Top 10 France facts

In summer. The tower stands 320 meters (1,050 ft) tall, about the same height as an 81-storey building. Because of thermal expansion, the height varies by 15 cm (5.9 in) due to temperature.

Democratic Republic of the Congo. The population of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is 77 million. The population of France is 66 million, Canada - 35 million, Madagascar - 24 million.

Andorra is a monarchy headed by two co-princes – the Bishop of Urgell and the President of France. Hence, Andorra is the only European country in which the reigning monarch is elected at the regular intervals (every 5 years).

130 km. The Paris Gun was a German long-range siege gun used to bombard Paris during World War I. The gun was capable of firing a 94 kilogram (210 lb) shell to a maximum altitude of 40 kilometers (25 miles, 131,000 ft). It was the first time for human-made object to reach stratosphere.

He flew across the Mediterranean Sea. Roland Garros gained fame for making the flight from Fréjus in France to Bizerte in Tunisia. The following year, Garros joined the French army at the outbreak of World War I. Garros is sometimes erroneously called the world's first fighter ace. In fact, he shot down only four aircraft; the definition of "ace" is five or more victories.

Aachen (modern Germany). The geography of the Kingdom of Franks varied over time, but it was centered on the Rhine and Meuse rivers in northern Europe. Charlemagne himself probably spoke a Rhenish Franconian dialect of Old High German. Eventually, the singular use of the name Francia shifted towards the region of Paris.

Paris. After the 1806 Prussian defeat, Napoleon was the first to use the Brandenburg Gate for a triumphal procession and took the Quadriga to Paris. It was restored in 1814, after Napoleon's defeat and the Prussian occupation of Paris.

Dom Pérignon. In 1718, Canon Godinot published a set of wine making rules that were said to be established by Dom Pérignon. Prior to blending he would taste the grapes without knowing the source vineyard to avoid influencing his perceptions. References to his "blind tasting of wine" have led to the common misconception that Dom Pérignon was blind.

King of France. Louis IX (1214 – 1270) is the only canonised king of France, mostly due to his support and participation in the crusades. There are many places named after him, including the city of St. Louis, Missouri, and both the state and city of San Luis Potosí in Mexico.

In South America. The Guiana Space Centre is a French and European spaceport near Kourou in French Guiana since 1968. The location was chosen as it fulfils the two major geographical requirements of such a site: it is quite close to the equator, so that the spinning earth can impart some extra velocity to the rockets for free when launched eastward, and it has open sea to the east, so that lower stages of rockets and debris from launch failures cannot fall on human habitations.