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Location of Metropolitan France

France, officially the French Republic (French: République française), is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in Western Europe but that also comprises various overseas territories around the world. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel, and from the Rhine and Alpes to the Atlantic Ocean. French people often refer to Metropolitan France as L’Hexagone (The “Hexagon”) because of the geometric shape of its territory.

The following topic outline is provided as an overview of and introduction to France:

Territory of the French Republic
France portal
Flag of France Flag of France
Flag of France
National emblem of France

Contents


General reference

Geography of France

Satellite photograph of France
Main article: Geography of France

Environment of France

Main article: Environment of France

Geographic features of France

The Seine as seen from the Pont Royal
Main article: Landforms of France

Regions of France

"Region" is also the name of France's main type of political division

Administrative divisions of France

Main article: Administrative divisions of France and Regions of France

Regions of France (Administrative)
Main article: Regions of France

France is divided into 22 administrative Regions:

01. Alsace
02. Aquitaine
03. Auvergne
04. Basse-Normandie
05. Bourgogne
06. Bretagne
07. Centre
08. Champagne-Ardenne
09. Corse (special status)
10. Franche-Comté
11. Haute-Normandie
Regions of France

12. Île-de-France
13. Languedoc-Roussillon
14. Limousin
15. Lorraine
16. Midi-Pyrénées
17. Nord-Pas de Calais
18. Pays de la Loire
19. Picardie
20. Poitou-Charentes
21. Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
22. Rhône-Alpes

Departments of France
Main article: Departments of France

French departments are roughly analogous to English counties.

Departments and Regions of France
INSEE code Arms Department Prefecture
01 Coat of arms of département 01 Ain Bourg-en-Bresse
02 Coat of arms of département 02 Aisne Laon
03 Coat of arms of département 03 Allier Moulins
04 Coat of arms of département 04 Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Digne-les-Bains
05 Coat of arms of département 05 Hautes-Alpes Gap
06 Coat of arms of département 06 Alpes-Maritimes Nice
07 Coat of arms of département 07 Ardèche Privas
08 Coat of arms of département 08 Ardennes Charleville-Mézières
09 Coat of arms of département 09 Ariège Foix
10 Coat of arms of département 10 Aube Troyes
11 Coat of arms of département 11 Aude Carcassonne
12 Coat of arms of département 12 Aveyron Rodez
13 Coat of arms of département 13 Bouches-du-Rhône Marseille
14 Coat of arms of département 14 Calvados Caen
15 Coat of arms of département 15 Cantal Aurillac
16 Coat of arms of département 16 Charente Angoulême
17 Coat of arms of département 17 Charente-Maritime La Rochelle
18 Coat of arms of département 18 Cher Bourges
19 Coat of arms of département 19 Corrèze Tulle
2A Coat of arms of Corsica Corse-du-Sud Ajaccio
2B Coat of arms of Corsica Haute-Corse Bastia
21 Coat of arms of département 21 Côte-d'Or Dijon
22 Coat of arms of département 22 Côtes-d'Armor Saint-Brieuc
23 Coat of arms of département 23 Creuse Guéret
24 Coat of arms of département 24 Dordogne Périgueux
25 Coat of arms of département 25 Doubs Besançon
26 Coat of arms of département 26 Drôme Valence
27 Coat of arms of département 27 Eure Évreux
28 Coat of arms of département 28 Eure-et-Loir Chartres
29 Coat of arms of département 29 Finistère Quimper
30 Coat of arms of département 30 Gard Nîmes
31 Coat of arms of département 31 Haute-Garonne Toulouse
32 Coat of arms of département 32 Gers Auch
33 Coat of arms of département 33 Gironde Bordeaux
34 Coat of arms of département 34 Hérault Montpellier
35 Coat of arms of département 35 Ille-et-Vilaine Rennes
36 Coat of arms of département 36 Indre Châteauroux
37 Coat of arms of département 37 Indre-et-Loire Tours
38 Coat of arms of département 38 Isère Grenoble
39 Coat of arms of département 39 Jura Lons-le-Saunier
40 Coat of arms of département 40 Landes Mont-de-Marsan
41 Coat of arms of département 41 Loir-et-Cher Blois
42 Coat of arms of département 42 Loire Saint-Étienne
43 Coat of arms of département 43 Haute-Loire Le Puy-en-Velay
44 Loire-Atlantique Nantes
45 Coat of arms of département 45 Loiret Orléans
46 Coat of arms of département 46 Lot Cahors
47 Coat of arms of département 47 Lot-et-Garonne Agen
48 Coat of arms of département 48 Lozère Mende
49 Coat of arms of département 49 Maine-et-Loire Angers
50 Coat of arms of département 50 Manche Saint-Lô
51 Coat of arms of département 51 Marne Châlons-en-Champagne
52 Coat of arms of département 52 Haute-Marne Chaumont
53 Coat of arms of département 53 Mayenne Laval
54 Coat of arms of département 54 Meurthe-et-Moselle Nancy
55 Coat of arms of département 55 Meuse Bar-le-Duc
56 Coat of arms of département 56 Morbihan Vannes
57 Coat of arms of département 57 Moselle Metz
58 Coat of arms of département 58 Nièvre Nevers
59 Coat of arms of département 59 Nord Lille
60 Coat of arms of département 60 Oise Beauvais
61 Coat of arms of département 61 Orne Alençon
62 Coat of arms of département 62 Pas-de-Calais Arras
63 Coat of arms of département 63 Puy-de-Dôme Clermont-Ferrand
64 Coat of arms of département 64 Pyrénées-Atlantiques Pau
65 Coat of arms of département 65 Hautes-Pyrénées Tarbes
66 Coat of arms of département 66 Pyrénées-Orientales Perpignan
67 Coat of arms of département 67 Bas-Rhin Strasbourg
68 Coat of arms of département 68 Haut-Rhin Colmar
69 Coat of arms of département 69 Rhône Lyon
70 Coat of arms of département 70 Haute-Saône Vesoul
71 Coat of arms of département 71 Saône-et-Loire Mâcon
72 Coat of arms of département 72 Sarthe Le Mans
73 Coat of arms of département 73 Savoie Chambéry
74 Coat of arms of département 74 Haute-Savoie Annecy
75 Coat of arms of département 75 Paris¹ Paris
76 Coat of arms of département 76 Seine-Maritime Rouen
77 Coat of arms of département 77 Seine-et-Marne Melun
78 Coat of arms of département 78 Yvelines² Versailles
79 Coat of arms of département 79 Deux-Sèvres Niort
80 Coat of arms of département 80 Somme Amiens
81 Coat of arms of département 81 Tarn Albi
82 Coat of arms of département 82 Tarn-et-Garonne Montauban
83 Coat of arms of département 83 Var Toulon
84 Coat of arms of département 84 Vaucluse Avignon
85 Coat of arms of département 85 Vendée La Roche-sur-Yon
86 Coat of arms of département 86 Vienne Poitiers
87 Coat of arms of département 87 Haute-Vienne Limoges
88 Coat of arms of département 88 Vosges Épinal
89 Coat of arms of département 89 Yonne Auxerre
90 Coat of arms of département 90 Territoire de Belfort Belfort
91 Coat of arms of département 91 Essonne³ Évry
92 Coat of arms of département 92 Hauts-de-Seine4 Nanterre
93 Coat of arms of département 93 Seine-Saint-Denis5 Bobigny
94 Coat of arms of département 94 Val-de-Marne Créteil
95 Coat of arms of département 95 Val-d'Oise Cergy/Pontoise6
971 Guadeloupe7 Basse-Terre
972 Flag of Martinique Martinique7 Fort-de-France
973 Flag of French Guiana Guyane7 Cayenne
974 La Réunion7 Saint-Denis
The Eiffel Tower, with the skyline of Paris in the background

Municipalities of France
Main article: Communes of France

Demography of France

Main article: Demographics of France

Neighbours of France

Map showing France and its neigbors

Metropolitan France is bordered by:

France is also linked to:

France's overseas departments share borders with:

Government and politics of France

Main article: Government of France and Politics of France

Branches of the government of France

Main article: Government of France

Executive branch

Nicolas Sarkozy, current President of France
François Fillon is the current Prime Minister of France.

Legislative branch

Judicial branch

Main article: Justice in France

Foreign relations of France

Main article: Foreign relations of France

International organization membership

France is a member of:

Law of France

A policeman armed with a submachine gun guarding a police station in Paris
Main article: Law of France

Historical law

Military of France

French Armed Forces, armed with FAMAS F1 assault rifles, await for the opening of the Memorial Day ceremony at the LaFayette Escadrille Monument in Paris, France.
Main article: Military of France

History of France

Napoleon Crossing the Alps, by Jacques-Louis David. Portrait of Napoleon I of France (Napoleon Bonaparte).
Main article: History of France and Timeline of French history

The history of France is generally traced to that of Gaul, a region inhabited by Celtic tribes, and which covered roughly the area of modern France and the Low Countries. The Roman Empire began to subdue beginning in 121 BC; the process of was completed during the Gallic Wars of Julius Caesar by 51 BC. The region that would become modern France was covered by five Roman provinces that were collectively known as Gallia.

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the region became dominated by a Germanic tribe known as the Franks. Frankish dynasties including the Merovingians and the Carolingians established a Frankish Empire that reached its height under the rule of Charlemagne. Dynastic struggles caused the breakup of the Frankish Empire into three separate kingdoms, the western kingdom would evolve into the modern French state.

The Capetian Dynasty came to rule France in the tenth century. For most of the next 400 years, France became a decentralized state, with the French Royal Demesne confined to the area immediately surrounding Paris. Real control over the land rested with the various semi-independent duchies and counties. Over time, the French Kings consolidated control of the country, a process that was accelerated greatly by the Hundred Years War. By 1453, when the wars concluded, the French monarchy was firmly in control of the nation, as the nation became governed by a philosophy known as the divine right of kings.

France was one of the world's foremost power from the latter half of the 17th century until the early 19th century. The French Revolution, begun in 1789, proved to be one of the most transformative events in the history of Europe. Napoleon Bonaparte, an artillery officer in the French Army during the Revolution, would later seize control of the country and establish a large empire that would stretch across Europe. In the 18th and 19th centuries, France built one of the largest colonial empires of the time, stretching across West Africa and Southeast Asia, prominently influencing the cultures and politics of the regions.

During the 20th century, France was the center of fighting in both World War I and World War II and survived both wars to become a leading world power. Today France is a permanent member of the UN Security Council and one of the Group of Eight.

General topics

Fortified city of Carcassonne and the Pont Vieux crossing the Aude river.

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