User talk:82.224.59.166

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Please state the reason you restored the languages section of Europe in the edit summaries or the talk page, before you do so. -- Hexagon1 12:14, 14 October 2005 (UTC)

Hi, France is generally not considered to be a part of Southern Europe. See the linked article for more details. Thank you, RexNL 21:47, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
I'm sorry, you are right that Corsica may be counted as a Southern European region. RexNL 21:48, 2 May 2006 (UTC)

Hello. I am sorry, but Southern France is clearly a part of southern Europe, in all the meanings of the term. It is southern Europe : - Geographically, being situated along the mediteranean sea, - Being situated in the southern half of Europe. - Of course it is southern Europe culturally: the language, the catholic faith and the way of life is mediterranean: food (use of olive oil, Mediterranea products, wine culture, etc.) - The architecture and the landscapes of southern France are also completly mediterranean. - In term of mentality and behaviour southern France is also as mediterranean as Spain or Italy. ( Even if in a geopolitical way, due to old economic-political realities The UNO wasn't used to put France in the geopolitical concept of southern Europe, because, in the 20th century it had economic conotations that France didn't really share (instability and lower industrialisation). Today Italy, Spain are at the same economic level than France (even maybe better) and such a distinction is not releavant anymore. )

I think it would be nice and important to understand the reality of the french identiy to explain that a big part of its culture and its territory (in my opinion the biggest part, but it can be discussed) is southern European. Most big French cities are in Southern Europe: Marseille (second city), Toulouse (fourth city), Nice (Fith city) and Bordeaux (seventh city). We can add that Lyon (second city) is as southern European than Torino, Milan or Venice in Italy. The northen capital (Paris) should not hide the others southern ones.

I am myself from southern France, and like all my people we have always considered ourselves south Europeans, and being considered as it. We are close to Spanish and Italian people culturally and geographically. You cannot delate or ignore half of a country... Even in Northern France the people feel culturally much closer to Italians than to English or German people ( even if Northern France is not geographically in the southern part of Europe.

I know that a lot of American people have a very "northern France" vision of France, essentially due to the fact that its most visited place and biggest city, Paris, is a northern French city, and maybe also due to the exposure that Normandy had in the mind of American people during WW2. Most British people can also have a very "Northern" idea of France because Northern France is closer to UK. But most French people don't feel that way. So I think that it is untrue to just say that France is just a "Western Europe" country and putting it in the same bag than Netherlands or United Kingdom (when Spain and Portugal wich are geographically more western European are excluded of the concept of western Europe) is to spread a wrong idea and a misconception about France. That the reason why I think it is important to mention that France is, at least partly, a southern European country. I hope that you will understand that wikipedia, as long as it is an international encyclopedia should not only the reflect of the US or UNO geopolitical meanings, but also take in consideration other points of view and some evidences. Like, in this present case that the southern half of France is clearly part of Southern Europe. Maybe you didn't liked this idea but that is the way it is. If southern France is not in South Europe, So Italy and Spain are not either...

I'd like to add that in this case I didn't use "South Europe" or "Western Europe" in geopolitical-centred view, but in the meaning that us, European use it: A geographical and cultural way of gouping countries which share common features together.

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