It’s time to get out your globe! You need to know about the imaginary lines on globes and maps. These lines are called lines of latitude and longitude, and they tell a pilot or ship’s captain exactly where in the world a certain place is located. Basically, latitude lines (also called parallels) are the horizontal lines on your map. Lines of longitude (also called meridians) are the vertical lines that run from the North Pole to the South Pole. This mapping system is written in degrees and uses the symbol °. Get ready to travel the world! Located at 47 °N and 2 ° East lies the country of France.
Based on land area, France is the largest country in Western Europe. It is also one of the oldest. France has been a big part of world politics since the Middle Ages, and many famous people came from France:
Charles Perrault lived from 1628-1703 and wrote fairy tales like Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.
Voltaire lived from 1694-1778. He was a philosopher who helped to think of some of the ideas on which America was founded.
Louis Pasteur lived from 1822 until 1895. He was a scientist, and he created a vaccine for rabies and a process called pasteurization, which makes milk safer to drink.
Napoleon lived from 1769 until 1821. He was a soldier, and he made France one of the biggest and most powerful countries in the world while he was alive.
Coco Chanel was also French. She lived from 1883-1972. She was very important in fashion, and her perfume is still very popular today.
Joan of Arc is another important French woman. She was born in the early 1400s in the eastern part of France. Her village was called Domremy. While she was a young girl, England and France were at war because the English king felt that he should be the king of France as well. At the age of 12, Joan claimed that she started seeing visions from saints and angels. These visions guided Joan to help the French army, and she was made a co-commander. With her help, the French won many battles, but the English eventually captured and killed Joan. Since 1920, she has been the patron saint of France.
Domremy where Joan was born is now called Domremy-la-Pucelle. It is in the Meuse Valley and is still a small village. Less than 300 people live there. Most of the people there are farmers, and the land is very green and beautiful. There are still buildings in the town that date back to Joan’s lifetime, including the house in which she was born.
