Outline of France

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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: i/ˈfræns/ or /ˈfrɑːns/; French pronunciation: [fʁɑ̃s], the French Republic (French: République française, French pronunciation: [ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛz])
  • 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

 Spain 623 km
 Belgium 620 km
  Switzerland 573 km

 Italy 488 km
 Germany 451 km
 Luxembourg 73 km

 Andorra 57 km
 Monaco 4 km

 Brazil 673 km

 Suriname 510 km

 

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 article: Administrative divisions of France and Regions of France
Regions of France (Administrative)

France is divided into 22 administrative Regions:

  1. Alsace
  2. Aquitaine
  3. Auvergne
  4. Lower Normandy
  5. Burgundy
  6. Brittany
  7. Centre
  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

Departments of France

French departments are roughly analogous to English counties.

Departments and Regions of France


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

Demography of France

Neighbours of France

Map showing France and its neighbours

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

Executive branch

François Hollande, 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

Foreign relations of France

  • France is a nuclear power

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
Main article: 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.
Main article: Military of France

History of France

Main article: 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


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

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.
Main article: Culture of 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).
Main article: 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.
Main article: 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]

Education in France

Main article: Education in France

The three stages of the education process in France:

Health in France

See also

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). Retrieved 2007-07-31.  (French)

External links

Wikimedia Atlas of France

  • Radio France Internationale in English

French government

Country profiles

Culture

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