History of France

Stone tools indicate that early humans were present in France at least 1.8 million
years ago.[1] The first modern humans appeared in the area 40,000 years ago. The
first written records for the history of France appear in the Iron Age. What is now
France made up the bulk of the region known to the Romans as Gaul. Roman writers
noted the presence of three main ethno-linguistic groups in the area: the Gauls, the
Aquitani, and the Belgae. The Gauls, the largest and best attested group, were
Celtic people speaking what is known as the Gaulish language.
Over the course of the 1st millennium BC the Greeks, Romans, and Carthaginians
established colonies on the Mediterranean coast and the offshore islands. The
Roman Republic annexed southern Gaul as the province of Gallia Narbonensis in the
late 2nd century BC, and Roman forces under Julius Caesar conquered the rest of
Gaul in the Gallic Wars of 5851 BC. Afterwards a Gallo-Roman culture emerged and
Gaul was increasingly integrated into the Roman Empire.
In the later stages of the Roman Empire, Gaul was subject to barbarian raids and
migration, most importantly by the Germanic Franks. The Frankish king Clovis I
united most of Gaul under his rule in the late 5th century, setting the stage for
Frankish dominance in the region for hundreds of years. Frankish power reached its
fullest extent under Charlemagne. The medieval Kingdom of France emerged from
the western part of Charlemagne's Carolingian Empire, known as West Francia, and
achieved increasing prominence under the rule of the House of Capet, founded by
Hugh Capet in 987.
A succession crisis following the death of the last direct Capetian monarch in 1328
led to the series of conflicts known as the Hundred Years' War between the House of
Valois and the House of Plantagenet. The war formally began in 1337 following
Philip VI's attempt to seize the Duchy of Aquitaine from its hereditary holder,
Edward III of England, the Plantagenet claimant to the French throne. Despite early
Plantagenet victories, including the capture and ransom of John II of France,
fortunes turned in favor of the Valois later in the war. Among the notable figures of
the war was Joan of Arc, a French peasant girl who led French forces against the
English, establishing herself as a national heroine. The war ended with a Valois
victory in 1453.
Victory in the Hundred Years' War had the effect of strengthening French nationalism
and vastly increasing the power and reach of the French monarchy. During the
period known as the Ancien Rgime, France transformed into a centralized absolute
monarchy. During the next centuries, France experienced the Renaissance and the
Protestant Reformation. At the height of the French Wars of Religion, France became
embroiled in another succession crisis, as the last Valois king, Henry III, fought
against rival factions the House of Bourbon and the House of Guise. Henry, King of
Navarre, scion of the Bourbon family, would be victorious in the conflict and

establish the French Bourbon dynasty. A burgeoning worldwide colonial empire was
established in the 16th century. French political power reached a zenith under the
rule of Louis XIV, "The Sun King", builder of Versailles Palace.

In the late 18th century the monarchy and associated institutions were overthrown
in the French Revolution. The country was governed for a period as a Republic, until
the French Empire was declared by Napoleon Bonaparte. Following Napoleon's
defeat in the Napoleonic Wars France went through several further regime changes,
being ruled as a monarchy, then briefly as a Second Republic, and then as a Second
Empire, until a more lasting French Third Republic was established in 1870.
France was one of the Triple Entente powers in World War I, fighting alongside the
United Kingdom, Russia, Italy, Japan, the United States and smaller allies against
Germany and the Central Powers.
France was one of the Allied Powers in World War II, but was conquered by Nazi
Germany in 1940. The Third Republic was dismantled, and most of the country was
controlled directly by Germany while the south was controlled until 1942 by the
collaborationist Vichy government. Living conditions were harsh as Germany
drained away food and manpower, and many Jews were killed. Charles de Gaulle led
the Free France movement that one-by-one took over the colonial empire, and
coordinated the wartime Resistance. Following liberation in summer 1944, a Fourth
Republic was established. France slowly recovered economically, but did enjoy a
Baby boom that reversed its very low fertility rate. Long wars in Indochina and
Algeria drained French resources and ended in defeat. In the wake of the Algerian
Crisis of 1958, Charles de Gaulle set up the French Fifth Republic. Into the 1960s
decolonization saw most of the French colonial empire become independent, while
smaller parts were incorporated into the French state as overseas departments and
collectivities. Since World War II France has been a permanent member in the UN
Security Council and NATO. It played a central role in the unification process after
1945 that led to the European Union. Despite slow economic growth in recent years
and issues with Muslim minorities, it remains a strong economic, cultural, military
and political factor in the 21st century.

Culture of France
Masterpiece painting by Eugne Delacroix called Liberty Leading the People
portrays the July Revolution using the stylistic views of Romanticism. Since Liberty is
part of the motto Libert, galit, fraternit, as the French put it, this painting has
become the primary symbol of the French Republic.
The culture of France and of the French people has been shaped by geography, by
profound historical events, and by foreign and internal forces and groups. France,

and in particular Paris, has played an important role as a center of high culture since
the 17th century, first in Europe, and from the 19th century on, world wide. From
the late 19th century, France has also played an important role in cinema, fashion
and cuisine. The importance of French culture has waxed and waned over the
centuries, depending on its economic, political and military importance. French
culture today is marked both by great regional and socioeconomic differences and
by strong unifying tendencies.

Languages of France
The languages of France include the French language and some regional languages.
The French language is the only official language of France according to the second
article of the French Constitution, and is by far the most widely spoken.
Several regional languages are also spoken to varying degrees as a secondary
language after French, such as German dialects (Alsacian 1.44%), Celtic languages
(Breton 0.61%) and other Gallo-Romance languages (Langues d'Ol 1.25%, Occitan
1.33%). Some of these languages have also been spoken in neighbouring countries,
such as Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Italy or Spain.

Languages of Colombia
More than 99.2% of Colombians speak the Spanish language; also 65 Amerindian
languages, 2 Creole languages and the romani language are spoken in the country.
English has official status in the San Andrs, Providencia and Santa Catalina Islands.
[1][2][3]
The overwhelming majority of Colombians speak Spanish (see also Colombian
Spanish), but in total 101 languages are listed for Colombia in the Ethnologue
database. The specific number of spoken languages varies slightly since some
authors consider as different languages what others consider are varieties or
dialects of the same language, the best estimates recorded that 70 languages are
spoken in the country today. Most of these belong to the Chibchan, Tucanoan, Bora
Witoto, Guajiboan, Arawakan, Cariban, Barbacoan, Saliban, language families. There
are currently about 850,000 speakers of native languages.[4][5]

Sixty-five indigenous languages that exist today can be regrouped in 12 language

families and 10 languages isolated, not classified so far. [1]
The languages are: the great linguistic family Chibchan, of probable Central
American origin; the great South American families Arhuaco, Cariban, Quechuan
and Tupian; seven families only present at the regional level (Choc, Guahibo,
Saliba, Macu, Witoto, Bora, Tucano). The ten isolated languages are: Andoque, Awacuaiquer, Cofn, Guambiano, Kaments, Pez, Ticuna, Tinigua, Yagua, Yaruro. [1]
Colombian culture

Culture ofColombia
Many aspects of Colombian culture can be traced back to the early culture of Spain
of the 16th century and its collision with Colombia's native civilizations (see: Muisca,
Tayrona). The Spanish brought Catholicism, Africans, the feudal encomienda
system, and a caste system that favored European-born whites. After independence
from Spain, the criollos struggled to establish a pluralistic political system, between
conservative and liberal ideals. The conservatives supported the involvement of the
Catholic Church in the state, while liberals favored the separation of these. The
conservatives managed to outsource public education to the Catholic Church, and
for many years, the church controlled the country's education system. Both parties
engaged in multiple civil wars resulting in a slow development of the country and
the isolation of regions until the end of the 19th century. Ethno-racial groups
maintained their ancestral heritage culture: whites tried to keep themselves,
despite the growing number of illegitimate children of mixed African or indigenous
ancestry. These people were labeled with any number of descriptive names, derived
from the casta system, such as mestizo, mulatto and moreno. Blacks and
indigenous people of Colombia also mixed to form zambos, creating a new ethnoracial group in society. This mix also created a fusion of cultures. Carnivals for
example became an opportunity for all classes and colors to congregate without
prejudice. The introduction of the bill of rights of men and the abolishment of
slavery (1850) eased the segregationist tensions between the races, but the
dominance of the whites prevailed and prevails to some extent to this day.