Landing in France, a sacred feeling suddenly arises which attracts you to know more about this country.  

 

France, approximately hexagonal（六边的） in shape, has a boundary on the east with Germany, Switzerland and Italy, and is bounded on the southeast by Monaco and the Mediterranean¹ Sea; on the south are Spain and Andorra, with the Bay of Biscay on the west and the English Channel on the north as natural borders.

 

A series of massive mountain ranges includes the Alps, which separate France and Italy, and the Jura Mountains that delineate（描绘） the Franco-Swiss border. The Rhine River, at the northeast corner of France forms the Franco-German boundary. The Pyrenees Mountains, extending along the Franco-Spanish frontier from the Mediterranean to the Bay of Biscay, forms the other mountain boundary of France.

 

The plains region is a projection² of the great plain of Europe. The outstanding features of the plains are the river valleys. Among all the rivers, totaling more than 200 with numerous tributaries³（支流） which are almost all commercially navigable, the Rhine River is the largest in terms of discharge volume.

 

The capital and largest city in France is Paris, which attracts many visitors every year. Marseilles is a chief port and Lyon is an industrial center famous for its textiles. Other major cities include Toulouse, an industrial and trade center; Nice, a resort; Strasbourg, a Rhine River port and industrial and commercial center; Bordeaux, a seaport⁴ and most famous for its wine.

 

French perfume, champagne⁵, and bridges in Paris… want to know more? Then next time we will return to Paris, and you will learn more about her.

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