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• 
  Acigné
  Coordinates: 48°08′05″N 1°32′07″W / 48.1347°N 1.5353°W / 48.1347; -1.5353
  Acigné (Gallo: Aczeinyae) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Evidences of ancient occupation of the site go back to 3500 BCE.
  The areas was evangelized by Saint Martin or his disciples in the 4th century.
  In 1010, Rivallon, Baron of Vitré ceded the territory of Acigné to his son Renaud. This dynasty lasted until the 16th century, when the line ended with the marriage of Judith d'Acigné to the marshall of Cossé-Brissac.
  From th 11th to the 18th centuries, part of the territory of the commune belonged to the Abbeys of Saint Melaine and Saint Georges in Rennes.
  In 1234, the castle was destroyed by the Duke of Brittany, Pierre Mauclerc to punish Alain d'Acigné for having sided with the king of France (Louis IX) against him.
  During the French Revolution, the village sided with its clergy and was punished by being sacked by a troup of national guard in 1792.
  Industrialization brought a marked exodus during the 19th and 20th centuries. However, in the 1970s, this trend was reversed, and the population again increased.
  
  wn.com/Acigné
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  Agen
  Coordinates: 44°12′18″N 0°37′16″E / 44.2049°N 0.6212°E / 44.2049; 0.6212
  Agen (French pronunciation: [aʒɛ̃]) is a commune in the Lot-et-Garonne department in Aquitaine in south-western France. It lies on the river Garonne 135 kilometres (84 mi) southeast of Bordeaux. It is the capital of the department.
  The town has a higher level of unemployment than the national average. Major employers include UPSA, the pharmaceutical factory.
  The old centre of town contains a number of medieval buildings.
  The twelfth century Agen Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Caprasius, is one of the few large churches in France with a double nave; the curious and impractical plan may be a regional trait, since one of the others is the Church of the Jacobins in relatively nearby Toulouse.
  The Saint Hilaire church, dedicated to the theme of the Holy Trinity which the Saint in question did a lot to defend, is notable for its unusual statues in front of the Church – Moses on the right, and St Peter on the left.
  The Fine Arts museum, Musée des Beaux Arts contains artefacts furniture and sculptures from prehistoric times onwards. The art gallery contains several hundred works including several by Goya, and others by Bonnard, Seurat. The collection also contains a large number of works by artists who lived locally. The museum is made up of twenty or so rooms.
  
  wn.com/Agen
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  Ain
  Ain (French pronunciation: [ɛ̃]; Arpitan: En) is a department named after the Ain River on the eastern edge of France. Being part of the region Rhône-Alpes and bordered by the rivers Saône and Rhône, the department of Ain enjoys a privileged geographic situation. It has an excellent transport network (TGV, highways) and benefits from the proximity to the international airports of Lyon and Geneva.
  Ain is composed of four geographically different areas (Bresse, Dombes, Bugey and Pays de Gex) which – each with its own characteristics – contribute to the diversity and the dynamic economic development of the department. In the Bresse agriculture and agro-industry are dominated by the cultivation of cereals, cattle breeding, milk and cheese production as well as poultry farming. In the Dombes, pisciculture assumes greater importance as does viticulture in the Bugey. The high diversification of the department's industry is accompanied by a strong presence of the plastics sector in and around Oyonnax (so-called "Plastics Valley").
  
  wn.com/Ain
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  Aisne
  Aisne (French pronunciation: [ɛːn]) is a department in the northern part of France, named after a river.
  Aisne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Île-de-France, Picardie, and Champagne.
  Most of the old growth forests in the area were destroyed during battles in World War I. The French offensive against the Chemin des Dames in spring 1917 is sometimes referred to as the Second Battle of the Aisne.
  Aisne borders the Ardennes Forest and Belgium to the northeast. The Aisne River crosses the area from east to west, where it joins the Oise River. The Marne forms part of the southern boundary of the department with the department of Seine-et-Marne. The southern part of the department is the geographical region known as la Brie poilleuse, a drier plateau known for its dairy products and Brie cheese.
  The landscape is dominated by masses of rock which often have steep flanks. These rocks appear all over the region, but the most impressive examples are at Laon and the Chemin des Dames ridge.
  
  wn.com/Aisne
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  Ajaccio
  Coordinates: 41°55′36″N 8°44′13″E / 41.9267°N 8.7369°E / 41.9267; 8.7369
  Ajaccio (Latin: Adiacium; French: Ajaccio, [aʒaksjo]; Corsican: Aiacciu [aˈjattʃu]; Italian: Ajaccio, [aˈjattʃo]), is a commune on the island of Corsica in France. It is the capital and largest city of the region of Corsica and the prefecture of the department of Corse-du-Sud.
  The geopolitical arrangements of the commune are slightly different from those typical of Corsica and France. Usually an arrondissement includes cantons and a canton includes one to several communes including the chef-lieu, "chief place", from which the canton takes its name. The city of Ajaccio is one commune, but it contains six cantons, Cantons 1–6, and a fraction of Canton 7. The latter contains five other communes: Bastelicaccia, Alata, Afa, Appietto and Villanova, making a total of six communes for the seven cantons of Ajaccio.
  Each canton contains a certain number of quartiers, "quarters". Cantons 1, 2, 3, 6, 7 are located along the Gulf of Ajaccio from west to east, while 4 and 5 are a little further up the valleys of the Gravona and the Prunelli Rivers. These political divisions subdivide the population of Ajaccio into units that can be more democratically served but they do not give a true picture of the size of Ajaccio. In general language, "greater Ajaccio" includes about 100,000 people with all the medical, educational, utility and transportational facilities of a big city. Up until World War II it was still possible to regard the city as being a settlement of narrow streets localized to some part of the harbor or the Gulf of Ajaccio; such bucolic descriptions do not fit the city of today, and travellogues intended for mountain or coastal recreational areas do not generally apply to Corsica's few big cities.
  
  wn.com/Ajaccio
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  Albi
  Coordinates: 43°55′44″N 2°08′47″E / 43.9289°N 2.1464°E / 43.9289; 2.1464
  Albi (French pronunciation: [albi]; Occitan: Albi [ˈalβi]) is a commune in southern France. It is the prefecture of the Tarn department. It is located on the River Tarn, c. 85 km northeast of Toulouse. Its inhabitants are called Albigensians (French: Albigeois, Albigeoise(s), Occitan: albigés -esa(s)). It was the seat of the Archbishop of Albi and is the seat of the Diocese of Albi. The episcopal city, situated in the center of the actual city, around the cathedral, was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 2010.
  Albi is the seat of 6 cantons, covering 18 communes, with a total population of 67,729.
  The first human settlement in Albi was in the Bronze Age (3000-600 BC). After the Roman conquest of Gaul in 51 BC, the town became Civitas Albigensium, the territory of the Albigeois, Albiga. Archaeological digs have not revealed any traces of Roman buildings, which seems to indicate that Albi was a modest Roman settlement.
  
  wn.com/Albi
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  Alençon
  Coordinates: 48°25′50″N 0°05′35″E / 48.4306°N 0.0931°E / 48.4306; 0.0931
  Alençon (French pronunciation: [a.lɑ̃.sɔ̃]) is a commune in Normandy, France, capital of the Orne department. It is situated 105 miles (169 km) west of Paris. Alençon belongs to the intercommunality of Alençon (with 52,000 people).
  It was probably during the fourth century, while the area was being Christianised, that the city of Alençon was founded. The name is first seen in a document dated in the seventh century. During the tenth century, Alençon was a buffer state between Normandy and the Maine regions. In 1047, William Duke of Normandy, later known as William the Conqueror and king of England, laid siege to the town. The citizens insulted William by hanging animal skins from the walls, in reference to his ancestry as the illegitimate son of Duke Robert and a tanner's daughter. On capturing the town, William had a number of the citizens' hands cut off in revenge. Alençon was occupied by the English during the Anglo-Norman wars of 1113 to 1203.
  
  wn.com/Alençon
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  Algeria
  Coordinates: 28°N 2°E / 28°N 2°E / 28; 2
  Algeria ⁱ/ælˈdʒɪəriə/ (Arabic: الجزائر‎, al-Jazā'ir; Berber: ⴷⵣⴰⵢⴻⵔ Dzayer), officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria (الجمهورية الجزائرية الديمقراطية الشعبية, al-Jumhūriyyah al-Jazāʾiriyyah ad-Dīmuqrāṭiyyah ash-Shaʿbiyyah), also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a large country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.
  When referring to its land area, Algeria is the largest country in Africa, Maghreb and the Arab World. It is also the largest of the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea; it is also the tenth-largest country in the world. The country is bordered in the northeast by Tunisia, in the east by Libya, in the west by Morocco, in the southwest by Western Sahara, Mauritania, and Mali, in the southeast by Niger, and in the north by the Mediterranean Sea. Its size is almost 2,400,000 square kilometres (926,645 sq mi) with an estimated population of 37.1 million as of 2012. Algeria is a member of the African Union, the Arab League, OPEC and the United Nations. The country is also a founding member of the Arab Maghreb Union.
  
  wn.com/Algeria
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  Allier
  Allier (French pronunciation: [a.lje]; Occitan: Alèir) is a department in central France named after the river Allier.
  Allier is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Auvergne and Bourbonnais.
  In 1940, the government of Marshal Philippe Pétain chose the town of Vichy as its capital. Vichy also became the department's second sub-prefecture in 1940, since the department now found itself split by the demarcation line between the occupied and (relatively, at least initially) free zones of France.
  The department belongs to the region Auvergne and is surrounded by the following French departments: Cher, Nièvre, Saône-et-Loire, Loire, Puy-de-Dôme, and Creuse.
  The following rivers run through Allier:
  Allier is the most productive agricultural area of the Auvergne. Vichy has long been known for its water, which is exported worldwide.
  Montluçon, Vichy, and Moulins are the principal cities. The rest of the department consists of smaller towns, mostly along the rivers. In general, the department is sparsely populated. The population increased until the end of the 19th century because of the growth of industry in Montluçon and Moulins and development of the thermal resources at Vichy. At that time the department had over 420,000 inhabitants. After the losses of World War I, the population stagnated, with a small increase in the 1960s. Since then, it has decreased slightly from 386,533 in 1968 to 344,721 in 1999.
  
  wn.com/Allier
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  Almaty
  Almaty (Kazakh: Алматы / Almatı / الماتى , i.e. "city of apples" or "city of apple trees", under the Russian Empire from 1867 to 1921 known by the Russian name of Верный, Vierny, i.e. "the Faithful," and under the Soviet Union from 1921 to 1993 known as Alma-Ata (Russian: Алма́-Ата́, from the Kazakh алма/alma, i.e. "apple", and ата/ata, i.e. "grandfather"), is the former capital of Kazakhstan and the nation's largest city, with a population of 1,348,500 (at 1 September 2008). This represents approximately 9% of the country's population.
  Almaty was the capital of the Kazakh SSR from 1929 to 1991 and of independent Kazakhstan from 1991 to 1997. Despite losing its status as the capital to Astana in 1997, Almaty remains the major commercial center of Kazakhstan. The city is located in a mountainous area of southern Kazakhstan, near the border with Kyrgyzstan.
  From 1927 to 1936, Almaty was the capital of Kazakh ASSR. From 1936 to 1991, it was the capital of Kazakh SSR. From 1991 to 1997, it was the capital of Kazakhstan. Almaty remains the largest, most developed, and most ethnically and culturally diverse city in Kazakhstan. The city is located in the foothills of Trans-Ili Alatau (or Zailiysky Alatau) in the extreme south-east and has a peculiar, relatively mild climate regime with a difficult environmental situation. Since the city is located in a tectonically active area there is a constant possibility of the earthquakes, most of which do not represent any significant danger or cause damage. However, Almaty has a record of some large destructive earthquakes too.
  
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  Alsace
  Alsace (French: Alsace [alzas]; Alsatian: Elsàss [ˈɛlsɑs]; German: Elsass, pre-1996: Elsaß, IPA: [ˈɛlzas]; Latin: Alsatia) is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area (8,280 km²), and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km² (total population in 2006: 1,815,488; 1 January 2008 estimate: 1,836,000). Alsace is located on France's eastern border and on the west bank of the upper Rhine adjacent to Germany and Switzerland. The political, economic and cultural capital as well as largest city of Alsace is Strasbourg. Because that city is the seat of dozens of international organizations and bodies, Alsace is politically one of the most important regions in the European Union.
  The name "Alsace" can be traced back to the Old High German Ali-saz or Elisaz, meaning "foreign domain". An alternative explanation derives it from a Germanic Ell-sass, meaning "seated on the Ill", a river in Alsace. The region was historically part of the Holy Roman Empire. It was gradually annexed by France in the 17th century under kings Louis XIII and Louis XIV and made one of the provinces of France. Alsace is frequently mentioned in conjunction with Lorraine, because German possession of parts of these two régions (as the imperial province Alsace-Lorraine, 1871–1918) was contested in the 19th and 20th centuries, during which Alsace changed hands four times between France and Germany in 75 years.
  
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  Amanlis
  Coordinates: 48°00′26″N 1°28′29″W / 48.0072°N 1.4747°W / 48.0072; -1.4747
  Amanlis (Gallo: Amanliz) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in the Brittany region of France.
  The inhabitants of Amanlis are known as Amanlisiens.
  
  
  
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  Amiens
  Coordinates: 49°53′31″N 2°17′56″E / 49.892°N 2.299°E / 49.892; 2.299
  Amiens (French pronunciation: [amjɛ̃]) is a city and commune in northern France, 120 km (75 mi) north of Paris and 100 km (62 mi) south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy. The city had a population of 136,105 according to the 2006 census.
  Originally called Samarobriva ("Somme bridge") by the Gauls, the town was later given the name Ambianum by the Romans as it was a settlement of the Gallic Ambiani people. The Ambiani derive their name from the Gaulish word ambe meaning 'river' – a reference to the Somme that flows through Amiens.
  
  
  The Paleolithic culture named Acheulean was named for its first identified site, in Saint-Acheul, a neighbourhood of Amiens.
  Amiens, the Roman Samarobriva, was the central settlement of the Ambiani, one of the principal tribes of Gaul, who were issuing coinage, probably from Amiens, in the 1st century BC. By tradition, it was at the gates of Amiens that Saint Martin of Tours, at the time still a Roman soldier, shared his cloak with a naked beggar. The prosperity of the city made it a target for barbarian tribes such as the Alans, the Burgundians or the Vandals. They conquered the city several times.
  
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  Angers
  Coordinates: 47°28′25″N 0°33′15″W / 47.4736°N 0.5542°W / 47.4736; -0.5542
  Angers (French pronunciation: [ɑ̃.ʒe]) is the main city in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France about 300 km (190 mi) south-west of Paris. Angers is located in the French region known by its pre-revolutionary, provincial name, Anjou, and its inhabitants are called Angevins.
  Angers proper has a population of 157,000 inhabitants, while c. 283,000 live in its metropolitan area. The city traces its roots to early Roman times. It occupies both banks of the Maine, which is spanned by six bridges. The district along the river has flourishing nurseries and market gardens. It is known for its fresh produce and cut flowers.
  The first sign of human presence on the site of Angers is a stone tool dated back to 400,000 BCE (Lower Paleolithic).^{[citation needed]}
  The earliest known inhabitants were the Andecavi, a Gallic tribe that was overrun by the Romans. The city, while under Roman rule, was called Juliomagus.
  The Council of Angers was held here in 453.
  
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  Angoulême
  Coordinates: 45°38′56″N 0°09′39″E / 45.6489°N 0.1608°E / 45.6489; 0.1608
  Angoulême [ɑ̃ɡulɛm] ( listen) is a commune in southwestern France. It is the capital of the Charente department, in Poitou-Charentes. Based on a plateau overlooking a meander of the Charente River, the city is nicknamed the "balcony of the southwest". The city proper's population is a little less than 50,000 but is the center of an urban area of 110,000 people, stretched over fifteen kilometers from north to south.
  When it was the old capital of the Angoumois in the Ancien Régime, Angoulême was a fortified town which was highly coveted due to its position at the center of many roads important to communication, and therefore suffered many sieges. From its tumultuous past, the city, perched on a rocky spur, inherited a large historical, religious and urban patrimony, which attracts a lot of tourists.
  Nowadays, Angoulême is the center of an agglomeration which is one of the most industrialised between Loire and Garonne (paper industry in 15th century, foundry and electromechanical engineering until a recent period). It is also a commercial and administrative city, with its own university and a very animated cultural life.
  
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  Annecy
  Coordinates: 45°54′58″N 6°07′59″E / 45.916°N 6.133°E / 45.916; 6.133
  Annecy (French pronunciation: [an.si]; Èneci / Ènneci in Arpitan language) is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.
  It lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy (Lac d'Annecy), 35 kilometres south of Geneva.
  Annecy is the capital of the department of Haute-Savoie.
  The metropolitan area of Annecy includes 13 municipalities.
  Annecy is the capital of three cantons:
  Starting as the capital of the county of Geneva, after the demise of the counts of Geneva, it became integrated into the House of Savoy's possessions in 1401. In 1444, it was set up by the Princes of Savoy as the capital of a region covering the possessions of the Genevois, Faucigny and Beaufortain. With the advance of Calvinism in 1535, it became a center for the Counter-Reformation and the bishop's see of Geneva was transferred here.
  During the French Revolution the Savoy region was conquered by France. Annecy became attached to the département of Mont Blanc, of which the capital was Chambéry. After the Bourbon Restoration in 1815, it was returned to the Kingdom of Sardinia (heir of the Duchy of Savoy). When Savoy was sold to France in 1860, it became the capital of the new département of Haute-Savoie.
  
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  Antrain
  Coordinates: 48°27′40″N 1°29′01″W / 48.4611°N 1.4836°W / 48.4611; -1.4836
  Antrain (Gallo: Antrein) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in the Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Antrain are called Antrenais in French.
  
  
  
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  Aquitaine
  Aquitaine (French pronunciation: [a.ki.tɛn], English /ˌækwɪˈteɪn/; Occitan: Aquitània; Basque: Akitania), archaic Guyenne/Guienne (Occitan: Guiana), is one of the 27 regions of France, in the south-western part of metropolitan France, along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. It is composed of the 5 departments of Dordogne, Lot et Garonne, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Landes and Gironde. In the Middle Ages Aquitaine was a kingdom and a duchy, whose boundaries fluctuated considerably.
  There are traces of human settlement by prehistoric peoples, especially in the Périgord, but the earliest attested inhabitants in the south-west were the Aquitani, who were not proper Celtic people, but more akin to the Iberians (see Gallia Aquitania). Although a number of different languages and dialects were in use in the area during ancient times, it is most likely that the prevailing language of Aquitaine during the late pre-historic to Roman period was an early form of the Basque language. This has been demonstrated by various Aquitanian names and words that were recorded by the Romans, and which are currently easily readable as Basque. Whether this Aquitanian language (Proto-Basque) was a remnant of a Vasconic language group that once extended much farther, or whether it was generally limited to the Aquitaine/Basque region is not currently known. One reason the language of Aquitaine is important is because Basque is the last surviving non-Indo-European language in western Europe and it has had some effect on the languages around it, including Spanish and, to a lesser extent, French.
  
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  Arbrissel
  Coordinates: 47°55′39″N 1°18′11″W / 47.9275°N 1.3031°W / 47.9275; -1.3031
  Arbrissel (Breton: Ervrezhell, Gallo: Arbeczèu) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Arbrissel are called Arbrisselois in French.
  Robert of Arbrissel, the founder of the Abbey of Fontevrault, was born in Arbrissel.
  
  
  
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  Ardèche
  Ardèche (French pronunciation: [aʁ.dɛʃ]; Occitan and Arpitan: Ardecha) is a department in south-central France named after the Ardèche River.
  The area has been inhabited by humans at least since the Upper Paleolithic, as attested by the famous cave paintings at Chauvet Pont d'Arc. The plateau of the Ardeche River has extensive standing stones (dolmens and menhirs), erected thousands of years ago.^{[citation needed]} The river is the largest natural canyon in Europe and the caves that dot the cliffs (which go as high as 300 m (1,000 feet) are known for signs of prehistoric inhabitants (arrowheads and flint knives are often found).
  The Vivarais, as the Ardèche is still called, takes its name and coat-of-arms from Viviers, which was the capital of the Gaulish tribe of Helvii, part of Gallia Narbonensis, after the destruction of their previous capital at Alba-la-Romaine. Saint Andéol, a disciple of St Polycarp, is supposed to have evangelized the Vivarais during the reign of Emperor Septimius Severus, and was supposedly martyred in 208. (Legend tells of Andéol's burial by Amycia Eucheria Tullia.) Auxonius, in 430, transferred the see to Viviers as a result of the problems suffered at its previous site in Alba Augusta.
  
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  Ariège
  Ariège (French pronunciation: [aʁjɛʒ]; Occitan: Arièja) is a department in southwestern France named after the Ariège River.
  Ariège is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from the counties of Foix and Couserans.
  Foix is the administrative capital of the Ariège. It is an ancient medieval town with a fortress Chateau de Foix perched on a hill overlooking it. The fortress has been attacked many times without capture, including an attempt by Simon de Montfort. It has also been used as a prison, and the names of English Prisoners of War can still be seen on the cell walls. Another famous chateau in the Ariège is Montségur, located on a rocky outcrop at a height of 1200 metres (3,900 ft). During the Albigensian Crusade and siege of 1244 AD the chateau was largely destroyed, with more than two hundred Cathar priests burnt at the stake as heretics. The chateau was gradually rebuilt by Royalists over a period of the next three hundred years.
  
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  Arras
  Coordinates: 50°17′23″N 2°46′51″E / 50.2897°N 2.7808°E / 50.2897; 2.7808
  Arras (French pronunciation: [aʁɑːs]; Dutch: Atrecht) is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France on the Scarpe river. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect. Unlike many French words, the final "s" in the name should be pronounced.
  Arras was founded on the hill of Baudimont by the Belgic tribe of the Atrebates, who named it Nemetacum or Nemetocenna in reference to a nemeton (sacred grove) that probably existed there. It was later renamed Atrebatum by the Romans, under whom it became an important garrison town.
  The town's people were converted to Christianity in the late 4th century by Saint Inoccent, who was killed in 410 during a barbarian attack on the town. Around 130 years later, St. Vedast (also known as St. Vaast) established an episcopal see in the town and a monastic community, which developed during the Carolingian period into the immensely wealthy Benedictine Abbey of St. Vaast. The modern town of Arras initially grew up around the abbey as a grain market. Both town and abbey suffered during the 9th century from the attacks of the Vikings, who later settled to the west in Normandy. The abbey revived its strength in the 11th century and played an important role in the development of medieval painting, successfully synthesising the artistic styles of Carolingian, Ottonian and English art.
  
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  Aube
  Aube (French pronunciation: [ob]) is a department in the northeastern part of France named after the Aube River. In 1995, its population was 293,100 inhabitants.
  Aube is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Champagne.
  The territory making up Aube was first attached to France in 843, following the Treaty of Verdun.
  After the allied victory over Napoleon at Waterloo the department was occupied by Russian troops between June 1815 and November 1818.
  In 1911, following the revolt of the Champagne producers, a series of major riots erupted in Aube. Dozens of serious injuries resulted.
  In 1919, by a new decree, Aube wine producers were authorized to produce champagne.
  Aube is perhaps best known for the 1932 visit of the late Turkish president Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who signed a friendship treaty with France there on 4 July 1938.
  The department is part of the current region of Champagne-Ardenne. It is surrounded by the departments of Marne, Haute-Marne, Côte-d'Or, Yonne, and Seine-et-Marne.
  
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  Auch
  Coordinates: 43°38′47″N 0°35′08″E / 43.6465°N 0.5855°E / 43.6465; 0.5855
  Auch (French pronunciation: [ɔʃ]; Gascon: Aush [awʃ]) is a commune in southwestern France. Located in the region of Midi-Pyrénées, it is the capital of the Gers department. Auch is the historical capital of Gascony.
  Auch is a very ancient town. The name of Auch comes from the Aquitanian tribe that inhabited the area at the time of the Roman conquest in the 50s BC. The name of this tribe, as recorded by the Romans, was Ausci (pronounced [awski] in Latin), singular Auscus. Aquitanians spoke a language related to the old Basque language, and a striking fact is that the name Ausci seems related to the native name of the modern Basques, who call themselves Euskal (pronounced [euskal] in Basque).^{[citation needed]}
  At the time of the Roman conquest, the native name of Auch, as recorded by the Romans, was Elimberris. Elimberris is itself a variant of Iliberri, where Ili- comes from the Iberian word iltir' or iltur (the "t" is mute) meaning town, city, oppidum, a frequent prefix in names of Iberian cities, and which was probably borrowed into Basque and also Aquitanian (cf. modern Basque hiri, meaning "town"). In modern Basque there is also the word berri which means "new", so Iliberri is often interpreted as meaning "new oppidum" (based on the fact that Aquitanian and old Basque are related). However, this interpretation should be taken with caution. In the south of Spain, near Granada, an area far away from the Basque homeland, there was an Iberian city whose name the Romans also recorded as Iliberi, and here it seems the name recorded by the Romans is the phonetic transcription of Iberian Ilbirir, which comes from the Iberian stem ilbi- (meaning unknown), and not at all from an hypothetical il(t)i- (town) and Basque berri.
  
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  Aude
  Aude (French pronunciation: [od]; Occitan: Aude) is a department in south-central France named after the river Aude. The local council also calls the department "Cathar Country".
  Aude is also a frequent feminine French given name in Francophone countries, deriving initially from Aude or Oda, a wife of Bertrand, Duke of Aquitaine, and mother of Saint Hubertus's brother Eudo. Aude was the name of Roland's fiancée in the chansons de gestes.
  Human traces have been found in the department from 1,500,000 years BCE in the form of hammers and worked tools on the hill of Grazailles at Carcassonne. The most interesting discovery, however, is that of the skull of ‘Tautavel Man’ made by Henry de Lumley in the commune of Tautavel in the Pyrénées-Orientales. It is the oldest skull known in Europe. It dates from about 450,000 years BCE. It is likely that Tautavel Man lived in all of this region.
  The Romans, led by the consul-general Domitius Ahenobarbus, installed themselves first of all at Narbonne in 118 BCE on the oppidum of Montlaurès, which became the provincial capital and a very active mercantile port. The position was strategically important since it stood at the cross roads of two Roman roads, the Via Aquitania and the Via Domitia, as well as by the sea and near the mouth of the River Aude. Carcassonne became Latin in 30 BCE with the creation of numerous grain farms. For almost two centuries, the Aude enjoyed peace and strong economic growth.
  
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  Aurillac
  Coordinates: 44°55′34″N 2°26′26″E / 44.9261°N 2.4406°E / 44.9261; 2.4406
  Aurillac (Orlhac in Occitan) is a commune in the Auvergne region in south-central France, capital of the Cantal department.
  Aurillac's inhabitants are called Aurillacois, and are also Cantaliens (from Cantal) or Cantalous in Occitan.
  Aurillac is 558km away from Paris and 223km from Toulouse. Aurillac was part of a former Auvergne province called Haute-Auvergne and is only 20km away from the heart of the Auvergne Volcano Park.
  
  Aurillac is often thought to be one of the coldest cities in France. However, this is untrue, as it is simply the city at the highest altitude shown on the TV weather forecasts.
  
  Aurillac stands on the Jordanne River.
  The historical capital of the umbrella, Aurillac makes more than half the umbrellas produced in France. In 1999, Aurillac produced around 250,000 umbrellas, generating around 100 jobs.^{[citation needed]}
  After declining for several decades at the end of the 20th century, Aurillac umbrella producers decided to join their forces and created the Economic Interest Group, or GIE in 1997. They then launched their products under a single label, L'aurillac Parapluie.^{[citation needed]}
  
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  Auxerre
  Coordinates: 47°47′55″N 3°34′02″E / 47.7986°N 3.5672°E / 47.7986; 3.5672
  Auxerre (French pronunciation: [osɛʁ]) is a commune in the Bourgogne region in north-central France, between Paris and Dijon. It is the capital of the Yonne department.
  Auxerre's population today is about 45,000. People there are called Auxerrois. Auxerre's urban area accounts for more than 88,000 people.
  It is a commercial and industrial centre, with industries including food production, woodworking and batteries. Auxerre is also world-famous for the wine produced in the neighbourhood, including the renowned Chablis.
  Auxerre was a flourishing Gallo-Roman centre, Antissiodorum through which passed one of the main roads of the area, the Via Agrippa (1st century AD) which crossed the Yonne River (Gallo-Roman Icauna) here. In the third century it became the seat of a bishop and a provincial capital of the Roman Empire. In the 5th century it received a Cathedral. In the late 11th-early 12th century the existing communities were included inside a new line of walls built by the feudal Counts of Auxerre.
  
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  Aveyron
  Aveyron (French pronunciation: [avɛʁɔ̃]; Occitan: Avairon [avajˈɾu]) is a département in southern France named after the Aveyron River.
  Aveyron is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790.
  The first known historical inhabitants of the region were the Rutenii tribe, but the area was inhabited previously to this, boasting many prehistoric ruins.
  During the medieval and early modern periods, and until the 1790s, the territory covered by Aveyron was a province known as Rouergue.
  In 1817, a local prosecutor Antoine Bernardin Fualdès was assassinated. The sordid circumstances of his death, following which his body was found floating in the Aveyron River, led to the matter becoming publicised as a cause célèbre. Recent studies have indicated that he met his end on the initiative of a right wing royalist organisation known as the Chevaliers de la Foi (Knights of the Faith).
  The department is part of the current Midi-Pyrénées region. It is surrounded by the départements of Tarn, Tarn-et-Garonne, Lot, Hérault, Gard, Lozère, and Cantal.
  
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  Avignon
  Coordinates: 43°57′N 4°49′E / 43.95°N 4.81°E / 43.95; 4.81
  Avignon (French pronunciation: [aviˈɲɔ̃]; Occitan: Avinhon in classical norm or Avignoun in Mistralian norm) is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 94,787 inhabitants of the city (as of 1 January 2010), about 12,000 live in the ancient town centre surrounded by its medieval ramparts.
  Often referred to as the "City of Popes" because of the presence of popes and antipopes from 1309 to 1423 during the Catholic schism, it is currently the largest city and capital of the département of Vaucluse. This is one of the few French cities to have preserved its ramparts, its historic centre, the palace of the popes, Rocher des Doms, and the bridge of Avignon. It was classified a World Heritage Site by UNESCO under the criteria I, II and IV.
  As a showcase of arts and culture, the fame of its annual theatre festival, known as the Festival of Avignon, has far exceeded the French borders.
  
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  Baillé
  Coordinates: 48°21′37″N 1°22′50″W / 48.3603°N 1.3806°W / 48.3603; -1.3806
  Baillé (Breton: Balieg, Gallo: Balhae) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Baillé are called Baillochins in French.
  
  
  
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  Balazé
  Coordinates: 48°10′11″N 1°11′26″W / 48.1697°N 1.1906°W / 48.1697; -1.1906
  Balazé (Breton: Belezeg, Gallo: Balazae) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in the Brittany reigon in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Balazé are called Balazéens in French.
  
  
  
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  Bandiagara Cercle
  Bandiagara Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Mopti Region of Mali. The administrative center (chef-lieu) is the town of Bandiagara.
  The cercle is divided into 21 communes:
  Coordinates: 14°25′N 3°40′W / 14.417°N 3.667°W / 14.417; -3.667
  
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  Bastia
  Coordinates: 42°42′03″N 9°27′01″E / 42.7008°N 9.4503°E / 42.7008; 9.4503
  Bastia (French pronunciation: [bas.tja], French and Corsican: Bastia) is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It is also the second-largest city in Corsica after Ajaccio and the capital of the department.
  Bastia is the principal port of the island and its principal commercial town, especially famous for its wines. According to the 2006 census, Bastia has 43,577 inhabitants. Approximately 10% of the population are immigrants. The unemployment rate in the commune has persistently been one of the highest in France, standing at over 20% in 2004.
  Before the occupation of Corsica by the Genoese, Cardo was a large city. Around the city were little villages where the fishermen of Cardo lived. This little port was called Porto Cardo, meaning "the port of Cardo."
  The Genoese felt the need for shelter from the sea storms and in 1380 began to construct, under Governor Leonello Lomellini, a bastiglia, Italian for stronghold or citadel. With time, the bastiglia (Bastia) became more prosperous and important than Cardo. Bastia was the capital of Corsica until 1791.
  
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  Baulon
  Coordinates: 47°59′10″N 1°55′50″W / 47.9861°N 1.9306°W / 47.9861; -1.9306
  Baulon (Breton: Beloen, Gallo: Baulon) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Baulon are called Baulonnais in French.
  
  
  
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  Beaucé
  Coordinates: 48°20′20″N 1°09′20″W / 48.3389°N 1.1556°W / 48.3389; -1.1556
  Beaucé (Breton: Belzeg, Gallo: Bauczaé) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Beaucé are called Beaucéens in French.
  
  
  
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  Beauvais
  Coordinates: 49°25′49″N 2°05′43″E / 49.4303°N 02.09520°E / 49.4303; 02.09520
  Beauvais (French pronunciation: [bovɛ]) is a city approximately 79 kilometres (49 mi) by highway north of central Paris, in the northern French region of Picardie. It currently has a population of over 60,000 inhabitants.
  Beauvais was known to the Romans by the Gallo-Roman name of Caesaromagus (magos is Common Celtic for "field".) . The post-Renaissance Latin rendering is Bellovacum from the Belgic tribe the Bellovaci, whose capital it was. In the ninth century it became a countship, which about 1013 passed to the bishops of Beauvais, who became peers of France from the twelfth century. At the coronations of kings the Bishop of Beauvais wore the royal mantle and went, with the Bishop of Langres, to raise the king from his throne to present him to the people.
  In 1346 the town had to defend itself against the English, who again besieged it in 1433. The siege which it endured in 1472 at the hands of the Duke of Burgundy, was rendered famous by the heroism of the town's women, under the leadership of Jeanne Hachette, whose memory is still celebrated by a procession on the 14 October (the feast of Sainte Angadrême), during which women take precedence over men.
  
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  Belfort
  Coordinates: 47°38′30″N 6°51′00″E / 47.6417°N 6.85°E / 47.6417; 6.85
  Belfort (French pronunciation: [bɛl.fɔʁ-]) is a city in north-east France in the Franche-Comté région, situated between Lyon and Strasbourg. It is the biggest town and the administrative town of the Territoire de Belfort département in the Franche-Comté region. Belfort is located at 400 km (249 mi) from Paris, 141 km (88 mi) from Strasbourg, 290 km (180 mi) from Lyon and 150 km (93 mi) from Zürich. The residents of the city are called ‘’Belfortains’’. It is located on the Savoureuse, on the strategically important natural route between the Rhine and the Rhône – the Belfort Gap (Trouée de Belfort) or Burgundian Gate (Porte de Bourgogne). The city of Belfort has 50,199 inhabitants. Together with its suburbs and satellite towns, Belfort forms the largest agglomeration (metropolitan area) in Franche-Comté region with an urban population of 308,601 inhabitants.
  Belfort's strategic location, in a natural gap between the Vosges and the Jura, on a route linking the Rhine and the Rhône, has attracted human settlement and made it a target for armies.
  
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  Belgium
  Belgium (ⁱ/ˈbɛldʒəm/ BEL-jəm), officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO. Belgium covers an area of 30,528 square kilometres (11,787 sq mi), and it has a population of about 11 million people. Straddling the cultural boundary between Germanic and Latin Europe, Belgium is home to two main linguistic groups, the Dutch-speakers, mostly Flemish (about 60%), and the French-speakers, mostly Walloons (about 40%), plus a small group of German-speakers. Belgium's two largest regions are the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders in the north and the French-speaking southern region of Wallonia. The Brussels-Capital Region, officially bilingual, is a mostly French-speaking enclave within the Flemish Region. A German-speaking Community exists in eastern Wallonia. Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political conflicts are reflected in the political history and a complex system of government.
  
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  Besançon
  Coordinates: 47°14′35″N 6°01′19″E / 47.2431°N 6.0219°E / 47.2431; 6.0219
  Besançon (French and Arpitan: [bəzɑ̃sɔ̃]; archaic German: Bisanz, Spanish: Besanzón), is the capital and principal city of the Franche-Comté region in eastern France. It had a population of about 237,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2008. Located close to the border with Switzerland, it is the capital of the department of Doubs.
  Once proclaimed first green city of France, it has been labeled a 'Town of Art and History' since 1986, and has been on the UNESCO world heritage list since 2008.
  The city is first recorded in 58 BC as Vesontio in the Book I of Julius Caesar's Commentarii de Bello Gallico. The etymology of Vesontio is uncertain. The most common explanation is that the name is of Celtic origin, derivated from wes, meaning 'mountain'. During the 4th century, the letter B took the place of the V, and the city name changed to Besontio or Bisontion and then underwent several transformation to become Besançon in 1243.
  
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  Billé
  Coordinates: 48°17′19″N 1°14′42″W / 48.2886°N 1.2450°W / 48.2886; -1.2450
  Billé (Breton: Bilieg, Gallo: Bilhae) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Billé are called Billéens in French.
  
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  Blois
  Coordinates: 47°35′38″N 1°19′41″E / 47.5939°N 1.3281°E / 47.5939; 1.3281
  Blois (French pronunciation: [blwɑ]) is the capital of Loir-et-Cher department in central France, situated on the banks of the lower river Loire between Orléans and Tours.
  Though of ancient origin, Blois is first distinctly mentioned by Gregory of Tours in the 6th century, and the city gained some notability in the 9th century, when it became the seat of a powerful countship with «Blesum castrum» («Le château de Blois»). In 1171, Blois was the site of a blood libel accusation against its Jewish community that led to 31 Jews (by some accounts 40) being burned to death. In 1196, Count Louis granted privileges to the townsmen; a commune, which survived throughout the Middle Ages, probably dated from this time. The counts of the Châtillon line resided at Blois more often than their predecessors, and the oldest parts of the château (from the thirteenth century) were built by them. In 1429, Joan of Arc made Blois her base of operations for the relief of Orléans. Joan of Arc rode the thirty-five miles on Wednesday 29 April to Blois to relieve Orléans. After his captivity in England, Charles of Orléans in 1440 took up his residence in the château, where in 1462 his son, afterwards Louis XII, was born. In the 16th century Blois was often the resort of the French court. The Treaty of Blois, which temporarily halted the Italian Wars, was signed there in 1504–1505.
  
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  Bléruais
  Coordinates: 48°06′43″N 2°07′24″W / 48.1119°N 2.1233°W / 48.1119; -2.1233
  Bléruais (Breton: Blerwaz, Gallo: Bleruaz) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  The River Meu forms most of the commune's northern boundary.
  The inhabitants of Bléruais are known as Bléruaisiens in French.
  
  
  
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  Bobigny
  Coordinates: 48°54′38″N 2°26′23″E / 48.9106°N 2.4397°E / 48.9106; 2.4397
  Bobigny (French pronunciation: [bo.bi.ɲi]) is a commune, or town, in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 9.1 km (5.7 mi) from the center of Paris. Bobigny is the préfecture (capital) of the Seine-Saint-Denis département, as well as the seat of the Arrondissement of Bobigny. It is only the 12th-largest commune in Seine-Saint-Denis (1999 census).
  Inhabitants are called Balbyniens.
  Bobigny is served by two stations on Paris Métro Line 5: Bobigny – Pantin – Raymond Queneau and Bobigny – Pablo Picasso.
  Valeo has management branches (Valeo Transmissions group and Valeo Friction Materials group) here. It was also the manufacturing base by Meccano of French Dinky Toys from 1933 to 1971.
  During WW II, approximately 20,000 Jews were shipped from a railway station in Bobigny. Their ultimate destination was the Nazi camps.
  Bobigny is the place where the registrations for the guns bought for the war before 1930s are kept.refer,"the nostradamus prophecies"by Mario Reading.
  
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  Boisgervilly
  Coordinates: 48°10′04″N 2°03′46″W / 48.1678°N 2.0628°W / 48.1678; -2.0628
  Boisgervilly (Breton: Koad-Yarnvili, Gallo: Boéz-Jergaud) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  The inhabitants of Boisgervilly are known as Boisgervilliens in French.
  The 19th-century church has an altar from the 17th century.
  The chapel of St. Antoine was built in 1427.
  
  
  
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  Boistrudan
  Coordinates: 47°58′13″N 1°23′59″W / 47.9703°N 1.3997°W / 47.9703; -1.3997
  Boistrudan (Breton: Koetruzan, Gallo: Boéz-Trudan) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Boistrudan are called Boistrudanais in French.
  
  
  
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  Bonnemain
  Coordinates: 48°28′02″N 1°45′53″W / 48.4672°N 1.7647°W / 48.4672; -1.7647
  Bonnemain (Breton: Bonmaen) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of the region in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Bonnemain are called Bonnemainésiens in French.
  
  
  
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  Bordeaux
  Coordinates: 44°50′19″N 0°34′42″W / 44.8386°N 0.5783°W / 44.8386; -0.5783
  Bordeaux (French pronunciation: [bɔʁdo]; Gascon: Bordèu; Basque: Bordele) is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.
  The Bordeaux metropolitan area has a population of 1,105,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture of the Gironde department. Its inhabitants are called Bordelais.
  Bordeaux is the world's major wine industry capital. It is home to the world's main wine fair, Vinexpo, while the wine economy in the metro area moves 14.5 billion euros each year.Bordeaux wine has been produced in the region since the 8th century. The historic part of the city is on the UNESCO World Heritage List as "an outstanding urban and architectural ensemble" of the 18th century.
  Between 30,000 and 20,000 years ago the area of Bordeaux was inhabited by the Neanderthal, whose remains have been found at a famous cave known as Pair-non-Pair, near Bourg sur Gironde, just north of Bordeaux. In historical times, around 300 BC it was the settlement of a Celtic tribe, the Bituriges Vivisci, who named the town Burdigala, probably of Aquitainian origin. The name Bourde is still the name of a river south of the city.
  
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  Bourgbarré
  Coordinates: 47°59′42″N 1°36′48″W / 47.9950°N 1.6133°W / 47.9950; -1.6133
  Bourgbarré (Breton: Bourvarred, Gallo: Bórg-Baraé) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Bourgbarré are called Bourgbarréens in French.
  
  
  
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  Bourges
  Coordinates: 47°05′04″N 2°23′47″E / 47.0844°N 2.3964°E / 47.0844; 2.3964
  Bourges (French pronunciation: [buʁʒ]) is a city in central France on the Yèvre river. It is the capital of the department of Cher and also was the capital of the former province of Berry.
  The name of the city is either derived from the Bituriges, the name of the original inhabitants, or from the Germanic Burg (French: Bourg. Spanish: Burgos. English, others: Burgh, Berg, or Borough), for "hill/village". Its Celtic name was Avaricon and its Latin name was Avaricum. In the Gallic Wars, the Gauls practised a scorched-earth policy, but the inhabitants of Avaricum begged not to have their city burned, and it was spared due to its good defences provided by the surrounding marshes and a strong southern wall. Following the siege of Avaricum in the winter of 52 BC, Julius Caesar's forces destroyed the city and killed all but 800 of its inhabitants.
  The city was reconstructed as a Roman city, with a monumental gate, aqueducts, thermae and an amphitheatre, reaching a greater size than it would attain during the Middle Ages. The massive walls surrounding the late Roman city, enclosing 40 hectares, were built in part re-using stone from earlier public buildings.
  
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  Bovel
  Coordinates: 47°57′03″N 1°58′33″W / 47.9508°N 1.9758°W / 47.9508; -1.9758
  Bovel (Breton: Bovel, Gallo: Bovèu) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in north-France.
  Inhabitants of Bovel are called Bovellois in French.
  
  
  
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  Breteil
  Coordinates: 48°08′46″N 1°53′50″W / 48.1461°N 1.8972°W / 48.1461; -1.8972
  Breteil (Breton: Brezhiel) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  The Meu forms the commune's southwestern border.
  The inhabitants of Breteil are known as Breteillais in French.
  
  
  
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  Brielles
  Coordinates: 48°00′34″N 1°05′21″W / 48.0094°N 1.0892°W / 48.0094; -1.0892
  Brielles (Breton: Brielloù, Gallo: Berièll) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Brielles are called Briellois in French.
  
  
  
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  Brittany
  Brittany (French: Bretagne [bʁətaɲ] ( listen); Breton: Breizh, pronounced [brɛjs]; Gallo: Bertaèyn) is a cultural region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain (as opposed to Great Britain). Brittany is considered as one of the six Celtic nations.
  Brittany occupies the northwest peninsula of continental Europe in northwest France. It is bordered by the English Channel to the north, the Celtic Sea and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the Bay of Biscay to the south. Its land area is 34,023 km² (13,136 sq mi). The historical province of Brittany is divided into five departments: Finistère in the west, Côtes-d'Armor in the north, Ille-et-Vilaine in the north east, Loire-Atlantique in the south east and Morbihan in the south on the Bay of Biscay.
  In 1956, French regions were created by gathering departments between them. The Region of Brittany comprises, since then, four of the five Breton departments (80% of historical Brittany), while the remaining area of the old Brittany, the Loire-Atlantique department, around Nantes, forms part of the Pays de la Loire region. This territorial organisation is regularly contested. The Kingdom and the Duchy of Brittany, the province of Brittany, and the modern Region of Brittany cover the Western part of Armorica, as it was known during the period of Roman occupation.
  
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  Brno
  Brno (Czech pronunciation: [ˈbr̩no] ( listen); German: Brünn; Latin: Bruna; Yiddish: ברין Brin) by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District. The city lies at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers and has about 400,000 residents, its greater metropolitan area is regularly home to more than 800,000 people while its larger urban zone had population about 730,000 in 2004.
  Brno is the capital of judicial authority of the Czech republic because it is the seat of the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court, the Supreme Administrative Court, and the Supreme Prosecutor's Office. Beside that, the city is a significant administrative centre. It is the seat of a number of state authorities like Ombudsman, Office for the Protection of Competition and the Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority. Brno is also an important centre of higher education, with 33 faculties of 13 institutes of higher learning and about 89,000 students. There is also a studio of Czech Television and the Czech Radio, in both cases by law. The city is also home to Brno Television, a small local television station.
  
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  Broualan
  Coordinates: 48°28′28″N 1°38′56″W / 48.4744°N 1.6489°W / 48.4744; -1.6489
  Broualan (Breton: Broualan) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Broualan are called Broualanais in French.
  
  
  
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  Bruz
  Coordinates: 48°01′32″N 1°44′41″W / 48.0256°N 1.7447°W / 48.0256; -1.7447
  Bruz is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Bruz is located on near the Vilaine and Seiche rivers, 14 km from Rennes.
  Inhabitants of Bruz are called Bruzois in French.
  Several streets and places are named after previous mayors (François Joly, Joseph Jan).
  The mairie (City hall) is right in the centre of Rennes.
  In 2008, 3.76% of children attended bilingual primary schools.. The municipality signed the Ya d'ar brezhoneg charter on 1 October 2011.
  
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  Brécé
  Coordinates: 48°06′34″N 1°28′51″W / 48.1094°N 1.4808°W / 48.1094; -1.4808
  Brécé (Breton: Brec'heg, Gallo: Berczaé) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Brécé are called Brécéens in French.
  
  
  
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  Bécherel
  Coordinates: 48°17′46″N 1°56′38″W / 48.2961°N 1.9439°W / 48.2961; -1.9439
  Bécherel (Breton: Begerel, Gallo: Becherèu) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  During the Roman times the town was positioned close to the important road linking Rennes with Dinan to the north.
  In 1124 Alain de Dinan was granted a subsantial portion of land which he used to build a (stone) castle. This dominated the valley and the present town grew up around the castle.
  In 1168 Henry II, the Le Mans born English king, seized the stategically important town of Bécherel and fortified it.
  In the middle years of the fourteenth century, during the Breton War of Succession the English, who were allied with Jean IV (sometimes called Jean V according to the writer's point of view) of Britanny, occupied Bécherel. In 1363 Charles of Blois, accompanied by Bertrand du Guesclin, known also as the Black Dog of Brocéliande, laid siege to the town, but Jean's forces aggressively and successfully resisted. The parties decided to meet near Évran to resolve their differences, but the bishops now intervened and a partition of Brittany between the two parties was determined.
  
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  Bédée
  Coordinates: 48°10′49″N 1°56′33″W / 48.1803°N 1.9425°W / 48.1803; -1.9425
  Bédée (Breton: Bezeg, Gallo: Bedésc) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Bédée are called Bédéens in French.
  A medieval moat, the Motte Jubin, still exists in the commune.
  
  
  
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  Caen
  Coordinates: 49°10′59″N 0°22′10″W / 49.1831°N 0.3694°W / 49.1831; -0.3694
  Caen (French pronunciation: [kɑ̃]; Norman: Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados department and the capital of the Basse-Normandie region. It is located 15 km (9.3 mi) inland from the English Channel.
  Caen is known for its historical buildings built during the reign of William the Conqueror, who was buried there, and for the Battle for Caen—heavy fighting that took place in and around Caen during the Battle of Normandy in 1944, destroying much of the city.
  Two hours north-west of Paris, and connected to the south of England by the Caen-(Ouistreham)-Portsmouth ferry route, Caen is located in the centre of its northern region, over which it is a centre of political, economic and cultural power.
  As the city of William the Conqueror, the city has a long and complex history. In the Second World War, it was a key site of the Battle of Normandy. The city has preserved the memory by erecting a memorial for peace.
  
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  Cahors
  Coordinates: 44°26′54″N 1°26′29″E / 44.4483°N 1.4414°E / 44.4483; 1.4414
  Cahors (French pronunciation: [kaɔʁ]; Occitan: Caors [kaˈurs, ˈkɔws, ˈkɔw]) is the capital of the Lot department in south-western France.
  Its site is dramatic being contained on three sides within an udder shaped twist in the river Lot known as a 'presqu'île' or peninsula. Today it is perhaps best known as the centre of the famous AOC 'black' wine known since the Middle Ages and exported via Bordeaux, long before that region had developed its own viticulture industry.
  Cahors has had a rich history since Celtic times. The original name of the town was Divona or Divona Cadurcorum, "Divona of the Cadurci," a Celtic people of Gaul before the Roman conquest in the 50s BC. Cahors derives from Cadurcorum. It has declined economically since the Middle Ages, and lost its university in the eighteenth century. Today it is a popular tourist centre with people coming to enjoy its mediaeval quarter and the unique 14th century fortified Valentré bridge. It is the seat of the Diocese of Cahors.
  
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  Calvados
  The French department of Calvados (pronounced: [kal.va.dos]) is part of the region of Basse-Normandie in Normandy. It takes its name from a cluster of rocks off the English Channel coast. The pronunciation varies: in French the final 's' is not mute; in English usually Calvadoss with stress on the first syllable.
  Calvados is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from a part of the former province of Normandy. The name "Orne inférieure" was originally proposed for the department, but it was ultimately decided to call the area Calvados.
  Its etymology is most likely derived from the Salvador, a ship from the Spanish Armada that sank by the rocks near Arromanches-les-bains in 1588. However, others insist that the name Calvados was derived from calva dorsa, meaning bare backs, in reference to two sparsely vegetated rocks off its shore.
  After the allied victory at Waterloo the department was occupied by Prussian troops between June 1815 and November 1818.
  
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  Campel
  Coordinates: 47°56′14″N 2°00′31″W / 47.9372°N 2.0086°W / 47.9372; -2.0086
  Campel (Breton: Kempel, Gallo: Caunpèu) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Campel are called Campellois in French.
  
  
  
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  Cancale
  Coordinates: 48°40′37″N 1°51′02″W / 48.6769°N 1.8506°W / 48.6769; -1.8506
  Cancale (Breton: Kankaven; Gallo: Cauncall) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France. It is known as the birthplace of Saint Jeanne Jugan.
  Inhabitants of Cancale are called Cancalais in French.
  Cancale lies along the coast to the east of Saint-Malo. It is a picturesque fishing village popular with visitors, many of whom are drawn by its reputation as the "oyster capital" of Brittany. Though a small town, it is well served by a large number of restaurants, many specialising in seafood. When not eating one can sit and watch the bustle of this busy little town with many stalls selling crustaceans of all types.
  There is a pleasant coastal path which permits a circular walk from the town to the Pointe du Grouin with views across the bay towards Mont Saint Michel.
  Eugène Feyen painted Cancale and the inhabitants with the oyster-picking Cancalaises for several decades around 1865–1908. Vincent van Gogh wrote that "Eugène Feyen is one of the few painters who pictures intimate modern life as it is really, and does not turn it into fashion plates".
  
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  Cantal
  Cantal (French pronunciation: [kɑ̃.tal]; Occitan: Cantal, Cantau, Chantal, Chantau) is a department in south-central France. It is named after the Cantal mountain range, a group of extinct, eroded volcanic peaks, which covers much of the department. Residents are known as Cantaliens or Cantalous.
  Cantal is part of the current region of Auvergne. It borders the departments of Puy-de-Dôme, Haute-Loire, Aveyron, Lot, Lozère, and Corrèze. Its principal towns are Aurillac, Saint-Flour, and Mauriac. The highest point in Cantal is Le Plomb du Cantal at 1858 metres.
  Cantal remains, with Lozère and Creuse, one of the most sparsely populated and geographically isolated French departments. Aurillac is the farthest removed departmental capital from a major motorway.
  Cantal is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from a part of the former province of Auvergne, called Haute-Auvergne.
  The Occitan language was historically dominant in Cantal.
  
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  Carcassonne
  Coordinates: 43°12′47″N 2°21′07″E / 43.2131°N 2.352°E / 43.2131; 2.352
  Carcassonne (French pronunciation: [kaʁ.ka.sɔn]; Occitan: Carcassona) is a fortified French town in the Aude department, of which it is the prefecture, in the former province of Languedoc.
  It is divided into the fortified Cité de Carcassonne and the more expansive lower city, the ville basse. Carcassone was founded by the Visigoths in the fifth century, though the Romans had fortified the settlement earlier. The fortress, which was thoroughly restored in 1853 by the theorist and architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1997. The folk etymology – involving a châtelaine named Carcas, a ruse ending a siege and the joyous ringing of bells ("Carcas sona") – though memorialized in a neo-Gothic sculpture of Mme. Carcas on a column near the Narbonne Gate, is of modern invention. The name can be derived as a hyperbole of the name Carcas. Similarly in the Italian language, there are derived names like Castellino (little castle) – Castello – Castellone (big castle), or Ombrellino (small umbrella) – Ombrello – Ombrellone (large umbrella). A double 's' in the name appears for phonetic reasons, otherwise as a self standing 's' it would be pronounced as 'z'.
  
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  Cardroc
  Coordinates: 48°17′10″N 1°53′19″W / 48.2861°N 1.8886°W / 48.2861; -1.8886
  Cardroc (Breton: Kerdreg) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Cardroc are called Cardreuciens in French.
  
  
  
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  Cayenne
  Coordinates: 4°55′22″N 52°19′37″W / 4.9227°N 52.3269°W / 4.9227; -52.3269
  Cayenne (French pronunciation: [kajɛn]) is the capital of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. The city stands on a former island at the mouth of the Cayenne River on the Atlantic coast. The city's motto is "Ferit Aurum Industria" which means "Work brings wealth". Most geosynchronous satellites are launched from Cayenne.
  At the 2006 census, there were 100,323 inhabitants in the urban area of Cayenne (as defined by INSEE), 50,594 of whom lived in the city (commune) of Cayenne proper, and the remainder in the neighbouring commune of Remire-Montjoly. The commune of Matoury (18,032 inhabitants in 1999), where Cayenne-Rochambeau Airport is located, is also a suburb of Cayenne, but it was not included in the official definition of the urban area by INSEE in 1999.
  Cayenne is located on the banks of the estuary of the Cayenne River on the Atlantic Ocean. The city occupies part of the Ile de Cayenne. It is located 268 km from Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni and 64 km from Kourou.
  
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  Cergy
  Coordinates: 49°02′10″N 2°03′47″E / 49.0361°N 2.0631°E / 49.0361; 2.0631
  Cergy (French pronunciation: [sɛʁ.ʒi]) is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 27.8 km (17.3 mi) from the center of Paris, in the "new town" of Cergy-Pontoise, created in the 1960s, of which it is the central and most populated commune.
  Although neighboring Pontoise is the official préfecture (capital) of the Val-d'Oise département, the préfecture building and administration, as well as the department council (conseil général), are located inside the commune of Cergy, which is regarded as the de facto capital of Val-d'Oise. The sous-préfecture building and administration, on the other hand, are located inside the commune of Pontoise.
  The name Cergy comes from Medieval Latin Sergiacum, meaning "estate of Sergius", a Gallo-Roman landowner.
  Cergy is the chief town of two cantons:
  When Cergy was selected to become the center of a "new town", it was only a village. The commune had only 2,895 inhabitants in 1968. It then started to develop very quickly, exceeding 10,000 inhabitants in the mid-1970s and then 20,000 in the early-1980s. It is in this decade that its growth was most spectacular, since the city exceeded 48,000 inhabitants in 1990. The increase continued since, but at a notably slower pace, to reach 54,500 as of 2004 estimates. However, on 1 January 2000, the commune lost a portion of its territory (net 0.03 km² (0.012 sq mi) with a 1999 population of 62 persons) to the adjacent commune of Courdimanche. The official census figures have thus been revised downward from the 1999 official 54,781 to 54,719, and the land area from 11.68 km² (4.51 sq mi) to 11.65 km².
  
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  Chambéry
  Coordinates: 45°34′12″N 5°54′42″E / 45.57°N 5.9118°E / 45.57; 5.9118
  Chambéry (French pronunciation: [ʃɑ̃.be.ʁi]; Italian: Ciamberì; Piemontese: Ciamberì; Arpitan: Chambèri) is a city in the department of Savoie, located in the Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France.
  It is the capital of the department and has been the historical capital of the Savoy region since the 13th century, when Amadeus V of Savoy made the city his seat of power.
  Chambéry was founded at crossroads of ancient routes through the Dauphiné (Dôfenâ), Burgundy, Switzerland, and Italy, in a wide valley between the Bauges and the Chartreuse Mountains on the Leysse River. The metropolitan area has more than 125,000 residents, extending from the vineyard slopes of the Combe de Savoie, almost to the shores of the Lac du Bourget, the largest natural lake in France. The city is a major railway hub, at the mid-point of the Franco-Italian "Lyon-Turin Ferroviaire" rail link.
  Chambéry is situated in the south-east of France, 523 km from Paris, 326 km from Marseille, 214 km from Turin, 100 km from Lyon and 85 km from Geneva. It is found in a large valley, surrounded by massif des Bauges to the east (dominated by le Nivolet, upon which la croix du Nivolet is found), le Mont Granier (Chartreuse) and la Chaîne de Belledonne to the south, la chaîne de l'Épine (the most southern mountain of the Jura) to the west and le lac du Bourget to the north.
  
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  Chancé
  Coordinates: 48°02′12″N 1°22′44″W / 48.0367°N 1.3789°W / 48.0367; -1.3789
  Chancé (Breton: Kantieg) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Chancé are called Chancéens in French.
  
  
  
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  Chantepie
  Coordinates: 48°05′21″N 1°36′55″W / 48.0892°N 1.6153°W / 48.0892; -1.6153
  Chantepie (Breton: Kantpig, Gallo: Chauntepiy) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Chantepie are called Cantepiens in French.
  
  
  
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  Charente
  Charente (French pronunciation: [ʃa.ʁɑ̃t], Saintongeais: Chérente, Occitan: Charanta) is a department in southwestern France, in the Poitou-Charentes region, named after the Charente River, the most important river in the department, and also the river beside which the department's two largest towns, Angoulême and Cognac, are sited.
  Charente is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from the former province of Angoumois, west and south of Saintonge.
  Prior to the creation of the department, the area was not a natural unit, but much of it was commercially prosperous thanks to traditional industries such as salt and cognac production. Although the river became silted up and was unnavigable for much of the twentieth century, in the eighteenth century it provided important links with coastal shipping routes both for traditional businesses and for newly evolving ones such as paper goods and iron smelting.
  The accelerating pace of industrial and commercial development during the first half of the nineteenth century led to a period of prosperity, and the department's population peaked in 1851. During the second half of the nineteenth century Charente, like many of France's rural departments, experienced a declining population as the economic prospects available in the cities and in France's overseas empire attracted the working age generations away. Economic ruin came to many in the Charentais wine industry with the arrival in 1872 of phylloxera.
  
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  Chartres
  Coordinates: 48°27′21″N 1°29′03″E / 48.4558°N 1.4842°E / 48.4558; 1.4842
  Chartres (French pronunciation: [ʃaʁtʁ]) is a commune and capital of the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. It is located 96 km (60 mi) southwest of Paris.
  Chartres is built on the left bank of the Eure River, on a hill crowned by its famous cathedral, the spires of which are a landmark in the surrounding country. To the south-east stretches the fruitful plain of Beauce, the "granary of France", of which the town is the commercial centre.
  Chartres was one of the principal towns of the Carnutes, and by the Romans was called Autricum, from the river Autura (Eure), and afterwards civitas Carnutum. The name "Chartres" derives from "Carnutes".The American name is "Chartrey". It was burnt by the Normans in 858, and unsuccessfully besieged by them in 911.
  During the Middle Ages it was the chief town of Beauce, and gave its name to a countship which was held by the counts of Blois and Champagne and afterwards by the house of Châtillon, a member of which in 1286 sold it to the crown. It was raised to the rank of a duchy in 1528 by Francis I. After the time of Louis XIV the title of duke of Chartres was hereditary in the family of Orléans.
  
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  Chauvigné
  Coordinates: 48°22′36″N 1°27′32″W / 48.3767°N 1.4589°W / 48.3767; -1.4589
  Chauvigné (Breton: Kelvinieg, Gallo: Chauveinyaé) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Chauvigné is located at 38 km (24 mi) northeast of Rennes and 30 km (19 mi) south of the Mont Saint-Michel.
  The communes bordering are Tremblay, Saint-Marc-le-Blanc, Le Tiercent, Saint-Christophe-de-Valains, Vieux-Vy-sur-Couesnon and Romazy.
  Inhabitants of Chauvigné are called Chauvignéens in French.
  
  
  
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  Chavagne
  Coordinates: 48°03′17″N 1°47′00″W / 48.0547°N 1.7833°W / 48.0547; -1.7833
  Chavagne (Breton: Kavan, Gallo: Chavayn) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in northwestern France.
  The river Meu forms all of the commune's southern border, then flows into the Vilaine, which forms all of its eastern border.
  Inhabitants of Chavagne are called Chavagnais in French.
  
  
  
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  Chelun
  Coordinates: 47°51′20″N 1°13′23″W / 47.8556°N 1.2231°W / 47.8556; -1.2231
  Chelun (Breton: Kelon, Gallo: Chelun) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Chelun are called Chelunais in French.
  
  
  
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  Cherrueix
  Coordinates: 48°36′20″N 1°42′35″W / 48.6056°N 1.7097°W / 48.6056; -1.7097
  Cherrueix (Breton: Kerruer, Gallo: Chaéruér) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in northwestern France.
  It lies between Mont Saint Michel and Saint Malo.
  Inhabitants of Cherrueix are called Chérullais in French.
  Cherrueix is a coastal town north of the department of Ille-et-Vilaine. Bordered by the Channel, this village of 1150 inhabitants, lies at the heart of the Breton part of the Bay of Mont Saint-Michel, twenty kilometers from Saint-Malo and 8 km from Dol-de-Bretagne (TGV to Paris). From the sea we see a clear lr Cancale, islands Chausey, Granville and finally Mount Saint-Michel.
  From the perspective of the richness of flora, Cherrueix among the municipalities in the department with their different habitats in a large number of taxa, or 429 for an average of 348 taxa municipal and county a total of 1373 taxa (118 families).
  Several authors have claimed that the village had developed around a fortress built around 1030 by Robert Duke of Normandy in his war against the Britons. It is a mistake, Castle reported by the chroniclers of the time was that of Charuel Sacey in the Channel.
  
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  Chevaigné
  Coordinates: 48°12′46″N 1°37′42″W / 48.2128°N 1.6283°W / 48.2128; -1.6283
  Chevaigné (Breton: Kavaneg, Gallo: Chaevaènyaé) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of Chevaigné are called Chevainéens in French.
  
  
  
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  China
  China (ⁱ/ˈtʃaɪnə/; Chinese: 中国; pinyin: Zhōngguó; see also Names of China), officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is the world's most-populous country, with a population of over 1.3 billion. Covering approximately 9.6 million square kilometres, the East Asian state is the world's second-largest country by land area, and the third- or fourth-largest in total area, depending on the definition of total area.
  The People's Republic of China is a single-party state governed by the Communist Party of China. It exercises jurisdiction over 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four directly controlled municipalities (Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing), and two mostly self-governing special administrative regions (Hong Kong and Macau). Its capital city is Beijing. The PRC also claims Taiwan—which is controlled by the Republic of China (ROC), a separate political entity—as its 23rd province, a claim controversial due to the complex political status of Taiwan and the unresolved Chinese Civil War. The PRC government denies the legitimacy of the ROC.
  
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  Châteaugiron
  Coordinates: 48°02′56″N 1°30′07″W / 48.0489°N 1.5019°W / 48.0489; -1.5019
  Châteaugiron (Breton: Kastell-Geron, Gallo: Chaujon) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Châteaugiron are called Castelgironnais in French.
  
  
  
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  Châteauroux
  Coordinates: 46°48′37″N 1°41′28″E / 46.8103°N 1.6911°E / 46.8103; 1.6911
  Châteauroux (French pronunciation: [ʃa.to.ru]) is the capital of the Indre department in central France and the second-largest town in the province of Berry, after Bourges.
  Its residents are called Castelroussins.
  Châteauroux lies on the Indre River 250 km south of Paris and 142 km south of Orléans. It is situated on the edge of the government-owned Châteauroux forest and the Brenne national park. The city boasts 450 hectares (1112 acres) of parks, amounting to 52 m² (560 sq ft) for each resident. Châteauroux's average elevation is 154 m above sea level.
  Châteauroux enjoys a mild climate. Temperature extremes range from an average January low of 0.8 °C (33 °F) to an average August high of 25.1 °C (77 °F).
  The old town, close to the river, forms a nucleus around which a newer and more extensive quarter, bordered by boulevards, has grown up; the suburbs of St. Christophe and Déols lie on the right bank of the Indre. The castle from which the city takes its name was built in the latter part of the 10th century by Raoul, prince of Déols. During the Middle Ages it was the seat of a seigniory, which was raised to the rank of countship in 1497. In 1616, when it was held by Henry II, prince of Condé, it was raised to the rank of duchy. In 1736 it returned to the crown, and was given to Marie Anne de Mailly-Nesle, duchess of Châteauroux, by Louis XV in 1744. The present Château Raoul housing the préfecture offices dates from the 15th century.
  
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  Cintré
  Coordinates: 48°06′20″N 1°52′20″W / 48.1055°N 1.8722°W / 48.1055; -1.8722
  Cintré (Breton: Kentreg, Gallo: Ceintraé) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in northwestern France.
  The river Meu forms all of the commune's western border.
  Inhabitants of Cintré are called Cintréens in French.
  
  
  
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  Clayes
  Coordinates: 48°10′39″N 1°51′05″W / 48.1775°N 1.8514°W / 48.1775; -1.8514
  Clayes (Breton: Kloued, Gallo: Claès) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Bretagne in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Clayes are called Clayens in French.
  
  
  
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  Coglès
  Coordinates: 48°27′38″N 1°21′45″W / 48.4606°N 1.3625°W / 48.4606; -1.3625
  Coglès (Breton: Gougleiz, north) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in northwestern France.
  
  
  
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  Colmar
  Coordinates: 48°04′54″N 7°21′20″E / 48.0817°N 7.3556°E / 48.0817; 7.3556
  Colmar (French: Colmar, pronounced: [kɔlmaʁ]; Alsatian: Colmer [ˈkolməʁ]; German: Colmar, between 1871–1918 and 1940–1945: Kolmar) is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.
  It is the capital of the department. Colmar is also the seat of the highest jurisdiction in Alsace, the appellate court.
  It is situated along the Alsatian Wine Route and considers itself to be the "Capital of Alsatian Wine" (capitale des vins d'Alsace).
  In 2006, the city of Colmar had a population of 65,713 and the metropolitan area of Colmar had a population of 120,367. Colmar is the center of the arrondissement of Colmar, which has 144,700 inhabitants in 2006.
  Colmar is the home town of the painter and engraver Martin Schongauer and the sculptor Frédéric Bartholdi, who designed the Statue of Liberty. The city is renowned for its well preserved old town, its numerous architectural landmarks and its museums, among which is the Unterlinden Museum.
  
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  Comblessac
  Coordinates: 47°52′38″N 2°04′58″W / 47.8772°N 2.0828°W / 47.8772; -2.0828
  Comblessac (Breton: Kamlec'hieg) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in northwestern France.
  
  
  Inhabitants of Comblessac are called Comblessacois in French.
  
  
  
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  Combourg
  Coordinates: 48°24′34″N 1°45′02″W / 48.4094°N 1.7506°W / 48.4094; -1.7506
  Combourg (Breton: Komborn, Gallo: Conbórn) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Combourg are called Combourgeois and, more rarely Combournais, in French.
  Arthur Young, the English writer and economist, visited Combourg on his travels through France in 1788. He wrote of the town:
  SEPTEMBER 1 [1788]. The country has a savage aspect; husbandry not much further advanced, at least in skill, than among the Hurons, which appears incredible amidst enclosures; the people almost as wild as their country, and their town of Combourg one of the most brutal filthy places that can be seen; mud houses, no windows, and a pavement so broken, as to impede all passengers, but ease none — yet here is a chateau, and inhabited; who is this Monsieur de Chateaubriant, the owner, that has nerves strung for a residence amidst such filth and poverty? Below this hideous heap of wretchedness is a fine lake, surrounded by well wooded enclosures.
  
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  Combourtillé
  Coordinates: 48°16′22″N 1°14′39″W / 48.2728°N 1.2442°W / 48.2728; -1.2442
  Combourtillé (Breton: Komorzhel) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of Combourtillé are called Combourtilléens in French.
  
  
  
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  Cornillé
  Coordinates: 48°04′51″N 1°18′20″W / 48.0808°N 1.3056°W / 48.0808; -1.3056
  Cornillé (Breton: Kornilieg) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  
  
  
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  Corrèze
  Corrèze (French pronunciation: [kɔ.ʁɛːz]; Occitan: Corresa) is a department in south central France, named after the Corrèze River.
  The inhabitants of the department are called Corréziens or Corréziennes according to gender.
  Corrèze is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It includes part of the former province of Limousin (the Bas-Limousin).
  The 1851 census recorded a population of 320,866: this remained relatively constant for the rest of the nineteenth century. During the twentieth century, however, Corrèze shared the experience of many of the country's rural departments as the population fell steadily.
  Within Corrèze the nineteenth-century railway planners, influenced in part by the department's topography, endowed Brive-la-Gaillarde with good connections and a major junction from which railway lines fanned out in six different directions. The railways arrived in 1860, at an opportune moment, directly after phylloxera had destroyed the local wine industry. The new railways enabled the farms in the area surrounding Brive to specialise in fruits and vegetables which they could now transport rapidly to the larger population centres of central and southern France. Locally, the new agriculture triggered the development, in the Brive basin, of related businesses and industries such as the manufacture of jams and liquors, as well as timber/paper-based packaging businesses.
  
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  Corsica
  Corsica ( /ˈkɔːrsɪkə/; French: Corse, IPA: [kɔʁs]; Corsican: Corsica; Italian: Corsica, IPA: [ˈkɔrsika]) is a French island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the Italian island of Sardinia. Mountains comprise two-thirds of the island, forming a single chain.
  Corsica is one of the 27 régions of France, although strictly speaking Corsica is designated as a territorial collectivity (collectivité territoriale) by law. As a territorial collectivity, it enjoys greater powers than other French régions, but for the most part its status is quite similar. Corsica is referred to as a "région" in common speech, and is almost always listed among the other régions of France.
  Although the island is separated from the continental mainland by the Ligurian Sea and is closer to Italy than to the French mainland, politically Corsica is part of Metropolitan France. It was once briefly an independent Corsican Republic, until being incorporated into France in 1769. Its culture has French and Italian elements blended into it.
  
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  Coësmes
  Coordinates: 47°53′02″N 1°26′22″W / 47.8839°N 1.4394°W / 47.8839; -1.4394
  Coësmes (Breton: Koem) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Coësmes are called Coësmois in French.
  
  
  
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  Creuse
  Creuse (French pronunciation: [kʁøz]; Occitan: Cruesa) is a department in central France named after the Creuse River.
  Creuse is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from the former province of La Marche.
  The County of Marche (Occitan: la Marcha) was a medieval French county, approximately corresponding to the modern département of Creuse. Marche first appeared as a separate fief about the middle of the 10th century, when William III, Duke of Aquitaine, gave it to one of his vassals named Boso, who took the title of count. In the 12th century, the countship passed to the family of Lusignan. They also were sometimes counts of Angoulême and counts of Limousin. With the death of the childless Count Guy in 1308, his possessions in La Marche were seized by Philip IV of France. In 1316 the king made La Marche an appanage for his youngest son the Prince, afterwards Charles IV. Several years later in 1327, La Marche passed into the hands of the House of Bourbon. The family of Armagnac held it from 1435 to 1477, when it reverted to the Bourbons. In 1527 La Marche was seized by Francis I and became part of the domains of the French crown. It was divided into Haute Marche and Basse Marche, the estates of the former continuing until the 17th century. From 1470 until the Revolution, the province was under the jurisdiction of the parlement of Paris.
  
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  Crevin
  Coordinates: 47°56′17″N 1°39′38″W / 47.9381°N 1.6606°W / 47.9381; -1.6606
  Crevin (Breton: Kreven) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Crevin are called Crevinois in French.
  
  
  
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  Créteil
  Coordinates: 48°47′28″N 2°27′46″E / 48.7911°N 2.4628°E / 48.7911; 2.4628
  Créteil (French pronunciation: [kʁe.tɛj]) is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 11.5 km (7.1 mi) from the center of Paris. Créteil is the préfecture (capital) of the Val-de-Marne department as well as the seat of the Arrondissement of Créteil. The city is, moreover, the seat of a Roman Catholic diocese (bishopric) and of one of France's 30 nationwide académies (districts) of the Ministry of National Education.
  The name Créteil was recorded for the first time as Cristoïlum in the martyrology written by a monk named Usuard in 865. The name Cristoïlum is made of the Celtic word ialo (meaning "clearing, glade", "place of") suffixed to a pre-Latin radical crist- whose meaning is still unclear. Some believe crist is a Celtic word meaning "ridge", a cognate of Latin crista and modern French crête, in which case the meaning of Cristoïlum would be "clearing on the ridge" or "place on the ridge." A more traditional etymology was that crist referred to Jesus Christ, due to the very ancient presence of Christianity in Créteil and the veneration of Saint Agoard and Saint Aglibert, martyred in Créteil around AD 400.
  
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  Cuguen
  Coordinates: 48°27′01″N 1°39′43″W / 48.4503°N 1.6619°W / 48.4503; -1.6619
  Cuguen (Breton: Kugenn, Gallo: Cugen) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Cuguen are called Cuguennais in French.
  
  
  
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  Czech Republic
  The Czech Republic (ⁱ/ˈtʃɛk/ CHEK;Czech: Česká republika, pronounced [ˈtʃɛskaː ˈrɛpuˌblɪka] ( listen), short form Česko Czech pronunciation: [ˈtʃɛskɔ]) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the north, Germany to the west, Austria to the south and Slovakia to the east. Its capital and largest city, with 1.3 million inhabitants, is Prague.
  It is a pluralist multi-party parliamentary representative democracy, a member of the European Union, NATO, the OECD, the OSCE, the Council of Europe and the Visegrád Group.
  The Czech state, formerly known as Bohemia, was formed in the late 9th century as a small duchy around Prague, at that time under dominance of the powerful Great Moravian Empire (which reached its greatest territorial extent during the reign of Svatopluk I from the House of Mojmír). After the fall of the Empire in 907, the centre of power was transferred from Moravia to Bohemia, under the Přemyslids. During the rule of Přemyslid dukes/kings and their successors, the Luxembourgs, the country reached its greatest territorial extent (13th–14th century). Life in the country was significantly affected by the Hussite wars, during which it faced economic embargo and crusades from all over Europe. Following the Battle of Mohács in 1526, the Crown of Bohemia was gradually integrated into the Habsburg monarchy as one of its three principal parts alongside the Archduchy of Austria and the Kingdom of Hungary. The Bohemian Revolt (1618–20) led to the further centralization of the monarchy including forced recatholization and Germanization. During radical reforms in the 18th century the Bohemian Crown was even de facto abolished (1749). In the 19th century the Czech lands became the industrial powerhouse of the monarchy and the core of the Republic of Czechoslovakia which was formed in 1918, following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire after World War I.
  
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  Dijon
  Coordinates: 47°17′26″N 5°02′34″E / 47.2906°N 5.0428°E / 47.2906; 5.0428
  Dijon (French pronunciation: [diʒɔ̃] ( listen)) is a city in eastern France, and is the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.
  Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population (2008): 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 (2007) for the greater Dijon area.
  Dijon began as a Roman settlement called Divio, located on the road from Lyon to Paris. Saint Benignus, the city's patron saint, is said to have introduced Christianity to the area before being martyred.
  This province was home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th centuries and Dijon was a place of tremendous wealth and power and one of the great European centres of art, learning and science. The Duchy of Burgundy was a key in the transformation of medieval times toward early modern Europe. The Palais des ducs de Bourgogne (Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy) now houses city hall and a museum of medieval art.
  
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  Dinard
  Coordinates: 48°38′00″N 2°03′37″W / 48.6333°N 2.0603°W / 48.6333; -2.0603
  Dinard (Breton: Dinarzh, Gallo: Dinard) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Dinard is on the Côte d'Émeraude of Brittany. Its beaches and mild climate make it a popular holiday destination, and this has resulted in the town having a variety of famous visitors and residents. The towns of Pleurtuit and Saint-Malo are nearby and the Dinard Pleurtuit Saint-Malo airport is about 4 km south of Dinard.
  In modern history Dinard was first settled by Saint-Malo's shipping merchants who built some of the town's magnificent houses in the town- however very few survive. In the late 19th century American and British aristocrats made Dinard popular as a fashionable summer resort, and they built stunning villas on the cliff tops and exclusive hotels such as the 'Le Grand Hotel' on the seafront during the French "Belle Epoque".
  The name Dinard comes from the words Din ("hill"/"fort") and Arz/Art ("bear"/"Arthur"); the bear in Celtic mythology is a symbol of sovereignship.
  
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  Dingé
  Coordinates: 48°21′29″N 1°42′53″W / 48.3581°N 1.7147°W / 48.3581; -1.7147
  Dingé (Gallo: Deinjaé) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France. It is abpit 30 km north of Rennes.
  Inhabitants of Dingé are called Dingéens in French.
  
  
  
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  Domagné
  Coordinates: 48°04′16″N 1°23′25″W / 48.0711°N 1.3903°W / 48.0711; -1.3903
  Domagné (Breton: Dovanieg) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Domagné are called Domagnéens in French.
  
  
  
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  Domalain
  Coordinates: 47°59′49″N 1°14′25″W / 47.9969°N 1.2403°W / 47.9969; -1.2403
  Domalain (Breton: Domalan, Gallo: Domalaen) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Domalain are called Domalinois in French.
  
  
  
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  Domloup
  Coordinates: 48°03′46″N 1°31′19″W / 48.0628°N 1.5219°W / 48.0628; -1.5219
  Domloup (Breton: Domloup) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Domloup are called Domloupéens in French.
  
  
  
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  Dordogne
  Dordogne (French pronunciation: [dɔʁ.dɔɲ]; Occitan: Dordonha) is a départment in south-west France. The départment is located in the region of Aquitaine, between the Loire valley and the High Pyrénées named after the great Dordogne River that runs through it. It roughly corresponds with the ancient county of Périgord.
  The county of Périgord dates back to when the area was inhabited by the Gauls, it was home to four tribes, the name for "four tribes" in the Gaulish language was "Petrocore". The area eventually became known as the county of Le Périgord and its inhabitants became known as the Périgordins (or Périgourdins). There are four Périgords in the Dordogne: the "Périgord Vert" (Green Périgord) with its main town of Nontron, consists of verdant valleys in a region crossed by many rivers and streams; the "Périgord Blanc" (White Périgord) situated around the department's capital of Périgueux, is a region of limestone plateaux, wide valleys and meadows; the "Périgord Pourpre" (Purple Périgord) with its capital of Bergerac, is a wine region; and the "Périgord Noir" (Black Périgord) surrounding the administrative center of Sarlat, overlooks the valleys of the Vézère and the Dordogne, where the woods of oak and pine give it its name.
  
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  Doubs
  Doubs (French pronunciation: [du]; Arpitan: Dubs) is a department the Franche-Comté region of eastern France named after the Doubs River.
  As early as the 13th century, inhabitants of the northern two-thirds of Doubs spoke the Franc-Comtois language, a dialect of Langue d'Oïl. Residents of the southern third of Doubs spoke a dialect of the Arpitan language. Both languages co-existed with French, the official language of law and commerce, and continued to be spoken frequently in rural areas into the 20th century. They are both still spoken today but not on a daily basis.
  Doubs was important as a portal to Switzerland through the pass at Joux. Many famous people, including Mirabeau, Toussaint Louverture and Heinrich von Kleist, were imprisoned in the Château de Joux.
  Doubs is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Franche-Comté. The prefecture (capital) is Besançon.
  In 1793, the republic of Mandeure was annexed by France and incorporated into the department. This district was passed between various territories and departments in the ensuing administrative reorganisations and wars, but was restored to Doubs in 1816 when the former principality of Montbéliard was also added to the department.
  
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  Dourdain
  Coordinates: 48°11′38″N 1°22′06″W / 48.1939°N 1.3683°W / 48.1939; -1.3683
  Dourdain (Breton: Dourdan, Gallo: Dórdaen) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Dourdain are called Dourdanais in French.
  
  
  
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  Drouges
  Coordinates: 47°54′09″N 1°15′49″W / 47.9025°N 1.2636°W / 47.9025; -1.2636
  Drouges (Breton: Drougez) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Drouges are called Drougeais in French.
  
  
  
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  Drôme
  Drôme (French pronunciation: [dʁom]; Droma in Occitan, Drôma in Arpitan), a département in southeastern France, takes its name from the Drôme River.
  St Vallier in Drôme, was the birthplace of one of France's most famous courtesans, the noble-born Diane de Poitiers (1499-1566), long-term mistress of King Henri II (1547-1559).
  The French National Constituent Assembly set up Drôme as one of the original 83 departments of France on March 4, 1790, during the French Revolution. The territory formed part of the former French province of Dauphiné.
  Drôme lies within the region of Rhône-Alpes (Rôno-Arpes) and is surrounded by the departments of Ardèche, Isère, Hautes-Alpes, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Vaucluse.
  The boundaries of the department have changed several times with the incorporation of the Comtat Venaissin in 1792 and the creation of the department of Vaucluse in 1793. Drôme surrounds an enclave of the department of Vaucluse, the Canton of Valréas (Enclave des Papes).
  The President of the General Council is Didier Guillaume of the Socialist Party.
  
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  Eancé
  Coordinates: 47°49′21″N 1°14′30″W / 47.8225°N 1.2417°W / 47.8225; -1.2417
  Eancé (Breton: Aentieg) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  The river Semnon flows northwest through the commune.
  Inhabitants of Eancé are called Éancéens in French.
  
  
  
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  England
  England ⁱ/ˈɪŋɡlənd/ is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, while the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separate it from continental Europe. Most of England comprises the central and southern part of the island of Great Britain in the North Atlantic. The country also includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.
  The area now called England was first inhabited by modern humans during the Upper Palaeolithic period, but it takes its name from the Angles, one of the Germanic tribes who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries. England became a unified state in AD 927, and since the Age of Discovery, which began during the 15th century, has had a significant cultural and legal impact on the wider world. The English language, the Anglican Church, and English law—the basis for the common law legal systems of many other countries around the world—developed in England, and the country's parliamentary system of government has been widely adopted by other nations. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the world's first industrialised nation. England's Royal Society laid the foundations of modern experimental science.
  
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  Epiniac
  Coordinates: 48°30′39″N 1°41′41″W / 48.5108°N 1.6947°W / 48.5108; -1.6947
  Epiniac (Breton: Sperneg, Gallo: Espeinyac) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Epiniac are called Épiniacais in French.
  
  
  
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  Erbrée
  Coordinates: 48°05′59″N 1°07′24″W / 48.0997°N 1.1233°W / 48.0997; -1.1233
  Erbrée (Breton: Ervored) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Erbrée are called Erbréens in French.
  
  
  
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  Essonne
  Essonne (pronounced: [ɛ.sɔn]) is a French department in the region of Île-de-France. It is named after the Essonne River.
  It was formed on 1 January 1968 when Seine-et-Oise was split into smaller departments.
  The Essonne department was created on 1 January 1968, from the southern portion of the former department of Seine-et-Oise.
  In June 1963 Carrefour S.A. opened the first hypermarket in the Paris region at Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois (although the word "hypermarche" was first used only in 1966). Based on the ideas put forward by the American logistics pioneer Bernardo Trujillo, the centre offered on a single 2,500 m² (26,909.78 sq ft) site a hitherto unknown combination of wide choice and low prices, supported by 400 car parking spaces.
  In 1969, the communes of Châteaufort and Toussus-le-Noble were separated from Essonne and added to the department of Yvelines.
  Essonne belongs to the region of Île-de-France.
  It has borders with the departments of:
  All of northern Essonne department belongs to the Parisian agglomeration and is very urbanized. The south remains rural.
  
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  Essé
  Coordinates: 47°57′30″N 1°25′24″W / 47.9583°N 1.4233°W / 47.9583; -1.4233
  Essé (Breton: Ezieg) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Essé are called Esséens in French.
  
  
  
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  Eure
  Eure (French pronunciation: [œʁ]) is a department in the north of France named after the river Eure.
  Eure is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Normandy.
  After the allied victory at Waterloo, Eure was occupied by Prussian troops between June 1815 and November 1818.
  In the wake of Louis-Napoléons December coup of 1851, Eure was one of the departments placed under a state of emergency in order to avert resistance to the post-republican régime. In the event fewer than 100 government opponents in Eure were arrested.
  Eure is part of the current region of Haute-Normandie and is surrounded by the departments of Seine-Maritime, Oise, Val-d'Oise, Yvelines, Eure-et-Loir, Orne, and Calvados.
  The department is a largely wooded plateau intersected by the valleys of the Seine River and its tributaries.
  The altitude varies from sea level to 248 metres in the south.
  The President of the General Council is Jean-Louis Destans of the Socialist Party.
  
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  Exeter
  Exeter (ⁱ/ˈɛksɨtər/ EK-si-tər) is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the County Council. The city is on the River Exe, about 37 miles (60 km) northeast of Plymouth, and 70 miles (110 km) southwest of Bristol. According to the 2001 Census, its population in that year was 111,076, while the mid-2010 estimate was 119,600.
  Exeter was the most south-westerly Roman fortified settlement in Britain. Its Exeter Cathedral, founded in the early 12th century, became Anglican at the time of the 16th century Reformation.
  Exeter has been identified as one of the top ten most profitable locations for a business to be based. The city has good transport links, with Exeter St David's railway station, Exeter Central railway station, the M5 motorway and Exeter International Airport connecting the city both nationally and internationally. Although a popular tourist destination, the city is not dominated by tourism.
  
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  Feins
  Coordinates: 48°19′47″N 1°38′19″W / 48.3297°N 1.6386°W / 48.3297; -1.6386
  Feins (Breton: Finioù, Gallo: Feins) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Feins are called Finésiens in French.
  
  
  
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  Finistère
  Finistère (French pronunciation: [fi.nis.tɛʁ]; Breton: Penn-ar-Bed) is a département of France, in the extreme west of Brittany.
  The name Finistère derives from the Latin Finis Terræ, meaning end of the earth, and may be compared with Land's End on the opposite side of the English Channel. The Breton name for Finistère Penn ar Bedd translates as Head/End of the World and is cognate with the Cornish equivalent for Land's End Pen-an-Wlas (Head/End of the country). Finistère is not to be confused with Finisterre in Spain.
  The present department consists of the historical region of Léon and parts of Cornouaille and Trégor.
  The largest population center in Finistère is Brest. Other large towns in the department include Quimper (the capital), Morlaix, Carhaix, and Douarnenez. Finistère includes the island of Ushant (Eusa in Breton, Ouessant in French).
  Finistère is the westernmost region of France (excluding the overseas departments). By several criteria, Finistère can also claim to be the most coastal department in Metropolitan France. Of its 283 communes, 118 are located on the coast. Its total coastline of approximately 1,250 km (776.71 mi) accounts for almost a quarter of the entire French coast-line.
  
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  Fleurigné
  Coordinates: 48°20′10″N 1°07′11″W / 48.3361°N 1.1197°W / 48.3361; -1.1197
  Fleurigné (Breton: Flurinieg, Gallo: Floereinyaè) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Fleurigné are called Fleurignéens in French.
  
  
  
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  Foix
  Coordinates: 42°57′59″N 1°36′28″E / 42.9664°N 1.6078°E / 42.9664; 1.6078
  Foix (French pronunciation: [fwa]; Occitan: Fois [ˈfujs, ˈfujʃ]; Catalan: Foix [ˈfoʃ]) is a commune, the capital of the Ariège department in southwestern France. It is the least populous administrative centre of a department in all of France, although it is only very slightly smaller than Privas. It lies south of Toulouse, close to the border with Spain and Andorra.
  The town of Foix probably owes its origin to an oratory founded by Charlemagne, which afterwards became the Abbey of Saint Volusianus in 849. The current area was preceded by the County of Foix.
  The coat of arms used by the commune has the blazon Or, three pallets gules. This is replicated on the flag, and in the arms of the département. It originates from the arms of the Counts of Foix, and, as such, dates back into medieval times. It bears a resemblance to the coat of arms of Aragon, both featuring in the coat of arms of Andorra.
  Foix was the birthplace of Charles de Freycinet (1828–1923), statesman and prime minister.
  
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  Fougères
  Coordinates: 48°21′09″N 1°11′55″W / 48.3525°N 1.1986°W / 48.3525; -1.1986
  Fougères (Breton: Felger, Gallo: Foujerr) is a commune and a sub-prefecture of the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Fougères' major monument is a medieval stronghold built atop a granite ledge, which was part of the ultimately unsuccessful defence system of the Duchy of Brittany against French aggression, and part of a tripartate with Vitré
  Fougères also has one of only three belfries in Brittany. Its location serves as the center of the weekend market. The belfry, built 1397, has symbolic importance: funded by local merchants it allowed ordinary people access to timekeeping previously the preserve of the church and nobility. Fougères is a town of Art and History. The town was involved in the rebellion against the French Revolution in 1793. A skirmish near Fougères was the subject of the French painter Julien Le Blant's (1851–1933) most famous work "Le Bataillon Carré, Affaire de Fougères 1793" which won a Gold Medal in the Exposition Universelle in 1889. This large work is now located in the United States, at the Lee Library on the campus of Brigham Young University.
  
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  France
  France (English ⁱ/ˈfræns/ FRANSS or /ˈfrɑːns/ FRAHNSS; French: [fʁɑ̃s] ( listen)), officially the French Republic (French: République française [ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛz]), is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. It is often referred to as l’Hexagone ("The Hexagon") because of the geometric shape of its territory. It is the largest western European country and it possesses the second-largest exclusive economic zone in the world, covering 11,035,000 km² (4,260,000 sq mi), just behind that of the United States (11,351,000 km² / 4,383,000 sq mi).
  Over the past 500 years, France has been a major power with strong cultural, economic, military and political influence in Europe and around the world. During the 17th and 18th centuries, France colonised great parts of North America and Southeast Asia; during the 19th and early 20th centuries, France built the second largest colonial empire of the time, including large portions of North, West and Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and many Caribbean and Pacific Islands.
  
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  French Guiana
  French Guiana (French: Guyane française; French pronunciation: [ɡɥijan fʁɑ̃sɛz]; officially just Guyane) is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations: Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west. Its 83,534 km² (32,253 sq mi) have a very low population density of less than 3 /km² (7.8 /sq mi), with almost half of its 229,000 people in 2009 living in the urban area of Cayenne, its capital.
  The addition of the adjective "French" in English comes from colonial times when five such colonies existed (The Guianas), namely from west to east: Spanish Guiana (now Guayana Region in Venezuela), British Guiana (now Guyana), Dutch Guiana (now Suriname), French Guiana, and Portuguese Guiana (now Amapá, a state in far northern Brazil). French Guiana and the two larger countries to the north and west, Guyana and Suriname, are still often collectively referred to as the Guianas and comprise one large shield landmass.
  
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  Gahard
  Coordinates: 48°17′51″N 1°31′05″W / 48.2975°N 1.5181°W / 48.2975; -1.5181
  Gahard (Breton: Gwaharzh, Gallo: Gahard) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Gahard are called Gahardais in French.
  
  
  
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  Gard
  Gard (French pronunciation: [ɡaʁ]; Occitan: Gard) is a département located in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region.
  The department is named after the River Gardon, and the Occitan name of the river has been replacing the French name of the department in recent decades, even among French speakers.
  The Gard area was settled by the Romans in classical times. It was crossed by the Via Domitia, which was constructed in 118 BC.
  Gard is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from the ancient province of Languedoc.
  It was originally intended to include the canton of Ganges in the department which would have been geographically logical, but Ganges was transferred to the neighbouring department of Hérault at the outset. In return, Gard received from Hérault the fishing port of Aigues Mortes which gave the department its own outlet to the Gulf of Lion.
  During the middle of the nineteenth century the prefecture, traditionally a centre of commerce with a manufacturing sector focused on textiles, was an early beneficiary of railway development, becoming an important railway junction. Several luxurious hotels were built, and the improved market access provided by the railways also encouraged, initially, a rapid growth in wine growing: however, many of the department's viticulturalists were ruined by the arrival in 1872 of phylloxera.
  
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  Gare de Rennes
  Rennes railway station is situated in the town centre of Rennes, France. It is situated on the Paris–Brest, Rennes–Saint-Malo and the Rennes–Redon railways.
  The station at Rennes was opened in 1857, and was situated a significant walking distance from the city centre. However, since that date the town has expanded and now the station lies in the central part of the city. It has access to Paris on the TGV, a two hour trip; and serves Brittany with regular trains to Brest, Lannion, Nantes, Quimper and Saint-Malo. Train service is also available to other cities in France such as Lyon, Montpellier, Marseille, Lille, Aix-en-Provence and Strasbourg.
  It is also served by Gares station on the VAL Rennes Metro.
  Coordinates: 48°6′12″N 1°40′21″W / 48.10333°N 1.6725°W / 48.10333; -1.6725
  
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  Gaël
  Coordinates: 48°07′59″N 2°13′12″W / 48.1331°N 2.22°W / 48.1331; -2.22
  Gaël (Breton: Gwazel, Gallo: Gaèu) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  It lies southwest of Rennes between Saint-Méen-le-Grand and Mauron. In the 18th century, a fair was held twice a year in August and October.
  Its Breton name is Gwazel, formerly called Guadel(t) or Wadel.
  It is best known to English historians as being the ancestral seat of Ralph de Guader the first earl of Norfolk and Suffolk in post-Conquest England circa 1070 A.D.
  This is an ancient Breton parish to the west of Rennes, whose boundaries formerly stretched to include the territories of Bran, Muel, Saint-Onen, Crouais, Saint-Méen-le-Grand, Concoret and Loscouët-sur-Meu. The parish of Gaël (Guadel) was a dependency of the Archbishopric of Saint-Malo. In the 6th and 7th centuries, Gaël was a major town in the kingdom of Domnonia.
  The name is alleged to derive from the word for a ford, river-crossing or river (see Guad- and Guadal-). In local myths there was a 6th century king Hoël (possible link to King Coel) known as the forest king or "Rex Arboretanus". It is a fact that the town is situated amidst the vast forests of Poutrecouët. A royal castle from this era was sited at Meu, not far from Gaël. This later became the seat of the De Montfort family. The emplacement was captured and dismantled by De Guesclin in 1372.
  
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  Germany
  Germany (ⁱ/ˈdʒɜrməni/), officially the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland, pronounced [ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant] ( listen)), is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km² and has a largely temperate seasonal climate. With 81.8 million inhabitants, it is the most populous member state and the largest economy in the European Union. It is one of the major political powers of the European continent and a technological leader in many fields.
  A region named Germania, inhabited by several Germanic peoples, was documented before AD 100. During the Migration Period, the Germanic tribes expanded southward, and established successor kingdoms throughout much of Europe. Beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 16th century, northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation while southern and western parts remained dominated by Roman Catholic denominations, with the two factions clashing in the Thirty Years' War, marking the beginning of the Catholic–Protestant divide that has characterized German society ever since. Occupied during the Napoleonic Wars, the rise of Pan-Germanism inside the German Confederation resulted in the unification of most of the German states into the German Empire in 1871 which was Prussian dominated. After the German Revolution of 1918–1919 and the subsequent military surrender in World War I, the Empire was replaced by the Weimar Republic in 1918, and partitioned in the Treaty of Versailles. Amidst the Great Depression, the Third Reich was proclaimed in 1933. The latter period was marked by Fascism and World War II. After 1945, Germany was divided by allied occupation, and evolved into two states, East Germany and West Germany. In 1990 Germany was reunified.
  
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  Gers
  The Gers (French: le Gers, Gascon: Gers, pronounced: [ʒɛʁs] or [ʒɛʁ]) is a department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in the southwest of France named after the Gers River.
  Inhabitants are called les Gersois or Gersoises.
  In the Middle Ages, the Lordship of L'Isle-Jourdain was nearby.
  The Gers is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Guyenne and Gascony.
  In 1808 it lost Lavit on its the north-eastern side to the newly created department of Tarn-et-Garonne.
  The culture is largely agricultural, with great emphasis on the local gastronomical specialties such as:
  Also, some prominent cultivated crops are corn, colza, sunflowers and grain.
  The Gascon language is a dialect of Occitan, but it is not widely spoken.The department is characterised by sleepy bastide villages and rolling hills with the Pyrenees visible to the south.
  Alexandre Dumas, père created the famous Gersois d'Artagnan, the fourth musketeer of The Three Musketeers. A museum to d'Artagnan is found in the Gersois village of Lupiac.
  
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  Gironde
  For the Revolutionary party, see Girondists.
  Gironde (French pronunciation: [ʒiʁɔ̃d]; in Gascon Gironda) is a common name for the Gironde estuary, where the mouths of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers merge, and for a department in the Aquitaine region situated in southwest France. The Bordeaux wine region is in the Gironde.
  Gironde is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Guyenne and Gascogne.
  From 1793 to 1795, the department's name was changed to Bec-d'Ambès to avoid the association with the revolutionary party, the Girondists.
  Gironde is part of the current region of Aquitaine and is surrounded by the departments of Landes, Lot-et-Garonne, Dordogne and Charente-Maritime and the Atlantic Ocean on the west. With an area of 10,000 km², Gironde is the largest department in metropolitan France. If overseas departments are included, however, Gironde's land area is dwarfed by the 83,846 km² of Guyane.
  
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  Gosné
  Coordinates: 48°14′49″N 1°27′49″W / 48.2469°N 1.4636°W / 48.2469; -1.4636
  Gosné (Breton: Goneg, Gallo: Gosnae) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  It is twinned with Ballyheigue in County Kerry, Ireland.
  Inhabitants of Gosné are called Gosnéens in French.
  Gosné is located at 24 km (15 mi) in the North-East of Rennes and at 49 km (30 mi) in the south of the Mont Saint-Michel.
  The bordering communesare Saint-Aubin-du-Cormier, Liffré, and Ercé-près-Liffré.
  
  
  
  wn.com/Gosné
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  Goven
  Coordinates: 48°00′24″N 1°50′46″W / 48.0067°N 1.8461°W / 48.0067; -1.8461
  Goven (Breton: Goven, Gallo: Govaen) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  The Meu river flows into the Vilaine in the commune.
  Inhabitants of Goven are called Govenais in French.
  
  
  
  wn.com/Goven
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  Grenoble
  Coordinates: 45°12′01″N 5°43′20″E / 45.2002°N 5.7222°E / 45.2002; 5.7222
  Grenoble (French pronunciation: [ɡʁə.nɔbl]; Arpitan: Grenoblo) is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère. The proximity of the mountains has led to the city being known as the "Capital of the Alps."
  Grenoble's history goes back more than 2,000 years, and it has been the capital of the Dauphiné since the 11th century. It experienced a period of economic expansion in the nineteenth and 20th centuries, symbolized by the holding of the X Olympic Winter Games in 1968. The city is now a significant scientific centre in Europe.
  The population of the city (commune) of Grenoble at the 2008 census was 156,659. The population of the Grenoble metropolitan area (French: aire urbaine de Grenoble) at the 2008 census was 664,832. The residents of the city are called "Grenoblois".
  Among the numerous communes that make up Grenoble are the city's largest suburbs, Saint-Martin-d'Hères, Échirolles, and Fontaine, each with a population exceeding 20,000.
  
  wn.com/Grenoble
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  Guadeloupe
  Coordinates: 16°15′N 61°35′W / 16.25°N 61.583°W / 16.25; -61.583
  Guadeloupe ( /ɡwɑːdəˈluːp/; French pronunciation: [ɡwadəlup]; Antillean Creole: Gwadloup) is a Caribbean island located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres (629 sq. mi) and a population of 400,000. It is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. Its departmental code is "971". As the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe is also an integral part of the Republic. Besides Guadeloupe island, the smaller islands of Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the Îles des Saintes are included in Guadeloupe.
  As part of France, Guadeloupe is part of the European Union and the Eurozone; hence, as for all Eurozone countries, its currency is the euro. However, Guadeloupe is not part of the Schengen Area. The prefecture and the capital of Guadeloupe is Basse-Terre. Christopher Columbus named the island Santa María de Guadalupe in 1493 after the Virgin Mary, venerated in the Spanish town of Guadalupe, in Extremadura.
  
  wn.com/Guadeloupe
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  Guichen
  Coordinates: 47°58′05″N 1°47′38″W / 47.9681°N 1.7939°W / 47.9681; -1.7939
  Guichen (Breton: Gwizien, Gallo: Gischen) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Guichen are called Guichenais in French.
  
  
  
  wn.com/Guichen
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  Guignen
  Coordinates: 47°55′16″N 1°51′38″W / 47.9211°N 1.8606°W / 47.9211; -1.8606
  Guignen (Breton: Gwinien, Gallo: Ginyen) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  The title of Viscount of Guignen had been the property of the House of Rohan since the 15th century. It was passed through to the Princes of Condé, members of the House of Bourbon by a marriage between Louis Joseph de Bourbon, Prince of Condé to Charlotte de Rohan who was created Viscountess in 1745. At her death in 1760, it became one of the subsidiary titles of the Condé's being confiscated during the revolution.
  Inhabitants of Guignen are called Guignennais in French.
  
  
  
  wn.com/Guignen
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  Guipel
  Coordinates: 48°17′57″N 1°43′12″W / 48.2992°N 1.7200°W / 48.2992; -1.7200
  Guipel (Breton: Gwipedel, Gallo: Gipèu) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Guipel are called Guipellois in French.
  
  
  
  wn.com/Guipel
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  Guipry
  Coordinates: 47°49′32″N 1°50′29″W / 47.8256°N 1.8414°W / 47.8256; -1.8414
  Guipry (Breton: Gwipri, Gallo: Gipri) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Guipry are called Guipryens in French.
  
  
  
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  Guéret
  Coordinates: 46°10′17″N 1°52′09″E / 46.1714°N 1.8692°E / 46.1714; 1.8692
  Guéret (Occitan: Garait) is a commune and the prefecture of the Creuse department in the Limousin region in central France.
  A light industrial town, the largest in the department, with a big woodland and a little farming not far from the town centre. It is approximately 45 miles (72 km) northeast of Limoges at the junction of the D942, D940 and the N145 roads.
  
  
  Guéret is twinned with: Stein, Bavaria, Germany since 1991
  
  
  
  wn.com/Guéret
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  Gévezé
  Coordinates: 48°13′12″N 1°47′12″W / 48.2200°N 1.7867°W / 48.2200; -1.7867
  Gévezé (Breton: Gevrezeg, Gallo: Jaebevae) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Gévezé are called Gévezéens in French.
  
  
  
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  Hirel
  Coordinates: 48°36′23″N 1°48′01″W / 48.6064°N 1.8003°W / 48.6064; -1.8003
  Hirel (Breton: Hirel, Gallo: Hiraèu) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Hirel are called Hirélois in French.
  
  
  
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  Hérault
  Hérault (French pronunciation: [eʁo]; Occitan: Erau) is a department in the south of France named after the Hérault river.
  Hérault is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Languedoc.
  At the beginning of the 20th century, viticulture in the region was devastated by a slump in sales combined with disease affecting the vines, and thousands of small scale producers revolted. This revolt was suppressed very harshly by the government of Georges Clemenceau.
  The catastrophic frost of the winter of 1956 damaged the olive trees, and the olive-growing regions did not recover until the late 1980s. Many of the olive-industry co-ops closed.
  During the second half of the twentieth century the Montpellier basin underwent one of the most rapid population increases experienced anywhere in France.
  Hérault is part of the current region of Languedoc-Roussillon and is surrounded by the departments of Aude, Tarn, Aveyron, Gard, and the Mediterranean (Gulf of Lion) on the south.
  
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  Iffendic
  Coordinates: 48°07′52″N 2°01′57″W / 48.1311°N 2.0325°W / 48.1311; -2.0325
  Iffendic (pronounced Findic, Breton: Ilfentig, Gallo: Fendic) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  It is on the river Meu. The local church in Iffendic dates back to 1122. It is noted by the fact that the Roman Catholic Saint and well known author, Louis de Montfort spent most of his childhood there.
  Inhabitants of Iffendic are called Iffendicois in French.
  
  
  
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  Indre
  Indre (French pronunciation: [ɛ̃dʁ]) is a department in the center of France named after the river Indre. The inhabitants of the department are called Indriens.
  Indre is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Berry.
  Indre is part of the current region of Centre (Val de Loire) and is surrounded by the departments of Indre-et-Loire, Loir-et-Cher, Cher, Creuse, Vienne, and Haute-Vienne.
  The President of the General Council is Louis Pinton of the Union for a Popular Movement.
  The Indre has two villages classified among the most beautiful villages of France: Saint-Benoît-du-Sault and Gargilesse-Dampierre.
  Media related to Indre (department) at Wikimedia Commons
  
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  Irodouër
  Coordinates: 48°15′02″N 1°56′58″W / 48.2506°N 1.9494°W / 48.2506; -1.9494
  Irodouër (Breton: Irodouer, Gallo: Irodoèrr) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Irodouër are called Irodouëriens in French.
  
  
  
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  Isère
  Isère (pronounced: [izɛːʁ]; Arpitan: Isera, Occitan: Isèra) is a department in the Rhône-Alpes (Rôno-Arpes in Arpitan) region in the east of France named after the river Isère.
  Isère is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Dauphiné. Its area has been reduced twice, in 1852 and again in 1967, on both occasions losing territory to the department of Rhône.
  In 1852 in response to rapid urban development round the edge of Lyon, the (hitherto Isère) communes of Bron, Vaulx-en-Velin, Vénissieux and Villeurbanne were transferred to Rhône. In 1967 the redrawing of local government frontiers led to the creation of the Urban Community of Lyon (more recently known simply as Greater Lyon / Grand Lyon). At that time intercommunal groupings of this nature were not permitted to straddle departmental frontiers, and accordingly 23 more Isère communes (along with 6 communes from Ain) found themselves transferred to Rhône. The affected Isère communes were Chaponnay, Chassieu, Communay, Corbas, Décines-Charpieu, Feyzin, Genas, Jonage, Jons, Marennes, Meyzieu, Mions, Pusignan, Saint-Bonnet-de-Mure, Saint-Laurent-de-Mure, Saint-Pierre-de-Chandieu, Saint-Priest, Saint-Symphorien-d'Ozon, Sérézin-du-Rhône, Simandres, Solaize, Ternay and Toussieu.
  
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  Janzé
  Coordinates: 47°57′41″N 1°29′52″W / 47.9614°N 1.4978°W / 47.9614; -1.4978
  Janzé (Breton: Gentieg, Gallo: Janzae) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Janzé are called Janzéens in French.
  
  
  
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  Japan
  Japan ⁱ/dʒəˈpæn/ (Japanese: 日本 Nihon or Nippon; formally 日本国  Nippon-koku or Nihon-koku, literally the State of Japan) is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south. The characters that make up Japan's name mean "sun-origin", which is why Japan is sometimes referred to as the "Land of the Rising Sun".
  Japan is an archipelago of 6,852 islands. The four largest islands are Honshū, Hokkaidō, Kyūshū and Shikoku, together accounting for ninety-seven percent of Japan's land area. Japan has the world's tenth-largest population, with over 127 million people. The Greater Tokyo Area, which includes the de facto capital city of Tokyo and several surrounding prefectures, is the largest metropolitan area in the world, with over 30 million residents.
  Archaeological research indicates that people lived in Japan as early as the Upper Paleolithic period. The first written mention of Japan is in Chinese history texts from the 1st century AD. Influence from other nations followed by long periods of isolation has characterized Japan's history. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, victory in the First Sino-Japanese War, the Russo-Japanese War and World War I allowed Japan to expand its empire during a period of increasing militarism. The Second Sino-Japanese War of 1937 expanded into part of World War II in 1941, which came to an end in 1945 following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Since adopting its revised constitution in 1947, Japan has maintained a unitary constitutional monarchy with an emperor and an elected parliament called the Diet.
  
  wn.com/Japan
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  Javené
  Coordinates: 48°19′12″N 1°12′52″W / 48.3200°N 1.2144°W / 48.3200; -1.2144
  Javené (Breton: Yaoueneg, Gallo: Javenaé) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  The inhabitants of Javené are known as Javenéens in French.
  
  
  
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  Jinan
  Coordinates: 36°40′N 116°59′E / 36.667°N 116.983°E / 36.667; 116.983
  Jinan (Chinese: 济南; pinyin: Jǐnán; Mandarin pronunciation: [t͡ɕi˧˩nan˧˥];) is the capital of Shandong province in Eastern China. The area of present-day Jinan has played an important role in the history of the region from the earliest beginnings of civilisation and has evolved into a major national administrative, economic, and transportation hub. The city, which holds sub-provincial administrative status, is located in north-western Shandong about 400 kilometres (250 mi) south of the national capital of Beijing, it borders Liaocheng to the southwest, Dezhou to the northwest, Binzhou to the northeast, Zibo to the east, Laiwu to the southeast, and Tai'an to the south.
  
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  Kazakhstan
  Kazakhstan (ⁱ/ˌkɑːzəkˈstɑːn/ or /ˌkæzəkˈstæn/) (Kazakh: Қазақстан, Qazaqstan, pronounced [qɑzɑqstɑ́n]; Russian: Казахстан [kəzɐxˈstan]), officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Europe. The ninth largest country in the world by land area, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of 2,727,300 square kilometres (1,053,000 sq mi) is larger than Western Europe. It is neighbored clockwise from the north by Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and also borders on a significant part of the Caspian Sea. Although Kazakhstan does not share a border with Mongolia, its most easterly point is only 38 kilometres (24 mi) from Mongolia's western tip. The terrain of Kazakhstan ranges from flatlands, steppes, taigas, rock-canyons, hills, deltas, and snow-capped mountains to deserts. With 16.6 million people (2011 estimate) Kazakhstan has the 62nd largest population in the world, though its population density is less than 6 people per square kilometre (15 per sq. mi.). The capital was moved in 1998 from Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city, to Astana.
  
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  La Baussaine
  Coordinates: 48°18′51″N 1°53′49″W / 48.3142°N 1.8969°W / 48.3142; -1.8969
  La Baussaine (Breton: Baosan, Gallo: La Bauczaènn) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of La Baussaine are called Baussainais in French.
  The church of Saint Léon was built in the 15th century of Bécherel granite. It was classified as a historic monument in 1926. Although they are damaged, the stained-glass windows are an excellent example of 16th-century art. Two of the panels can be attributed to Guyon Collin.
  
  
  
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  La Boussac
  Coordinates: 48°30′49″N 1°39′33″W / 48.5136°N 1.6592°W / 48.5136; -1.6592
  La Boussac (Breton: Labouseg, Gallo: Labóczac) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of La Boussac are called Boussacquais in French.
  
  
  
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  La Bouëxière
  Coordinates: 48°11′05″N 1°26′12″W / 48.1847°N 1.4367°W / 48.1847; -1.4367
  La Bouëxière (Breton: Beuzid-ar-C'hoadoù) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  It is situated 19 km (12 mi) from Rennes in the forest of Rennes.
  Inhabitants of La Bouëxière are called Bouexièrais in French.
  La Bouëxière is twinned with Wingrave in England and Hambrücken in Germany.
  
  
  
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  La Couyère
  Coordinates: 47°53′17″N 1°30′13″W / 47.8881°N 1.5036°W / 47.8881; -1.5036
  La Couyère (Breton: Ar Gouer) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of La Couyère are called in French coverois.
  
  
  
  wn.com/La_Couyère
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  La Dominelais
  Coordinates: 47°45′48″N 1°41′14″W / 47.7633°N 1.6872°W / 47.7633; -1.6872
  La Dominelais (Breton: Doveneleg) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of La Dominelais are called in French dominelaisiens.
  
  
  
  wn.com/La_Dominelais
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  La Fresnais
  Coordinates: 48°35′47″N 1°50′32″W / 48.5964°N 1.8422°W / 48.5964; -1.8422
  La Fresnais (Breton: An Onneg) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of La Fresnais are called Fresnaisiens in French.
  
  
  
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  La Gouesnière
  Coordinates: 48°36′22″N 1°53′34″W / 48.6061°N 1.8928°W / 48.6061; -1.8928
  La Gouesnière (Breton: Gouenaer) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of La Gouesnière are called Gouesnériens in French.
  
  
  
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  La Mézière
  Coordinates: 48°13′08″N 1°45′16″W / 48.2189°N 1.7544°W / 48.2189; -1.7544
  La Mézière (Breton: Magoer, Gallo: La Maézierr) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  In 2008, 0.84% of primary-school children attended bilingual schools.
  Inhabitants of La Mézière are called Macériens in French.
  
  
  
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  La Nouaye
  Coordinates: 48°09′48″N 1°58′41″W / 48.1633°N 1.9781°W / 48.1633; -1.9781
  La Nouaye (Breton: Lanwaz) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of La Nouaye are called Lanoysiens in French.
  
  
  
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  La Richardais
  Coordinates: 48°36′26″N 2°02′02″W / 48.6072°N 2.0339°W / 48.6072; -2.0339
  La Richardais (Breton: Kerricharzh-an-Arvor) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of La Richardais are called in French richardaisiens.
  
  
  
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  La Rochelle
  Coordinates: 46°09′33″N 1°09′06″W / 46.1591°N 1.1517°W / 46.1591; -1.1517
  La Rochelle (French pronunciation: [la ʁɔ.ʃɛl]) is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.
  The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a 2.9 km (1.8 mi) bridge completed on 19 May 1988. Its harbour opens into a protected strait, the Pertuis d'Antioche.
  The area of La Rochelle was occupied in antiquity by the Gallic tribe of the Santones, who gave their name to the nearby region of Saintonge and the city of Saintes.
  The Romans then occupied the area, where they developed salt production along the coast as well as wine production, which was then re-exported throughout the Empire. Roman villas have been found at Saint-Éloi and at Les Minimes, as well as salt evaporation ponds dating from the same period.
  La Rochelle was founded during the 10th century and became an important harbour in the 12th century. The establishment of La Rochelle as a harbour was a consequence of the victory of Guillaume X, Duke of Aquitaine over Isambert de Châtelaillon in 1130 and the subsequent destruction of his harbour of Châtelaillon. In 1137, Guillaume X to all intents and purposes made La Rochelle a free port and gave it the right to establish itself as a commune. Fifty years later Eleanor of Aquitaine upheld the communal charter promulgated by her father, and for the first time in France, a city mayor was appointed for La Rochelle, Guillaume de Montmirail. Guillaume was assisted in his responsibilities by 24 municipal magistrates, and 75 notables who had jurisdiction over the inhabitants. Under the communal charter, the city obtained many privileges, such as the right to mint its own coins, and to operate some businesses free of royal taxes, factors which would favour the development of the entrepreuneurial middle-class (bourgeoisie).
  
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  Laignelet
  Coordinates: 48°22′18″N 1°08′55″W / 48.3717°N 1.1486°W / 48.3717; -1.1486
  Laignelet (Breton: Kernoanig) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of Laignelet are called Agnelais in French.
  
  
  
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  Laillé
  Coordinates: 47°58′43″N 1°43′02″W / 47.9786°N 1.7172°W / 47.9786; -1.7172
  Laillé (Breton: Lalieg) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Laillé are called Lailléens in French.
  
  
  
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  Lalleu
  Coordinates: 47°51′22″N 1°30′32″W / 47.8561°N 1.5089°W / 47.8561; -1.5089
  Lalleu (Breton: An Alloz) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  The stream de la Couyère forms all of the commune's eastern border, then flows into the Semnon, which forms all of its southern border.
  Inhabitants of Lalleu are called Allodiens in French.
  
  
  
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  Landavran
  Coordinates: 48°09′35″N 1°17′18″W / 48.1597°N 1.2883°W / 48.1597; -1.2883
  Landavran (Breton: Landavran) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of Landavran are called Landavranais in French.
  
  
  
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  Landujan
  Coordinates: 48°15′03″N 1°59′42″W / 48.2508°N 1.995°W / 48.2508; -1.995
  Landujan (Breton: Landujan, Gallo: Landujan) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Landujan are called Landujannais in French.
  
  
  
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  Landéan
  Coordinates: 48°24′50″N 1°09′05″W / 48.4139°N 1.1514°W / 48.4139; -1.1514
  Landéan (Breton: Landean) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of Landéan are called in French landéanais .
  
  
  
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  Langouet
  Coordinates: 48°15′02″N 1°49′19″W / 48.2506°N 1.8219°W / 48.2506; -1.8219
  Langouet (Breton: Langoed) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of Langouet are called Langouëtiens in French.
  
  
  
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  Lanhélin
  Coordinates: 48°27′34″N 1°49′37″W / 48.4594°N 1.8269°W / 48.4594; -1.8269
  Lanhélin (Breton: Lanhelen) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  The inhabitants of Lanhélin are known as Lanhélinois in French.
  
  
  
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  Lanrigan
  Coordinates: 48°23′50″N 1°41′51″W / 48.3972°N 1.6975°W / 48.3972; -1.6975
  Lanrigan (Breton: Lanrigan) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of Lanrigan are called Lanriganais in French.
  
  
  
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  Laon
  Coordinates: 49°33′50″N 3°37′28″E / 49.5639°N 3.6244°E / 49.5639; 3.6244
  Laon (French pronunciation: [lɑ̃]) is the capital city of the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.
  The hilly district of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held strategic importance. In the time of Julius Caesar there was a Gallic village named Bibrax where the Remis (inhabitants of the country round Reims) had to meet the onset of the confederated Belgae. Whatever may have been the precise locality of that battlefield, Laon was fortified by the Romans, and successively checked the invasions of the Franks, Burgundians, Vandals, Alans and Huns. At that time it was known as Alaudanum or Lugdunum Clavatum.
  Remigius, archbishop of Reims, who baptised Clovis, was born in the Laonnais, and it was he who, at the end of the fifth century, instituted the bishopric of Laon. Thenceforward Laon was one of the principal towns of the kingdom of the Franks, and the possession of it was often disputed. Charles the Bald had enriched its church with the gift of very numerous domains. About 847 the Irish philosopher John Scotus Eriugena appeared at the court of Charles the Bald, and was appointed head of the palace school. Eriugena spent the rest of his days in France, probably at Paris and Laon. After the fall of the Carolingians Laon took the part of Charles of Lorraine, their heir, and Hugh Capet only succeeded in making himself master of the town by the connivance of the bishop, who, in return for this service, was made second ecclesiastical peer of the kingdom.
  
  wn.com/Laon
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  Le Crouais
  Coordinates: 48°12′29″N 2°08′14″W / 48.2081°N 2.1372°W / 48.2081; -2.1372
  Le Crouais (Breton: Ar Groez) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of Le Crouais are called in French Crouaisiens.
  
  
  
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  Le Ferré
  Coordinates: 48°29′36″N 1°17′34″W / 48.4933°N 1.2928°W / 48.4933; -1.2928
  Le Ferré (Breton: Ferred) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Le Ferré are called Ferréens in French.
  
  
  
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  Le Loroux
  Coordinates: 48°23′44″N 1°03′47″W / 48.3956°N 1.0631°W / 48.3956; -1.0631
  Le Loroux (Breton: Lavreer-an-Dezerzh) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Le Loroux are called Lorousiens in French.
  
  
  
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  Le Mans
  Coordinates: 48°00′28″N 0°11′54″E / 48.0077°N 0.1984°E / 48.0077; 0.1984
  Le Mans (French pronunciation: [ləmɑ̃]) is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.
  Its inhabitants are called Manceaux and Mancelles. It has been host to the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car race since 1923.
  First mentioned by Ptolemy, the Roman city Vindinium was the capital of the Aulerci, a sub tribe of the Aedui. Le Mans is also known as Civitas Cenomanorum (City of the Cenomani). Their city, seized by the Romans in 47 BC, lies in the ancient Roman province of Gallia Lugdunensis. An amphitheatre built in the third century AD is still visible, but the thermae were demolished during the crisis of the third century to build the city's walls, which remain some of the most complete circuit of Gallo-Roman city walling that survives.
  
  wn.com/Le_Mans
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  Le Pertre
  Coordinates: 48°02′08″N 1°02′09″W / 48.0356°N 1.0358°W / 48.0356; -1.0358
  Le Pertre (Breton: Ar Perzh) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of Le Pertre are called in French pertrais.
  
  
  
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  Le Rheu
  Coordinates: 48°06′10″N 1°47′39″W / 48.1028°N 1.7942°W / 48.1028; -1.7942
  Le Rheu (Breton: Reuz) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Le Rheu are called Rheusois in French.
  
  
  
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  Le Tiercent
  Coordinates: 48°21′00″N 1°24′18″W / 48.35°N 1.405°W / 48.35; -1.405
  Le Tiercent (Breton: An Tergant) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Le Tiercent is located 37 km (23 mi) northeast of Rennes and 35 km (22 mi) south of Mont Saint-Michel.
  The neighboring communes are Chauvigné, Saint-Marc-le-Blanc, Baillé, Saint-Hilaire-des-Landes, Saint-Ouen-des-Alleux, and Saint-Christophe-de-Valains.
  Inhabitants of Le Tiercent are called Tiercentois in French.
  
  
  
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  Le Verger
  Coordinates: 48°04′13″N 1°55′55″W / 48.0703°N 1.9319°W / 48.0703; -1.9319
  Le Verger (Breton: Gwerzher) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of Le Verger are called Vergéens in French.
  There is a partnership arrangement with the German community of Hahn am See.
  
  
  
  wn.com/Le_Verger
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  Les Brulais
  Coordinates: 47°53′23″N 2°02′30″W / 47.8897°N 2.0417°W / 47.8897; -2.0417
  Les Brulais (Breton: Ar Brugeier) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Les Brulais are called Brulaisiens in French.
  
  
  
  wn.com/Les_Brulais
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  Les Iffs
  Coordinates: 48°17′19″N 1°51′56″W / 48.2886°N 1.8656°W / 48.2886; -1.8656
  Les Iffs (Breton: An Ivineg) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of Les Iffs are called in French ifféens.
  
  
  
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  Lieuron
  Coordinates: 47°51′07″N 1°56′36″W / 47.8519°N 1.9433°W / 47.8519; -1.9433
  Lieuron (Breton: Luzron) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Lieuron are called Lieuronnais in French.
  
  
  
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  Liffré
  Coordinates: 48°12′51″N 1°30′24″W / 48.2142°N 1.5067°W / 48.2142; -1.5067
  Liffré (Breton: Liverieg, Gallo: Lifrei) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Liffré are called Liffréens in French.
  Liffré is twinned with:
  
  
  
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  Lille
  Coordinates: 50°38′14″N 3°03′48″E / 50.6372°N 3.0633°E / 50.6372; 3.0633
  Lille (French pronunciation: [lil] ( listen); Dutch: Rijsel) is a city in northern France (French Flanders). It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium. It is the capital of the Nord-Pas de Calais region and the prefecture of the Nord department.
  The city of Lille, which annexed Lomme on 27 February 2000, had a population of 226,014 at the 2006 census. Meanwhile, the Lille Métropole, which also includes Roubaix, Tourcoing and numerous suburban communities, had a population of 1,091,438. The eurodistrict of Lille-Kortrijk, which also includes the areas of the Belgian cities of Kortrijk, Tournai, Mouscron and Ypres, had 1,905,000 residents.^{[citation needed]}
  The legend of "Lydéric and Phinaert" puts the foundation of the city of "L'Isle" at 640. Although the first mention of the town appears in archives from the year 1066, some archeological digs seem to show the area as inhabited by as early as 2000 BC^{[citation needed]}, most notably in the modern-day quartiers of Fives, Wazemmes, and Old Lille.
  
  wn.com/Lille
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  Lillemer
  Coordinates: 48°33′56″N 1°51′33″W / 48.5656°N 1.8592°W / 48.5656; -1.8592
  Lillemer (Breton: Enez-Veur) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of Lillemer are called in French lillemérois or lillemériens.
  
  
  
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  Limoges
  Coordinates: 45°50′07″N 1°15′45″E / 45.8353°N 1.2625°E / 45.8353; 1.2625
  Limoges (French pronunciation: [li.mɔʒ], Lemòtges or Limòtges in the Limousin dialect of Occitan) is a city and commune, the capital of the Haute-Vienne department and the administrative capital of the Limousin région in west-central France.
  Limoges is known for its medieval enamels (Limoges enamels) on copper, for its 19th-century porcelain (Limoges porcelain) and for its oak barrels (Limousin oak), which are used for Cognac production.
  Limoges is the chief-town of 16 cantons: Limoges-Beaupuy, Limoges-Carnot, Limoges-Centre, Limoges-Cité, Limoges-Condat, Limoges-Corgnac, Limoges-Couzeix, Limoges-Émailleurs, Limoges-Grand-Treuil, Limoges-Isle, Limoges-La Bastide, Limoges-Landouge, Limoges-Le Palais, Limoges-Panazol, Limoges-Puy-las-Rodas, and Limoges-Vigenal.
  Scarce remains of pre-urban settlements have been found in the area of Limoges. The capital of the Gaulish people of the Lemovices, who lived in the area, was probably some kilometres south-east of Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat.
  
  wn.com/Limoges
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  Lohéac
  Coordinates: 47°51′59″N 1°52′55″W / 47.8664°N 1.8819°W / 47.8664; -1.8819
  Lohéac (Breton: Lohieg, Gallo: Lozeiac) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Lohéac are called Lohéaciens in French.
  
  
  
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  Loiret
  Loiret (French pronunciation: [lwaʁɛ]) is a department in north-central France
  The department is named after the river Loiret, a tributary of the Loire. The Loiret is located wholly within the department.
  Loiret is one of the original 83 departments that was created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from the former province of Orléanais.
  Loiret is part of the current region of Centre and is surrounded by the departments of Essonne, Seine-et-Marne, Yonne, Nièvre, Cher, Loir-et-Cher, and Eure-et-Loir.
  Orléans is a popular tourist destination, with its cathedral of Ste. Croix.
  
  wn.com/Loiret
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  Longaulnay
  Coordinates: 48°18′39″N 1°56′18″W / 48.3108°N 1.9383°W / 48.3108; -1.9383
  Longaulnay (Breton: Hirwerneg) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of Longaulnay are called in French longaulnéens.
  
  
  
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  Lourmais
  Coordinates: 48°27′02″N 1°43′35″W / 48.4506°N 1.7264°W / 48.4506; -1.7264
  Lourmais (Breton: An Oulmeg) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of Lourmais are called Lourmaisiens in French.
  
  
  
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  Loutehel
  Coordinates: 47°56′13″N 2°04′45″W / 47.9369°N 2.0792°W / 47.9369; -2.0792
  Loutehel (Breton: Loutehel) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  
  
  
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  Lower Normandy
  Lower Normandy (French: Basse-Normandie, IPA: [bas nɔr.mɑ̃.di]; Norman: Basse-Normaundie) is an administrative region of France. It was created in 1956, when the Normandy region was divided into Lower Normandy and Upper Normandy. The region includes three departments, Calvados, Manche and Orne, that cover the part of Normandy traditionally termed "Lower Normandy" lying west of the Dives River, the Pays d'Auge (except a small part remaining in Upper Normandy), a small part of the Pays d'Ouche (the main part remaining in Upper Normandy), the Norman Perche and part of the "French" Perche. It covers 10,857 km², 3.2 percent of the surface area of France.
  The traditional districts of Lower Normandy include the Cotentin Peninsula and La Hague, the Campagne de Caen, the Norman Bocage, the Bessin and the Avranchin.
  The traditional province of Normandy, with an integral history reaching back to the 10th century, was divided in 1957 into two regions: Lower Normandy and Upper Normandy.
  During the Roman era, the region was divided into several different city-states. That of Vieux was excavated in the 17th century, revealing numerous structures and vestiges bearing testimony to the prosperity of the Caen region.
  
  wn.com/Lower_Normandy
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  Lozère
  Lozère (French pronunciation: [lɔzɛʁ]; Occitan: Losera), is a department in southeast France near the Massif Central, named after Mont Lozère.
  Lozère is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Languedoc.
  The Beast of Gévaudan was a creature that terrorized the general area of the former province of Gévaudan, with nearly identical borders to today's Lozère, in the Margeride Mountains, in the general timeframe of 1764 to 1767.
  Pliny's Natural History praised the cheese of Lozère:
  The geography of Lozère is complicated, covering four mountain ranges. In the north-west, the basalt plateau of Aubrac rises between 1,000 and 1,450m, with a cold humid climate influenced by the Atlantic. The north and north-east of the department contains the Margeride mountains, which are formed of granite, and have peaks between 1,000 and 1,550m. The climate here is also cold, but dryer than Aubrac, with less snow.
  
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  Luitré
  Coordinates: 48°17′03″N 1°07′02″W / 48.2842°N 1.1172°W / 48.2842; -1.1172
  Luitré (Breton: Loezherieg, Gallo: Lutraé) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Luitré are called Luitréens in French.
  
  
  
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  Lyon
  Coordinates: 45°45′35″N 4°50′32″E / 45.7597°N 4.8422°E / 45.7597; 4.8422
  Lyon (French pronunciation: [ljɔ̃] ( listen), locally: [lijɔ̃]; Occitan: Lion [liˈu]; Arpitan: Liyon [ʎjɔ̃]; English: /liːˈɒn/), traditionally spelt Lyons in English, is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located approximately 470 km (292 mi) from Paris, 320 km (199 mi) from Marseille, 420 km (261 mi) from Strasbourg, 160 km (99 mi) from Geneva, 280 km (174 mi) from Turin. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais.
  The city of Lyon has 483,181 inhabitants. Together with its suburbs and satellite towns, Lyon forms the largest conurbation in France outside Paris with a population estimated to be 1,422,331; its overall metropolitan area was estimated to have a population of 2,118,132. Its urban region represents half of the Rhône-Alpes region population with 2.9 million inhabitants. Lyon is the capital of this region, as well as the capital of the smaller Rhône département.
  
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  Lécousse
  Coordinates: 48°22′06″N 1°12′58″W / 48.3683°N 1.2161°W / 48.3683; -1.2161
  Lécousse (Breton: Eskuz) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of Lécousse are called in French lecoussais.
  
  
  
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  Mali
  Mali ⁱ/ˈmɑːli/, officially the Republic of Mali (French: République du Mali, French pronunciation: [maˈli]), is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with a population of 14.5 million. Its capital is Bamako. Mali consists of eight regions and its borders on the north reach deep into the middle of the Sahara, while the country's southern part, where the majority of inhabitants live, features the Niger and Sénégal rivers. The country's economic structure centers around agriculture and fishing. Some of Mali's natural resources are gold, uranium, livestock, and salt. About half the population live below the international poverty line of US$1.25 a day.
  Present-day Mali was once part of three West African empires that controlled trans-Saharan trade: the Ghana Empire, the Mali Empire (from which Mali is named), and the Songhai Empire. In the late 19th century, during the Scramble for Africa, France seized control of Mali making it a part of French Sudan. French Sudan (then known as the Sudanese Republic) joined with Senegal in 1959, achieving independence in 1960 as the Mali Federation. Shortly thereafter, following Senegal's withdrawal from the federation, the Sudanese Republic declared itself the independent Republic of Mali. After a long period of one-party rule, a 1991 coup led to the writing of a new constitution and the establishment of Mali as a democratic, multi-party state. On 22 March, 2012, a group of junior soldiers seized control of the country's presidential palace and declared the government dissolved and its constitution suspended. On 6 April, 2012, rebels from the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) declared the secession of a new state, Azawad, from Mali.
  
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  Mamoudzou
  Coordinates: 12°46′50″S 45°13′40″E / 12.7806°S 45.2278°E / -12.7806; 45.2278
  Mamoudzou is the capital of the French overseas region and department of Mayotte, in the Indian Ocean. Mamoudzou, known as Momoju in the local Shimaore language, is the most populated commune (municipality) of Mayotte. It is located on Grande-Terre (or Mahoré), the main island of Mayotte. The former capital of Mayotte was Dzaoudzi, on the small island of Petite-Terre (or Pamanzi), but Mamoudzou was chosen as the capital in 1977. The island is located in the Mozambique Channel, between northern Mozambique and northern Madagascar.
  The commune is composed of 6 villages in addition to its central habitation, also called Mamoudzou. These are: Kawéni, Mtsapéré, Passamainti, Vahibé, Tsoundzou I and Tsoundzou II.
  The commune is also subdivided into 3 cantons; Mamoudzou I, Mamoudzou II and Mamoudzou III.
  
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  Manche
  Manche (French pronunciation: [mɑ̃ʃ]) is a French department in Normandy named after La Manche ("the sleeve"), which is the French name for the English Channel.
  Manche is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the province of Normandie.
  The first capital was Coutances until 1796, and it resumed that role after World War II because of the almost complete destruction of Saint-Lô during the D-Day invasion of Normandy. When Saint-Lô was rebuilt, it again became the capital.
  The Department includes the Cotentin Peninsula down to the famous Mont St Michel; though not the off-shore Îles Anglo-Normandes, which are British Crown Dependencies. These islands are a wonderful example of when Normandy invaded England and vice-versa, and oaths of allegiance to new kings got mixed up. Other reefs and not quite islands such as the Minquiers are technically British, though they are annually contested in good fun by French and Channel Island fishermen. The coast is fantastic for sailing and boating though the unusually fast tidal races require a certain yachting skill to navigate safely.
  
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  Marne
  Marne (French pronunciation: [maʁn]) is a department in north-eastern France named after the river Marne (Matrona in Roman times) which flows through the department. The prefecture (capital) of Marne is Châlons-en-Champagne (formerly known as Châlons-sur-Marne). The subprefectures are Épernay, Reims, Sainte-Menehould, and Vitry-le-François.
  The Champagne vineyards producing the world-famous sparkling wine are located within Marne.
  Marne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from the province of Champagne.
  Marne has a long association with the French Army. The training ground of the Camp Militaire de Mailly straddles the border with the département of Aube in the south while that of the Camp de Mourmelon occupies a large area north of Châlons-en-Champagne. The smaller Camp de Moronvilliers lies to the east of Reims and the Camp Militaire de Suippes lies to the east of that. These are all on the chalk of the Champagne plateau, a feature comparable in geology but not size, with the British military training ground on Salisbury Plain.
  
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  Marpiré
  Coordinates: 48°08′37″N 1°20′19″W / 48.1436°N 1.3386°W / 48.1436; -1.3386
  Marpiré (Breton: Marbereg, Gallo: Marpirae) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Marpiré are called Marpiréens in French.
  
  
  
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  Marseille
  Coordinates: 43°17′47″N 5°22′12″E / 43.2964°N 5.37°E / 43.2964; 5.37
  Marseille ( /mɑrˈseɪ/; also Marseilles in English; French: [maʁsɛj], locally: [mɑχˈsɛjə]; Occitan: Marselha [maʀˈsejɔ, maʀˈsijɔ]), known in antiquity as Massilia or Massalia (from Greek: Μασσαλία), is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of 240.62 km² (93 sq mi). The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of 1,204 km² (465 sq mi). 1,530,000 or 1,601,095 people live in the Marseille metropolitan area, ranking it third among French metropolitan areas after Paris and Lyon. Located on the southeast coast of France, Marseille is France's largest city on the Mediterranean coast and largest commercial port. Marseille is the capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, as well as the capital of the Bouches-du-Rhône department. Its inhabitants are called Marseillais.
  Marseille is the second largest city in France after Paris and the centre of the third largest metropolitan area in France after Paris and Lyon. To the east, starting in the small fishing village of Callelongue on the outskirts of Marseille and stretching as far as Cassis, are the Calanques, a rugged coastal area interspersed with small fjords. Further east still are the Sainte-Baume, a 1,147 m (3,763 ft) mountain ridge rising from a forest of deciduous trees, the town of Toulon and the French Riviera. To the north of Marseille, beyond the low Garlaban and Etoile mountain ranges, is the 1,011 m (3,317 ft) Mont Sainte Victoire. To the west of Marseille is the former artists' colony of l'Estaque; further west are the Côte Bleue, the Gulf of Lion and the Camargue region in the Rhône delta. The airport lies to the north west of the city at Marignane on the Étang de Berre.
  
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  Martinique
  Martinique (French pronunciation: [maʁtinik]) is an island in the Lesser Antilles in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of 1,128 km² (436 sq mi). Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados. As with the other overseas departments, Martinique is one of the twenty-seven regions of France (being an overseas region) and an integral part of the Republic. The first European to encounter the island was Christopher Columbus in 1502.
  As part of France, Martinique is part of the European Union, and its currency is the Euro. Its official language is French, although many of its inhabitants also speak Antillean Creole (Créole Martiniquais).
  The island was occupied first by Arawaks, then by Caribs. It was charted by Columbus in 1493, but Spain had little interest in the territory. It was claimed by France in 1635 and, despite several interludes of British occupation, once during the Seven Years' War and twice during the Napoleonic Wars, has remained a French possession. In 1946, the French National Assembly voted unanimously to transform the colony into an overseas department.
  
  wn.com/Martinique
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  Mayenne
  Mayenne (French pronunciation: [majɛn]) is a department in northwest France named after the Mayenne River.
  Mayenne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. The northern two thirds correspond to the western part of the former province of Maine. The southern third of Mayenne corresponds to the northern portion of the old province of Anjou.
  After the Coalition's victory at Waterloo, between June 1815 and November 1818, Mayenne was occupied by Prussian troops.
  Mayenne is part of the current region of Pays de la Loire and is surrounded by the departments of Manche, Orne, Sarthe, Maine-et-Loire, and Ille-et-Vilaine.
  The inhabitants of the department are called Mayennais. This demonym is not the source of the word mayonnaise.
  The town is featured as a level in the World War II video game Call of Duty 3.
  
  wn.com/Mayenne
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  Mayotte
  Mayotte (French: Mayotte, pronounced: [majɔt]; Shimaore: Maore, IPA: [maˈore]; Malagasy: Mahori) is an overseas department and region of France consisting of a main island, Grande-Terre (or Mahoré), a smaller island, Petite-Terre (or Pamanzi), and several islets around these two. The archipelago is located in the northern Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean, namely between northwestern Madagascar and northeastern Mozambique. Mayotte's area is 374 square kilometres (144 sq mi), and with its estimated 194,000 people is very densely populated (520 /km² or 1,300 /sq mi). Its biggest city and prefecture is Mamoudzou. The territory is geographically part of the Comoro Islands, but has been politically separate since a 1974 referendum in which it elected to remain under French rule. The territory is also known as Mahoré, the native name of its main island, especially by advocates of its inclusion in the Union of Comoros. In a 2009 referendum, the population overwhelmingly approved accession to status of department (95.2% voted in favour of departmental status). On March 31, 2011, Mayotte became an overseas department.
  
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  Mecé
  Coordinates: 48°14′15″N 1°18′05″W / 48.2375°N 1.3014°W / 48.2375; -1.3014
  Mecé (Breton: Mezieg, Gallo: Meczaé) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of Mecé are called Mecéens in French.
  
  
  
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  Meillac
  Coordinates: 48°24′47″N 1°48′44″W / 48.4131°N 1.8122°W / 48.4131; -1.8122
  Meillac (Breton: Melieg, Gallo: Melhac) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Meillac are called Meillacois in French.
  
  
  
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  Melesse
  Coordinates: 48°13′05″N 1°41′41″W / 48.2181°N 1.6947°W / 48.2181; -1.6947
  Melesse (Breton: Meled, Gallo: Melècz) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of Melesse are called Melessiens in French.
  
  
  
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  Melun
  Coordinates: 48°32′26″N 2°39′36″E / 48.5406°N 2.66°E / 48.5406; 2.66
  Melun is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Located in the south-eastern suburbs of Paris, Melun is the capital of the department, as the seat of an arrondissement. Its inhabitants are called Melunais.
  Meledunum began as a Gaulish town; Caesar noted Melun as "a town of the Senones, situated on an island in the Seine"; at the island there was a wooden bridge, which his men repaired. Roman Meledunum was a mutatio where fresh horses were kept available for official couriers on the Roman road south-southeast of Paris, where it forded the Seine.
  The Normans sacked it in 845. The castle of Melun became a royal residence of the Capetian kings. Hugh Capet (See also: House of Capet) gave Melun to Bouchard, his favorite. In the reign of Hugh's son, Robert II of France, Eudes, the count of Champagne, bought the city, and the king took it back for the viscount in 999. Le Chatelain and his wife, who had sold the city, were hanged. Robert died there in July 1031.
  
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  Mernel
  Coordinates: 47°53′55″N 1°57′58″W / 47.8986°N 1.9661°W / 47.8986; -1.9661
  Mernel (Breton: Merenell, Gallo: Merenèu) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of Mernel are called Mernellois in French.
  
  
  
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  Metropolitan France
  Metropolitan France (French: France métropolitaine or la Métropole, or colloquially l'Hexagone) is the part of France located in Europe. It can also be described as mainland France or as the French mainland and the island of Corsica. By contrast, Overseas France (la France d'outre-mer, or l'Outre-mer, or colloquially les DOM-TOM) is the collective name for the French overseas departments (départements d'outre-mer or DOM),territories (territoires d'outre-mer or TOM), collectivities (collectivités d'outre-mer or COM) and the sui generis collectivity (collectivité sui generis) of New Caledonia.
  Metropolitan France and Overseas France together form what is officially called the French Republic. Metropolitan France accounts for 81.8% of the territory and 95.9% of the population of the French Republic.
  The five overseas departments—Martinique, Guadeloupe, Réunion, French Guiana, and Mayotte—have the same political status as metropolitan France's departments. Metropolitan France and these five overseas departments together are sometimes called France entière ("entire France") by the French administration, especially by INSEE, although in reality this France entière does not include the French overseas collectivities and territories which have more autonomy than the overseas departments (read the Origin of the name section below).
  
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  Metz
  Metz (French pronunciation: [mɛs] ( listen); German: [ˈmɛts]) is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.
  Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place of the European Greater Region and of the SaarLorLux Euroregion. So, Metz is a fellow member of the QuattroPole union of cities, along with Luxembourg City and German Saarbrücken and Trier.
  A Celtic oppidum, an important Gallo-Roman city, the Merovingian capital of the Austrasia kingdom, the birthplace of the Carolingian dynasty, a cradle of the Gregorian chant, and one of the oldest republics of the common era in Europe, Metz has a rich 3,000 year history. The city has been steeped in Romance culture, but has been strongly influenced by Germanic culture due to its location and history. A basin of urban ecology, pioneered under the leadership of people like Jean-Marie Pelt, Metz gained its nickname, The Green City, boasting over 37 m² (398 sq ft) of open ground per inhabitant and the city's historic downtown also displays one of the largest commercial, pedestrian areas in France.
  
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  Meuse
  Meuse (French pronunciation: [møz]) is a department in northeast France, named after the River Meuse.
  Meuse is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from the former provinces of Barrois (area of Bar-le-Duc) and Three Bishoprics (area of Verdun).
  The department was one of the great battlefields of World War I; an important battle was fought in 1916 at Verdun.
  Meuse is part of the current region of Lorraine and is surrounded by the French departments of Ardennes, Marne, Haute-Marne, Vosges, Meurthe-et-Moselle, and Belgium on the north. Parts of Meuse belong to Parc naturel régional de Lorraine.
  The important rivers are the following:
  The population has decreased sharply since the 19th century, with the rural exodus to the cities.
  
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  Mondevert
  Coordinates: 48°05′06″N 1°05′52″W / 48.0850°N 1.0978°W / 48.0850; -1.0978
  Mondevert (Breton: Mondeverzh, Gallo: Mondevèrt) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of Mondevert are called Mondevertais in French.
  
  
  
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  Montauban
  Coordinates: 44°01′05″N 1°21′21″E / 44.0181°N 1.3558°E / 44.0181; 1.3558
  Montauban (French pronunciation: [mɔ̃.to.bɑ̃]; Montalban in Occitan) is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in southern France. It is the capital of the department and lies 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of Toulouse.
  The town, built mainly of a reddish brick, stands on the right bank of the Tarn River at its confluence with the Tescou.
  Montauban is the second oldest (after Mont-de-Marsan) of the bastides of southern France. Its foundation dates from 1144 when Alphonse Jourdain, count of Toulouse, granted it a liberal charter. The inhabitants were drawn chiefly from Montauriol, a village which had grown up around the neighbouring monastery of St Théodard.
  In the 13th century the town suffered much from the ravages of the Albigensian war and from the Inquisition, but by 1317 it had recovered sufficiently to be chosen by John XXII as the head of a diocese of which the basilica of St Théodard became the cathedral.
  
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  Montautour
  Coordinates: 48°12′16″N 1°08′45″W / 48.2044°N 1.1458°W / 48.2044; -1.1458
  Montautour (Breton: Menezaoter) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of Montautour are called in French montaltoriens.
  
  
  
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  Monterfil
  Coordinates: 48°04′00″N 1°58′39″W / 48.0667°N 1.9775°W / 48.0667; -1.9775
  Monterfil (Breton: Mousterfil, Gallo: Mósterfiu) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of Monterfil are called in French monterfilois.
  
  
  
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  Montgermont
  Coordinates: 48°09′27″N 1°42′54″W / 48.1575°N 1.7150°W / 48.1575; -1.7150
  Montgermont (Breton: Menezgervant, Gallo: Monjèrmont) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of Montgermont are called in French Montgermontais.
  
  
  
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  Monthault
  Coordinates: 48°30′43″N 1°10′48″W / 48.5119°N 1.1800°W / 48.5119; -1.1800
  Monthault (Breton: Brennaod, Gallo: Montaut) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Monthault are called Monthaltais in French.
  
  
  
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  Montours
  Coordinates: 48°26′37″N 1°18′28″W / 48.4436°N 1.3078°W / 48.4436; -1.3078
  Montours (Breton: Montourz, Gallo: Montórs) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of Montours are called Montourois in French.
  
  
  
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  Montpellier
  Coordinates: 43°36′43″N 3°52′38″E / 43.6119°N 3.8772°E / 43.6119; 3.8772
  Montpellier (French pronunciation: [mɔ̃.pe.lje]; Occitan: Montpelhièr; Catalan: Montpeller) is a city in southern France. It is the capital of the Languedoc-Roussillon region, as well as the Hérault department. Montpellier is the 8th largest city of the country, and is also the fastest growing city in France over the past 25 years.
  Montpellier is one of the few large cities in France without any (Gallo-)Roman heritage and also one of the few cities in southern France without a Greek foundation.
  
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  Morbihan
  Morbihan (French pronunciation: [mɔʁbi.ɑ̃]; Breton: Mor-Bihan) is a department in Brittany, situated in the northwest of France. It is named after the Morbihan (small sea in Breton), the enclosed sea that is the principal feature of the coastline. It is famous for the Carnac stones, which are more extensive and predates the more familiar Stonehenge.
  Morbihan is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from a part of the Duchy of Brittany. It is the only French department which has no French name; the word Morbihan is Breton. It is also the only department in France which has kept its original name.
  Morbihan is part of the current region of Brittany and is surrounded by the departments of Finistère, Côtes-d'Armor, Ille-et-Vilaine, and Loire-Atlantique, and the Atlantic Ocean on the southwest.
  The Gulf of Morbihan has many islands: 365 according to legend, but, in reality, between 30 and 40, according to how they are counted. There are also many islets which are too small to be built on. Of these islands, all but two are private: l'Île aux Moines and l'Île D'Arz. The others are privately owned, some by movie stars or fashion designers.
  
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  Mordelles
  Coordinates: 48°04′32″N 1°50′41″W / 48.0756°N 1.8447°W / 48.0756; -1.8447
  Mordelles (Breton: Morzhell, Gallo: Mordèll) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  The Meu forms the commune's southwestern border.
  Inhabitants of Mordelles are called in French mordelais.
  
  
  
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  Moselle
  Moselle (French pronunciation: [mɔ.zɛl]) is a department in the east of France named after the river Moselle.
  Moselle is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from the former province of Lorraine.
  In 1793, the foreign enclaves of Manderen, Lixing-lès-Rouhling, Momerstroff, and Créhange (Kriechingen), all possessions of princes of the German Holy Roman Empire, were annexed by France and incorporated into the Moselle département.
  By the Treaty of Paris of 1814 following the first defeat and abdication of Napoleon, France had to surrender almost all its conquests since 1792. On the northeastern border, France was not restored to its 1792 borders, but a new border was established to put an end to the convoluted nature of the border, with all its enclaves and exclaves. As a result, the French exclave of Tholey (now in Saarland, Germany) as well as a few communes near Sierck-les-Bains (both territories until then part of the Moselle département) were ceded to Austria. On the other hand, the French annexations of 1793 were confirmed, and furthermore, the south of the Napoleonic département of Sarre was ceded to France, including the town of Lebach, the city of Saarbrücken, and the rich coal basin nearby. France was thus a net beneficiary of the Treaty of Paris, all the new territories ceded to her being far larger and more strategic than the few territories ceded to Austria. All these new territories were incorporated into the Moselle department, and so Moselle had now a larger territory than ever since 1790.
  
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  Mouazé
  Coordinates: 48°13′57″N 1°36′30″W / 48.2325°N 1.6083°W / 48.2325; -1.6083
  Mouazé (Breton: Moezeg, Gallo: Móazae) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Mouazé are called Mouazéens in French.
  
  
  
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  Moussé
  Coordinates: 47°55′26″N 1°16′08″W / 47.9239°N 1.2689°W / 47.9239; -1.2689
  Moussé (Breton: Moc'heg, Gallo: Móczaé) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  The inhabitants of Moussé are known as Mousséens in French.
  
  
  
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  Mâcon
  Coordinates: 46°18′23″N 4°49′53″E / 46.30630°N 4.8313°E / 46.30630; 4.8313
  Mâcon (French pronunciation: [ma.kɔ̃]) is a small city (commune) in central France. It is prefecture of the Saône-et-Loire department, in the region of Bourgogne, and the capital of the Mâconnais district. Mâcon is home to over 35,000 residents, called Mâconnais.
  The city lies on the western bank of the Saône river, between Bresse in the East and the Beaujolais hills in the South. Mâcon is the southernmost city in the region of Burgundy. It is located 65 kilometres north of Lyon and 400 kilometres from Paris.
  The Saône river runs through the town. The climate is temperate with a slight continental tendency.
  The agglomeration of Mâcon originates from the establishment of an oppidum and of a river port by the Celts from the Aedui, probably at the beginning of the first century BC. Known then under the name of Matisco, the town developed significantly during the age of the Roman Empire. During the 4th century, the town was fortified.
  
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  Médréac
  Coordinates: 48°16′05″N 2°03′57″W / 48.2681°N 2.0658°W / 48.2681; -2.0658
  Médréac (Breton: Mederieg, Gallo: Méderiac) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of Médréac are called Médréaciens in French.
  
  
  
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  Nanterre
  Coordinates: 48°53′56″N 2°11′49″E / 48.8988°N 2.1969°E / 48.8988; 2.1969
  Nanterre (French pronunciation: [nɑ̃.tɛʁ]) is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 11.1 km (6.9 mi) west of the center of Paris.
  Nanterre is the capital of the Hauts-de-Seine department as well as the seat of the Arrondissement of Nanterre.
  The eastern part of Nanterre, bordering the communes of Courbevoie and Puteaux, contains a small part of the La Defense business district of Paris and some of the tallest buildings in the Paris region. Because the headquarters of many major corporations are located in La Défense, the court of Nanterre is well known in the media for the number of high-profile lawsuits and trials that take place in it. The city of Nanterre also includes the University Paris X – Nanterre, one of the largest universities in the Paris region.
  The name of Nanterre originated before the Roman conquest of Gaul. The Romans recorded the name as Nemetodorum. It is composed of the Celtic word nemeto meaning "shrine" or "sacred place" and the Celtic word duron (neuter) "hard, tough, enduring". The sacred place referred to is supposed to have been a famous shrine that existed in antiquity on the top of the hill known as Mont-Valérien.
  
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  Nantes
  Coordinates: 47°13′05″N 1°33′10″W / 47.2181°N 1.5528°W / 47.2181; -1.5528
  Nantes (French pronunciation: [nɑ̃t]) (Breton: Naoned, Gallo: Naunnt) is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, 50 km (31 mi) from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants.
  Nantes is the capital city of the Pays de la Loire region and Loire-Atlantique département. Together with Vannes, Rennes and Carhaix, it was one of the major cities of the historic province of Brittany, and the ancient Duchy of Brittany. Culturally, Nantes is a Breton city.
  In 2004, Time described Nantes as "the most liveable city in Europe". In 2010, Nantes was named a hub city for innovation in the Innovation Cities Index by innovation agency, 2thinknow. The city was ranked 36th globally from 289 cities and 4th overall in France, behind Paris, Lyon and Strasbourg for innovation across multiple sectors of the economy.
  The name Nantes, pronounced [nɑ̃t] in French, derives from that of its pre-Roman-era inhabitants, the Gaulish tribe known as the Namnetes, who founded a town there around 70 BC. The city was called Portus Namnetum during the Roman occupation that began in 56 BC. The inhabitants of Nantes are known in French as Nantais ([nɑ̃tɛ]).
  
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  Nevers
  Coordinates: 46°59′36″N 3°09′26″E / 46.9933°N 3.1572°E / 46.9933; 3.1572
  Nevers (French pronunciation: [nəˈvɛʀ]; Latin: Noviodunum, later Nevirnum and Nebirnum) is a commune in – and the administrative capital of – the Nièvre department in the Bourgogne region in central France. It was the principal city of the former province of Nivernais, and is located 260 km (160 mi) SSE of Paris.
  Nevers first enters written history as Noviodunum, a town held by the Aedui at Roman contact. The quantities of medals and other Roman antiquities found on the site indicate the importance of the place, and in 52 BCE, Julius Caesar made Noviodunum, which he describes as in a convenient position on the banks of the Loire, a depot (B. G. vii. 55). There he had his hostages, corn, his military chest, with the money in it allowed him from home for the war, his own and his army's baggage and a great number of horses which had been bought for him in Spain and Italy. After his failure before Gergovia, the Aedui at Noviodunum massacred those who were there to look after stores, the negotiatores, and the travellers who were in the place. They divided the money and the horses among themselves, carried off in boats all the corn that they could, and burnt the rest or threw it into the river. Thinking they could not hold the town, they burnt it. This was a great loss to Caesar; and it may seem that he was imprudent in leaving such great stores in the power of treacherous allies. But he was in straits during this year, and probably he could not do otherwise than he did. Dio Cassius (xl. 38) tells the story out of Caesar of the affair of Noviodunum. He states incorrectly what Caesar did on the occasion, and he shows that he neither understood his original nor knew what he was writing about.
  
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  Nice
  Coordinates: 43°42′12″N 7°15′59″E / 43.7034°N 7.2663°E / 43.7034; 7.2663
  Nice ( /ˈniːs/, French pronunciation: [nis]; Niçard Occitan: Niça [classical norm] or Nissa [nonstandard], Italian: Nizza or Nizza Marittima, Greek: Νίκαια, Latin: Nicaea) is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of 71.92 km² (28 sq mi). The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of about 1 million on an area of 721 km² (278 sq mi). Located on the south east coast of France on the Mediterranean Sea, Nice is the second-largest French city on the Mediterranean coast after Marseille.
  The city is called Nice la Belle (Nissa La Bella in Niçard), which means Nice the Beautiful, which is also the title of the unofficial anthem of Nice, written by Menica Rondelly in 1912. Nice is the capital of the Alpes Maritimes département and the second biggest city of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region after Marseille.
  
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  Niort
  Coordinates: 46°19′33″N 0°27′38″W / 46.3258°N 0.4606°W / 46.3258; -0.4606
  Niort is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department in western France.
  The Latin name of the city was Novioritum.
  The population of Niort is 60,486 and more than 137,000 people live in the urban area.
  Near Niort at Maisonnay there is one of the tallest radio masts in France (height: 330 metres).
  The town is located on the Sèvre Niortaise River and is a centre of angelica cultivation in France.
  Niort is the French capital of mutual insurance and bank companies, with the headquarters of MAAF, MAIF, MACIF, SMACL and regional branches of national mutual companies such as Groupama, Banque Populaire. Niort is a main financial centre of France (fourth ranked after Paris, Lyon and Lille). Chemistry and aeronautics are the main industries.
  Niort is a major administrative and commercial centre.
  Niort has a railway station on the TGV route between Paris and La Rochelle, Gare de Niort. Direct TGV to Paris Montparnasse station takes 2 hours and 15 minutes Niort is a road and motorway junction, connected to Paris and Bordeaux by the A10 motorway, with Nantes by the A83, and with La Rochelle by the N11.
  
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  Nièvre
  Nièvre (IPA: [njɛvʁ]) is a department in the centre of France named after the Nièvre River.
  Nièvre is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from the former province of Nivernais.
  Nièvre is part of the current region of Burgundy, although historically it was not part of the province of Burgundy, and it is surrounded by the departments of Yonne, Côte-d'Or, Saône-et-Loire, Allier, Cher, and Loiret. The département is crossed by the Loire river, the longest river in France.
  Nièvre is a rural department with about 50 inhabitants / km². The main cities are : Nevers, Cosne-sur-Loire, Varennes-Vauzelles, Marzy, Decize, Imphy and La Charité. Only three cities reach 10 000 inhabitants. It indicates the characteristic of the département, which is predominantly rural.
  Nièvre is also well known for its white wine, Pouilly Fumé. The vineyards are scattered around villages including Pouilly-Sur-Loire, which lends its name to the appellation, Tracy sur Loire, Boisgibault, Saint Andelain. The word fumé is French for "smoky", and it's said the name comes from the smoky or flinty quality of these wines. The only grape allowed in the Pouilly-Fumé AC is Sauvignon Blanc, which produces wines that are generally crisp, tart, and somewhat grassy.
  
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  Nouvoitou
  Coordinates: 48°02′29″N 1°32′41″W / 48.0414°N 1.5447°W / 48.0414; -1.5447
  Nouvoitou (Breton: Neveztell) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Nouvoitou are called Nouvoitouciens in French.
  
  
  
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  Nîmes
  Coordinates: 43°50′16″N 4°21′39″E / 43.8378°N 4.3608°E / 43.8378; 4.3608
  Nîmes (/niːm/; French: [nim]; Provençal Occitan: Nimes) is the capital of the Gard department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. Nîmes has a rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire, and is a popular tourist destination.
  The city derives its name from that of a spring in the Roman village. The contemporary coat of arms of the city of Nîmes includes a crocodile chained to a palm tree with the inscription COLNEM, for Colonia Nemausus, meaning the "colony" or "settlement" of Nemausus, the local Celtic god of the Volcae Arecomici. Veterans of the Roman legions who had served Julius Caesar in his Nile campaigns, at the end of fifteen years of soldiering, were given plots of land to cultivate on the plain of Nîmes.
  The city was located on the Via Domitia, a Roman road constructed in 118 BC which connected Italy to Spain.
  The site on which the built-up area of Nîmes has become established in the course of centuries is part of the edge of the alluvial plain of the Vistrenque River which butts up against low hills: to the northeast, Mont Duplan; to the southwest, Montaury; to the west, Mt. Cavalier and the knoll of Canteduc.
  
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  Oise
  Oise (French pronunciation: [waz]) is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise.
  Oise is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the province of Île-de-France and Picardy.
  After the coalition victory at Waterloo, the department was occupied by British troops between June 1815 and November 1818.
  Oise is part of the current region of Picardie and is situated 35 km north of Paris. It is surrounded by the departments of Somme, Aisne, Seine-et-Marne, Val-d'Oise, Eure, and Seine-Maritime.
  Natives of the department are called Isariens.
  The major tourist attraction of the department is the Parc Astérix, which opened in 1989. Another very interesting site is Beauvais Cathedral. Also to be seen is the Chateau de Pierrefonds, restored by Viollet-le-Duc.
  Oise is twinned with Bedfordshire. One of the villages along the river Oise is Auvers-sur-Oise, famous for having been visited by several impressionist artists. This is where Vincent Van Gogh spent his last 70 days and it is his and his brother Theo's resting place.
  
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  Orléans
  Coordinates: 47°54′09″N 1°54′32″E / 47.9025°N 1.9090°E / 47.9025; 1.9090
  Orléans (pronounced: [ɔʁleɑ̃]) is a city in north-central France, about 130 kilometres (81 mi) southwest of Paris. It is the capital of the Loiret department and of the Centre region.
  Orléans is located on the Loire River where the river curves south towards the Massif Central.
  The city of New Orleans (in French, La Nouvelle-Orléans), in the United States is named after the commune of Orléans.
  Orléans is located in the northern bend of the Loire, which crosses from east to west. Orléans belongs to the vallée de la Loire sector between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes-sur-Loire, which was in 2000 inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The capital of Orléanais, 120 kilomètres south-south-west of Paris, it is bordered to the north by the Beauce region and the forêt d'Orléans, and the Orléans-la-Source neighbourhood and the Sologne region to the south.
  Five bridges in the town cross the river :
  To the south of the Loire (on the "rive gauche") is to be found a small hill (102 m (335 ft) at the pont Georges-V, 110 m (360 ft) at the place du Martroi) which gently rises to 125 m (410 ft) at la Croix Fleury, at the limits of Fleury-les-Aubrais.
  
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  Orne
  Orne (French pronunciation: [ɔʁn]) is a department in the northwest of France, named after the river Orne.
  Orne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution, on March 4, 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Normandy and Perche.
  Orne is in the region of Basse-Normandie neighbouring Eure, Eure-et-Loir, Sarthe, Mayenne, and Calvados. It is the only department of Basse Normandie and Haute Normandie to be landlocked.
  The largest town by a considerable margin is the prefecture, Alençon which is an administrative and commercial centre for what is still an overwhelmingly rural department. There are no large industrial centres: agriculture remains the economic focus of Orne.
  The inhabitants of the department are called Ornais.
  The recorded population level peaked at 443,688 in 1836. Declining farm incomes and the lure of better prospects in the overseas empire led to a sustained reduction in population levels in many rural departments, and by the time of the 1936 census the recorded population stood at just 269,331. Once motor car ownership started to surge in the 1960s employment opportunities became less restricted and by 2008 the population level had recovered a little to 292,282.
  
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  Ossé
  Coordinates: 48°03′23″N 1°26′54″W / 48.0564°N 1.4483°W / 48.0564; -1.4483
  Ossé (Breton: Oc'heg) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Ossé are called Osséens in French.
  
  
  
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  Paimpont
  Coordinates: 48°01′08″N 2°10′11″W / 48.0189°N 2.1697°W / 48.0189; -2.1697
  Paimpont (Breton: Pempont, Gallo: Penpont) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Paimpont are called Paimpontais in French.
  
  
  
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  Pancé
  Coordinates: 47°52′56″N 1°39′25″W / 47.8822°N 1.6569°W / 47.8822; -1.6569
  Pancé (Breton: Pantieg, Gallo: Panczaé) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  The river Semnon forms all of the commune's southern border.
  Inhabitants of Pancé are called Pancéens in French.
  
  
  
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  Parcé
  Coordinates: 48°16′26″N 1°11′57″W / 48.2739°N 1.1992°W / 48.2739; -1.1992
  Parcé (Breton: Parzieg, Gallo: Parczaé) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of Parcé are called Parcéens in French.
  
  
  
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  Parigné
  Coordinates: 48°25′43″N 1°11′25″W / 48.4286°N 1.1903°W / 48.4286; -1.1903
  Parigné (Breton: Parinieg, Gallo: Paraenyaè, Parinyaè) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of Parigné are called in French parignéens.
  
  
  
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  Paris
  Coordinates: 48°51′24″N 2°21′03″E / 48.8567°N 2.3508°E / 48.8567; 2.3508
  Paris (ⁱ/ˈpærɨs/; French: [paʁi] ( listen)) is the capital and largest city of France. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region (or Paris Region, French: Région parisienne). As of January 2008 the city of Paris, within its administrative limits (the 20 arrondissements) largely unchanged since 1860, has an estimated population of 2,211,297 and a metropolitan population of 12,089,098, and is one of the most populated metropolitan areas in Europe. Paris was the largest city in the Western world for about 1,000 years, prior to the 19th century, and the largest in the entire world between the 16th and 19th centuries.
  Paris is today one of the world's leading business and cultural centres, and its influences in politics, education, entertainment, media, fashion, science, and the arts all contribute to its status as one of the world's major global cities. It hosts the headquarters of many international organizations such as UNESCO, the OECD, the International Chamber of Commerce or the European Space Agency. Paris is considered one of the greenest and most liveable cities in Europe. It is also one of the most expensive.
  
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  Pays de la Loire
  Pays de la Loire (French pronunciation: [pɛ.i də la lwaʁ]; Breton: Broioù al Liger) is one of the 27 regions of France. It is one of the regions created in the late 20th century to serve as a zone of influence for its capital, Nantes, one of a handful so-called "balancing metropolises" (métropoles d'équilibre)¹. Other examples of "artificially created" regions include Rhône-Alpes, which was created as the region for Lyon, and Midi-Pyrénées, which was created as the region for Toulouse.
  Pays de la Loire is made up of the following historical provinces:
  Consequently, the name of the region, chosen by the French central government, was not based on history, but purely on geographical references: Pays (i.e. "lands") de la Loire (i.e. "of the Loire River"). However, the majority of the famous châteaux of the Loire Valley are located in the Centre region, and not inside Pays de la Loire, despite the confusing name. The Pays de la Loire present many great monuments as the castles of Angers, Laval, Mayenne and the Nantes "Château des Ducs de Bretagne", the Royal Fontevraud Abbey (the widest monastic ensemble in Europe), the old city of Le Mans, and also many natural parks such as the Brière and the Marsh of Poitou.
  
  wn.com/Pays_de_la_Loire
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  Perpignan
  Coordinates: 42°41′55″N 2°53′44″E / 42.6986°N 2.8956°E / 42.6986; 2.8956
  Perpignan (French pronunciation: [pɛʁpiɲɑ̃], Catalan: Perpinyà [pərpiˈɲa]) is a commune and the capital of the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France. Perpignan was the capital of the former province and county of Roussillon (Rosselló in Catalan) and continental capital of the Kingdom of Majorca in the 13th and 14th centuries.
  As of 2009^[update], Perpignan had 120,100 inhabitants (Perpignanais, Perpinyanés) in the city proper. The metropolitan area has a total population of 300,221 in 2009.
  Though settlement in the area goes back to Roman times, the medieval town of Perpignan seems to have been founded around the beginning of the 10th century (first mentioned in a document as villa Perpiniarum in 927). Soon Perpignan became the capital of the counts of Roussillon. In 1172 Count Girard II bequeathed his lands to the Counts of Barcelona. Perpignan acquired the institutions of a partly self-governing commune in 1197. French feudal rights over Roussillon were given up by Louis IX in the Treaty of Corbeil (1258).
  
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  Pipriac
  Coordinates: 47°48′36″N 1°56′47″W / 47.8100°N 1.9464°W / 47.8100; -1.9464
  Pipriac (Breton: Presperieg, Gallo: Pisperiac) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  It lies 35 km (22 mi) southwest of Rennes.
  Inhabitants of Pipriac are called Pipriatains in French.
  Pipriac is twinned with the village of Whitland in Carmarthenshire, Wales.
  
  
  
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  Plerguer
  Coordinates: 48°31′38″N 1°50′46″W / 48.5272°N 1.8461°W / 48.5272; -1.8461
  Plerguer (Breton: Plergar) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of Plerguer are called in French Plerguerrois.
  
  
  
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  Plesder
  Coordinates: 48°24′51″N 1°55′17″W / 48.4142°N 1.9214°W / 48.4142; -1.9214
  Plesder (Breton: Pleder) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of Plesder are called in French plesderois.
  
  
  
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  Pleugueneuc
  Coordinates: 48°23′50″N 1°54′09″W / 48.3972°N 1.9025°W / 48.3972; -1.9025
  Pleugueneuc (Breton: Plegeneg, Gallo: Ploegenoec) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Pleugueneuc are called Pleugueneucois in French.
  
  
  
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  Pleumeleuc
  Coordinates: 48°11′07″N 1°55′03″W / 48.1853°N 1.9175°W / 48.1853; -1.9175
  Pleumeleuc (Breton: Pleveleg, Gallo: Ploemenoec) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Pleumeleuc are called Pleumeuleucois in French.
  
  
  
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  Pleurtuit
  Coordinates: 48°34′50″N 2°03′25″W / 48.5806°N 2.0569°W / 48.5806; -2.0569
  Pleurtuit (Breton: Pleurestud) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of Pleurtuit are called in French pleurtuisiens.
  
  
  
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  Pléchâtel
  Coordinates: 47°53′43″N 1°44′50″W / 47.8953°N 1.7472°W / 47.8953; -1.7472
  Pléchâtel (Breton: Plegastell) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  The river Semnon forms all of the commune's northern border, then flows into the Vilaine, which forms all of its western border.
  Inhabitants of Pléchâtel are called in French Pléchâtellois.
  
  
  
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  Poitiers
  Coordinates: 46°34′55″N 0°20′10″E / 46.5819°N 0.3361°E / 46.5819; 0.3361
  Poitiers [pwatje] ( listen) is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and of the Poitou-Charentes region. The centre is picturesque and its streets are interesting for predominant remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque period. Two major military battles occurred near the city: in 732, the Battle of Poitiers (also known as the Battle of Tours), in which the Franks commanded by Charles Martel halted the expansion of the Umayyad Caliphate, and in 1356, the Battle of Poitiers, a key victory for English forces during the Hundred Years' War.
  Poitiers is strategically situated on the Seuil du Poitou, a shallow zone which is a gap between the Armorican and the Central Massif and connects the Aquitaine Basin to the Paris Basin. Poitiers's primary site sits on a vast promontory between the valleys of the Boivre and the Clain. The old town occupies the slopes and summit of a plateau which rises 130 feet (40 m) above the streams which surround it on three sides.
  
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  Poland
  Poland ⁱ/ˈpoʊlənd/ (Polish: Polska), officially the Republic of Poland (Polish: Rzeczpospolita Polska; Kashubian: Pòlskô Repùblika; Silesian: Polsko Republika), is a country in Central Europe, bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north. The total area of Poland is 312,679 square kilometres (120,726 sq mi), making it the 69th largest country in the world and the 9th largest in Europe. Poland has a population of over 38 million people, which makes it the 34th most populous country in the world and the sixth most populous member of the European Union, being its most populous post-communist member. Poland is a unitary state made up of 16 voivodeships. Poland is a member of the European Union, NATO, the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), European Economic Area, International Energy Agency, Council of Europe, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, International Atomic Energy Agency, G6, Council of the Baltic Sea States, Visegrád Group, Weimar Triangle and Schengen Agreement.
  
  wn.com/Poland
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  Poligné
  Coordinates: 47°53′17″N 1°41′06″W / 47.8881°N 1.685°W / 47.8881; -1.685
  Poligné (Breton: Polinieg) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  The river Semnon forms all of the commune's southwestern border.
  Inhabitants of Poligné are called in French Polinéens.
  
  
  
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  Pontoise
  Coordinates: 49°03′06″N 2°06′06″E / 49.0516°N 02.1017°E / 49.0516; 02.1017
  Pontoise is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 28.4 km (17.6 mi) from the centre of Paris, in the "new town" of Cergy-Pontoise.
  Pontoise is the official préfecture (capital) of the Val-d'Oise département, although in reality the préfecture building and administration, as well as the department council (conseil général), are located inside the neighboring commune of Cergy, which is regarded as the de facto capital of Val-d'Oise.
  Pontoise is also the seat of the Arrondissement of Pontoise. The sous-préfecture building and administration, unlike the préfecture, are located inside the commune of Pontoise.
  Pontoise is the historical capital of the Vexin français. Its foundation dates from the Roman times (Pontisara). At that time, the rock piton overhanging the river Oise supported the defense of the ford which was on the Roman road, the Chaussée Jules César, between Lutetia (Paris) and Rotomagus (Rouen). The road still exists and is now part of the N14 from Paris to Rouen.
  
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  Poznań
  Poznań [ˈpɔznaɲ] ( listen) (Latin: Posnania; German: Posen; Yiddish: פוזנא or פּױזן Poyzn) is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be the first capital of the kingdom of Poland.
  Poznań is now Poland's fifth largest city. It is the historical capital of the Wielkopolska ("Greater Poland") region, and is currently the administrative capital of the province called Greater Poland Voivodeship.
  Poznań is an important centre of trade, industry, and education, and hosts regular international trade fairs. It was the host city for the United Nations Climate Change Conference in December 2008, a key stage in the creation of a successor to the Kyoto Protocol. Poznań was a candidate city for European Capital of Culture in 2016. Poznań is currently bidding to host the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics. The local football team has been responsible for the spread of the eponymous goal celebration to Manchester City and to a lesser extent throughout the United Kingdom. Poznań is one of the host cities for UEFA Euro 2012.
  
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  Princé
  Coordinates: 48°13′02″N 1°05′12″W / 48.2172°N 1.0867°W / 48.2172; -1.0867
  Princé (Breton: Priskieg) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of Princé are called in French Princéens.
  
  
  
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  Privas
  Coordinates: 44°44′09″N 4°35′49″E / 44.7358°N 4.597°E / 44.7358; 4.597
  Privas is a commune of France, capital of the Ardèche department. It is the second-smallest administrative center of any department in France, larger than only the commune of Foix. It is the fifth-largest commune in the Ardèche, behind Annonay, Aubenas, Guilherand-Granges, and Tournon-sur-Rhône. It was the location of the 1629 Siege of Privas. today Privas is known for the puree made from the local chestnuts, and for its sweetened marron glacé.
  The earliest traces of the commune are attested in the hamlet of Lac where recent archaeological excavations have revealed a Roman villa dating to the beginning of the Empire, as well as a medieval burying-ground. Moulds for counterfeiting coinage found in the 19th century on the slopes of Mont-Toulon had not been interpretable as signifying a local centre of population.
  The earliest bourg of Privas developed around the church of Saint-Thomas (place de la République), a dependency of the Cluniac priory of Rompon. The château (castri) of Privas on the site of the present collège-couvent des Récollets is not attested prior to the 13th century, when the town was walled. Laid waste in 1621 and again following the siege of 1629, nothing of it remains.
  
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  Périgueux
  Coordinates: 45°11′34″N 0°43′18″E / 45.1929°N 0.7217°E / 45.1929; 0.7217
  Périgueux (French pronunciation: [peʁiɡø] ( listen); Occitan: Peireguers [pejɾeˈɣɥes, pejɾeˈɡœː] or Periguers [peɾiˈɣɥes, peɾiˈɡœː]) is a commune in the Dordogne department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.
  Périgueux is the prefecture of the department and the capital of the region. It is also the seat of a Roman Catholic diocese.
  The name Périgueux comes from Petrocorii, a Latinization of Celtic words meaning "the four tribes" – the Gallic people that held the area before the Roman conquest. Périgueux was their capital city. In 200 BC, the Petricorii came from the North and settled at Périgueux and established an encampment at La Boissière. After the Roman invasion, they left this post and established themselves on the plaine of L'Isle, and the town of Vesunna was created. This Roman city was eventually embellished with amenities such as temples, baths, amphitheatres, and a forum. At the end of the third century AD, the Roman city was surrounded by ramparts, and the town took the name of Civitas Petrocoriorum.
  
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  Québriac
  Coordinates: 48°20′44″N 1°49′32″W / 48.3456°N 1.8256°W / 48.3456; -1.8256
  Québriac (Breton: Kevrieg, Gallo: Cóberiac) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Québriac are called Québriacois in French.
  
  
  
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  Quédillac
  Coordinates: 48°15′01″N 2°08′29″W / 48.2503°N 2.1414°W / 48.2503; -2.1414
  Quédillac (Breton: Kedilieg) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Quédillac are called Quédillacais in French.
  
  
  
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  Rannée
  Coordinates: 47°55′30″N 1°14′22″W / 47.9250°N 1.2394°W / 47.9250; -1.2394
  Rannée (Breton: Radenez) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of Rannée are called Rannéens in French.
  
  
  
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  Rennes
  Coordinates: 48°06′53″N 1°40′46″W / 48.1147°N 1.6794°W / 48.1147; -1.6794
  Rennes ([ʁɛn] ( listen) French: Rennes, Gallo: Resnn, Breton: Roazhon, Latin: Condate, Civitas Redonum) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France. Rennes is the capital of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department.
  Rennes is the administrative capital of the French department Ille-et-Vilaine.
  Prior to the French Revolution, when France was a Kingdom, Rennes was considered the capital of the Province of Brittany. Prior to the integration of the Duchy of Brittany into the Kingdom of France, Rennes was at times the capital of the Duchy, with the other historical capitals of Brittany's Ducal period being Nantes and Vannes. It has a long history due to its location at the confluence of two rivers and its proximity to the bordering regions from which arose various challenges to the borders of Brittany.
  The eastern Armorican people of Redones founded Condate —an ancient Celtic word meaning confluent— at the confluence of the Ille and Vilaine rivers and made it the capital of a territory that extended to the Bay of Mont Saint-Michel. The name of the city of Redon also reflects that of the Redones. Early in the 1_st century BCE, they adopted the Greek and Roman practice of issuing coinage, adapting the widely imitated gold staters of Philip II of Macedon, in the characteristic Celtic coin metal alloy called billion. Without inscriptions, as the Celtic practice was, the Redones coinage features a charioteer whose pony has a human head. Large hoards of their coins were unearthed in the "treasure of Amanlis" found in June 1835 and that of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande, discovered in February 1941. The Museum at Rennes contains a large representative collection.
  
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  Rennes Cathedral
  Coordinates: 48°06′41″N 1°41′00″W / 48.11138889°N 1.68333333°W / 48.11138889; -1.68333333
  Rennes Cathedral (cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Rennes) is a Roman Catholic cathedral, and located in the town of Rennes. It is a monument historique since 1906..
  It is the seat of the Archbishops of Rennes, previously Bishops of Rennes.
  The site has been used for a cathedral more or less from the beginnings of the see in the 6th century. The earliest building was completely replaced by a Gothic cathedral in the 12th century, of which in 1490 the tower and the entire west front collapsed. The existing façade with its neoclassical granite towers in four stages was constructed over the next two centuries or so, with long gaps between the different stages: the lowest level was built between 1541 and 1543, the second from 1640 to 1654 (by Tugal Caris), and the fourth (by Pierre Corbineau) from 1654 to 1678. Yet another architect, François Hoguet, completed the towers, between 1679 and 1704, at their present height of 48 metres and added the device of Louis XVI between them.
  
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  Republic of Ireland
  Ireland (/ˈaɪərlənd/ or /ˈɑrlənd/; Irish: Éire, pronounced [ˈeːɾʲə] ( listen)) is a sovereign state in Europe occupying about five-sixths of the island of Ireland. Its capital is Dublin. The population of the state was 4.59 million in 2011. It is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy, with an elected president serving as head of state. In the 1937 constitution, the name of the state is given as simply "Ireland". The Constitution of Ireland (Article 4) and the Republic of Ireland Act 1948 provides that the "Republic of Ireland" (Irish: Poblacht na hÉireann) is "the description of the state".
  Ireland is a member of the European Union, the Council of Europe, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Trade Organisation and the United Nations. A developed country with the seventh highest Human Development Index, Ireland is also highly ranked for press freedom, economic freedom and democracy and political freedom.
  The modern Irish state was established in 1922 as the Irish Free State, a dominion within the British Empire, following the Anglo-Irish Treaty which brought an end to the Irish War of Independence. The partition of Ireland had already been provided for in previous British legislation in 1921 in response to opposition to Irish Home Rule or independence by Unionists, who formed a majority in the north-eastern part of the country. Six of the nine counties in the northern province of Ulster were established under that legislation as Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, with which the Irish state shares its only land border. The state is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the Celtic Sea to the south, St George's Channel to the south east, and the Irish Sea to the east.
  
  wn.com/Republic_of_Ireland
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  Retiers
  Coordinates: 47°54′51″N 1°22′50″W / 47.9142°N 1.3806°W / 47.9142; -1.3806
  Retiers (Breton: Rester, Gallo: Restier) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of Retiers are called Restériens in French.
  
  
  
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  Rimou
  Coordinates: 48°24′01″N 1°30′40″W / 48.4003°N 1.5111°W / 48.4003; -1.5111
  Rimou (Breton: Rivoù, Gallo: Rimou) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of Rimou are called Rimois in French.
  
  
  
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  Rodez
  Coordinates: 44°21′02″N 2°34′30″E / 44.3506°N 2.5750°E / 44.3506; 2.5750
  Rodez (Occitan: Rodés) is a town and commune in southern France, in the Aveyron department, of which it is the capital. Its inhabitants are called Ruthénois.
  Existing from at least the 5th century BC, Rodez was founded by the Celts. After the Roman occupation, the oppidum (fortified place) was renamed Segodunum, while in late Imperial times it was known as Civitas Rutenorum, whence the modern name. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, it was captured by the Visigoths and then by the Franks, being also ravaged by the Arabs in 725. Later it was occupied by the armies of the Dukes of Aquitaine and of the Counts of Toulouse. English troops occupied Rodez during the Hundred Years War.
  However, in medieval times the city's history was marked by strong rivalry between the Counts and the Bishops of Rodez, who exerted their authorities in different sectors of the city, divided by a wall. The counts were able to defy the royal French authority until the submission of count John IV by the future King Louis XI in the 15th century. In the following century bishop François d'Estaing built the Rodez Cathedral.
  
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  Romagné
  Coordinates: 48°20′35″N 1°16′34″W / 48.3431°N 1.2761°W / 48.3431; -1.2761
  Romagné (Breton: Rovenieg, Gallo: Romanyaé) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Romagné are called Romagnéens in French.
  
  
  
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  Romania
  Romania (ⁱ/roʊˈmeɪniə/ roh-MAY-nee-ə; dated: Roumania; or Rumania;Romanian: România [romɨˈni.a] ( listen)) is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea. Romania shares a border with Hungary and Serbia to the west, Ukraine and Moldova to the northeast and east, and Bulgaria to the south.
  At 238,400 square kilometers (92,000 sq mi), Romania is the ninth largest country of the European Union by area, and has the seventh largest population of the European Union with over 19 million people. Its capital and largest city is Bucharest, the tenth largest city in the EU with about two million people.
  The Kingdom of Romania emerged when the principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia were united under Prince Alexander Ioan Cuza in 1859. Independence from the Ottoman Empire was declared on 9 May 1877, and was internationally recognized the following year. At the end of World War I, Transylvania, Bukovina and Bessarabia united with the Kingdom of Romania. Greater Romania emerged into an era of progression and prosperity that would continue until World War II. By the end of the War, many north-eastern areas of Romania's territories were occupied by the Soviet Union, and Romania forcibly became a socialist republic and a member of the Warsaw Pact.
  
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  Romazy
  Coordinates: 48°22′34″N 1°29′45″W / 48.3761°N 1.4958°W / 48.3761; -1.4958
  Romazy (Breton: Rovazil) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Romazy are called Romaziens in French.
  
  
  
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  Romillé
  Coordinates: 48°13′00″N 1°53′26″W / 48.2167°N 1.8906°W / 48.2167; -1.8906
  Romillé (Breton: Rovelieg) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Romillé are called Romilléens in French.
  
  
  
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  Rouen
  Coordinates: 49°26′28″N 1°05′47″E / 49.4412°N 1.0963°E / 49.4412; 1.0963
  Rouen (French pronunciation: [ʁwɑ̃]), in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie (Upper Normandy) region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe^{[citation needed]}, it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages. It was one of the capitals of the Anglo-Norman dynasties, which ruled both England and large parts of modern France from the 11th to the 15th centuries. It was here that Joan of Arc was executed in 1431. People from Rouen are called Rouennais.
  The population of the metropolitan area (in French: agglomération) at the 1999 census was 518,316, and 532,559 at the 2007 estimate. The city proper had an estimated population of 110,276 in 2007.
  Haute-Normandie (Upper Normandy) région, as well as a commune and the préfecture (capital) of the Seine-Maritime département.
  Rouen and 70 suburban communes of the metropolitan area form the Agglomeration community of Rouen-Elbeuf-Austreberthe (CREA), with 494,382 inhabitants at the 2010 census. In descending order of population, the largest of these suburbs are Sotteville-lès-Rouen, Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray, Le Grand-Quevilly, Le Petit-Quevilly, and Mont-Saint-Aignan, each with a population exceeding 20,000.
  
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  Réunion
  Réunion (French: La Réunion, IPA: [la 'ʁeynjɔ̃] ( listen); previously Île Bourbon) is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about 200 kilometres (120 mi) south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.
  Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France. Like the other overseas departments, Réunion is also one of the 27 regions of France (being an overseas region) and an integral part of the Republic with the same status as those situated on the European mainland.
  Réunion is an outermost region of the European Union and, as an overseas department of France, is part of the Eurozone.
  Before the arrival of the Portuguese in the early sixteenth century, there is little to Réunion's recorded history. Arab traders were familiar with it by the name Dina Morgabin,. The island possibly features on a map from 1153 AD by Al Sharif el-Edrisi. The island may also have been visited by Swahili or Malay sailors.
  The first European discovery of the area was made around 1507 by Portuguese explorers, but the specifics are unclear. The uninhabited island may have been first sighted by the expedition led by Don Pedro Mascarenhas, who gave his name to the island group around Réunion, the Mascarenes. Réunion itself was dubbed Santa Apolonia after a favorite saint, which suggests that the date of the Portuguese discovery may have been February 9, her saint day. Diego Lopes de Sequeira is claimed to have landed on the island in 1509.
  
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  Saint George Palace
  The Saint George Palace (French: Palais Saint-Georges) is an historic building in the city of Rennes. Formerly an abbey residence, it was built in 1670 to replace a much older abbey building that stood on the same site. The Benedictine Abbey of Saint George (Abbaye Saint-Georges de Rennes) was forced to close in 1792 during the French Revolution and the property was seized by the government. Since 1930 the building has been listed as a monument historique of France.
  Saint George Palace, at 2 rue Gambetta, is situated east of the city centre in the Thabor-Saint Hélier quarter of Rennes. The front garden and main façade face south and the building lies very near the north bank of the Vilaine river, and is within sight while travelling north along rue Jean Janvier. It is served by the Métro station République.
  In 1032, Duke Alain III of Brittany founded the Benedictine abbey of Saint George on behalf of his sister Adele, a Benedictine nun who became the convent's first abbess. The abbey thrived for several centuries.
  
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  Sarthe
  Sarthe (French pronunciation: [saʁt]) is a French department, named after the Sarthe River.
  The department was created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790, pursuant to the law of December 22, 1789, starting from a part of the province of Maine which was divided into two departments, Sarthe to the east and Mayenne to the west.
  In Roman Times, this province contained the city of Mans, and many of its ruins are still left standing. The Thermal Bathhouse attracts many tourists, as does the Theater of Aubigné-Racan, both located on the outskirts of Anjou, Maine, and Touraine.
  Marin Mersenne, perhaps the most important scientific figure in the early 1600s, was born in the vicinity of Sarthe.
  The department of Sarthe is at the north end of the administrative region of Pays-de-la-Loire. This places it south of Basse-Normandie and on the south edge of the Armorican Massif. It is bordered by the departments of Orne, Eure-et-Loir, Loir-et-Cher, Indre-et-Loire, Maine-et-Loire and Mayenne.
  Approximately 300,000 people, comprising more than half of the department's population, live in Le Mans, its conurbation or the essentially urban communes close by. The rest of the department retains its rural character, however, being dominated economically by agriculture.
  
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  Savoie
  Savoie (pronounced: [sa.vwa]; Arpitan: Savouè d’Avâl, Italian: Savoia, pronounced [saˈvɔja], English: Savoy,  /səˈvɔɪ/) is a French department located in the Rhône-Alpes region in the French Alps.
  Together with the Haute-Savoie, Savoie is one of the two departments of the historic region of Savoy that was annexed by France on June 14, 1860, following the signature of the Treaty of Turin on March 24, 1860. For history before 1860, details of the annexation, and modern regionalism, see Savoy.
  It is widely accepted that Savoie takes its name from the Latin Sapaudia or Sabaudia, meaning land covered in fir trees.
  Savoie was long part of the states of Savoy, though it was occupied many times by France starting in the 16th century. It was integrated into the Mont-Blanc department from 1792 to 1815 (and partially into the Léman department from 1798 to 1814). The province was annexed by France in 1860. The former Duchy of Savoy became the two departments of Savoie and Haute-Savoie.
  Moûtiers, capital of the former province of Tarentaise Valley (French: Vallée de la Tarentaise) ceased to be the county seat after a law passed on September 10, 1926.
  
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  Sibiu
  Sibiu (Romanian pronunciation: [siˈbiw], antiquated, Sibiiu; German: Hermannstadt, Hungarian: Nagyszeben) is a city in Transylvania, Romania, with a population of 155,000. Located some 282 km north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Cibin River, a tributary of the river Olt. Nowadays the capital of Sibiu County, between 1692 and 1791 Sibiu was the capital of the Principality of Transylvania.
  Sibiu is one of the most important cultural centres of Romania and, in tandem with Luxembourg, it was designated a European Capital of Culture for the year 2007. Formerly the centre of the Transylvanian Saxons, the old city of Sibiu was ranked as "Europe's 8th most idyllic place to live" by Forbes.
  The city administers the ski resort Păltiniş.
  Sibiu is situated near the geographical center of Romania at 45°47′34″N 24°09′07″E / 45.792784°N 24.152069°E / 45.792784; 24.152069 (Sibiu)Coordinates: 45°47′34″N 24°09′07″E / 45.792784°N 24.152069°E / 45.792784; 24.152069 (Sibiu). Set in the Cibin Depression, the city is about 20 km from the Făgăraş Mountains, 12 km from the Cibin Mountains, and about 15 km from the Lotrului Mountains, which border the depression in its southwestern section. The northern and eastern limits of Sibiu are formed by the Târnavelor Plateau, which descends to the Cibin Valley through Guşteriţei Hill.
  
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  Somme
  Somme (French pronunciation: [sɔm]) is a department of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme river. It is part of the Picardy region of France.
  The north central area of the Somme département was the site of a series of battles through the Great War. Particularly significant was the 1916 Battle of the Somme. As a result of this and other battles fought in the area the department is home to many military cemeteries and several major monuments commemorating the many soldiers from various countries who died on its battlefields.
  At the beginning of the First World War, during the September 1914 Race to the Sea, the Somme became the site of the Battle of Albert. The battle was a five day engagement between the 25th and 29 September, with the French Tenth Army attacking at Albert and pushing toward Bapaume, and the German Sixth Army counter-attacking back towards Albert. The line settled around the town of Thiepval and remained there until July 1916, when the Battle of the Somme would be fought on and around the same ground.
  
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  Sougéal
  Coordinates: 48°30′38″N 1°31′18″W / 48.5106°N 1.5217°W / 48.5106; -1.5217
  Sougéal (Breton: Sulial, Gallo: Soujau) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Sougéal are called Sougelais in French.
  
  
  
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  Strasbourg
  Strasbourg (French pronunciation: [stʁazbuʁ]; Lower Alsatian: Strossburi, [ˈʃd̥rɔːsb̥uri]; German: Straßburg, [ˈʃtʁaːsbʊɐ̯k]) is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking, explaining the city's Germanic name. In 2006, the city proper had 272,975 inhabitants and its urban community 467,375 inhabitants. With 638,670 inhabitants in 2006, Strasbourg's metropolitan area (aire urbaine) (only the part of the metropolitan area on French territory) is the ninth largest in France. The transnational Eurodistrict Strasbourg-Ortenau had a population of 884,988 inhabitants in 2008.
  Strasbourg is the seat of several European institutions, such as the Council of Europe (with its European Court of Human Rights, its European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and its European Audiovisual Observatory) and the Eurocorps, as well as the European Parliament and the European Ombudsman of the European Union. The city is the seat of the Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine.
  
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  Taillis
  Coordinates: 48°11′23″N 1°14′15″W / 48.1897°N 1.2375°W / 48.1897; -1.2375
  Taillis (Breton: Talieg) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Taillis are called Taillissiens in French.
  
  
  
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  Talensac
  Coordinates: 48°06′35″N 1°55′30″W / 48.1097°N 1.925°W / 48.1097; -1.925
  Talensac (Breton: Talenseg, Gallo: Talanczac) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  The river Meu forms all of the commune's eastern border.
  Inhabitants of Talensac are called Talensacois in French.
  
  
  
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  Tarbes
  Coordinates: 43°13′51″N 0°04′21″E / 43.230700°N 0.072600°E / 43.230700; 0.072600
  Tarbes (French pronunciation: [taʁb]) is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France.
  It is part of the historical region of Gascony. It is the second largest metropolitan area of Midi-Pyrénées, with 110,000 inhabitants.
  It is the seat of the diocese of Tarbes-et-Lourdes. The 1st Parachute Hussar Regiment and 35th Parachute Artillery Regiment are stationed in Tarbes.
  To the south of Tarbes is the pilgrimage town of Lourdes and the border with Spain. The Pyrenees mountains, lying along the border between France and Spain, can be seen from the town.
  The Gare de Tarbes railway station offers direct connections with Paris, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Bayonne and several regional destinations. The A64 motorway connects Tarbes with Bayonne and Toulouse. It is also served by the small Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées Airport.
  Tarbes is the birthplace of:
  Tarbes is twinned with:
  
  
  
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  Teillay
  Coordinates: 47°48′29″N 1°32′13″W / 47.8081°N 1.5369°W / 47.8081; -1.5369
  Teillay (Breton: Tilheg) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  The Brutz forms all of the commune's eastern border, then flows into the Semnon, which forms part of its northeastern border.
  Inhabitants of Teillay are called Teillacois in French.
  
  
  
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  Thourie
  Coordinates: 47°51′18″N 1°28′47″W / 47.855°N 1.4797°W / 47.855; -1.4797
  Thourie (Breton: Tourig) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  The ruisseau de la Couyère forms all of the commune's western border, then flows into the Semnon, which forms all of its southern border.
  Inhabitants of Thourie are called Thourisiens in French.
  
  
  
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  Tinténiac
  Coordinates: 48°19′47″N 1°50′01″W / 48.3297°N 1.8336°W / 48.3297; -1.8336
  Tinténiac (Breton: Tintenieg, Gallo: Teintenyac) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Tinténiac are called Tinténiacais in French.
  
  
  
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  Torcé
  Coordinates: 48°03′45″N 1°15′52″W / 48.0625°N 1.2644°W / 48.0625; -1.2644
  Torcé (Breton: Tourc'heg, Gallo: Torczae) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Torcé are called Torcéens in French.
  
  
  
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  Toulon
  Coordinates: 43°08′N 5°55′E / 43.13°N 5.92°E / 43.13; 5.92
  Toulon (French pronunciation: [tu.lɔ̃]; Provençal Occitan: Tolon in classical norm or Touloun in Mistralian norm), italian language: Tolone, is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence.
  Toulon is an important centre for naval construction, fishing, wine making, and the manufacture of aeronautical equipment, armaments, maps, paper, tobacco, printing, shoes, and electronic equipment.
  The military port of Toulon is the major naval centre on France's Mediterranean coast, home of the French Navy aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle and her battle group. The French Mediterranean Fleet is based in Toulon.
  Archaeological excavations, such as those at the Cosquer Cave near Marseilles, show that the coast of Provence was inhabited since at least the Paleolithic era. Greek colonists came from Asia Minor in about the 7th century BC and established trading depots along the coast, including one, called Olbia, at Saint-Pierre de l'Almanarre south of Hyères, to the east of Toulon. The Ligurians settled in the area beginning in the 4th century BC.
  
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  Toulouse
  Coordinates: 43°36′16″N 1°26′38″E / 43.6045°N 1.444°E / 43.6045; 1.444
  Toulouse (French pronunciation: [tuluz] ( listen), locally: [tuˈluzə] ( listen); Occitan: Tolosa [tuˈluzɔ], medieval Tholoza) is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France. It lies on the banks of the River Garonne, half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, and 590 km (366 mi) away from Paris. With 1,202,889 inhabitants as of 1 January 2008, the Toulouse metropolitan area is the fourth-largest in France, after Paris (12.1 million), Lyon (2.1 million), and Marseille (1.7 million).
  Toulouse is the centre of the European aerospace industry, with the headquarters of Airbus, Galileo positioning system, the SPOT satellite system, and CNES's Toulouse Space Centre (CST), the largest space centre in Europe.Thales Alenia Space, and Astrium Satellites, EADS's satellite system subsidiary, also have a significant presence in Toulouse. Its world renowned university is one of the oldest in Europe (founded in 1229) and, with more than 97,000 students, is with Lille the third-largest university campus of France after Paris and Lyon.
  
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  Tours
  Coordinates: 47°23′37″N 0°41′21″E / 47.3936°N 0.6892°E / 47.3936; 0.6892
  Tours (pronounced: [tuʁ]) is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.
  It stands on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection (as perceived by some speakers) of its local spoken French, and the Battle of Tours in 732. It is also the site of the Paris–Tours road bicycle race. Tours is the largest city in the Centre region of France, although it is not the regional capital, which is the region's second-largest city, Orléans. In 2006, the city itself had 142,000 inhabitants and the metropolitan area had 306,974.
  In Gallic times the city was important as a crossing point of the Loire. Becoming part of the Roman Empire during the first century AD, the city was named "Caesarodunum" ("hill of Caesar"). The name evolved in the 4th century when the original Gallic name, Turones, became first "Civitas Turonum" then "Tours". It was at this time that the amphitheatre of Tours, one of the five largest in the Empire, was built. Tours became the metropolis of the Roman province of Lugdunum towards 380–388, dominating the Loire Valley, Maine and Brittany. One of the outstanding figures of the history of the city was Saint Martin, second bishop who shared his coat with a naked beggar in Amiens. This incident and the importance of Martin in the medieval Christian West made Tours, and its position on the route of pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela,made Tours a major centre during the Middle Ages.
  
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  Treffendel
  Coordinates: 48°02′27″N 2°00′15″W / 48.0408°N 2.0042°W / 48.0408; -2.0042
  Treffendel (Breton: Trevendel) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Treffendel are called Treffendelois in French.
  
  
  
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  Tresbœuf
  Coordinates: 47°53′00″N 1°32′41″W / 47.8833°N 1.5447°W / 47.8833; -1.5447
  Tresbœuf (Breton: Trevo) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  The River Semnon forms part of the commune's southern border.
  People from Tresbœuf are called tresbourgeois in French.
  
  
  
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  Tressé
  Coordinates: 48°28′55″N 1°53′01″W / 48.4819°N 1.8836°W / 48.4819; -1.8836
  Tressé (Breton: Trese, Gallo: Tresei) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in northwestern metropolitan France.
  Inhabitants of Tressé are called tresséens in French.^{[citation needed]}
  
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  Troyes
  Coordinates: 48°17′59″N 4°04′45″E / 48.2997°N 4.0792°E / 48.2997; 4.0792
  Troyes (French pronunciation: [tʁwa]) is a commune and the capital of the Aube department in north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about 150 km (93 mi) southeast of Paris. Many half-timbered houses (mainly of the 16th century) survive in the old town. Troyes has been in existence since the Roman era, as Augustobona Tricassium, which stood at the hub of numerous highways, primarily the Via Agrippa.
  Troyes has been in existence since the Roman era, as Augustobona Tricassium, which stood at the hub of numerous highways, primarily the Via Agrippa which led north to Reims and south to Langres and eventually to Milan; other Roman routes from Troyes led to Poitiers, Autun and Orléans. It was the civitas of the Tricasses, who had been separated by Augustus from the Senones. Of the Gallo-Roman city of the early Empire, some scattered remains have been found, but no public monuments, other than traces of an aqueduct. By the Late Empire the settlement was reduced in extent, and referred to as Tricassium or Tricassae, the origin of French Troyes ("three").
  
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  Trémeheuc
  Coordinates: 48°25′35″N 1°42′07″W / 48.4264°N 1.7019°W / 48.4264; -1.7019
  Trémeheuc (Breton: Tremaeg) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Trémeheuc are called Trémeheucois in French.
  
  
  
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  Trévérien
  Coordinates: 48°22′18″N 1°55′37″W / 48.3717°N 1.9269°W / 48.3717; -1.9269
  Trévérien (Breton: Treverian) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of Trévérien are called Trévérienais in French.
  
  
  
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  Tulle
  Coordinates: 45°16′02″N 1°45′56″E / 45.2673°N 1.7655°E / 45.2673; 1.7655
  Tulle (Occitan: Tula) is a commune and capital of the Corrèze département in the Limousin region in central France. It is also the episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulle. It is the third-largest town in the Limousin region, after Limoges and Brive-la-Gaillarde.
  Known sometimes as "the town on the seven hills", Tulle rose to prominence through the development of its manufacturing sector.
  Initially, the Gauls settled an oppidum at the site of what is now the Puy St Clair because it was a site surrounded by cliffs and so easy to get off. After the conquest, the city moved downwards, to the Trech district and the Romans established a temple to honor Tutela, goddess of protection of property and persons. The name of the city comes from this goddess. She was honoured here because it was a ford over the Corrèze where passed a very old road between Brittany and the Mediterranean sea. In the seventh century was built a monastery dedicated to St. Michael. The local population settled around the buildings. The first monastery, destroyed by the Viking invasions in 846, was rebuilt but disappeared in the eleventh century.
  
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  United Kingdom
  The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK, or Britain) is a sovereign state located off the north-western coast of continental Europe. The country includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea.
  The United Kingdom is a unitary state governed under a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary system, with its seat of government in the capital city of London. It is a country in its own right and consists of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. There are three devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff, the capitals of Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Associated with the UK, but not constitutionally part of it, are three Crown Dependencies. The United Kingdom has fourteen overseas territories. These are remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in 1922, encompassed almost a quarter of the world's land surface and was the largest empire in history. British influence can still be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former territories.
  
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  United States
  The United States of America (commonly abbreviated to the United States, the U.S., the USA, America, and the States) is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west, across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Pacific and Caribbean.
  At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km²) and with over 312 million people, the United States is the third or fourth largest country by total area, and the third largest by both land area and population. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries. The U.S. economy is the world's largest national economy, with an estimated 2011 GDP of $15.1 trillion (22% of nominal global GDP and over 19% of global GDP at purchasing-power parity). Per capita income is the world's sixth-highest.
  
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  Upper Normandy
  Upper Normandy (French: Haute-Normandie, IPA: [ot nɔʁmɑ̃di]; Norman: Ĥâote-Normaundie) is one of the 27 regions of France. It was created in 1984 from two départements: Seine-Maritime and Eure, when Normandy was divided into Lower Normandy and Upper Normandy. This division continues to provoke controversy, and some continue to call for reuniting the two regions. However, the name Upper Normandy existed prior to 1956 and referred by tradition to territories currently included within the administrative region: the Pays de Caux, the Pays de Bray (not that of Picardy), the Roumois, the Campagne of Le Neubourg, the Plaine de Saint André and the Norman Vexin. Today, most of the Pays d'Auge, as well as a small portion of the Pays d'Ouche, are located in Lower Normandy.
  Rouen is the regional capital, historically important with many fine churches and buildings, including the tallest cathedral tower in France. The region's largest city, in terms of metropolitan population, is Le Havre. The region is twinned with the London Borough of Redbridge in England. Its economy is centered around agriculture, industry, petrochemicals and tourism.
  
  wn.com/Upper_Normandy
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  Vannes
  Coordinates: 47°39′21″N 2°45′37″W / 47.6559°N 2.7603°W / 47.6559; -2.7603
  Vannes (French pronunciation: [van]; Breton: Gwened) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It was founded over 2000 years ago.
  Vannes is located on the Gulf of Morbihan at the mouth of two rivers, the Marle and the Vincin. It is around 100 km northwest of Nantes and 450 km south west of Paris. Vannes is a market town and often linked to the sea.
  The name Vannes comes from the Veneti, a seafaring Celtic people who lived in the south-western part of Armorica in Gaul before the Roman invasions. The Veneti were defeated by Julius Caesar's fleet in 56 BC in front of Locmariaquer; all the Veneti were then either slaughtered or sold into slavery. The Romans settled a town called Darioritum (the romanized Gaulish name of Vannes) in a location previously belonging to the Veneti.
  The diocese of Vannes was erected in the 5th century. The Council of Vannes was held there in 461.
  The first historical ruler of Vannes was Waroch.
  
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  Vaucluse
  The Vaucluse (French pronunciation: [vokˈlyz]; Occitan: Vauclusa in classical norm or Vau-Cluso in Mistralian norm) is a department in the southeast of France, named after the famous spring, the Fontaine-de-Vaucluse.
  Vaucluse was created on 12 August 1793 out of parts of the departments of Bouches-du-Rhône, Drôme, and Basses-Alpes (later renamed Alpes-de-Haute-Provence). The then rural department was, like the nearby city of Lyon, a hotbed of the French Resistance in World War II.
  Vaucluse is bordered by the Rhône to the west and the River Durance to the south. Mountains occupy a significant proportion of the eastern half of the department, with Mont Ventoux (1,912 m), also known as "the Giant of Provence", dominating the landscape. Other important mountain ranges include the Dentelles de Montmirail, the Monts de Vaucluse, and the Luberon. Fruit and vegetables are cultivated in great quantities in the lower-lying parts of the department, on one of the most fertile plains in southern France. The Vaucluse département has a rather large exclave within the Drôme department, the canton of Valréas (Enclave des Papes).
  
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  Vendée
  The Vendée (French pronunciation: [vɑ̃.de]) is a department in the Pays-de-la-Loire region in west central France, on the Atlantic Ocean. The name Vendée is taken from the Vendée river which runs through the south-eastern part of the department.
  The area today called the Vendée was originally known as the Bas-Poitou and is part of the former province of Poitou. In the south-east corner, the village of Nieul-sur-l'Autise is believed to be the birthplace of Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122–1204) and was part of her kingdom. Eleanor's son, Richard I of England (the Lionheart) often had his base in Talmont. The Hundred Years' War (1337–1453) turned much of the Vendée into a battleground.
  Since the Vendée held a considerable number of influential Protestants, including control by Jeanne d'Albret, the region was greatly affected by the French Wars of Religion which broke out in 1562 and continued until 1598. Eventually King Henri IV issued the Edict of Nantes and the Wars came to an end. The revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 caused many Huguenots to flee from the Vendée.
  
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  Vergéal
  Coordinates: 48°02′12″N 1°15′53″W / 48.0367°N 1.2647°W / 48.0367; -1.2647
  Vergéal (Breton: Gwerial, Gallo: Verjau) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Vergéal are called Vergéalais in French.
  
  
  
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  Vesoul
  Coordinates: 47°37′23″N 6°09′21″E / 47.6231°N 06.1558°E / 47.6231; 06.1558
  Vesoul is a commune in the Haute-Saône department in the region of Franche-Comté in eastern France.
  The town is the capital of the department, its inhabitants are known in French as Vésuliens.
  Vesoul was the birthplace of Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824–1904), painter and sculptor who produced many works in a historical, Orientalist style.
  Vesoul is also the name of a song by Jacques Brel from 1968, a fast paced waltz during the recording of which Brel famously yelled «Chauffe, Marcel, chauffe!» ("heat up, Marcel, heat up!") at his accordionist, Marcel Azzola.
  The town is also mentioned facetiously in the satirical rap Fous ta cagoule by Michael Youn.
  Media related to Vesoul at Wikimedia Commons
  
  
  
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  Vienne
  Vienne (French pronunciation: [vjɛn]) is the northernmost département of the Poitou-Charentes region of France, named after the river Vienne.
  Vienne is one of the original 83 departments, established on March 4, 1790 during the French Revolution. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Poitou, Touraine, and Berry. The original Acadians who settled in Nova Scotia and what is today other maritime provinces of Canada, left Vienne for North America after 1604.
  Goat cheese making is an important industry of Vienne.
  The most famous tourist sites include the Futuroscope theme park, Poitiers (city of Art and History), the Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe, a UNESCO world heritage site, the animal parks of Monkey's Valley in Romagne & the Crocodile Planet in Civaux.
  
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  Vietnam
  Vietnam ( listen), formally the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Cộng hòa xã hội chủ nghĩa Việt Nam;  listen), is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. With an estimated 91.5 million inhabitants as of 2012, it is the world's 13th-most-populous country, and the eighth-most-populous Asian country. The name Vietnam translates as "South Viet", and was officially adopted in 1945. The country is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east.
  The Vietnamese became independent from Imperial China in 938 AD, following the Battle of Bạch Đằng River. Successive Vietnamese royal dynasties flourished as the nation expanded geographically and politically into Southeast Asia, until the Indochina Peninsula was colonized by the French in the mid-19th century. The First Indochina War eventually led to the expulsion of the French in 1954, leaving Vietnam divided politically into two states, North and South Vietnam. Conflict between the two sides intensified, with heavy foreign intervention, during the Vietnam War, which ended with a North Vietnamese victory in 1975.
  
  wn.com/Vietnam
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  Vignoc
  Coordinates: 48°14′59″N 1°46′52″W / 48.2497°N 1.7811°W / 48.2497; -1.7811
  Vignoc (Breton: Gwinieg, Gallo: Veinyoc) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Vignoc are called Vignocois in French.
  
  
  
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  Villamée
  Coordinates: 48°27′42″N 1°13′14″W / 48.4617°N 1.2206°W / 48.4617; -1.2206
  Villamée (Breton: Gwilavez, Gallo: Vilaemaé) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.
  Inhabitants of Villamée are called Villaméens in French.
  
  
  
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  Visseiche
  Coordinates: 47°57′24″N 1°17′59″W / 47.9567°N 1.2997°W / 47.9567; -1.2997
  Visseiche (Breton: Gwisec'h) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Visseiche are called Visseichais in French.
  
  
  
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  Vosges
  Vosges (French pronunciation: [voʒ]) is a French department, named after the local mountain range. It contains the hometown of Joan of Arc, Domrémy.
  The Vosges department is one of the original 83 departments of France, created on February 9, 1790 during the French Revolution. It was made of territories that had been part of the province of Lorraine. In German it is referred to as Vogesen.
  In 1793 the independent principality of Salm-Salm (town of Senones and its surroundings), enclosed inside the Vosges department, was annexed to France and incorporated into Vosges. In 1795 the area of Schirmeck was detached from the Bas-Rhin department and incorporated into the Vosges department. The Vosges department had now an area of 6,127 km² (2,366 sq. miles) which it kept until 1871.
  In 1794 the Vosges was the site of a major battle between the forces of Revolutionary France and the Allied Coalition. See Battle of the Vosges.
  The Place des Vosges in Paris was so renamed in 1799 when the department became the first to pay the new Revolutionary taxes.
  
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  Vouziers
  Coordinates: 49°23′50″N 4°41′54″E / 49.3972°N 4.6983°E / 49.3972; 4.6983
  Vouziers (French pronunciation: [vu.zje]) is a commune of the Ardennes department in northern France.
  Vouziers is the burial place of the pioneer First World War fighter pilot Roland Garros, from whom the tennis location is named.
  The town was on the path of totality for the Solar eclipse of August 11, 1999, where it hosted a major observation event. Because of its proximity to the Belgian border, it was gridlocked by visiting Belgian cars on the morning of the eclipse.
  The Aisne is the river of Vouziers, doubled by a part of the "canal des Ardennes".
  The town lies between the Forest of Argonne, the pre-Ardennes, and Champagne, and near the Ardennes Massif (dense woodland). It is not far from Charleville-Mézières, Sedan (the largest medieval castle in Europe), Rocroi, Reims (where the kings of France were crowned), Châlons-en-Champagne, and Varennes-en-Argonne (where Louis XVI was arrested during the French Revolution).
  
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  Yonne
  Yonne (French pronunciation: [jɔn]) is a French department named after the Yonne River. It is one of the four constituent departments of Burgundy in eastern France and its prefecture (capital) is Auxerre. Its official number is 89.
  It elects three members of parliament to the National Assembly - in the 2002-7 parliamentary term, all three are drawn from the right-wing Union for a Popular Movement (UMP). Its two senators also represent the UMP.
  
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  Yvelines
  Yvelines (French pronunciation: [ivlin]) is a French department in the region of Île-de-France.
  Yvelines was created from the western part of the defunct department of Seine-et-Oise on 1 January 1968 in accordance with a law passed on 10 January 1964 and a décret d'application (a decree specifying how a law should be enforced) from 26 February 1965.
  It gained the communes of Châteaufort and Toussus-le-Noble from the adjacent department of Essonne in 1969.
  The departmental capital, Versailles, which grew up around Louis XIV's château, was also the French capital for more than a century under the Ancien Régime and again between 1871 and 1879 during the early years of the Third Republic. Since then the château has continued to welcome the parlement when called upon to sit in a congressional sitting, jointly with the upper house in order to enact constitutional changes or, as happened most recently in June 2009, to listen to a formal declaration by the president.
  Yvelines is bordered by the departments of Val-d'Oise on the north, Hauts-de-Seine on the east, Essonne on the southeast, Eure-et-Loir on the southwest, and Eure on the west.
  
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  Épinal
  Coordinates: 48°10′28″N 6°27′04″E / 48.1744°N 6.4512°E / 48.1744; 6.4512
  Épinal is a commune in northeastern France and the capital (prefecture) of the Vosges department. Inhabitants are known as Spinaliens.
  The commune has a land area of 59.24 km² (22.873 sq mi). It is situated on the Moselle River, 60 km (37 mi) south of Nancy.
  The old town centre features the Place des Vosges, the Chapitre district, Saint-Maurice's Basilica, medieval castle remains and the Roman House (11th and 13th centuries). It is also known for its parks and gardens, as well as a large communal forest with arboretum (the Arboretum de la Forêt d'Épinal).
  There are major fortifications, extended and maintained until the early 20th century. There is a legend, among the populace of Épinal, that Napoleon's ghost strolls the wall ramparts on 9 September of each year at 5:00 am It was on this day and at this time that, in 1811, Napoleon gave his first and last oration to the city of Épinal, wherein he addressed the challenges posed by northern expansion.
  
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  Étrelles
  Coordinates: 48°03′39″N 1°11′33″W / 48.0608°N 1.1925°W / 48.0608; -1.1925
  Étrelles (Breton: Stredell, Gallo: Estrèll) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
  Inhabitants of Étrelles are called Étrellais in French.
  
  
  
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  Évreux
  Coordinates: 49°01′27″N 1°09′12″E / 49.0242°N 1.1533°E / 49.0242; 1.1533
  Évreux (French pronunciation: [e.vʁø]) is a commune in the Eure department, of which it is the capital, in Haute Normandie in northern France.
  The city is on the Iton river.
  In late Antiquity, the town, attested in the fourth century CE, was named Mediolanum Aulercorum, "the central town of the Aulerci", the Gallic tribe then inhabiting the area. Mediolanum was a small regional centre of the Roman province of Gallia Lugdunensis.
  The present-day name of Évreux originates from the Gallic tribe of Eburovices, literally Those who overcome by the yew?, from the Gaulish root eburo.
  The first known members of the family of the counts of Évreux were descended from an illegitimate son of Richard I, duke of Normandy; these counts became extinct in the male line with the death of Count William in 1118. The county passed in right of Agnes, William's sister, wife of Simon de Montfort-l'Amaury (d. 1087) to the house of the lords of Montfort-l'Amaury. Amaury III of Montfort ceded the title in 1200 to King Philip Augustus, whose successor Philip the Fair presented it in 1307 to his brother Louis d'Évreux, for whose benefit Philip the Long raised the countship of Évreux into a peerage of France in 1317.
  
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