technology

Concorde, a supersonic transglobal aircraft

France is one of the most high-tech countries in the world, and the French take pride in their country's innovations. These include Concorde, the high speed aircraft built by a French-British team, and TGV trains, which can travel at speeds of up to 300km per hour and are renowned for their comfort and efficiency. The French also invented the Minitel, which began life in the early 1980s as an electronic database of names, addresses, and telephone numbers. To promote the Minitel, French Telecom gave away millions of free terminals, and quickly expanded the services the Minitel provided. Soon the French were able to order food, reserve train tickets, sell products, and chat over the Minitel, which is now widely recognised as a predecessor to the Internet.

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