FRANCE

INTRODUCTION

France, officially the French Republic, is a

unitary sovereign state comprising territory in

western Europe and 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; due to its shape, it is often

referred to in French as l’Hexagone ("The

Hexagon"). France is one of only three

countries to have both Atlantic and

Mediterranean coastlines.

By area, France is the 42nd largest country in

the world but the largest country in Western

Europe and the European Union (EU), and the

third-largest in Europe as a whole. With a

population approaching 67 million, it is the 20th

most populated country in the world and the

second-most populated country in the EU.

France is a semi-presidential republic with its

capital in Paris, the nation's largest city and the

main cultural and commercial center.

The Louvre or the Louvre Museum is one of

the world's largest museums and a historic

monument. A central landmark of Paris,

France, Nearly 35,000 objects from

prehistory to the 21st century are

exhibited over an area of 60,600 square

metres (652,300 square feet). The Louvre is

the world's most visited museum,

French citizens enjoy a high standard of living, and the country

performs well in international rankings of education, health

care, life expectancy, civil liberties, and human development.

France is a founding member of the United Nations, where it

serves as one of the five permanent members of the UN

Security Council. It is a member of numerous international

institutions, including the Group of 7, North Atlantic Treaty

Organization (NATO), Organisation for Economic Co-operation

and Development (OECD), the World Trade Organization (WTO),

and La Francophonie. France is a founding and leading

member state of the EU.