France

France covers an area of 632.734 square kilometers . This figure includes some French territories outside Europe. On January 1, 2026, the country had a total population of 69.1 million. That means there are 108 people per square kilometer.

Belgium and Luxembourg lie to the north of France. In the northeast, the Rhine forms part of the border with Germany. France borders Switzerland to the east and Italy further south. Spain and the tiny state of Andorra lie to the south.

In the 19th century, the population grew as many immigrants arrived from neighbouring European countries. After World War II, many immigrants from former colonies moved to France. It is estimated that about one in ten French people was born abroad or has parents of foreign origin. Most immigrants in France have roots in North Africa, Southern Europe, sub-Saharan Africa or the Caribbean.

Church and state are strictly separate in France. Of every 100 French people, about 51 are Catholic, 31 have no religion, 9 are Muslim and 3 are Protestant.

Paris is the capital of France. It is also by far the country’s largest city. Around 2.2 million people live within the city limits of Paris, while more than 12 million live in the greater Paris area—about one in five people in France.

Other major cities in France include the port city of Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Nice, Nantes, Strasbourg, Montpellier, Bordeaux, Lille and Rennes. All the other cities have fewer than 200,000 inhabitants.

France is divided into 18 regions and 101 départements. 96 départements are in Europe and 5 overseas. All the départements are numbered, and these numbers also form the first digits of their postal codes. Each département is headed by a prefect, appointed by the government in Paris. Important matters are discussed and decided by the département council, whose members are elected by the people. The départements are divided into 335 arrondissements, which in turn are divided into 2,054 cantons. Across all the cantons, there are 35,945 communes.

The Loire is 1,012 kilometers long, making it the longest river in France. It rises in the Cévennes. More than 400 châteaux have been built along the Loire and its tributaries, and today they attract many visitors. The Loire flows through the cities of Orléans, Blois, Tours, Saumur and Nantes before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean at Saint-Nazaire. The Seine flows through the capital, Paris. It is 777 kilometers long, rises in the east of the country and empties into the English Channel at Le Havre. The Garonne rises in the Pyrenees. It flows through southwestern France and passes the cities of Toulouse and Bordeaux. After 647 kilometers, it reaches its mouth in the Bay of Biscay, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean. The Meuse is 925 kilometers long in total. It flows through France for 550 kilometers, then through Belgium and the Netherlands, where it is called the Maas. It rises in Lorraine and joins the Rhine in the Rhine–Meuse delta, which empties into the North Sea. Of all French rivers, the Rhône
carries the most water. It rises at the Rhône Glacier in Switzerland and flows through Lake Geneva. In France, this lake is called Lac Léman, and 40 percent of it belongs to France and 60 percent to Switzerland. It is the largest lake in both countries.

The tributaries of the Rhône include the Saone , the Doubs and the Isère . The Rhône is 812 kilometres long in total, 545 kilometres of which lie in France. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea through a delta near Marseille. The Moselle (called the Mosel in German) rises in the Vosges Mountains. It is 544 kilometres long, about 222 kilometres of which flow through France. The Rhine is one of the longest rivers in Europe. At 1,232 kilometres long, it forms the natural border between France and Germany for 190 kilometres. Other rivers in France include the Marne , a tributary of the Seine, the Lot , which flows into the Garonne, and the Dordogne .

France has seven mountain ranges, four of which also extend into other European countries. In the south of France lies the Massif Central . It is 700 metres high on average; its highest peak is Puy de Sancy, at 1,886 metres. The Vosges lie on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite the Black Forest, the mountain range on the German side. The island of Corsica is considered a “mountain range in the sea”. Much of it consists of high mountains, whose highest peak, Monte Cinto, reaches an elevation of 2,706 metres.

The Pyrenees lie on both sides of the French-Spanish border. They form a mountain range about 430 km long between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The highest peak is Pico de Aneto, at 3,404 metres. Around 200 peaks in the Pyrenees are over 3,000 metres high. The small country of Andorra is also located in the Pyrenees.

The French Jura merges into the Swiss Jura to the east. Its highest peak reaches 1,720 metres. The Ardennes, a low mountain range, lie in southeastern Belgium and extend into France.

France’s highest mountains are in the east of the country, in the Alps. They include Mont Blanc, which, at 4,810 metres, is the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe.

Over the past centuries, there have been terrible wars between the Germans and the French time and again. The last time French and German soldiers fought against each other was in the First World War (1914–1918) and the Second World War (1939–1945). Millions of people died in these wars. There were times when German children were taught at school: "France is our hereditary enemy." When Germany was still ruled by an emperor, schools celebrated "Sedantag" every year to commemorate a battle in which German troops defeated French troops in 1870. After the Second World War, politicians from both countries set out to replace hostility and conflict with reconciliation and friendship. In 1963, a treaty was signed that has governed relations between the two countries ever since. The Franco-German Youth Office was established to organise exchanges between young people from both countries. Since then, for example, thousands of school classes have visited one another and learned from each other. France and Germany are among the founding members of the European Union (EU), which today has 27 member states. In 21 of these countries, the euro is the common currency. The EU aims, among other things, to promote trade and travel and to establish common rules for living together in Europe. Above all, however, it aims to secure peace between peoples and states so that wars never break out in Europe again.

Alongside Germany, France is Europe's most important industrial economy. It ranks sixth worldwide. The country's largest company is the insurance group AXA, with offices in 64 countries. Other major companies include the oil and gas group Total, the banks BNP Paribas and Crédit Agricole, the retailer Carrefour and the energy company EDF. Key strengths of the French economy include aerospace, automobiles, energy, agriculture and food, luxury goods, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and electronics.

At the head of the country is the president of the republic. They are elected by the voters for 5 years and can be re-elected once. Elections usually have two rounds. In the second round, voters can choose only between the two candidates who received the most votes in the first round. Unlike the heads of state in Germany and Austria, the presidents of France have considerable power. They appoint the prime minister and the government ministers. They chair the Council of Ministers. They can even dissolve the French parliament, the National Assembly, and call new elections. They are also commanders-in-chief of the armed forces. Emmanuel Macron was elected president of the French Republic in May 2017. He was elected for a second time in 2022.

Laws in France are passed by the National Assembly. It has 577 members, elected for 5-year terms. Anyone who is a French citizen and at least 18 years old may vote. In addition to the National Assembly, there is also a Senate, with 348 members. The Senate also reviews laws, but the National Assembly can overrule it. The government is led by the Prime Minister, who is appointed by the President and acts on the President’s behalf.