FRANCE
France (in French, République
Française), country in western Europe, bounded on the north by the English
Channel, the Strait of Dover, and the North Sea (which separate it from Great
Britain); on the north-east by Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany; on the east by
Germany, Switzerland, and Italy; on the south-east by the Mediterranean Sea; on
the south by Spain; and on the west by the Bay of Biscay (an arm of the
Atlantic Ocean).
France is approximately hexagonal in shape,
with an extreme length from north to south of about 965 km (600 mi) and a
maximum width of about 935 km (580 mi). The capital and largest city is Paris.
The republic of France includes ten overseas possessions. These include the
overseas departments of French Guiana, in South America; Martinique and
Guadeloupe, in the Caribbean; and Réunion, in the Indian Ocean. Territorial
collectivities and dependencies include St Pierre and Miquelon, Mayotte, New
Caledonia, French Polynesia, the French Southern and Antarctic Territories, and
Wallis and Futuna Islands. The total area of metropolitan France, which also
includes the island of Corsica in the Mediterranean, is 543,965 sq km (210,026
sq mi).
The chief physiographic features of France are its natural eastern
and southern boundaries, a south-central plateau, and, contiguous to the
plateau, a vast region of rolling plains. A series of massive mountain ranges,
including a number of ranges of the Alps and the Jura, form natural boundaries
at the Franco-Italian and most of the Franco-Swiss borders. With flanking
chains and foothills, these ranges dominate the area east of the south-central
plateau. Many of the Alpine mountains extending across and along the French
border are more than 3,962 m (13,000 ft) above sea level; Mont Blanc (4,807
m/15,771 ft) is the second highest peak on the continent. The Jura, which have
a maximum elevation, on the Franco-Swiss boundary, of about 1,710 m (5,600 ft),
delineate the eastern frontier of France from the eastern extension of the
Rhône Valley to the Belfort Gap, the broad depression linking the basins of the
Rhine and the Saône rivers. From the edge of the Belfort Gap to the
north-eastern corner of France, the Franco-German border is formed by the River
Rhine. The Vosges mountains, extending north from the Belfort Gap, dominate the
region between the Moselle and the Rhine. The highest elevations in the Vosges
Mountains reach about 1,435 m (4,700 ft). The Pyrenees, which extend along the
Franco-Spanish frontier from the Mediterranean Sea to the Bay of Biscay, form
the other mountain boundary of France. Pic de Vignemale (3,298 m/10,820 ft) is
the highest French peak in the Pyrenees. The Pyrenees are traversed by few
passes, a circumstance that has traditionally hampered commerce between France
and Spain. The
Alpine and other ranges in the east are, however, broken
by gaps and passes, notably the passes of St Bernard.
The south-central plateau, known as the
Massif Central, is separated from the eastern highland region by the valley of
the River Rhône. This elevated region has an irregular relief and conformation.
The plateau, rising gradually from the plains region on the north and west, is
characterized by volcanic outcroppings; by deeply eroded limestone tablelands
to the south of the region of extinct volcanoes; and, farther to the south, by
the Cévennes, a series of highlands rising from the Mediterranean coastal
depressions.
The plains region, by far the most extensive section of the
terrain of France, is a projection of the Great Plain of Europe. Except for a
few hilly outcroppings, chiefly in the west-central portion, the French plains
consist of gently undulating lowlands, with an elevation of about 200 m (650
ft) above sea level. The outstanding features of the plains region, the most
fertile in France, are the valleys of the Seine, Loire, and Garonne rivers.
Together with numerous tributaries, these rivers drain the Atlantic watershed
of France. The River Rhône is the largest in the country in terms of volume of
discharge. With its tributaries, particularly the Saône, Isère, and Durance, it
drains the French Alpine region. Among the principal tributaries of the River
Seine, which is the main artery of the national inland waterway system, are the
Aube, Marne, Oise, and Yonne. France has only a few lakes. Lake Geneva,
situated on the Franco-Swiss frontier, lies mainly in Switzerland.
The coastline of France, about 3,140 km
(1,950 mi) long, has relatively few natural harbours. The northern coast, along
the English Channel and the North Sea, is about 1,130 km (700 mi) long and is
broken by a number of promontories, river estuaries, and minor indentations,
few of which provide safe anchorages. Le Havre is the outstanding exception. As
at Cherbourg, a number of harbours have been formed in this region by the construction
of breakwaters. The western coastline of France along the Atlantic, including
the Bay of Biscay, is about 1,390 km (865 mi) long. From the Brittany peninsula
to the Gironde, the Atlantic coastline of France is irregular in outline, and,
except in Brittany, is low and sandy. The principal harbours on this part of
the coast are those of Brest, Lorient, and Saint-Nazaire. Bordeaux is inland on
the Gironde. South of the Gironde, the coastline consists of an almost
continuous stretch of dunes, bordered by arid moors. The best natural harbours
of France, including those of Marseille, Toulon, and Nice, are on the
Mediterranean. A major part of the French Mediterranean coast, which is about
620 km (385 mi) long, is bounded, however, by rocks or shallow water.
