Each of the main regions of France is a territory with its own culture and traditions, but without its own legislation, although the regions have autonomy. In total, the French territory consists of 27 regions: 22 of them belong to the metropolis (i.e., are located on the mainland), and the remaining 5 are overseas territories, which include Martinique, Guadeloupe, Reunion, Guiana and Mayotte. However, in this article, we will focus on continental France, since it occupies a central place in the Francophonie.
The main industrial regions of France are Ile-de-France, Rhone-Alpes, Midi-Pyrenees. Lorraine is also one of the "giants" of the industry. As for the main agricultural regions of France, there are no less of them: Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Brittany, Normandy and New Aquitaine.
Ile de France
Ile-de-France, or the "Paris region" is the heart of France, where all the main production used to be concentrated, but in recent yearsit began to be increasingly carried out of Paris. In this area of France is the center of the perfume and cosmetics industry - the world's largest corporation based in the field of perfumes and cosmetics - L'Oréal.
Here they are engaged in the aircraft and rocket industry, the production of space equipment and the automotive industry (produce brands such as Renault, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Renault Tech).
Rhône-Alpes
Rhône-Alpes is widely known for its ski resorts not only in Europe but throughout the world. This region of France is also prosperous, with a well-developed economy, it is not much inferior to the Île-de-France region. The three main cities - Lyon, Saint-Étienne and Grenoble - are leaders in textile production, pharmaceuticals and lighting technology.
18% of France's electricity is generated in the Rhône-Alpes region by four nuclear power plants, thermal power plants near Lyon and hydroelectric power plants on the Loire, Isère and Rhone rivers.
Midi-Pyrenees
Energy-intensive chemical and metallurgical industries are located in the Pyrenees. The geography of this region allows its inhabitants to be engaged not only in industry, but also in agriculture, since the mild and warm climate allows for the agricultural development of the region.
Toulouse, as the center of the region, plays a key role in its development. Not far from it is Airbus Commercial, a well-known company in Europe. Aircraft, engaged in the assembly and production of aircraft parts.
Lorraine
Lorraine is a region of France, the name of which is now little used, now this area includes the regions of Franche-Comté, Vosges and Alsace. This picturesque area attracts thousands of tourists a year. Despite the developed tourism, Lorraine remains the main metallurgical region of France.
Heavy industry is well developed in the region due to large concentrations of local coal, potash and rock s alt, and iron ore. Metallurgical plants are located mainly along the banks of the rivers Chier, Fenn, Orne, Moselle (the cities of Longwy, Thionville, Ayange, etc.).
Alsace and the Vosges are the main areas of the cotton industry in France (about half of all production). Large supplies of wood and paper make the Vosges.
The capital of Alsace is Strasbourg, the largest city in the region, an industrial center on the Rhine River, a river port.
Franche-Comté specializes in the automotive industry (Peugeot factories in Sochaux-Montbéliard), the production of precision mechanics and watches (Besançon).
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Compared to its neighbors, France has an extremely rich variety in agriculture. This diversity is the result of the influence of environmental conditions, especially soil and climate. Due to its position in the temperate zone, between two seas, France, of all European countries, has the greatest diversity in cultivated crops. The largestpart of France's agricultural land has fertile soils, valuable either for their natural qualities, or made so as a result of their improvement in the process of cultivation over the years.
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur is a beautiful region that is famous for its great contribution to the development of agriculture in France. Provence is the main supplier of flowers, grapes, rice and meat, especially beef. The locals are also engaged in breeding horses and sheep and the production of dairy products (the famous Alpine milk came from here). Fruits and berries are also harvested here for making jams and wholesale.
Brittany
Brittany remains the leader in fishing and the main region of France for the supply of agricultural products. Oysters, squids, mussels, langoustines and crabs are what the region is really rich in, in addition to all kinds of fish.
About 50% of all pork and poultry meat in France comes from Brittany, Breton products can be found in any supermarket. Cauliflower (60% of French production) and artichokes (85%) are also supplied to many regions.
In addition to the agricultural sector, the region is also developing civil and military shipbuilding.
Normandie
Traditionally, the Norman economy is considered to be agricultural-oriented. In Haute-Normandy, the emphasis is on growing various cereals and raising cattle.
Still, the Norman economy is more connected with the sea (fishing, sea transport, etc.).
About 60% of plantings of textile flax are located on the territory of Normandy. Also, this region is considered one of the best producers of apple cider and calvados.
The energy sector is very important in Normandy, with three nuclear power plants (Penly, Flamanville and Paluel) concentrated there.
New Aquitaine
New Aquitaine in this case means three regions: Aquitaine, Limousin and Poitou-Charentes. The region's economy is based on several pillars: agriculture, viticulture, aircraft manufacturing, biotechnology and chemical development.
Agriculture in New Aquitaine is very diverse and extremely well developed: the region's turnover is about 9.4 billion euros every year (the first region in exports), it is also the first French region in terms of the number of famous gastronomic labels (155 brands of products).
New Aquitaine ranks first in Europe for the production of foie gras (more than half of French production is concentrated in this region). Fishing is also well known in this area. Some of France's finest oysters come from Arcachon Bay and Cape Ferret.
The center of wine production is located precisely in New Aquitaine, which is one of the main wine-growing regions of France. Well-known Bordeaux wines, cognac and armagnac are produced in the area.
As for cereals, the picture here is as follows: the region occupies a decisive place in the cultivation of wheat, corn and sunflowers. The small town of Saint-Genis-de-Saintonge produces the largest amount of popcorn in France, with 70% of the nation's production coming from its farms.
Speaking of vegetables and fruits, it should be noted that New Aquitaine remains the leader in this area: it is the first producer in France - the cultivation of corn is 90% of national production, kiwi - 49%, asparagus - 30%, carrots - 30%, strawberries - 28%, green beans - 26%, etc.
In addition to agriculture, the New Aquitaine region has a developed forestry sector and logging. It not only harvests and processes wood, but also produces paper, cardboard and furniture.
Conclusion
Each region of France specializes in several areas at once, be it industry or agriculture. The agricultural and industrial regions of France are simply amazing in their productivity.
