From Greek plumbing to French hammers

Why do most hammers in France look like this:


While in the UK, pretty much every hammer looks something like this:


You can buy, if you look hard enough an "English" hammer from Castorama, but you certainly can't buy a "French" hammer from Screwfix.

Presumably, a French carpenter uses a different tool to remove a nail. Buy why? And what, actually, does he use the narrow end of his hammer for?

I suspect a carpenter (English or French) will know the answer, I am probably missing something very obvious here.