Not large by North American standards (about the size of the state of Texas), France is nonetheless extremely diverse: it concentrates a wealth of scenery, regional identities each with their own particular joie de vivre defined by cultural and historic differences.
Through the years, France’s stamp on western civilization has left an indelible mark in many domains and French savoir-faire remains a reference in the arts, politics, gastronomy, fashion and science.
Since World War II, French society has undergone great transformations. Whereas one person in 3 used to work in farming, today this ratio stands at 1 in 16. Concurently, religious practice (mostly Catholic) declined almost at the same rate.
This new age ushered in such changes in social habits as the wider acceptance of the practice of unmarried couples living together and the legalization of abortion. After the students took to the streets in infamous May 1968, conditions for women have tremendously improved and many social structures became less constructing for everyone.