France

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French Republic
Flag & Emblem of France.png
Motto "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity"
National anthem La Marseillaise
Capital Paris
Official language French
Government type Republic
President Nicolas Sarkozy (before: Jacques Chirac)
Prime Minister François Fillon (before: Dominique de Villepin)
Area ~550,000 km²
Population 64,102,100 (20th)
(2007 estimate)
Population density 117/km² (89th)
Currency Euro (EUR)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
Summer:CEST (UTC+2)
Country codes Internet TLD : fr
Calling code : +33


France (French: France), officially the French Republic (French: République française), is a mainly Western European country, officially known under the name 'French Republic'. Its mainland territory, referred to as the Hexagone because of its geometric shape, extends from the English Channel to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the Atlantic Ocean to the Rhine and the Alps. This territory is bordered by Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Andorra and Spain. The Channel Tunnel also links France to the United Kingdom. This territory, together with the island of Corsica off the west coast of Italy, constitutes Metropolitan France. In addition, the four Overseas Departments of Guyane (in South America), Guadeloupe and Martinique (in the West Indies) and La Réunion are governed by French law, represented in the French Parliament and included in the European Union, while various territories around the world, while having their own laws and not included in the EU, are also represented in the legislature.

With nearly 62 million inhabitants in its metropolitan territory, France is one of the most populated nations in Europe. French people benefit from high living standards provided by one of the oldest industrial powers. The economy is characterized by a combination of free-market capitalism and traditional interventionism.

French culture has been deeply influenced by Roman civilisation and Christianity since antiquity. The Enlightenment and the following French Revolution gave France its current political shape, a democratic republic whose main fundamental principles are expressed in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.

The capital, Paris, is also the most populated city and accounts for more than a quarter of the gross domestic product. The city and its region also host most of governmental and economic bodies as well as the most-renowned educational institutions.

In competition with United Kingdom, France was one of the world's foremost powers from the seventeenth to the twentieth century. The First and Second World Wars and the loss of its huge colonial empire reduced France's prominence during the twentieth century. Despite this, France remains an important economic and political power, one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and an acknowledged nuclear power. It is a member of the European Union, the United Nations and NATO.

(PD) Map: CIA World Factbook
Map of France

Geography

History

France in Antiquity

The Merovingian and Carolingian Eras

Medieval France

The Reformation and the Wars of Religion

From Richelieu to Louis XIV

The Late Ancien Regime and the French Revolution

France in the 19th Century

The World Wars and after

Politics

Economy

Demographics

Military