See Also: Monaco

France is a large country in Western Europe. It is bordered to the southwest by Spain, to the west by the Bay of Biscay and in the southeast by the Mediterranean Sea. Monaco, Switzerland, Italy, Austria and Luxembourg touch the eastern border and the north faces the English Channel. The landmass is 545,630 sq km with a further 1400 sq km of inland water. The coastline of France measures a total 3427 km. The island of Corsica in the Mediterranean Sea is also considered a part of France. The French terrain is comprised of a mostly flat, fertile plain, with subtle rolling hills in the north and west of the country. There are three areas of exceptionally high elevation. They are the Alps in the southeast, the Massif Central in the central south and the Pyrenees in the southeast. The highest point is Mont Blanc at a height of 4807m. The major rivers of France are the Loire, Garonne, Seine, Marne and the Rhone. Scattered throughout France's very fertile land are many vineyards. Grapes are grown in many regions in order to produce wine and indeed fine wine is one of the most renowned things to come out of France. The French are also famous for cheese.

The French empire once colonised parts of Southeast Asia and a huge amount of African countries. Many of these African nations still speak France's national language, French. The capital of France is Paris is home to an excellent and famous selection of art galleries such as the Louvre, where the famous Mona Lisa is held. The Eiffel Tower is a world famous feat of engineering and is also located in central Paris. The national unit of currency is now the Euro.

The economy is largely represented by the industrial and service sectors. These make up over 96% of France's GDP. The main industries are machinery, chemicals, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics, textiles, food processing and tourism. Agriculture accounts for 4% of the national workforce. The key agricultural products of France are wine grapes, wheat, cereals, sugar beets and potatoes. The transport network consists of 31,939 km of railways and 892,900 km of highways. The French are responsible for providing many of the world's countries with rail networks.

France is subject to a temperate climate and enjoys mild winters in the north, long hot summers in the south and plenty of rain. The hottest months tend to be from June to October. The alpine regions are subject to avalanches whereas the low-lying areas are prone to flooding. The hottest recorded temperature in Paris was 40°C.