France Geography

The France Republic is the official name of France. Being the largest country of the Western Europe, it occupies one fifth of the European Union’s total area. At the same time nearly 20% of French territory is situated outside Europe. The country’s closest neighbors are Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxemborg, Monaco, Spain and Andorra. France has access to four bodies of water: the Atlantic Ocean (through the Bay of Biscane), North Sea, Mediterranean Sea and also the English Channel.

The France Republic consists of Metropolitan France, which includes 22 regions subdivided into 96 departments. France also has four overseas departments, among them Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guyana and Reunion. Four overseas territories of France are: French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna and the French Southern and Antarctic Territories. There are also the so-called territorial communities, possesing the specific status (Mayotte and St Pierre and Miquelon).

A great deal of French territory (nearly 82%) is covered with forests, as for the plains – the take up the two thirds of the total area. The main mountain ranges are the Alps with its highest peak Mont Blanc, Ardennes, Pyrénées, Massif Central Jura, and Vosges.