France is a country not unheard of. It resides in the continent of Europe.
Bordered by Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Luxemburg, Belgium and is not very far
from Netherlands, Austria and the United Kingdom. Below is a useful geographic
map of it's neighborhood. Visible in the map are some of the large cities of
France. The capital city of France is Paris. This is the country that resided
very famous renowned personalities including but not limited to the great
revolutionist and poet Voltaire, Alexander the Great, ... Surrounding france are
the water bodies: Bay of Biscay, the historic English Channel, and the
Mediterranean Sea.
"Although ultimately a victor in World Wars I and II,
France suffered extensive losses in its empire, wealth, manpower, and rank as a
dominant nation-state. Nevertheless, France today is one of the most modern
countries in the world and is a leader among European nations. Since 1958, it
has constructed a presidential democracy resistant to the instabilities
experienced in earlier parliamentary democracies. In recent years, its
reconciliation and cooperation with Germany have proved central to the economic
integration of Europe, including the introduction of a common exchange currency,
the euro, in January 1999. At present, France is at the forefront of European
states seeking to exploit the momentum of monetary union to advance the creation
of a more unified and capable European defense and security apparatus."
(Central Intelligence Agency)
FRANCE FACTS
Location: Western Europe, bordering the Bay of
Biscay and English Channel, between Belgium and Spain, southeast of the UK;
bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Italy and Spain
Geographic coordinates: 46 00 N, 2 00 E
Map references: Europe
Area:
total: 547,030 sq km
land: 545,630 sq km
water: 1,400 sq km
note: includes only metropolitan France, but excludes the overseas
administrative divisions
Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Colorado
Land boundaries:
total: 2,889 km
border countries: Andorra 56.6 km, Belgium 620 km, Germany 451 km, Italy 488 km,
Luxembourg 73 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Spain 623 km, Switzerland 573 km
Coastline: 3,427 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm (does not apply to the Mediterranean)
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and
hot summers along the Mediterranean
Terrain: mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west;
remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in east
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Rhone River delta -2 m
highest point: Mont Blanc 4,807 m
Natural resources: coal, iron ore, bauxite, fish, timber, zinc, potash
Land use:
arable land: 33%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures: 20%
forests and woodland: 27%
other: 18% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 16,300 sq km (1995 est.)
Natural hazards: flooding; avalanches
Environment - current issues: some forest damage from acid rain (major
forest damage occurred as a result of severe December 1999 windstorm); air
pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from urban
wastes, agricultural runoff
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur
85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but
not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol
Geography - note: largest West European nation; occasional strong, cold,
dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as mistral
Sources:
The content has been borrowed from:
1) Central Intelligence Agency
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/fr.html
2) Photius Coutsoukis
http://photius.com/wfb2000/countries/france/france_geography.html
3) Yahoo Travel!
http://travel.yahoo.com
Pictures are courtesy of: Yahoo Travel!
Click Here
