Geography and Facts About France

Metropolitan France is situated mostly between latitudes 41° and 51° N (Dunkirk is just north of 51°), and longitudes 6° W and 10° E, on the western edge of Europe, and thus lies within the northern temperate zone

While Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe, France also has a number of territories in North America, the Caribbean, South America, the southern Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and Antarctica. These territories have varying forms of government ranging from overseas department to overseas collectivity. France's overseas departments and collectivities share land borders with Brazil, and Suriname (bordering French Guiana), and Sint Maarten (bordering Saint-Martin).

Metropolitan France covers 547,030 square kilometres (211,209 sq mi), having the largest area among European Union members. France possesses a wide variety of landscapes, from coastal plains in the north and west to mountain ranges of the Alps in the south-east, the Massif Central in the south-central and Pyreneesin the south-west.

At 4,810.45 metres (15,782 ft) above sea level, the highest point in Western Europe, Mont Blanc, is situated in the Alps on the border between France and Italy. Metropolitan France also has extensive river systems such as the Seine, the Loire, the Garonne, and the Rhone, which divides the Massif Central from the Alps and flows into the Mediterranean Sea at the Camargue. Corsica lies off the Mediterranean coast.

France's total land area, with its overseas departments and territories (excluding Adélie Land), is 674,843 km2 (260,558 sq mi), 0.45% of the total land area on Earth. However, France possesses the second-largest Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the world, covering 11,035,000 km2 (4,260,637 sq mi), approximately 8% of the total surface of all the EEZs of the world, just behind the United States (11,351,000 km2/4,382,646 sq mi) and ahead of Australia (8,232,000 km2/3,178,393 sq mi). The north and northwest have a temperate climate, while a combination of maritime influences, latitude and altitude produce a varied climate in the rest of Metropolitan France.

In the south-east a Mediterranean climate prevails. In the west, the climate is predominantly oceanic with a high level of rainfall, mild winters and cool to warm summers. Inland the climate becomes more continental with hot, stormy summers, colder winters and less rain. The climate of the Alps and other mountainous regions is mainly alpine, with the number of days with temperatures below freezing over 150 per year and snow cover lasting for up to six months.

The French Republic or France (French République Française), is a country located in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Andorra, and Spain. It is a founding member of the European Union

FACTS ABOUT FRANCE

Coastline: 

• 3120 km (= 1939 miles) (including inlets and bays); 
• 1600 km (995 miles) as the crow flies. 
• 4 sea fronts (the North Sea, the Channel, the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean) with 
• 5500 km (3,418 miles) of coastline
• The largest beach in Europe at La Baule (Loire-Atlantique department).
  (12 km - 7.5 miles): 

The highest:

• Sand dune: Dune de Pilat - 150 m (492 feet) (the Gironde département of Aquitaine) 
• The highest mountain in Western Europe: Mont Blanc, ascending to 4807 meters (15,771 feet), in the Savoy Alps 
• Inhabited village (2200 m - 7218 feet) Saint-Véran (Hautes-Alpes) 
• Skiable area of 1,950 km2 equipped with 4200 ski lifts and 13000 km (8,078 miles) of downhill ski pistes. 

Other stats:

• 6000 species of plant life (200 specific to France) 
• 365 different sorts of cheese - one for every day of the year 
• About 450 AOC wines! 
• 15 million hectares of forest. 
• France has 35,000 boulangeries (bakeries). Buy a baguette, a ficelle, a flûte, a boule, an épi or a longuet and enjoy! 
• 3.7 million tons of bread consumed every year, 
• 25 million cars, 
• 750 000 associations, 
• 16 million dogs and cats owned by 51% of households, 
• 36 673 mayors, 
• 600 000 farmers, 
• 780 000 shopkeepers, 1000 hypermarkets, 7000 supermarkets, 
• 816 000 craftsmen.