France is situated in western Europe, bordered by Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Italy, and just across the English Channel from the United Kingdom. France also shares its borders with the Atlantic Ocean, the Strait of Dover, the North Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea. Metropolitan France, or mainland France, has an area of 551,695 square kilometers (213,011 square miles), including the island of Corsica.
France is divided into regions and subdivided into departments and then arrondissements, cantons, and communes.
The estimated population of Metropolitan France is close to 67.75 million, an increasing number of which live in metropolitan areas.
Part of the European Union and the eurozone, France uses the euro as its form of currency. The economy of France is one of the strongest in Europe and the world.
There are 18 regions in Metropolitan France, including the island of Corsica off the southeastern coast.
Political Divisions of France |
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Major Cities in France
The capital and largest city of France is Paris, a city known worldwide for fashion, cuisine, art, and breathtaking landscapes, which have made it the most visited city in the world.
Other major cities in France include Marseille, Toulouse, Montpellier, Bordeaux, Strasbourg, and Lyon. These cities are the capitals of their respective regions. The most populous cities in France are Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Lille, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Nice, Nantes, and Strasbourg.
Department Wise Population of France |
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| Department | Population in 2013 | Area (Miles) | Capital |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nord | 2,595,536 | 2,217 | Lille |
| Paris | 2,229,621 | 41 | Paris |
| Bouches-du-Rhône | 1,993,177 | 1,964 | Marseille |
| Rhône | 1,779,845 | 1,254 | Lyon |
| Hauts-de-Seine | 1,591,403 | 68 | Nanterre |
| Seine-Saint-Denis | 1,552,482 | 91 | Bobigny |
| Gironde | 1,505,517 | 4,141 | Bordeaux |
| Pas-de-Calais | 1,465,205 | 2,576 | Arras |
| Yvelines | 1,418,484 | 882 | Versailles |
| Seine-et-Marne | 1,365,200 | 2,284 | Rouen |
| Val-de-Marne | 1,354,005 | 95 | Créteil |
| Loire-Atlantique | 1,328,620 | 2,631 | Nantes |
| Haute-Garonne | 1,298,562 | 2,436 | Toulouse |
| Seine-Maritime | 1,254,609 | 2,424 | Melun |
| Essonne | 1,253,931 | 697 | Evry |
| Isère | 1,235,387 | 2,869 | Grenoble |
| Val-d’Oise | 1,194,681 | 481 | Pontoise |
| Bas-Rhin | 1,109,460 | 1,836 | Strasbourg |
| Hérault | 1,092,331 | 2,356 | Montpellier |
| Alpes-Maritimes | 1,080,771 | 1,660 | Digne |
| Moselle | 1,046,873 | 2,400 | Metz |
| Var | 1,028,583 | 2,306 | Toulon |
| Ille-et-Vilaine | 1,019,923 | 2,616 | Rennes |
| Finistère | 903,921 | 2,600 | Quimper |
| La Réunion | 835,103 | 967 | Saint-Denis |
| Oise | 815,400 | 2,263 | Beauvais |
| Maine-et-Loire | 800,191 | 2,767 | Angers |
| Haute-Savoie | 769,677 | 1,694 | Annecy |
| Haut-Rhin | 758,723 | 1,361 | Colmar |
| Loire | 756,715 | 1,846 | St-Étienne |
| Morbihan | 737,778 | 2,634 | Vannes |
| Gard | 733,201 | 2,260 | Nîmes |
| Meurthe-et-Moselle | 731,004 | 2,025 | Nancy |
| Calvados | 689,945 | 2,142 | Caen |
| Loiret | 665,587 | 2,616 | Orléans |
| Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 664,057 | 2,952 | Pau |
| Vendée | 655,506 | 2,595 | La Roche-sur-Yon |
| Puy-de-Dôme | 640,999 | 3,077 | Clermont-Ferrand |
| Charente-Maritime | 633,417 | 2,650 | La Rochelle |
| Ain | 619,497 | 2,225 | Bourg-en-Bresse |
| Indre-et-Loire | 600,252 | 2,366 | Tours |
| Côtes-d’Armor | 597,085 | 2,656 | St-Brieuc |
| Eure | 595,043 | 2,332 | Evreux |
| Somme | 571,675 | 2,382 | Amiens |
| Marne | 569,999 | 3,151 | Châlons-sur-Marne |
| Sarthe | 569,035 | 2,396 | Le Mans |
| Saône-et-Loire | 556,222 | 3,311 | Mâcon |
| Vaucluse | 549,949 | 1,377 | Avignon |
| Aisne | 540,067 | 2,845 | Laon |
| Doubs | 533,320 | 2,021 | Besançon |
| Côte-d’Or | 529,761 | 3,383 | Dijon |
| Manche | 499,919 | 2,293 | St-Lô |
| Drôme | 494,712 | 2,521 | Valence |
| Pyrénées-Orientales | 462,705 | 1,589 | Perpignan |
| Eure-et-Loir | 432,967 | 2,270 | Chartres |
| Vienne | 431,248 | 2,699 | Poitiers |
| Savoie | 423,715 | 2,327 | Chambéry |
| Dordogne | 416,909 | 3,498 | Périgueux |
| Guadeloupe | 402,119 | 629 | Basse-Terre |
| Landes | 397,226 | 3,569 | Mont-de-Marsan |
| Martinique | 385,551 | 436 | Fort-de-France |
| Tarn | 381,927 | 2,223 | Albi |
| Haute-Vienne | 375,856 | 2,131 | Limoges |
| Vosges | 375,226 | 2,268 | Épinal |
| Deux-Sèvres | 371,632 | 2,316 | Niort |
| Aude | 364,877 | 2,370 | Carcassonne |
| Charente | 353,482 | 2,300 | Angoulême |
| Allier | 343,431 | 2,834 | Moulins |
| Yonne | 341,483 | 2,868 | Auxerre |
| Lot-et-Garonne | 333,180 | 2,070 | Agen |
| Loir-et-Cher | 332,001 | 2,449 | Blois |
| Ardèche | 320,379 | 2,135 | Privas |
| Cher | 311,650 | 2,793 | Bourges |
| Mayenne | 307,500 | 1,998 | Laval |
| Aube | 306,581 | 2,318 | Troyes |
| Orne | 288,848 | 2,356 | Alençon |
| Ardennes | 280,907 | 2,019 | Charleville-Mézières |
| Aveyron | 277,740 | 3,373 | Rodez |
| Jura | 260,502 | 1,930 | Lons-le-Saunier |
| Tarn-et-Garonne | 250,342 | 1,436 | Montauban |
| Guyane | 244,118 | 32,253 | Cayenne |
| Corrèze | 240,781 | 2,261 | Tulle |
| Haute-Saône | 238,956 | 2,070 | Vesoul |
| Hautes-Pyrénées | 228,868 | 1,724 | Gap |
| Indre | 228,091 | 2,622 | Châteauroux |
| Haute-Loire | 226,203 | 1,922 | Le Puy |
| Nièvre | 215,221 | 2,632 | Nevers |
| Mayotte | 212,645 | 145 | Mamoudzou |
| Meuse | 192,094 | 2,398 | Bar-le-Duc |
| Gers | 190,276 | 2,416 | Auch |
| Haute-Marne | 181,521 | 2,398 | Chaumont |
| Lot | 173,758 | 2,014 | Cahors |
| Haute-Corse | 170,974 | 1,802 | Bastia |
| Alpes-de-Haute-Provence | 161,916 | 2,674 | Nice |
| Ariège | 152,684 | 1,888 | Foix |
| Corse-du-Sud | 149,234 | 1,550 | Ajaccio |
| Cantal | 147,035 | 2,211 | Aurillac |
| Territoire de Belfort | 144,318 | 235 | Belfort |
| Hautes-Alpes | 139,279 | 2,142 | Tarbes |
| Creuse | 120,872 | 2,149 | Guéret |
| Lozère | 76,607 | 1,995 | Mende |