France

France is located on the western edge of Europe, bordered by the Bay of Biscay (North Atlantic Ocean) in the west, by the English Channel in the northwest, and by the North Sea in the north. France borders Belgium and Luxembourg in the northeast, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy in the east, the Mediterranean Sea, Monaco, Spain and Andorra in the south. In addition, France shares maritime borders with the United Kingdom.

Metropolitan France, or Mainland France, covers an area of 551,695 km²; it includes the island of Corsica. Compared, it is more than twice the size of the United Kingdom or more than twice the size of the U.S. state of Colorado.

France has a total population of 67.4 million people (in 2021), 65.2 million inhabitants in Metropolitan France (the European part of France plus Corsica), and about 2.2 million in its overseas regions (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, and Reunion). Other major dependencies are French Polynesia and New Caledonia.

The largest city and capital is Paris. Spoken language is French (official).... Show more