France (
pronounced
/fræns/
or /frɑns/,
French
:
fʁɑ̃s
), officially the French Republic (
French
:
République française
,
pronounced
ʁepyˈblik fʁɑ̃ˈsɛz
), is a
country
whose
metropolitan territory
is located in
Western Europe
and that also comprises various
overseas islands and territories located in other continents
.
Metropolitan France extends from the
Merranean Sea
to the
English Channel
and the
North Sea
, and from the
Rhine
to the
Atlantic Ocean
. French people often refer to Metropolitan France as L'Hexagone (The "
Hexagon
") because of the geometric shape of its territory.
France is bordered by
Belgium
,
Luxembourg
,
Germany
,
Switzerland
,
Italy
,
Monaco
,
Andorra
, and
Spain
. Due to its
overseas departments
, France also shares land borders with
Brazil
and
Suriname
(bordering
French Guiana
) , and the
Netherlands Antilles
(bordering
Saint-Martin
). France is also linked to the
United Kingdom
by the
Channel Tunnel
, which passes underneath the
English Channel
.
France is a
unitary
semi-presidential
republic
. Its main ideals are expressed in the
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
. France was the world's foremost
power
in from the latter half of the th century until the early th century. In the th and th 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. France is a
developed
country, with the
fifth or sixth largest
economy
depending on source.
It is the most visited country in the world, receiving over
million
foreign tourists annually (including business visitors, but excluding people staying less than hours in France).
France is one of the founding members of the
European Union
, and has the largest land area of all members. France is also a founding member of the
United Nations
, and a member of the
Francophonie
, the
G
, and the
Latin Union
. It is one of the five permanent members of the
United Nations Security Council
; it is also an acknowledged
nuclear power
. |