The culture of France is associated with its local language French which is now the language of 88% of the population as per BBC. Gallo-Roman and Celtic culture influenced French culture to a considerable extent. Initially, France was confined to Germany's western area. If you are keen on visiting France or a French person, then let us tell you Keep reading for my top 20 interesting facts about Jean-Jacques Rousseau. 1. Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote the first modern autobiography. Jean-Jacques Rousseau reading to his father, as seen in an illustration from Confessions by Maurice Leloir – WikiCommons. Rousseau was born in Geneva in 1712. Charles La Tour was born in France in 1593, and in 1610 at age seventeen, he accompanied his father Claude de Saint-Etienne de la Tour on an expedition to Port Royal in Acadia. Jean de Biencourt de Poutrincourt led the expedition which also included his 19 year old son, Charles de Biencourt de Saint Just, and a Catholic priest. 10. The French economy is the 6th largest in the world. France has 6 th largest economy in the world behind U.S., China, Japan, Germany and India, and the 2 nd largest in Europe, and the 2 nd largest in Europe. France is part of the European Union, and uses the Euro as legal currency. 11. The 98th Tour de France began July 2 and runs through July 24. Deborah St. Thomas , Neighbor Posted Wed, Jul 6, 2011 at 9:11 pm ET | Updated Thu, Jul 7, 2011 at 1:13 am ET 10.Notre-Dame de Fourvière Shrine. Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre. Photo by Myriam Olmand -Unsplash. The Chapelle de la Vierge, to the left of the Basilica, is topped with a statue of Mary. Fourvière has always been a popular pilgrimage site. Since 1170, there has been a shrine dedicated to Our Lady in Fourvière. 1. France was Josephine Baker’s second home. Josephine Baker dancing the Charleston at the Folies-Bergère, Paris in 1926 by Walery – WikiCommons. Josephine Baker was born Freda Josephine McDonald in 1903 in St. Louis, Missouri. There’s actually quite a bit of mystery surrounding her birth and the identity of her father. 9. Nice was in a very poor shape after the war and was named the “Babazouk”. Lots of major cities in Europe, and especially in France, have been struck very hard by the World Wars. The Old Town of Nice was hit by poverty and was nicknamed the “babazouk”, or Monster’s Lair. .

fun facts about the tour de france