France

The Place

France is Europe's oldest nation, existing in its present form since the 15th century. The country's boundaries are largely natural ones, with the English Channel to the north, the Atlantic to the west, the Pyrénées and the Mediterranean to the south, and the Alps, the Jura mountains and the Rhine to the east. It is the world's fourth-richest country, Western Europe's largest nation and the world's 37th-largest country.

This is a rural nation, in which agriculture is a major industry (some 60 percent of the land is farmed and 25 percent under forest), and its population of 60.4 million people is thinly spread. The country is divided into 22 regions, including Corsica, which in turn are split into 96 administrative districts, known as départements. The largest region, Ile de France, incorporates Paris, the capital, located in a natural basin formed by the meandering River Seine, and home to approximately 10 million people. Paris is the energy centre of the country - highways, railways and airways radiate from there and the city is also the political, economic, cultural and tourist hub of France.

France has around 56 million visitors a year, making it the world's most popular tourist destination. Visitors are attracted by historic cities, superb landscapes, unsurpassable food and wines that are among the most celebrated in the world; in addition, the country offers an agreeable climate, some excellent beaches, wide possibilities for winter sports - most notably in the Alps and the Pyrénées - and a rich culture. Paris, in particular, has long been home to artists, writers, philosophers and composers, with the south of the country also having played a major role in art and literary history. The fact that France is arguably the only nation that is located at once in northern and southern Europe suggests something of the extraordinary variety that is to be found within its borders.

Updated January 2005