War heroes, brown bears and 18 million bottles of bubbly: 7 things we learned about France putting together March’s FRANCE Magazine

The FRANCE team learn lots about their favourite country every month putting together the magazine. Here are some of our favourite stats and quirky facts we dug out this issue…

1) Antoine de Saint-Exupéry won not one but two Legions d’Honneur for his aviation exploits

The author of the best-selling children’s book Le Petit Prince was a talented pilot who, as well as being a war hero, was a pioneer of international postage flight

Discover Saint-Exupéry’s amazing story on P86.

2) Veuve Clicquot produce a whopping 18 million bottles of champagne every year

The Clicquot wine empire is the second largest producer of champagne in the world, following Moët & Chandon.

Toast the best of champagne on a wine experience in eastern France on P64.

3) It’s not all about Charles Perrault in French fairy tale world – have you heard of Madame d’Aulnoy?

Born in Normandy in the mid 17th century, this glamorous writer published two fairy tale collections.

Meet France’s fairy queen on P54.

4) There are more than 50 brown bears roaming the Pyrenees

The local shepherds aren’t too chuffed; it is estimated that some 200-300 sheep are killed by the bears every year.

Explore the beautiful mountainous département of Hautes-Pyrénées on P50.

5) Not all of France’s fantastic twisted church spires are by design

There are around 100 twisted towers or spires in Europe, and France has the lion’s share. But how did they gain their intriguing shape?

Find out the theories behind some of France’s most mysterious twisted spires on P58.

6) By 2070, it’s expected that there will be 477 and 747 million French speakers worldwide

That’s compared to a pretty impressive 300 million today!

Learn how French speakers all around the world celebrate the International Day of Francophonie on P88.

7) There are some magnificent gorges in the south of France known as the Colorado Niçois

If you’ve driven them, you’ll find out why! They’re the Gorges de Daluis in the Parc National du Mercantour.

Enjoy more of France’s national parks on P27.

So what are you waiting for? The March 2020 issue of FRANCE Magazine is out now – order your copy here.

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