Outline of France

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Flag of France
The National emblem of France
The location of Metropolitan France
The territory of the French Republic
An enlargeable map of Metropolitan France

The following outline is provided as an overview and topical guide of France:

France – country in Western Europe with several overseas regions and territories. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. From its shape, it is often referred to in French as l’Hexagone ("The Hexagon").

General reference[]

Constituent lands of the French Republic
  • Pronunciation: English: /ˈfræns/ (About this soundlisten) or /ˈfrɑːns/, French: [fʁɑ̃s] (About this soundlisten); (the French Republic: French: République française, pronounced [ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛːz] (About this soundlisten))
  • Common English country name: France
  • Official English country name: The French Republic
  • Common endonym(s): La France
  • Official endonym(s): République française
  • Adjectival(s): French (can refer to people, language or anything related to the country)
  • Demonym(s): French (or Frenchman/Frenchwoman)
  • Etymology: Name of France
  • International rankings of France
  • ISO country codes: FR, FRA, 250
  • ISO region codes: See ISO 3166-2:FR
  • Internet country code top-level domain: .fr

Geography of France[]

An enlargeable topographic map of Metropolitan France

Geography of France

  • France is a:
    • Country
      • Developed country[1]
    • Sovereign state
      • Member State of the European Union
  • Location:
    • Northern Hemisphere, on the Prime Meridian
      • Eurasia
        • Europe
          • mostly in Western Europe [a]
    • Time in France
    • Extreme points of France (major towns)[2]
      • North: Dunkirk at the North Sea
      • South: Perpignan, at the Spanish border
      • East: Haguenau, at the German border
      • West: Brest, south of Land's End (England)
      • High: Mont Blanc 4,810 m (15,781 ft) – highest point of Western Europe
      • Low: Les Moëres −2.5 m (−8 ft)
    • Land boundaries: 4072 km (2529 mi)

 Spain 623 km
 Belgium 620 km
  Switzerland 573 km

 Italy 488 km
 Germany 451 km
 Luxembourg 73 km

 Andorra 57 km
 Monaco 4 km

      • French Guiana: 1,183 km

 Brazil 673 km

 Suriname 510 km

 
    • Coastline: 4,668 km
      • Metropolitan France: 3,427 km
      • Incorporated overseas territories: 1,241 km
  • Population of France: 65,400,000 people (2010 estimate) – 20th most populous country
  • Area of France: 674,843 km2 (260,558 sq mi) – 40th largest country
  • Atlas of France
  • Communes (municipalities) of France

Environment of France[]

An enlargeable satellite image of Metropolitan France

Geographic features of France[]

The Seine as seen from the Pont Royal

Regions of France[]

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

Administrative divisions of France[]

Main articles: Administrative divisions of France and Regions of France
  • Regions of France
    • Departments of France
      • Municipalities of France ("Communes")
Regions of France (Administrative)[]

Regions of France Since January 1, 2016, continental France is divided into 13 administrative Regions instead of the former 22 regions. The 5 overseas regions are untouched:

Before 2016 From January, 1st 2016

  1. Alsace
  2. Aquitaine
  3. Auvergne
  4. Lower Normandy
  5. Burgundy
  6. Brittany
  7. Centre-Val de Loire
  8. Champagne-Ardenne
  9. Corsica (special status)
10. Franche-Comté
11. Upper Normandy

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. Picardy
20. Poitou-Charentes
21. Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
22. Rhône-Alpes

  1. Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
  2. Nouvelle-Aquitaine
  3. Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
  4. Normandy
  5. Grand Est
  6. Brittany
  7. Centre-Val de Loire
  8. Occitanie
  9. Hauts-de-France
10. Île-de-France
11. Pays de la Loire

12. Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
13. Corsica (special status)

Departments of France[]

Departments of France French departments are roughly analogous to British counties.

Departments and Regions of France
INSEE code Arms Department Prefecture
01 Blason département fr Ain.svg Ain Bourg-en-Bresse
02 Blason département fr Aisne.svg Aisne Laon
03 Blason dpt fr Allier.svg Allier Moulins
04 Blason departement Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.svg Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Digne-les-Bains
05 Blason dpt fr HautesAlpes.svg Hautes-Alpes Gap
06 Nice Arms.svg Alpes-Maritimes Nice
07 Blason dpt fr Ardeche.svg Ardèche Privas
08 Blason département fr Ardennes.svg Ardennes Charleville-Mézières
09 Blason dpt fr Ariège.svg Ariège Foix
10 Blason département fr Aube.svg Aube Troyes
11 Blason dpt fr Aude.svg Aude Carcassonne
12 Blason Rouergue.svg Aveyron Rodez
13 Blason département fr Bouches-du-Rhône.svg Bouches-du-Rhône Marseille
14 Blason département fr Calvados.svg Calvados Caen
15 Blason dpt fr Cantal.svg Cantal Aurillac
16 Blason département fr Charente.svg Charente Angoulême
17 Blason département fr Charente-Maritime.svg Charente-Maritime La Rochelle
18 Blason dpt fr Cher.svg Cher Bourges
19 Blason département fr Corrèze.svg Corrèze Tulle
2A Coat of Arms of Corsica.svg Corse-du-Sud Ajaccio
2B Coat of Arms of Corsica.svg Haute-Corse Bastia
21 Blason département fr Côte-d'Or.svg Côte-d'Or Dijon
22 Blason département fr Côtes-d’Armor.svg Côtes-d'Armor Saint-Brieuc
23 Blason Boubon-La Marche.svg Creuse Guéret
24 Blason Dordogne 1.svg Dordogne Périgueux
25 Blason département fr Doubs.svg Doubs Besançon
26 Blason département fr Drôme.svg Drôme Valence
27 Blason département fr Eure.svg Eure Évreux
28 Blason département fr Eure-et-Loir.svg Eure-et-Loir Chartres
29 Blason29.svg Finistère Quimper
30 Blason département fr Gard.svg Gard Nîmes
31 Blason département fr Haute-Garonne.svg Haute-Garonne Toulouse
32 Blason dpt fr Gers.svg Gers Auch
33 Blason département fr Gironde.svg Gironde Bordeaux
34 Blason département fr Hérault.svg Hérault Montpellier
35 Blason departement Ille-et-Vilaine.svg Ille-et-Vilaine Rennes
36 Blason département fr Indre.svg Indre Châteauroux
37 Blason département fr Indre-et-Loire.svg Indre-et-Loire Tours
38 Blason departement Isere.svg Isère Grenoble
39 Blason département fr Jura.svg Jura Lons-le-Saunier
40 Blason dpt fr Landes.svg Landes Mont-de-Marsan
41 Blason département fr Loir-et-Cher.svg Loir-et-Cher Blois
42 Blason departement Loire.svg Loire Saint-Étienne
43 Blason dpt fr Haute-Loire.svg Haute-Loire Le Puy-en-Velay
44 Loire-Atlantique Nantes
45 Blason département fr Loiret.svg Loiret Orléans
46 Blason département fr Lot.svg Lot Cahors
47 Blason département fr Lot-et-Garonne.svg Lot-et-Garonne Agen
48 Blason département fr Lozère.svg Lozère Mende
49 Blason departement Maine-et-Loire.svg Maine-et-Loire Angers
50 Blason département fr Manche.svg Manche Saint-Lô
51 Blason departement Marne.svg Marne Châlons-en-Champagne
52 Blason département fr Haute-Marne.svg Haute-Marne Chaumont
53 Blason département fr Mayenne.svg Mayenne Laval
54 Blason Meurthe-et-Moselle.svg Meurthe-et-Moselle Nancy
55 Blason Meuse.svg Meuse Bar-le-Duc
56 Blason departement Morbihan.svg Morbihan Vannes
57 Blason Moselle.svg Moselle Metz
58 Blason dpt fr Nievre.svg Nièvre Nevers
59 Blason Nord-Pas-De-Calais.svg Nord Lille
60 Blason département fr Oise.svg Oise Beauvais
61 Blason département fr Orne.svg Orne Alençon
62 Pas de Calais Arms.svg Pas-de-Calais Arras
63 Blason dpt fr Puy-de-Dome.svg Puy-de-Dôme Clermont-Ferrand
64 Blason des Pyrénées-Atlantiques.svg Pyrénées-Atlantiques Pau
65 Blason dpt fr HautesPyrenees.svg Hautes-Pyrénées Tarbes
66 Arms of the Pyrénées-Orientales.svg Pyrénées-Orientales Perpignan
67 Blason département fr Bas-Rhin.svg Bas-Rhin Strasbourg
68 Blason Haut Rhin.svg Haut-Rhin Colmar
69 Blason dpt fr Rhone.svg Rhône Lyon
70 Blason dpt fr Haute-Saone.svg Haute-Saône Vesoul
71 Blason département fr Saône-et-Loire.svg Saône-et-Loire Mâcon
72 Blason dpt fr Sarthe.svg Sarthe Le Mans
73 Blason duche fr Savoie.svg

Blason département fr Savoie.svg

Savoie Chambéry
74 Blason duche fr Savoie.svg

Blason département fr Haute-Savoie.svg

Haute-Savoie Annecy
75 Blason paris 75.svg Paris¹ Paris
76 Blason76.svg Seine-Maritime Rouen
77 Blason département fr Seine-et-Marne.svg Seine-et-Marne Melun
78 Blason département fr Yvelines.svg Yvelines² Versailles
79 Blason département fr Deux-Sèvres.svg Deux-Sèvres Niort
80 Blason département fr Somme.svg Somme Amiens
81 Blason dpt fr Tarn.svg Tarn Albi
82 Blason département fr Tarn-et-Garonne.svg Tarn-et-Garonne Montauban
83 Blason departement Var.svg Var Toulon
84 Blason département fr Vaucluse.svg Vaucluse Avignon
85 Blason dpt fr 85 Vendée.svg Vendée La Roche-sur-Yon
86 Blason département fr Vienne.svg Vienne Poitiers
87 Blason département fr Haute-Vienne.svg Haute-Vienne Limoges
88 Blason département fr Vosges.svg Vosges Épinal
89 Blason département fr Yonne.svg Yonne Auxerre
90 Blason département fr Territoire de Belfort.svg Territoire de Belfort Belfort
91 Blason département fr Essonne.svg Essonne³ Évry
92 Blason département fr Hauts-de-Seine.svg Hauts-de-Seine4 Nanterre
93 Blason département fr Seine-Saint-Denis.svg Seine-Saint-Denis5 Bobigny
94 Blason département fr Val-de-Marne.svg Val-de-Marne Créteil
95 Blason département fr Val-d'Oise.svg Val-d'Oise Cergy/Pontoise6
971 Coat of arms of Guadeloupe.svg Guadeloupe7 Basse-Terre
972 Coat of arms of Martinique.svg Martinique7 Fort-de-France
973 Blason de la Guyane.svg Guyane7 Cayenne
974 Blason Réunion DOM.svg La Réunion7 Saint-Denis
976 Coat of Arms of Mayotte.svg Mayotte7 Mamoudzou
The Eiffel Tower, with the skyline of Paris in the background
Municipalities of France[]

Communes of France

  • Cities of France
    • Capital of France: Paris – also the largest city in France, with over 2,000,000 inhabitants
    • Strasbourg – official seat of the European Parliament
    • Lyon – silk capital of the world and the location of the headquarters of Interpol and Euronews
    • Marseille – France's largest commercial port

Demography of France[]

Demographics of France

Neighbors of France[]

Map showing France and its neighbours

Metropolitan France is bordered by:

  • Belgium
  • Luxembourg
  • Germany
  • Switzerland
  • Italy
  • Monaco
  • Andorra
  • Spain

France is also linked to:

  • United Kingdom (by the Channel Tunnel, which passes underneath the English Channel)

France's overseas departments share borders with:

  • Brazil (borders French Guiana)
  • Suriname (borders French Guiana)
  • Sint Maarten (borders Saint-Martin)

Government and politics of France[]

Main articles: Government of France and Politics of France

Branches of the government of France[]

Government of France

Executive branch[]

Emmanuel Macron, current President of France

Legislative branch[]

  • Parliament of France (Parlement) (see also: Congress of France)
    • French National Assembly (Assemblée Nationale)
    • French Senate (Sénat)
  • French Economic and Social Council (consultative assembly)

Judicial branch[]

Justice in France

  • Constitutional Council of France

International relations of France[]

Foreign relations[]

International organization membership[]

The French Republic is a member of:[3]

Law of France[]

A policeman armed with a submachine gun guarding a police station in Paris

Law of France

Historical law[]

  • Napoleonic code

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.

Military of France

History of France[]

Main articles: History of France and Timeline of French history

General topics[]

Napoleon Crossing the Alps, by Jacques-Louis David. Portrait of Napoleon I of France (Napoleon Bonaparte).
Fortified city of Carcassonne and the Pont Vieux crossing the Aude river.

By period[]

See also: List of years in France
  • France in the 19th century
    • First Republic (1792–1804)
    • National Convention (1792–1795)
    • Directory (1795–1799)
    • Napoleonic era (timeline)
    • Restoration (1814–1830)
    • July Revolution (1830)
    • July Monarchy (1830–1848)
    • 1848 Revolution
    • Second Republic (1848–1852)
    • Second Empire (1852–1870)
    • Third Republic (1870–1940)
    • Paris Commune (1871)
  • France in the 20th century
    • Great Depression in France
    • Vichy France (1940–1944)
    • Provisional Government (1944–1946)
    • Fourth Republic (1946–1958)
    • Fifth Republic (1958–present)

De Gaulle-OWI.jpg
Charles de Gaulle was the leader (and General) of the Free French Forces during World War II, he founded the Provisional Government of the French Republic, was a prime minister of the French Fourth Republic, and was the first president of the French Fifth Republic.

Culture of France[]

Palace of Versailles
Eiffel tower on Bastille Day
The Louvre Museum, in Paris, is home to many of the world's greatest masterpieces of art, including the Mona Lisa.

Culture of France

Religion and belief systems in France[]

Sports in France[]

Tour de France 2005 : Arrival in Mulhouse from Gérardmer
A traceur – a practitioner of parkour – performs an équilibre de chat (cat balance).

Sport in France Sport articles specific to France:

Economy and infrastructure of France[]

TGV Duplex in Paris, Gare de Lyon. TVG stands for train à grande vitesse, which is French for "train of great speed"), and is the name of France's high-speed rail service.

Economy of France France is the most visited country in the world, receiving over 79 million foreign tourists annually (including business visitors, but excluding people staying less than 24 hours in France).[4]

Euro banknotes

Education in France[]

Education in France The three stages of the education process in France:

  • Primary education (enseignement primaire)
  • Secondary education (enseignement secondaire)
    • Collèges – cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 15
    • Lycées – provide a three-year course of further secondary education for children between the ages of 15 and 18, during which pupils are prepared for the baccalauréat (commonly referred to as le bac).
  • Higher education (enseignement supérieur)
    • Colleges and universities in France
      • Public universities of France
    • Grandes écoles

Health in France[]

Health in France

See also[]

France

Notes[]

  1. ^ French Guiana is located in South America; Guadeloupe and Martinique are in the Caribbean; and Réunion and Mayotte are in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Africa. All five are considered integral parts of the republic.

References[]

  1. ^ Overcoming barriers: Human mobility and development. Human Development Report 2009. the United Nations Development Programme. New York. ISBN 978-0-230-23904-3
  2. ^ Map of France, SitesAtlas.com, 2009, webpage: SitA-507.
  3. ^ "France". The World Factbook. United States Central Intelligence Agency. July 2, 2009. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
  4. ^ Government of France, Directorate of Tourism. "79 millions d'arrivées de touristes internationaux en 2006" (PDF) (in French). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-08-08. Retrieved 2007-07-31.

External links[]

Wikimedia Atlas of France

  • [1] Radio France Internationale in English

French government

Country profiles

Culture

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