The country of France, which is officially known as the French Republic, is situated in the western part of Europe. There are various other territories and overseas islands that are a part of France but are located in other continents. Because of its specific geometric shape, France is called The Hexagon (or L’Hexagone in French) by the French people. The countries metropolitan territory extends from the English Channel and goes up to the Mediterranean Sea, and also from the Atlantic Ocean to the Rhine.

France is surrounded by Spain, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Monaco, Luxembourg, Andorra, and Germany. Because of its overseas territories in other continents, it also has common borders with Suriname as well as Brazil. The United Kingdom is linked to France by the Channel Tunnel. This tunnel runs beneath the English Channel.

In the early years of the nineteenth century and the later half of the seventeenth century, France was the major power of the world. It built a very large colonial empire which extended from West Africa and went up to Southeast Asia. This played a major part in influencing the politics and cultures of all the regions it was present in.

France has the status of being a developed country. Its economy ranks eight in the world. A lot of tourists visit France every year (around seventy nine million people). This includes people who come here for business purposes only. France is the largest member of the European Union with respect to size, covering an area of around 674843 square kilometers and is home to 64473140 people. Besides the European Union, the country is a part of the G8, the Latin Union, the United Nations, and the Francophonie. It is also one of the nuclear powers of the world and a member of the United Nations Security Council (one of a total of five members).