France, officially the French Republic (French: République française, pronounced: [ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛz]), is a state in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. It is often referred to as L’Hexagone ("The Hexagon") because of the geometric shape of its territory. It is bordered (clockwise starting from the northeast) by Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Monaco; with Spain and Andorra to the south. France's overseas departments and collectivities also share land borders with Brazil and Suriname (bordering French Guiana), and the Netherlands Antilles (bordering Saint-Martin). France is linked to the United Kingdom by the Channel Tunnel, which passes underneath the English Channel.

France is a founding member state of the European Union and is the largest one by area. France has been a major power for several centuries with strong economic, cultural, military and political influence in Europe and abroad. During the 17th and 18th centuries, France colonised great parts of North America; during the 19th and early 20th centuries, France built the second largest empire of the time, including large portions of North, West and Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and many Pacific islands.

France is a unitary semi-presidential republic with its main ideals expressed in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. France is one of the most developed countries and possesses the fifth largest economy by nominal GDP and seventh largest economy by purchasing power parity. France enjoys a high standard of living as well as a high public education level, and has also one of the world's highest life expectancies. It is the most visited country in the world, receiving 82 million foreign tourists annually. France is a founding member of the United Nations, and a member of the Francophonie, the G8, G20, NATO, OECD, WTO, and the Latin Union. It is one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and possesses the third largest nuclear weapons stockpile in the world.

French Republic République française (French)
Flag National Emblem (unofficial)
Motto: Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité (Liberty, Equality, Fraternity)
Anthem: La Marseillaise
Location of Metropolitan France (dark green) – on the European continent (light green & dark grey) – in the European Union (light green) — [Legend]
Territory of the French Republic in the world (excl. Antarctica where sovereignty is suspended)
Capital (and largest city)		Paris 48°51.4′N 2°21.05′E / 48.8567°N 2.35083°E / 48.8567; 2.35083
Official language(s)		French
Regional languages (both official and not official)		[show] Alsatian; Basque; Breton; New Caledonian languages2; Catalan; Corsican; Creoles2; Flemish; Franco-Provençal; Lorrain language; Shimaore dialect (Mayotte)2; Occitan; Oïl languages; Tahitian2[2]
Demonym		French
Government		Unitary semi-presidential republic
-	President	Nicolas Sarkozy (UMP)
-	Prime Minister	François Fillon (UMP)
Legislature		Parliament
-	Upper House	Senate
-	Lower House	National Assembly
Formation
-	Traditional date	496 (baptism of Clovis)
-	Western Francia	10 August 843 (Treaty of Verdun)
-	Current constitution	5 October 1958 (5th Republic)
EU accession		25 March 1957
Area
-	Total	674,843 km2 (43rd) 260,558 sq mi
-	Metropolitan France
	- IGN	551,695 km2 (47th) 213,010 sq mi
	- Cadastre	543,965 km2 (47th) 210,026 sq mi
Population
	(1 January 2010 estimate)
-	Total[3]	65,447,374 (20th)
-	Metropolitan France	62,793,432 (22nd)
-	Density[8]	115/km2 (89th) 299/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2009 estimate
-	Total	$2.108 trillion
-	Per capita	$33,678
GDP (nominal)		2009 estimate
-	Total	$2.676 trillion
-	Per capita	$42,747
Gini (2002)		26.7
HDI (2007)		▲ 0.961 (very high) (8th)
Currency		Euro, CFP Franc (EUR, XPF)
Time zone		CET (UTC+1)
-	Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Drives on the		right
Internet TLD		.fr[13]
Calling code		331

Tourism in France: France attracted 81.9 million foreign tourists , a 3.8% increase compared to 2006, making it the most popular tourist destination in the world. This 81.9 million figure excludes people staying less than 24 hours in France, such as northern Europeans crossing France on their way to Morocco, Spain or Italy in summer.

France offers mountain ranges, coastlines such as in Brittany or along the Mediterranean Sea, cities with a rich cultural heritage, châteaux (castles) like Versailles, and vineyards. Tourism is accountable for 6% of the country's income (4% from French tourists travelling inside France and 2% from foreign tourists), and contributes significantly to the balance of payments.

Paris, the capital city, is the most visited city in the world. Paris attracts tourists with museums such as the Louvre and Musée d'Orsay, and attractions like the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, the cathedral of Notre-Dame, and Disneyland Paris.

In the eastern parts of France there are skiing resorts in the Alps. Notable French cities are Avignon with the Popes' palace, Arles, Aix-en-Provence, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Saint-Benoît-du-Sault on the Loire River, Toulouse on the Garonne, Strasbourg on the border with Germany, and the beautiful city of Nantes.

All over France rental accommodations and hotels are available. For example, the English like to spend their summers in the Dordogne valley, the Spanish vacation in Biarritz and St Jean de Luz on the Basque coast, and the Irish often visit Lourdes. Tourists also travel to see the annual cycle race, the Tour de France.

France's Mediterranean beaches on the French Riviera, in Languedoc-Roussillon, or in Corsica, are famous. Away from the mainland tourists are French Polynesia (especially Tahiti), the Caribbean islands Martinique, Guadeloupe and others.

Tourism in France