was once a part of the Southern portion of Netherlands until it was permanently added as a French territory in 1713. The provinces within Nord-Pas-de-Calais are so vast in history that they are visited by a lot of people around the world. Some of the historical provinces include Flanders and Artois.

The area of Nord-Pas-de-Calais is tremendously densely populated owing to the fact that it has over 4,000,000 inhabitants. The statistics says that this area consist of more than 7 percent of the total population of France and about 83 percent of Nord-Pas-de-Calais live in various urban communities. The towns within this French region include Valenciennes, Cambrai, Douai, Lens, Calais, Dunkerque, Arra, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Bethune and Maubeuge.

The Loire Valley in France is also called “Garden of France”. This land is also considered as the cradle of the French language. This French land is credited and famed for the greatness of its infrastructures and architectural heritage. In addition, it has a lot of historical towns than any other province or region in France. Its historical towns include Angers, Tours, Samur, Ambiose, Orleans, Chinon, Blois and Nantes. The castles such as Chateau de Villandry, Chenonceau and Chateaux d’Amboise are considered world-class and a must-see whenever you visit this region. Moreover, its state party is ranked as cultural.

The landscape, particularly the numerous monuments in Loire Valley illustrate an exceptional quality of the “Age of the Enlightenment” or “Renaissance Era” ideals on the Western European design. All in all, Loire Valley is a cultural heritage and place of exceptional beauty.

This French territory is the home of fine wines, chateaus and historical towns and monuments.  The UNESCO added some part between the Sully-sur-Loire and Maine of the Loire River Valley to the list of the “World Heritage Sites”.  This area owns French departments such as Loir-et-Cher, Loiret, Maine-et-Loire and Indre-et-Loire. This area are shaped and cultivated throughout the centuries of interactions between the physical environment and local populations.

Limousin is a part of France’s 26 regions. Its city capital is Limoges and the regional president is Jean-Paul Denanot who was elected on 2004. The departments of Correze, Haute-Vienne and Creuse departments make up Limousin. There are 8 Arrondisements, 106 Cantons and 747 Communes. The Occitan name for Limousin is “Lemosin”.

The total land area is 16,942 sq. kilometers and the population as of the year 2007 is an estimated 727,000. As of the 1999 census, the population of Limousin is 710,939. Its density is 43 per sq. kilometers. This place had recently been the tourist attraction because of the quintessential image that is old fashioned in Rural France.

Limousin had improved in terms of communication and transportation. This improvement attracted a lot of immigrants that were North European that are looking for low cost real estates as well as a rural setting. The cattles graze over the pasture lands, the sheep roam down on lower slopes and the fishes swim around the beautiful rivers, lakes and Cevennes.

Languedoc-Roussillon is known to be part of France’s 26 regions.  It is found in the southern portion of France.  Among the major cities of this region are Beziers, Carcassonne, Narbonne, Avignon, Toulouse, Perpignan, Nimes and Montpellier. Considered to be the fastest growing area in France, Languedoc possesses the country’s leading cities. Montpellier is regarded as the most thriving city amongst all the cities in all of Europe due to vast tourists visiting the place together with its thousands of inhabitants. Furthermore, Montpellier has been recently voted by the people of France to be the most well-known city to reside due its relaxed and beautiful Centre Historique attraction, shops and nearby beaches.

The invigorating weather and relaxing southern approach of the people of Languedoc to life have provided its main cities numerous outdoor restaurants and cafes. In addition, to its late development, the city has been protected from the unpleasant commercial developments done during the seventies. With this unexpected advantage, the region has retained their natural old-fashioned charm.

Every city has something exquisite to offer. Montpellier features its relaxed atmosphere and beautiful buildings. Nimes prides itself with its astonishing modern architecture and Roman monuments. Toulouse, people will truly delight in its food delicacies and fabulous shopping. Carcassonne boasts of its majestic castle. Beziers showcases its stunning winding centre. Narbonne displays an interesting indoor market. And Perpignan possesses great galleries and a Catalan atmosphere.

About Gironde

The beautiful region of Gironde is situated in the southwest of France nearby the wonderful waters of Aquitaine. Gironde is known to be the biggest French department, possessing about 72 long miles of brilliant coastline as well as rivers ranging to about 2170 miles long. It caters to 1.3 million inhabitants.

Gironde has earned its name from the estuary that forms the Dordogne and Garonne rivers. In addition, the department is renowned for its fine sandy beaches, exquisite wines and delectable mussels. The summer weather is quite hot with some occasional storms. However, its winter time is somewhat mild. Furthermore, the region of Gironde is also packed with lovely traditional villages which are set among the vast acres of lush vineyards.

Berry is known to be a region situated in the heart of France. Once a province of France, it has been taken place by department’s way back in the year 1790.

At present, Berry, France consists of different departments of Indre, Vienne, and Cher. Bourges is Berry’s capital. Berry is famous for being the place of birth of various kings and several French noble family members. It is also the hometown of some famous writers which includes Honoré de Balzac. During the middle Ages, the place had been the heart of Berry’s Duchy.

In addition, it is famous for the elucidated manuscript created between 14th to 15th century which is known as Les Très riches heures du Duc de Berry.
People who reside in Berry are called the Berrichons. For those who live in Bourges, they are called Berruyers.

The City’s Demographics

Nicosia is found in the center of Cyprus. This city is known as Cyprus’ capital and is considered as the biggest city in the country. Moreover, it performs as an individual administrative capital for the district of Nicosia. The city’s municipality governs simply the central portion. However, the city, at present, extends for a number of kilometers as well as the fact that it has surrounded its settlements and villages.

Aside from this, it has an approximate population of about 250,000 which is considered to contain one-third of Cyprus’ entire population. Nevertheless, Nicosia represents more than that. It is also the financial and administrative hub of this island and is home to various colleges, universities, and several education establishments.

Alsace-Lorraine, called as Elsass-Lothringen in Germany, is a historical frontier region located in northeastern France. It is divided from Germany in the east side by River Rhine which drains through Mosel River.

In Alsace-Lorraine eastern portion, the beautiful and scenic Vosges Mountains is situated. At present, Alsace-Lorraine comprises of three major departments: Haut-Rhin and Bas-Rhin for the Alsace region’s French administration while Moselle for Lorraine’s region. Its chief cities are Mulhouse, Strasbourg and Metz.

During the ninth century, the Alsace-Lorraine region was the center of disputes amongst the Germanic and French rulers after Charlemagne’s empire. In the year 1871, the Alsace-Lorraine term was coined according to the conclusion of the Peace and Treaty of Frankfurt of the Franco-Prussian War.

Gascony is also known as “Gascogne” in France. It is located in the southwest portion of France. It constitutes a French province that happened even before the French Revolution. It is said that Gascony belonged to Francia during the start of the Roman Era. Francia is Austrasia’s south west division at that time. During 481 AD, this land became a part of the Frank Kingdom due to the take-over of Clovis I.

This land is divided into two regions. First, it is part of the Aguitaine Region that consists of the departments of the West and South portion of Gironde, South part of Lot-et-Garome, Pyrenees-Atlantiques and Lande. The other region is the Midi-Pyrenes that consist of various departments such as Hautes-Pyrenes, Southwest portion of Tarn-Et-Garonne, Gers and the Western part of Haute-Garonne.

Franche-Comté is a traditional province as well as an administrative region on the eastern part of France. It is a former Burgandy “Free Country” for it is a district from Duchy. It comprises of the departments of Jura, Territoire de Belfort, Doubs and Haute-Saône. As of 2006, the population of this French region is an estimated 1,146,000.

The modern and historical capital of Franche-Comté is the city of Besançon. It is also referred as the “greenest city in France”. It is situated near the border of Switzerland. In addition, it is Doubs department’s capital.

Its major cities include Montbéliard or “Aire Urbaine Belfort- Montbéliard-Héricourt-Delle”. Some important cities in this area include Dole, Vesoul, Arbois and Lons-le-Saunier. These said cities are the former capital of this region before Louis XIV during the 17th Century, capital of Haute- Saône, the wine capital of Jura and Jura’s capital respectively.
The regional flag of Franche-Comté says, “Azure billetty a lion rampant crowned or armed and langued gules” in English translation. Franche-Comté’s flag are related to the 1286 palatine count of Burgundy or Otto IV.

The said Otto IV is always mistaken as the German Emperor that was defeated in Bouvines by Philippe-Auguste during the year 1214. The president of this region is Dufay and he was only elected this year (2008). It has eight arrondissements, 116 cantons and 1,786 communes. In terms of land area, Franche-Comté covers around 16,202 sq. kilometers. In population as well as population growth, this French region is ranked as the 20th most populated region in the whole France. Also, its density is approximately 71 per sq. kilometers.

Normandy is written as “Normandie” in French and “Normaundie” in Norman.  It is a region that is equivalent to the former Normandy Duchy. It is located near the French southern coast of the English Channel along Picardy in the East and Brittany in the West. This French territory comprises of other lands in the North portion of France and Channel Islands. Normandy is divided into two sovereignties – the British and the French.

The territory that is under the sovereignty of France covers around 30,627 sq. kilometers. This land area makes it about 5 percent of the France. Normandy is subdivided into 2 regions in order to administer the land properly. The two regions are the Haute-Nomrmandie and Basse-Normandie. The “Iles Anglo-Normandes” or the Channel Islands covers approximately more than 150 sq. kilometers and consists of two “Bailiwicks” namely Jersey and Guernsey. These two Bailiwicks are under the British government.