Alsace is a region in north-eastern France that borders Switzerland and Germany. In fact, it is so close to Germany that you can travel by tram from the regional capital Strasbourg, to Kehl, the nearest German city, in just 15 minutes. Although Alsace is part of France, its borders have not always been clear.

Talk[edit] Even though Metz is close to Luxembourg and Germany, locals are not fluent in German and speak French just as any other French cities. The local dialect (Platt) is spoken in some parts of northern and eastern Moselle but has never been spoken in Metz.

Metz (pronounced “Mess“) is famous for its lofty gothic Saint-Etienne cathedral and its German imperial district around the railway station. It takes pride in being a true Garden City, with its trees, flowerbeds and green esplanades.

Metz, France has often been found under Alsace Lorraine Metz in guide books. However, since the administrative regions have been consolidated from 22 down 13, Metz now lies in the Grand-Est region. This includes the Alsace, Lorraine and Champagne-Ardenne regions.

Alsatian (Alsatian: Elsässisch or Elsässerditsch “Alsatian German”; Lorraine Franconian: Elsässerdeitsch; French: Alsacien; German: Elsässisch or Elsässerdeutsch) refers to the Alemannic German dialects spoken in most of Alsace, a formerly disputed region in eastern France that has passed between French and German …

The French Senate passed an amendment that would make it illegal for girls to wear the religious veil worn by Muslim women. The measure will likely fail when up for debate in the National Assembly.

According to this line of reasoning, women who wear the veil display their religious and community affiliation, which harms the unity and secularism of the French Republic. The position of the French government is that secularism in schools is incompatible with wearing ostentatious religious articles, whatever they be.

“France is an indivisible, secular, democratic and social Republic, guaranteeing that all citizens regardless of their origin, race or religion are treated as equals before the law and respecting all religious beliefs” states the Constitution of 1958.

Freedom of religion in France is guaranteed by the constitutional rights set forth in the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. Instead, it merely recognizes certain religious organizations, according to formal legal criteria that do not address religious doctrine.

The nun, in her religious habit, became a symbol of the Catholic Church’s role in upholding the inequities and injustices of the ruling classes within France. They were told to remove their religious habits (made illegal in 1792) and instead wear secular garb.

Christianity is the largest religion in Germany. About half of Christians in Germany are Catholics, mostly Latin Catholics; Catholicism is stronger in the southern and the western part of the country.

Most of the figures are taken from the CIA Factbook or PEW Research Center Surveys. According to the CIA Factbook and the Pew Research Center, the five countries with the largest number of Catholics are, in decreasing order of Catholic population, Brazil, Mexico, the Philippines, the United States, and Italy.

The main religion in Germany is Christianity, with around two-thirds of the population identifying as Christian.

27.2%

Roman Catholic

The Netherlands (aka Holland) is the 30th most densely populated country or territory in the world and the densest country in Europe with a over 10 million people. So it’s understandable that the Dutch might think that their country is a little bit crowded.