France

France today is one of the most modern countries in the world and is a leader among European nations. It plays an influential global role as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, NATO, the G-7, the G-20, the EU, and other multilateral organizations. France rejoined NATO's integrated military command structure in 2009, reversing then President Charles DE GAULLE's 1966 decision to withdraw French forces from NATO. Since 1958, it has constructed a hybrid presidential-parliamentary governing system resistant to the instabilities experienced in earlier, more purely parliamentary administrations. In recent decades, its reconciliation and cooperation with Germany have proved central to the economic integration of Europe, including the introduction of a common currency, the euro, in January 1999. In the early 21st century, five French overseas entities -- French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, and Reunion -- became French regions and were made part of France proper.

<strong>metropolitan France:</strong> Western Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay and English Channel, between Belgium and Spain, southeast of the UK; bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Italy and Spain<br><br><strong>French Guiana:</strong> Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname<br><br><strong>Guadeloupe:</strong> Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Puerto Rico<br><br><strong>Martinique:</strong> Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago<br><br><strong>Mayotte:</strong> Southern Indian Ocean, island in the Mozambique Channel, about halfway between northern Madagascar and northern Mozambique<br><br><strong>Reunion:</strong> Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar

<strong>metropolitan France:</strong> 46 00 N, 2 00 E <br><br><strong>French Guiana:</strong> 4 00 N, 53 00 W <br><br><strong>Guadeloupe:</strong> 16 15 N, 61 35 W <br><br><strong>Martinique:</strong> 14 40 N, 61 00 W <br><br><strong>Mayotte:</strong> 12 50 S, 45 10 E <br><br><strong>Reunion:</strong> 21 06 S, 55 36 E

<strong>metropolitan France:</strong> Europe <br><br><strong>French Guiana:</strong> South America <br><br><strong>Guadeloupe:</strong> Central America and the Caribbean <br><br><strong>Martinique:</strong> Central America and the Caribbean <br><br><strong>Mayotte:</strong> Africa <br><br><strong>Reunion:</strong> World

slightly more than four times the size of Georgia; slightly less than the size of Texas

4,853 km

<strong>metropolitan France:</strong> generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean; occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as the mistral<br>

<strong>metropolitan France:</strong> mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west; remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in east<br><br><strong>French Guiana:</strong> low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains<br><br><strong>Guadeloupe:</strong> Basse-Terre is volcanic in origin with interior mountains; Grande-Terre is low limestone formation; most of the seven other islands are volcanic in origin<br><br><strong>Martinique:</strong> mountainous with indented coastline; dormant volcano<br><br><strong>Mayotte:</strong> generally undulating, with deep ravines and ancient volcanic peaks<br><br><strong>Reunion:</strong> mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast

<em>metropolitan France:</em> coal, iron ore, bauxite, zinc, uranium, antimony, arsenic, potash, feldspar, fluorspar, gypsum, timber, arable land, fish; <em>French Guiana</em><em>:</em> gold deposits, petroleum, kaolin, niobium, tantalum, clay

14,236 sq km (2020)

Rhin (Rhine) (shared with Switzerland [s], Germany, and Netherlands [m]) - 1,233 km; Loire - 1,012 km<br><br><strong>note:</strong> [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Paris Basin

much of the population is concentrated in the north and southeast; although there are many urban agglomerations throughout the country, Paris is by far the largest city, with Lyon ranked a distant second

<strong>metropolitan France:</strong> flooding; avalanches; midwinter windstorms; drought; forest fires in south<br><br><strong>overseas departments:</strong> hurricanes (cyclones); flooding<br><br><strong>volcanism:</strong> Montagne Pelée (1,394 m) on the island of Martinique in the Caribbean is the most active volcano of the Lesser Antilles arc, although it last erupted in 1932; a catastrophic eruption in 1902 destroyed the city of St. Pierre, killing an estimated 30,000 people; La Soufrière (1,467 m) on the island of Guadeloupe has also had explosive eruptions in recent years

largest Western European nation; most major French rivers -- the Meuse, Seine, Loire, Charente, Dordogne, and Garonne -- flow northward or westward into the Atlantic Ocean, only the Rhone flows southward into the Mediterranean Sea

Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African (Algerian, Moroccan, Tunisian), Indochinese, Basque minorities

Roman Catholic 47%, Muslim 4%, Protestant 2%, Buddhist 2%, Orthodox 1%, Jewish 1%, other 1%, none 33%, unspecified 9% (2021 est.)

0.2% (2025 est.)

10.88 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

9.91 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

1.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

much of the population is concentrated in the north and southeast; although there are many urban agglomerations throughout the country, Paris is by far the largest city, with Lyon ranked a distant second

11.208 million PARIS (capital), 1.761 million Lyon, 1.628 million Marseille-Aix-en-Provence, 1.079 million Lille, 1.060 million Toulouse, 1.000 million Bordeaux (2023)

28.9 years (2020 est.)

7 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

1.9 children born/woman (2025 est.)

0.93 (2025 est.)

3.28 physicians/1,000 population (2022)

6 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)

21.6% (2016)

54.9% (2020 est.)

air pollution and acid rain from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from urban wastes, agricultural runoff

<strong>metropolitan France:</strong> generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean; occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as the mistral<br>

9 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

211 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

semi-presidential republic

18 regions (<em>régions</em>, singular - <em>région</em>); Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Bretagne (Brittany), Centre-Val de Loire (Center-Loire Valley), Corse (Corsica), Grand Est (Grand East), Guadeloupe, Guyane (French Guiana), Hauts-de-France (Upper France), Ile-de-France, Martinique, Mayotte, Normandie (Normandy), Nouvelle-Aquitaine (New Aquitaine), Occitanie (Occitania), Pays de la Loire (Lands of the Loire), Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Réunion

Clipperton Island, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, New Caledonia, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna (8)

civil law; review of administrative but not legislative acts

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

Citizen and Republican Movement or MRC <br>Debout la France or DLF <br>Democratic Movement or MoDem <br>Ensemble or ENS (electoral coalition including RE, MoDem, Horizons, PRV, UDI)<br>The Ecologists - the Greens or EELV<br>French Communist Party or PCF <br>Horizons <br>La France Insoumise or FI <br>Liberties, Independents, Overseas and Territories or LIOT <br>Movement of Progressives or MDP <br>National Rally or RN (formerly National Front or FN)<br>New Democrats or LND (formerly Ecology Democracy Solidarity or EDS)<br>New Popular Front or NFP (electoral coalition including FI, EELV, PS, PCF)<br>Radical Party of the Left or PRV <br>Reconquete or REC <br>Renaissance or RE <br>Résistons! <br>Socialist Party or PS <br>The Republicans or LR <br>Union of Democrats and Independents or UDI<br>Union of Far Right or UXD (electoral coalition of LR, RN)

ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, BDEAC, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EITI (implementing country), EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, FZ, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, G-20, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUSCO, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNOOSA, UNRWA, UN Security Council (permanent), UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

no official date of independence: 486 (Frankish tribes unified under Merovingian kingship); 10 August 843 (Western Francia established from the division of the Carolingian Empire); 14 July 1789 (French monarchy overthrown); 22 September 1792 (First French Republic established); 4 October 1958 (Fifth French Republic established)

Fête de la Fédération, 14 July (1790)

<strong>description:</strong> three equal vertical bands of blue (left side), white, and red<br><br><strong>history:</strong> known as the <em>le tricolore</em> (tricolor), the flag dates to 1790 and the French Revolution, when the traditional color of white was combined with the blue and red of the Paris militia; for the first four years of the flag's use (1790-94), the order of colors was reversed (red-white-blue)

Gallic rooster, fleur-de-lis, Marianne (female personification of the country)

blue, white, red

<p>high-income, advanced EU economy and eurozone member; strong tourism, aircraft manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and industrial sectors; high public debt; ongoing pension reform efforts; transitioning to a green economy via "France 2030" strategy</p>

$3.162 trillion (2024 est.)

wheat, sugar beets, milk, maize, barley, potatoes, grapes, rapeseed, pork, sunflower seeds (2023)

machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics, textiles, food processing, tourism

0.7% (2024 est.)

31.725 million (2024 est.)

15.6% (2021 est.)

23.1% (of GDP) (2023 est.)

Germany 11%, Italy 9%, USA 8%, Belgium 8%, Spain 7% (2023)

aircraft, cars, packaged medicine, gas turbines, vehicle parts/accessories (2023)

Germany 15%, Belgium 11%, Netherlands 9%, Spain 8%, Italy 8% (2023)

cars, natural gas, crude petroleum, refined petroleum, garments (2023)

a mix of both publicly operated and privately owned TV stations; state-owned TV stations operate 4 networks and have part-interest in several thematic cable/satellite channels and international channels; large number of privately owned regional and local TV stations; multi-channel satellite and cable services; public broadcaster Radio France operates 7 national networks, a series of regional networks, and services for overseas territories and foreign audiences; Radio France Internationale, under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is a leading international broadcaster; large number of commercial FM stations

metropolitan France - .fr; French Guiana - .gf; Guadeloupe - .gp; Martinique - .mq; Mayotte - .yt; Reunion - .re

F

1,218 (2025)

405 (2025)

begun in 1988 and completed in 1994, the Channel Tunnel (nicknamed the Chunnel) is a 50.5-km (31.4-mi) rail tunnel under the English Channel at the Strait of Dover;&nbsp; it runs from Folkestone, Kent, in England to Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais, in northern France and is the only fixed link between the island of Great Britain and mainland Europe

French Armed Forces (Forces Armées Françaises): Army (l'Armee de Terre; includes Foreign Legion), Navy (Marine Nationale), Air and Space Force (l'Armee de l’Air et de l’Espace); includes Air Defense), National Guard (Garde Nationale), National Gendarmerie (Gendarmerie Nationale) (2025)

approximately 200,000 active duty Armed Forces; approximately 150,000 National Gendarmerie; approximately 80,000 National Guard (2025)

the French military's inventory consists mostly of domestically produced weapons systems, including some jointly produced with other European countries; there is a smaller mix of armaments from other Western countries, particularly the US; France has a large and sophisticated defense industry capable of manufacturing the full spectrum of air, land, and naval military weapons systems (2025)

generally 17-30 years of age for both men and women with some variations by service, position, and enlisted versus officer; 17-40 for National Gendarmerie; basic service contract is for 12 months; no conscription (abolished 2001) (2025)

France typically has up to 30,000 total air, ground, and naval forces deployed on permanent or temporary foreign missions; up to 10,000 are permanently deployed, including Djibouti (1,500); French Guyana (2,600); French Polynesia (1,000); French West Indies (1,000); Reunion Island (2,100); UAE (800)<br><br>other non-permanent deployments include military missions under NATO, the EU, and the UN, as well as some unilateral operations, in such places as Europe, Africa, and the Middle East and adjacent waters (2025)

the French military has a global footprint and a wide range of missions and responsibilities, to include protecting French territory, population, and interests, and fulfilling France’s commitments to NATO, European security, and international peacekeeping operations under the UN; it is the largest military in the EU and has a leading role in the EU security framework, as well as in NATO; in recent years, it has actively participated in coalition peacekeeping and other security operations in regions such as Africa, the Middle East, and the Balkans, often in a lead role; the military regularly conducts large-scale exercises and participates in a variety of bi-lateral and multinational exercises; it also has a domestic security mission, including providing enhanced security at sensitive sites and large events and support during national crises or disasters, such as fighting forest fires; in recent years, defense responsibilities have expanded to include cyber and space domains <br><br>in 2010, France and the UK signed a declaration on defense and security cooperation that included greater military interoperability and a Combined Joint Expeditionary Force (CJEF), a deployable, combined Anglo-French military force for use in a wide range of crisis scenarios, including high intensity operations, peacekeeping, disaster relief, and humanitarian assistance; the CJEF has no standing forces, but would be available at short notice for French-UK bilateral, NATO, EU, UN, or other operations (2025)

National Center for Space Studies (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales, CNES; established 1961) (2025)

Guiana Space Center (Kourou, French Guiana; also serves as the spaceport for the ESA); note &ndash; prior to the completion of the Guiana Space Center in 1969, France launched rockets from Algeria (2025)

has one of Europe&rsquo;s largest space programs and is one of the top contributors to the ESA; has independent capabilities in all areas, except for autonomous manned space flight; can build, launch, and operate a range of space/satellite launch vehicles (SLVs) and spacecraft, including exploratory probes and a full spectrum of satellites; shifted astronaut training to ESA in 2001; hosts the ESA headquarters and its space launch facility; participates in international space programs such as the Square Kilometer Array radio telescope and International Space Station; works with a broad range of space agencies and commercial space companies, including those of China, Egypt, individual ESA and EU member countries, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Russia, the UAE, the US, and several African countries; has a large commercial space sector involved in satellite construction and payloads, launch capabilities, and a range of other space-related capabilities and technologies (2025)

early 1960s - began rocket program and launched animals into space<br><br>1965 - launched first domestically produced satellite (Asterix) into space on a French Diamant rocket (third country to do so after the Soviet Union and US)<br><br>1973 - began development of Ariane heavy-lift satellite launch vehicle (SLV) along with other European states, particularly Germany and the UK; Ariane would become the ESA's SLV<br><br>1970s-1990s - development of a space plane/shuttle program (Hermes)<br><br>1982 - first French astronaut into space on a Soviet rocket<br><br>1986 - launched first joint European Earth observation/remote sensing program (SPOT)<br><br>2018 - launched project (Spaceship FR) to lay the groundwork for robotic and crewed missions to the Moon and Mars<br><br>2024 - debut launch of Ariane-6 SLV; claimed world's first satellite to ground communications via laser

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/Qods Force; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS); al-Qa'ida