Paris was the backwater of the Roman Empire, and was initially known as Lutece. The inhabitants spoke a distinct dialect known as Argot, still spoken in parts of Paris. Examples: balle meaning money, bouffer meaning to have a meal.

This region in the south of France was formerly known as Provincia Roma. It boasts some of the best wines of France, including Chateauneuf-du-Pape (near Avignon), as well as the many vineyards of the Rhone river.

The region is home to a separate language, known as Occitan – with its rolling R, popularized by Frederic Mistral. Some of the oldest caves inhabited by ancestral humans are there as well, dating back an astonishing 1/2 to 1 million years ago

There is an old Arab legend that states that when the world was being formed, the inhabitants of Andalucia asked for 5 favors of Allah: much sunlight, wonderful fruits, plentiful sea-food, beautiful women, and a just form of government, to which Allah replied: I will grant you the first four, but cannot grant you the last wish, as you would then compete with Paradise itself.