- Outline of France
-
The location of Metropolitan France
The territory of the French Republic
An enlargeable map of Metropolitan FranceThe French Republic (French: République française), commonly known as France, is a sovereign country comprising a metropolitan territory located in Western Europe and numerous overseas territories around the world.[1] Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel, and from the Rhine and Alps to the Atlantic Ocean. French citizens often refer to Metropolitan France as L’Hexagone (The “Hexagon”) because of the geometric shape of its territory.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to France:
Contents
General reference
Constituent lands of the French Republic- Pronunciation: /ˈfræns/ (
listen) 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
- 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 FranceMain article: Geography of France- France is a:
- Location:
- Northern Hemisphere, on the Prime Meridian
- Time in France
- Time zones:
- Metropolitan France – Central European Time (UTC+01), Central European Summer Time (UTC+02)
- Time zones:
- Extreme points of France (major towns)[2]
- North: Dunkerque at the English Channel
- 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)
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- Land boundaries: 4072 km (2529 mi)
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- Metropolitan France: 2,889 km (1794 mi)
Spain 623 km
Belgium 620 km
Switzerland 573 km
Italy 488 km
Germany 451 km
Luxembourg 73 km-
-
- French Guiana: 1,183 km
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Brazil 673 km
Suriname 510 km-
- Coastline: 4,668 km
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- 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 FranceMain article: Environment of France- Climate of France
- Environmental issues in France
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- Ecoregions in France
- Renewable energy in France
- Geology of France
- National parks of France
- Protected areas of France
- Wildlife of France
- Flora of France
- Flora of the Alps
- Fauna of France
- Birds of France
- Mammals of France
- Non-marine molluscs of France
- Flora of France
Geographic features of France
The Seine as seen from the Pont Royal- Glaciers of France
- Islands of France
- Lakes of France
- Mountains of France
- Rivers of France
- Valleys of France
- World Heritage Sites in France (See also Transboundary sites)
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
- Departments of France
- Municipalities of France ("Communes")
- Departments of France
Regions of France (Administrative)
Main article: Regions of FranceFrance 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 Normandy12. 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-AlpesDepartments of France
Main article: Departments of FranceFrench departments are roughly analogous to English counties.
Departments and Regions of France
Municipalities of France
Main article: 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
Main article: Demographics of FranceNeighbours of France
Map showing France and its neighboursMetropolitan France is bordered by:
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)
- Netherlands Antilles (borders Saint-Martin)
Government and politics of France
- Main article: Government of France and Politics of France
- Form of government: Unitary semi-presidential republic
- Capital of France: Paris
- Elections in France
- French presidential elections: 1848 - 1958 - 1965 - 1969 - 1974 - 1981 - 1988 - 1995 - 2002 - 2007
- French parliamentary elections: 1795 - 1798 - 1815 - 1816 - 1820 - 1824 - 1827 - 1830 - 1831 - 1834 - 1837 - 1839 - 1842 - 1846 - 1848 - 1849 - 1852 - 1857 - 1863 - 1869 - 1871 (Feb) - 1871 (Jul) - 1876 - 1877 - 1881 - 1885 - 1889 - 1893 - 1898 - 1902 - 1906 - 1910 - 1914 - 1919 - 1924 - 1928 - 1932 - 1936 - 1945 - 1946 (Jun) - 1946 (Nov) - 1951 - 1956 - 1958 - 1962 - 1967 - 1968 - 1973 - 1978 - 1981 - 1986 - 1988 - 1993 - 1997 - 2002 - 2007
- French referendums: 1793 - 1795 - 1800 - 1802 - 1804 - 1815 - 1851 - 1852 - 1870 - 1945 - 1946 (May) - 1946 (Oct) - 1958 - 1961 - 1962 (Jun) - 1962 (Oct) - 1969 - 1972 - 1988 - 1992 - 2000 - 2005
- Feminism in France
- Foreign relations of France
- Liberalism and radicalism in France
- Political parties in France
- Political scandals of France
- Taxation in France
Branches of the government of France
Main article: Government of FranceExecutive branch
- Head of state: President of the French Republic
- Le Gouvernement (Cabinet of ministers)
- Head of government: Prime Minister of France
- Minister of Foreign Affairs
- Minister of the Interior
- Minister of Overseas France
- Minister of the Environment
- Minister of Transportation
- Minister of Public Works
- Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industry
- Minister of Defence
- Minister of Justice
- Minister of National Education
- Minister of Higher Education and Research
- Minister of Culture
- Minister of Agriculture
- Minister of Tourism
- Minister of the Sea
- Minister of Health
- Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports
- Minister of Budget, Public Accounting and Civil Servants
- Minister of Immigration, Integration, National identity and Co-development
- Minister of Social Affairs
- Minister of Housing
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
Main article: Justice in FranceForeign relations of France
Main article: Foreign relations of France- France is a nuclear power
International organization membership
The French Republic is a member of:[1]
Law of France
A policeman armed with a submachine gun guarding a police station in Paris- Main article: Law of France
- Adoption in France
- Capital punishment in France
- Census in France
- Constitution of France
- Crime in France
- Polygamy in France
- Law enforcement in France
- National law enforcement agencies
- National Police ("Police Nationale")
- National Gendarmerie ("Gendarmerie Nationale")
- Mobile Gendarmerie ("Gendarmerie Mobile")
- Local law enforcement agencies
- Police municipale (Municipal police) - may be maintained by local governments (communes), but have very limited law enforcement powers outside of traffic issues and local ordinance enforcement
- Garde champetre or Police Rurale (Rural police) - may be formed by Rural communes, and are responsible for limited local patrol and protecting the environment
- Équipes régionales d’intervention et de sécurité (SWAT teams) - are operated by The Department of Corrections (the prison system or Administration pénitentiaire)
- In Wallis and Futuna, there is a territorial guard as well as royal police.
- National law enforcement agencies
- Human rights in France
- Abortion in France
- Censorship in France
- Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
- Gambling in France
- LGBT rights in France
- Prostitution in France
- Smoking in France
Historical law
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
- Command
- Commander-in-chief:
- Ministry of Defence of France
- Commander-in-chief:
- French Armed Forces
- French Army (Armée de Terre)
- French Navy (Marine Nationale)
- French Air Force (Armée de l'Air)
- National Gendarmerie (Gendarmerie Nationale)
- Military history 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).- Territorial formation of France
- Historical French provinces
- Cultural history of France
- Colonial history of France
- Demographics of France
- Economic history of France
- Historical positions and figures
- Military history of France
Fortified city of Carcassonne and the Pont Vieux crossing the Aude river.By period
See also: List of years in France- Ancient history
- France in the Middle Ages
- Carolingians (751–987)
- Direct Capetians (987–1328)
- Valois (direct) (1328–1498)
- France in the 19th century
- France in the 20th century
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
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
- Architecture of France
- Basilicas in France
- Castles in France
- Cathedrals in France
- Lighthouses in France
- Palaces in France
- Art in France
- Literature of France
- Music of France
- Theatre in France
- Cuisine of France
- Languages of France
- Media in France
- Mythology in France
- National symbols of France
- Coat of arms of France
- Flag of France
- National anthem of France
- People of France
- Ethnic minorities in France
- Public holidays in France
- Racism in France
- Religion and belief systems in France
- Religion in France
- Hinduism in France
- Buddhism in France
- Christianity in France
- Protestantism in France
- Orthodoxy in France
- Roman Catholicism in France
- Hinduism in France
- Islam in France
- Judaism in France
- Scientology in France
- Sikhism in France
- Belief systems
- Humanism in France
- Irreligion and atheism in France
- Religion in France
- Scouting and Guiding in France
- World Heritage Sites in France (See also Transboundary sites)
Sport in France
Tour de France 2005 : Arrival in Mulhouse from Gérardmer
- Main article: Sport in France
Sport articles specific to France:
- Fédération Française de Basket-Ball
- Football in France
- France at the Olympics: the modern Olympics were invented in France, in 1894
- Grand Prix de France
- French Open (tennis)
- Open de France
- Pétanque
- Parkour ('urban running')
- Rugby in France
- Tour de 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).[3]
- Economic rank
- Nominal GDP: 6th (sixth)
- GDP (PPP): 8th (eighth)
- Agriculture in France
- Banking in France
- Communications in France
- Companies of France
- Currency of France: Euro (see also: Euro topics)
- Economic history of France
- Energy in France
- Nuclear power in France
- Renewable energy in France
- Health care in France
- Poverty in France
- Tourism in France
- Transport in France
- Airports in France
- Highway system of France
- Rail transport in France
- Trams in France
- Water supply and sanitation in France
Education in France
- Main article: Education in France
The three stages of the education process in France:
- Primary education (enseignement primaire)
- Secondary education (enseignement secondaire)
- Collèges [kɔˈlɛʒ] - cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 15
- Lycées ([liˈse] - 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)
Health in France
Main article: Health in FranceSee also
Main article: France- All pages beginning with "France"
- All pages with titles containing "France"
- All pages beginning with "French"
- All pages with titles containing "French"
- Index of France-related articles
- List of international rankings
- Member state of the European Union
- Member state of the Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors
- Member state of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
- Member state of the United Nations
- Outline of Europe
- Outline of geography
References
- ^ a b "France". The World Factbook. United States Central Intelligence Agency. July 2, 2009. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/fr.html. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
- ^ Map of France, SitesAtlas.com, 2009, webpage: SitA-507.
- ^ Government of France, Directorate of Tourism. "79 millions d’arrivées de touristes internationaux en 2006" (PDF). http://www.tourisme.gouv.fr/fr/z2/stat/tis/att00015987/TIS_2007-2.pdf. Retrieved 2007-07-31. (French)
External links
- [1] Radio France Internationale in English
French government
- Official site of the French Embassy in the United Kingdom
- Official site of the French public service - Contains many links to various administrations and institutions
- Frenchculturenow.com: French society, culture, politics news
Country profiles
- France, from the Encyclopædia Britannica
- France, from the CIA World Factbook
- Outline of France travel guide from Wikitravel
- France, from the BBC
Culture
- Cocorico! French culture
- Contemporary French Civilization, journal, University of Illinois.
- [2] Radio France Internationale in English culture pages
- [3] Radio France Internationale in English Visiting France page
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- France-related lists
- Outlines of countries
- Crosslink pages
- Pronunciation: /ˈfræns/ (
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